molding tutorials?

[Gonzossm]

ok ive made me some clay figure out of super sculpey and i would like to make more of them by molding but the problem is idk how to mold them. can someone please show me a tutorial or something when i can learn how to mold?

btw if you mold a painted figure does it ruin the paint job?

[Gonzossm]

any help??

[MikeMakesModels]

There's a good tutorial in this forum somewhere - search for Hellboy bust (http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=47324). The first ever mould I made followed that tutorial.

But it depends what you're moulding - something small and simple - you'll get away with just sticking him to the bottom of a cup, pouring silicone over him and cutting him out. Bigger things - it might be worth investing in some thixo additive (which make silicone like thick gel that you can spread about) and build up a multi part mould that way.

Assuming your paint is acrylic or something else reasonably durable, it shouldn't matter if you're careful.

[Gonzossm]

well my models are roughly each around 6-8 inches. will the cup method work or am i gonna have to make a big ol cast thingy like the hellboy bust

[MikeMakesModels]

You can cast (almost) anything in a simple mould - It's the type I use most, because it is so quick and simple. However... it is also wasteful. I don't care so much because deadlines are an issue and it's company cash I'm pouring.. (heheh - is that the wrong attitude? :P)

But for a personal project's I try to keep the mould as economic as possible - and a hellboy style mould with 10mm thickness all the way round, will take twice as long to make, but will make your silicone go a lot further :)