TripleEon - Sculpting Help

[PaleoMatt]

Ok, I've never sculpted before so a tutorial would be appreciated.

[Redonix76]

Hi TE,

There are many styles and ways to sculpt, along with many different types of materials. With that said, basics and methodologies are the same. I can give you help and pointer, but it'll be easier for you to check out some videos first! Please see link for an introduction on how to sculpt a Allosaurus by Mont Marte. It'll help get you started. Good luck and keep us posted!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQlX79qxBO4

[PaleoMatt]

Thanks Redonix Love your Carnotaurus btw!

[terrorchicken]

try using a cheaper clay first to see what you can do & figure out shapes of things(limbs/heads/horns etc) then move on to the good medium clay  when you improved your skills. I was going to try sculpting myself and bought some cheaper kids clay, did some stuff but realized my skills were average & it was just too time consuming a hobby for me. Id rather just look at the stuff that other people who know what theyre doing make. 

[Redonix76]

Thanks Matt!!

I also agree with Terrorchicken. Just get a cheaper oil based modeling clay and practice...they wont dry out or anything so you can just keep re-using it. Start with form and proportions jsut to get that muscle memory going. Make sure to always look at what you're doing from all angles.

[PaleoMatt]

Thanks Matt!!

I also agree with Terrorchicken. Just get a cheaper oil based modeling clay and practice...they wont dry out or anything so you can just keep re-using it. Start with form and proportions jsut to get that muscle memory going. Make sure to always look at what you're doing from all angles.

Noted!

[Mamasaurus]

I love the video tutorial. It's a great reference.  Thank you!   

[Kayakasaurus]

I started sculpting with inexpensive natural air dry clay by Amaco. It will shrink when dry which will cause cracking if you have a solid armature underneath the clay, and it is pretty fragile when dry. Oil based clay is great for practice too, but it will always be in a soft state, good for reuse, not so good if you want to keep what you sculpted. I recently got some air dry paper clay from Amazon which is supposed to shrink less, I'll try and post here after I try it out. If you want to spend a little more money, I recommend getting some sculpey, a big advantage here is you can harden it whenever you want, so it's good for practicing with, and you can bake it if you're happy with your sculpt. The two craft stores near me "Michaels" and "Hobby Lobby" both always have a 40% of coupon on their website, which is really awesome for getting supplies. If there is a choice in colors, dull grayish colors that aren't to dark or light, are best for seeing details in. White and translucent light colors are a big disadvantage. for sculpting tools, simple is best. I have a flat metal tipped spear looking tool, and a rubber tipped tool (mostly for epoxy) and that's pretty much it besides homade scale texture stamps, which can be made with sculpey super easily. Hope this helps 

[terrorchicken]

Ive always been wary of Sculpey b/c of it having to be baked. Can it be baked in a little toaster oven? also does it stink up the room too much?

[Newt]

Sculpey can be baked in a toaster oven. That's what I use. It's not entirely ideal, because toaster ovens may have inconsistent temperature in different parts of the oven and through the baking period, but it works well enough. Polymer clay does have an odor when baking. The odor is not very strong or offensive. Some people worry about baking Sculpey in an oven that's also used for food, but I'm not aware of any real evidence that it's problematic.

If you are looking for a non-hardening modeling clay, Monster Clay is fantastic.

[Redonix76]

Baking Sculpey too high will give you more stronger smell than at a lower temp. Like Newt says, it's not offensive and fairly safe. Also I've been using petroleum jelly since the 90's...works great as a softener and binder for Sculpey, without have to buy their super expensive liquid softener.

[tyrantqueen]

Sculpey can be baked in a toaster oven. That's what I use. It's not entirely ideal, because toaster ovens may have inconsistent temperature in different parts of the oven and through the baking period, but it works well enough. Polymer clay does have an odor when baking. The odor is not very strong or offensive. Some people worry about baking Sculpey in an oven that's also used for food, but I'm not aware of any real evidence that it's problematic.

If you are looking for a non-hardening modeling clay, Monster Clay is fantastic.

If you are using a toaster oven and are worried about temperature spikes, line the base of the oven with ceramic tiles, as many as you can. This will help to regulate the temperature.

[Newt]

Thanks TQ, that's a good idea!

I've got an old metal wardrobe that I plan to retrofit with cannibalized oven elements to make an all-purpose heating box (it seems like all my hobbies end up requiring me to heat things for extended periods). I was going to line it with firebrick, but tile would probably work just as well, especially since I won't be using it at very high temps...now to see if I can get some discounted reject tiles from the local tile factory...

TE Matt - I would like to suggest a book for you: Pop Sculpture by Tim Bruckner et al. It's not about dinosaur sculpture specifically, but it covers a lot of techniques and materials, not only for sculpting but also for molding and casting. It's a great intro to the field written by professional toy sculptors.

[terrorchicken]

interesting tips, thank everyone, Ill keep those in mind if I ever need to use sculpey! The fact that you get color choices certainly makes it more appealing than just regular white/grey clay you have to paint
Ive also seen small ovens sold specifically for baking clay...