quick \"colour shaper\" question

[hakoMike]

Given the options of \"firm\" or \"soft\" for colour shaper tips, can someone give me a comparative idea of just how firm or soft they are? (Maybe in relation to a normal pencil eraser?) I want to buy a \"mini set of 5\" from Blick Arts and I\'m not sure which type to get. (I can\'t realistically get both.)

Thanks.

 

[TONYALDRICH125]

I use both white and black shapers, I would say an eraser comes partway between the two..You dont need the fullset , I have all the types of heads and the only one I use continuously is the flat chisel.. At a pinch the black one does everyhting, the white is a bit handier on the softer materials..Tony Aldrich

 

[demonherald]

pretty much agree with the above....

maybe see how it runs pricewise to get flat chisel in white and black , round point in black round chisel white and v shaped in black.. sorry ot got the technical names for the shapes but you should get an idea..

I find the white one handy for getting a really smooth blend of material into a hard surface.

 

[freakinacage]

i agree with demon herald. you need a few of each. i have:
1 white and 1 black pointy tipped
1 black chisel tipped
1 cuticle pusher:

which is really cheap considering the size

 

[Einion]

Originally posted by TONYALDRICH125
I use both white and black shapers...

Mine\'s grey :~(

Mike, IMO the firmer or softer ones being better will entirely depend on you - how you like to sculpt, the type of thing you\'ll use the tool for and of course the putty you use (e.g. stiffer putties won\'t respond that well to soft tools).

Einion

 

[mattrock]

This thread has made me feel totally retarded.

Sorry for sounding like a rookie...but what are these \"colour shapers\" you keep speaking of? What is their use?

 

[hakoMike]

I forgot: There\'s an art shop on campus. :drunk:

I went there at lunch and they indeed had colour shapers, but only the larger ones (size 2 and up.) I bought a taper, cup round and flat chisel, all gray/firm. The softer one was just way too mushy for me to imagine it being very much to my liking (as opposed to \"useful.\")

I went ahead and order the size 0 set from dickblick.

Thanks for the replies!

@mattrok: imagine a brush with a rubber \"shape\" instead of bristles. I plan on using mine for sculpting.

 

[DarkStar]

I bought my first color shaper about 5 years ago, a softer white tip chisel. I ruined it by letting some magic sculp dry on it, then by trying to remove it I marred the tip.

I really missed it and eventually ordered a full set of the black (firmer) tip shapers and a replacement white tipped.

After time I ended up more fond of the firmer style. Now most of them of just sit in my toolbox while I use the Chisel, Wedge and Cone shape every day while sculpting, no matter what I\'m sculpting. As been mentioned, it\'s a matter of personal preference, I\'m sure those with a lighter touch would prefer the softer tips with more give.

These things are indispensable to my toolkit, and if you take care of them they should last you the duration, justifying the initial cost over time and then some.

I want someone to make even smaller versions of the tools for the use of miniature sculpting though. One day. If I had knowledge of the material used I think it wouldn\'t be hard to sculpt the \"mini\" sized version of these, then cast them in the rubber/silicone and put a handle on them. Maybe one day I\'ll drive up to TAP plastics and see if they have any recommendations on what material to use.

I made a \"large scale\" set of these by hand for larger products actually. I shaped all the varieties of tips and sculpted them out of Super Sculpey Flex then baked them. Worked well for about a year, but over time that material broke down, partly due to cleaning them with solvents I\'m sure, and the tools just sit in a box now as they decay.

 

[Gussy]

Originally posted by hakoMike
@mattrok: imagine a brush with a rubber \"shape\" instead of bristles. I plan on using mine for sculpting.

Okay...but do you paint with it? Or just sculpt?

 

[QuietiManes]

Both. Not sure what they were meant for when they were created the first time but oil painters use them to shape certain texture into the paint and sculptors use them to shape and smooth the putty or clay (great for avoiding those finger prints). Can\'t see them being worth the price for any sort of miniature or acrylic or water colour painting but I\'ve heard people talk about using them for different things.

 

[freakinacage]

actually i find that the white ones allow you more give and therefore seem better for the beginners as they allow you more leeway with the pressure you apply

@gussy and mattrock - here\'s what he look like:

 

[Einion]

Originally posted by mattrock
This thread has made me feel totally retarded.

Ignorance is not stupidity, no matter how we generally associate the two

Colour shapers, as the name suggests, were originally marketed as tools to push around wet paint for canvas painters. They\'re made from silicone rubber and nothing much sticks to them. I think they were tried by some enterprising sculptor somewhere for pushing putty and the rest is history. They do make some specifically for sculptors but I don\'t know if they came out first or what, maybe the market for them with sculptors caused them to be made available to this new set of buyers.

Originally posted by mattrock
What is their use?

Smoothing and gentle tweaking of putty. Because of their give (and their non-stickyness) they can move putty in ways that are a little harder to do with a rigid too. On the smoothing side they can do things I think quite honestly you can\'t do with any other tool (not one anyway, obviously you can achieve the same effects by other means).

Originally posted by DarkStar
I bought my first color shaper about 5 years ago, a softer white tip chisel. I ruined it by letting some magic sculp dry on it, then by trying to remove it I marred the tip.

Bummer. I\'m amazed that any MS could actually stick to it in the first place!

If this happens to anyone else: try dipping the tip in boiling water first.

Originally posted by DarkStar
I want someone to make even smaller versions of the tools for the use of miniature sculpting though. One day. If I had knowledge of the material used I think it wouldn\'t be hard to sculpt the \"mini\" sized version of these, then cast them in the rubber/silicone and put a handle on them. Maybe one day I\'ll drive up to TAP plastics and see if they have any recommendations on what material to use.

Should be easy enough to find a silicone rubber with the right Shore A hardness, go for it.

You don\'t post much so on the off chance this means you don\'t get to check the forums regularly, did you see the thread on Teflon tools that Shawn R. L. started? Hot doggie it works VERY WELL

Einion

 

[DarkStar]

Originally posted by Einion

Bummer. I\'m amazed that any MS could actually stick to it in the first place!

Yarr, maybe they should make some tools out of this material, then If I cut it trying to remove some cured up putty, it will repair itself

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7254939.stm

did you see the thread on Teflon tools that Shawn R. L. started? Hot doggie it works VERY WELL

Cool idea there.

 

[veggiemanuk]

I bought two black ones, a chisel and a pointed ones a couple of months ago. Not knowing what Size I needed I ended up getting size sixes, all I can say is that when they came through the post and I opend them it was omg, what the hell, er I think these are to big, er, more like HUGE. lmao. Hmm, guess ill have to order some other sizes

 

[freakinacage]

mine are all size 0. although i do have a size 6 white pointy. it\'s handy for larger scale stuff. bloody expensive compared to the smaller ones too