basic sculpting tutorials/challenges

H

hestan101

New member
so heres the deal. i havr never sculpted anything at all, and i want to improve. canayone suggest any simple projects to teach me the essential skills? i know this all a bit rushed and impatient, its just i cant really afford to try new tools and putties only for them to go down the train, as chrimbo this year is costing me a bomb. also any putties and what they are good for would be great too. i would be sculpting with green stuff, and mybe milliput

thanks all, max
 
PegaZus

PegaZus

Stealth Freak
One suggestion I would have would be to sculpt out of Sculpy (or any other oven-bake material). Not to really make anything, but it won\'t dry out and you can keep practicing with it. Then, if you find that you\'ve done something that you\'re proud of, you could bake it and keep it.

Obviously, this probably isn\'t the best material to use for some items, but if you\'re on a budget like it sounds, it may be worth the money. You could get a lot of practice out of that. Not sure if you\'re in the US or Europe, but be sure to clip out the 40% off coupon from Michael\'s, Jo-Ann, or Hobby Lobby before you go get some. No reason to pay full price. Just don\'t swallow the bait on the loss leader and buy some other stuff as well! :D
 
lizcam

lizcam

New member
Originally posted by PegaZus
One suggestion I would have would be to sculpt out of Sculpy (or any other oven-bake material). Not to really make anything, but it won\'t dry out and you can keep practicing with it. Then, if you find that you\'ve done something that you\'re proud of, you could bake it and keep it.

Obviously, this probably isn\'t the best material to use for some items, but if you\'re on a budget like it sounds, it may be worth the money. You could get a lot of practice out of that. Not sure if you\'re in the US or Europe, but be sure to clip out the 40% off coupon from Michael\'s, Jo-Ann, or Hobby Lobby before you go get some. No reason to pay full price. Just don\'t swallow the bait on the loss leader and buy some other stuff as well! :D
Click to expand...

Just don\'t use it for conversions and then bake it. Your mini will melt.
 
mattsterbenz

mattsterbenz

New member
Practice practice practice!

Start with conversions first. Alex\'s idea is great. On the same group of guardsmen, you could also try sculpting pouches, sacks, raised insignia on shoulderpads, extra armor panels (such as on the elbows).

A great way to learn how to sculpt faces is to make \"adjustments\" to existing heads. Give one guy a bigger brow, maybe give someone some more pronounced cheek bones or chin, sculpt a wicked scar on someone, add hair/facial hair, etc.

If your conversions look as good as the cast model and match well enough, then try for the scratch-built figure.

And don\'t forget: Practice! :D

-Matt
 
alextheartist

alextheartist

New member
Yeh matts advice is good, just make some bags etc.. make a dagger out of plasticard, shave one guys hair off and resculpt it, give him some goggles etc..

I will post my attepmt up when i have some spare time..

Alex
 
RuneBrush

RuneBrush

New member
Would be quite interesting to have a whole list of \'tests\' to do and examples of peoples work to compare to. Been meaning to try my hand at sculpting - maybe a new year task to try :D

pete
 
moonmin82

moonmin82

New member
i definitely agree with everyone in that conversion work is the best way to learn the basics quickly. making figures from scratch involves a great deal of donkey work and may not provide the crash course you require.

whatever minis you collect, just cut off and reposition (or even resculpt from scratch) an arm or a leg. sculpt extra details like armour, pouches, shoulder pad icons, robes, cloakes and decorative parts for bases (skulls, textured rocks, etc). dont worry about how the mini looks at this stage - you can worry about composition when your skills start coming together.

i even think sculpting in 2D is a useful learning tool. anybody can draw but when it comes to sculpting the artist must learn to think in 3D. sculpting icons or other such flat items onto scrap pieces of plasticard is a great way to learn the ropes and getting to grips with your putty. you can then compare the finished piece it to your reference image to see how youre proportions came out.

also, try sculpting at different paces: try sculpting slowly building up layers stage by stage (drying over night each time) and also speed sculpting (dont be afraid to get stuck in!) - its often surprising how much you can do in a short space of time, but also surprising how the smallest area can take a whole evening!

before you get onto making your own full minis make sure you are confident with pinning. the most important part of any mini is a sturdy armature. too many of my early sculpts now remain in pieces as there were way too fragile (although many fell foul to my brothers spontaneous games of indoor football. :(

my page features only sculpting and conversion stuff so, even if it is all crap, it may provide you with some ideas of where to start! :beer:
 
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