Smellybugs Maquette Tutorial completed!

[smellybug]

Heya folks, Petey here, aka Smellybug.

It has been brought to my attention that the 3d/sculpture section could use a tutorial. Well I'm happy to be at your service. I've been in the movie racket for a number of years and have made a lot of creature maquettes. Along the way I've learned a few tips, tricks and techniques and would be helpful to those just starting out, or even a few bits of info that even advanced artists might find helpful.

I plan to do a supersculpey sculpture in the typical way that I do these things, posting progress and descriptions along the way. You can follow along an make your own or whatever, it's up to you. I probably won't post ever single day, but every few days. Ask questions and I'll try to respond coherently.

Here's the design I will be doing. Keeping it rather simple in terms of number of parts, complexity etc.

http://www.massiveblack.com/stabby/stabby.jpg

[Deth Jester]

YAY!!! :)

-mikey

[juicy_fruit]

crazy man.. your work is fuckin WICKED i love it and i was wonderin where ya went to skoo.. i was concidering ringling.. but now that ive seen ur work its NUTS
p.s. adding digital effects with digital media.. or concept art or fine art makes it SOO much more crazier then i could ever imagine!

[Skello]

cool looking creature...curious to see how the head looks in 3d :chug:

[Hesse]

......must ...subsribe....now
really nice litlle monster
cant wait to see it sculped thanks for willing to do a tutorial about it

[Miau]

thx man - your work is so wicked! :jump1:

[I.was.ink]

Fantastic!

I'll be waiting...

[battlemonkey]

damn... i'd love to see this tutorial... you have the job of my dreams!
eagerly waiting

[smellybug]

Here are the sculpting tools I use when making a sculpt of this general size. I figure the model will be between 10 and 12 inches long.

I've accumilated these tools over the years and they are a mix of store-bought and homemade. Having the same set isn't necessary, it's just about finding out which tools work best for you on a given project. More on how to make your own later. Take a look:

http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/tools.jpg

Btw; Don't forget to pick up one of these calipers. Very essential. I use them all the time when I'm working.

http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/calipers.jpg

[smellybug]

This tool isn't exactly necessary, but it saves me a lot of time and sore hands. It's a pasta maker, I use it to mix sculpey colors together. This can take a long time if you're doing a lot with just your hands.

http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/pastaPress.jpg

BTW, here's a shot of part of my filthy studio....haha I really need a maid!

http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/studio.jpg

[Skello]

CROM!..thats a whole bunch of tools!....which ones do you use most?

(-Sorry i yanked the image...just wanna save space.-pk)

[smellybug]

I'll probably use most of them, though a few of them will get the most attention. You'll see. I'll be pretty detailed about what I'm doing once i get going.

[Skello]

Sweeet!

[Smeagol71]

Petey...this is fantastic!!! Thanks so much for taking the time to go through this with us. I'm chomping at the bit to see you get started. This is something I've dabbled with but wanted to get into more seriously for awhile now and this might be my chance!!

By the way, great work Mr.Blue on the Massive Black site!! Those maquettes are works of genius. Do you use an airbrush when painting them? Is there hope for those of us who don't have an airbrush, or is it pretty much necessary when painting maquettes?

[smellybug]

Lol...you are chomping at the bit...already talking about painting! I do use an airbrush, but not exclusively. You'll see, I'll probably use everything but the kitchen sink.

[Deth Jester]

This is so fantastic! This is why I love this forum... I am as giddy as a school boy! thanks a ton for doing this Smelly! :)

peace
-mike

[smellybug]

Next I took the photoshop file, cut out the critter and blew the printout up to the size i want to sculpt it on a regular xerox machine. I don't have it here, but it's of course best to have all three orthographic views of what you're doing. But in this case, I'll be leaving a bit of it up to experimentation, and I have a pretty good idea in my mind what the rest of the guy should look like. This image will also be used for building the armature and a reference when I'm actually sculpting.

http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/xerox.jpg

[smellybug]

So now i know how big my base needs to be, and I have more of a sense as to how heavy the final sculpture will be. The base is made just big enough to keep the thing from toppling over, but not so big that I can't get close enough to do my work. I'm using a 3/8 inch threaded rod as the main support and have fastened it down with a nut on top, a wingnut on the bottom and a couple of washers. The main thing is you don't want a flimsy support because it's annoying. At a certain point down the road, I will also take the rod with the sculpture off of the wooden base in order to get at the bottom of it. More on that later.

http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/baseTop.jpg

http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/baseBottm.jpg

[Scotty]

This is great! I'm always down for learning new tips and methods for sculpting. I can't wait to see how YOU go about it. You clearly do great work. Thank you for not being selfish with your knowledge. :thumbsup:

[Zaphod]

This is great!

I can't wait for the next update. I'm in the progress of making a miniature in milliput epoxy. I'm still on the starting blocks so this will be great to look at when I take my first shaky steps.

I'm making my armature today with a support that will be able to rotate on the x and y axis and I got a load of dentist tools (46pcs) from an aquintance (Anyone in the area of Gothenburg, if you want some tools for sculpting give me a mail). So I'm all but ready to go!

I need to work some more on my concepts and then I'm gonna start sculpting.

Oh well, I'm just ranting. I'm just exited to see a tutorial right now since I'm gonna do the same thing! I hope I will be able to pick up a few tips.

Keep up the good work! I'm looking forward to see the tutorial as it progresses.

[smellybug]

I've taken the xerox and roughly drawn where I think the spine and main skeleton of the model should be. The clay will ultimately be supported by an internal wire skeleton. I didn't mark it exactly where it would be in nature, but deeper into the mass of the body, just to give me room. Nothing is more irritating than hitting a wire as you're sculpting away, so give your self a bit of space. The backbone wire (aluminum wire available at art stores or ceramics stores) here will be attached to the threaded rod and will support the bulk of the weight, therefore make sure it is strong enough for the job. Here I'm using 1/4 inch, which should be strong enough.
I then indicated where the wire will be for the arms and legs. The white dots are there to remind me where the pivot points would be. I'll use them to compare both sides of the model, keeping the arms and legs symetrical. Keep in mind though that the drawing was done in perspective. If you make the arm wires and legs wires as long as the black line I drew, they'd be too short. A front and top view will help with that. I'll add those images soon.

http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/armature1.jpg

[smellybug]

This creature will be fabricated out of Super Sculpey and Sculpey III. I'll use the Sculpey III to tint the largers blocks of regular Super Sculpey.
**special tip When you buy your sculpey, check for "freshness". Open the box and check that the material is soft and you can press your finger into it. Sculpey isn't cheap, so don't buy old dried up stuff that's been sitting on the store shelf for six months. And when you get it home, put in a zip lock bag or tupperware if you're not going to use it immediately. Takes a long time to dry out, but it will.

http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/sculpey.jpg

[smellybug]

Here I'm premixing my sculpey to achieve an opaque grey color. In this case, I want the material to photograph for the tuturial, so eliminating the translucency of the original color will do that. In addition, it's helpful to tint the material a color that is fairly close to the base color of the final product. Not only does it help visualize as you are working, but it helps the painting process as well.
The ratio I used here was:

1 box Sculpey
1 block white Sculpey III
1/2 block black Sculpey III

Keeping the ratios simple like this allows me to make more anytime I need it and the colors will match.

Just run it through the press over and over, flattening, folding and shredding and repeating until the color is solid. Same thing if you're doing it by hand. Takes a while, but it's worth it.

http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/mixing.jpg

[Deth Jester]

this is what Im talking about, a tutorial start to finish... telling how to make everything.. thanks Smelly! hey does it say Sculpey 3 on the packages? Cause I was at the art store and I saw packages that Say Sculpey and they are colored but I didnt see any 3 on the label.

thanks
-mike

[smellybug]

checked mine, one said III the other didn't. If it's colored and sculpey, it's ok.

[Deth Jester]

bueno! I am working along wiht you, but Im not gonna post pics.. and I dont have a sphaghetti machine.. :(

-mike

[Smeagol71]

Man oh man...I know I've posted before in this thread saying thank you Petey, but I have to say it again. This thread is fantastic and you haven't even started sculpting yet!!! Thanks so much for the time you're putting in on this thread!!!! :D

[Scotty]

1 box Sculpey
1 block white Sculpey III
1/2 block black Sculpey III

I've always used the plain Super Sculpey...so this is valuable info for me. I hear that you can see the flaws much better when the clay is grey. Thanks! :chug:

[Tedsuo]

Sweet baby jesus, this is a cool thread.

[smellybug]

So here is the armature in it's basic form. I normally leave things like fingers, claws or spikes for later. Right now I want to concentrate on the main limbs and their relationships to the torso. THis is where I use the calipers to compare to the drawing. At this point, the armature is not posed, but I'm still hoping to get a sense of the final product even at this early stage. Personally, I already see a resemblance.
http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/armature2.jpg
http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/armature3.jpg
Notice how I'm wrapping the seperate wires for the arms to the main body wire and the bends I'm putting in the leg and arm wires. This will soon be locked in epoxy putty, the bends in the wire will keep the wires from coming loose and turning.
http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/armaturewrap1.jpg
I'm tacking the wires in place with a little Devcon 5min epoxy...
http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/armaturewrap2.jpg
Once the epoxy is dry I am then ready to secure the wire to the base rod. I use Propoxy plummers putty for this. There are many kinds of plummers putty, but I like this one because it's particularly strong.
http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/propoxy.jpg
Cut it and mix it by hand. I'd recommend you use rubber gloves
http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/propoxyclosup.jpg

[smellybug]

The idea is to pack the mixed material very tightly around the areas to want to bind and lock together. I like to wet it a tiny bit with isopropyl alcohol. This thins it a little and lets you really mush it in there good. Let this harden completely and check that things are nice and secure. You'll be torqueing on this structure soon, so it should be solid.
http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/propoxyArmature.jpg
http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/propoxyArmature2.jpg
Bit o'trivia: A number of props from the film A Nightmare before Xmas were sculpted and carved from propoxy. Very handy stuff.

[bRyaN]

Smelly...you are a god amongst men...
you happened to scuplt one of my favorite creations of all time, and i mst say i appreciate you for that( Draco the Dragon)..

Thank you for the wealth of knowledge...

[smellybug]

Sweet, dude, glad you liked the Draco. That was a great project. Too bad those kind of jobs don't come along more often. Hopefully I'll be doing a lot of 3d work for the Massive Black projects, maybe even stuff people can buy at the store. We'll see. Thanks!

[bRyaN]

Dude, to say i liked it is an understatment..i freakin adore Draco...when i saw your name and the process work you posted a while about Draco, i almost shat in my pants...i can honestly say Dragonheart is one of the movies that solidified my interest in fantasy (hell i even named a character in my comic after the beast)

I also told my father that i was in contact with the guy who did the sculpture, and he sends his thanks...

I'm glad you put up this tutorial, if there is a US Concept Art work shop, i hope you can bring these process shot andthe finished piece...i would definately dig seeing it in the flesh...

[jester]

Smellybug, you sculptured Draco? :eek: OMG! One of my fav films and I sort of "know" one of the creators?! I am honored!

BTW - thanks a lot for the instructions, I always wondered how to fix the armatures!

Jester

[Skello]

I may be jumping the gun but ....is the support rod going to be eventually sawn off and left inside the sculpture or is it permanent?

[smellybug]

Yo Skello: In this case, the support rod will probably be left in. It'll need a support anyway since it will be an airborne character. Plus, if I decide to mold it, that hole will make a good pour sprue. Another trick you can do is grease the support rod before applying the epoxy putty and unscrew it after you bake the sculpey. You then patch the hole and that's it. But this time around I think I'll just leave it in.

Brian and Jester: you guys are too kind. That was a long time ago, I'm glad somebody even remembers that movie. I do have to give a lot of credit to my boss Phil Tippett; it's not like I was working in a vacuum. He pushed me like never before to get that thing looking right. It was great, but it was hell too. A great learning experience.

[Skello]

aha! ok got it..:chug:

[smellybug]

Ok, so I have my armature ready to go. I've roughly posed it how I want it (don't be afraid to repose later if need be) and I've wrapped it in 1/16 guage alluminum wire. Why you ask? This is the secret for keeping the clay on the understructure. If I would not put the little wire on there, as I sculpted and manupulated the clay, it would work itself free and fall off the large smooth wires. The small wire gives the clay something to grab on to.
*NOTE: If this was an even larger figure, I would tightly pack alluminum foil in say the torso area to build up the bulk within a half inch or so of where I eventually want to be. Then I'd do the wrapping with the small wire. It's best to avoid baking very thick pieces of sculpey because it tends to crack. (For me, thick is over 3 inches or so.) But I think I'll be ok on this one. So no foil this time.
http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/armatureDone1.jpg
http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/armatureDone2.jpg

So I hope to start getting some clay on this thing this weekend. Now the real fun starts!

[smellybug]

I should mention the reference I use and the inspirational things I come across from time to time. One book I'd recommend buying is "Modeling the Figure in Clay" by Bruno Luchesi. You can get it on amazon along with his other book "Modeling the head in clay" which is also great. Check out what that guy can do with water clay. I use the Figure book for anatomy ref all the time, even though it's only sculpted clay...great stuff.

[smellybug]

Alright lets start the good part...sculpting!

First thing I want to do in this case is make a template to aid me in getting the ball rolling. I draw over the xerox and press down hard with pen, transferring the outline of the main bodymass to the cardboard. You can also spraymount the xerox to the cardboard or foamcore then cut it out. It's up to you.

http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/template/template1.jpg

Cut the shape out with an exacto knife...watch them fingers.
If you're not pasting down the original image and cutting it out, it's a good idea to mark major landmarks like the eye or the arms, ribs.. whatever you will be needing later.

http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/template/template2.jpg

Now as you can see, there's no question if you're getting it right. Start adding clay. Be sure to really work it into the wires in the beginning so that you have a solid base.
http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/template/template3.jpg
Be sure to really work it into the wires in the beginning so that you have a solid base.
http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/template/template4.jpg

[smellybug]

The beginning stage is called the blocking stage. Just like blocking any performance, we are not concerned about the fine detail yet, we are just getting the basic dimemsions down. I normally start with the larger masses first. In this case the torso area. Everything hinges on getting this first part right, so I take my time and sorta creep up to the shape I think is correct, taking into account anatomy and the pose, always measuring with my calipers and comparing to the reference.

http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/blocking/blocking2.jpg
It helps to throw some temporary features on there to kinda help your eye "see" where you're going.
http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/blocking/blocking1.jpg
As you can see, the surface is a little different now. Sometimes all the little hunks of clay that I quicky lay down can look a little distracting. I want to be sure that I'm generally happy with the way the torso is looking, so I tool down the surface a little with some very crude and rough tools. I call this "equalizing the surface." I give it a quick once over in order improve the look of it a bit.
http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/blocking/blocking3.jpg
These are some tools I use very often, especially in these early stages. Notice that they all have grooves or cerations. The wooden one came that way. The one on the right is a rake tool I made from a small jewelers saw blade. The one on the left is store bought, I ground the notches in there with a dremel tool.
http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/blocking/blocking5.jpg
They all have a different effect. Generally I work from course to fine. Kinda makes sense, don't it? You just gotta experiment.
http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/blocking/blocking7.jpg
http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/blocking/blocking6.jpg

[smellybug]

Lets start adding the limbs.
http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/blocking/blocking4.jpg
Again, my approach to something like this is to try to build it like a reverse dissection. The wire is the bone and the clay is built up like sinue and muscle. Even though this is a fictional character, I want it to feel real and absolutely possible. I find that when I add clay like I'm placing muscle and fat, trying to show where one muscle passes under another, or where a muscle and bone connect, the trick seems to have a positive effect. Even if it's not technically accurate, even if a lot of it will eventually be coverd with skin and texture, having that wierd surgical frame of mind pays off. Form and function is key. (And it's gotta look like the reference)
http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/blocking/blocking8.jpg
Once I've roughed one side I can move to the other. Use the calipers to keep opposing limbs and features relatively on track.
http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/blocking/blocking9.jpg
Think about how muscle mass and flesh change shape, shift and stretch and tighten as you lay down the clay. Surround yourself with reference that can help you. Keep good reference in view. It's a little embarrassing, but you sometimes have to go and buy a bodybuilder magazine to see extreme examples of muscles and bodies in different poses and conditions. Try books on dance or sports. There are a few decent artist reference books out there, but depending on your project, a good book on boxing might be the right choice. Regardless, having proper ref in front of you is incredibly necessary. ON this project, I use a combination of human and animal reference.

As for the pose here. I am torn between doing something very challenging and dynamic on the one hand, and on the other hand being very faithful to the original image. I'm mostly leaning towards the latter here. For what this will be used for, keeping descriptive, yet fun to look at is what I'm after.
http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/blocking/blocking10.jpg

[jester]

Posts like this are the reason why I just love CA.
Thank you ever so much, you just gave the answers to a hundred questions I had on sculpting and I realize how much I did wrong or in a more complicated way than necessary.

Jester

[I.was.ink]

I dont sculpt, and the last time I tried it was like 8 years ago. You make it seem so easy and fun. I'll have to try this someday soon.

Very inspiring!:thumbsup:

-iwasink

[Scotty]

I've never tried that "cardboard thing" before. What a good idea! I have a bunch of creatures I've drawn over the years that I was thinking of finally bringing to life in clay for my portfoilio. This thread is great...thanks! :chug:

[Deth Jester]

crap, I went away for like 2 days and now there is a shitload more! :)

Im so excited I feel like a little kid on christmas!

peace
-mike

[Ninja_ASSN]

damn... awsome tutorial! Im starting on doing my own creature, using this thread for learning... show more :)
respect!

[el coro]

awesome petey. very interesting to see your process. i cant tell you how many times i've looked at the one i have and wondered, how the hell did he do that? i'm savoring every minute of this dude. makes me wanna sculpt...-c36

[Erik]

bought me some sculpey now -- i'd like to try that stuff out now you show us the process. Great thread!

[juicy_fruit]

lets play find the tools in smellybugs workshop.. lol naw im just kidding.. smellybug man.. damn.. thats like all i can say... im 14 and i have some experience around drawing and its a gift unlike some people who have to learn.. but to learn soo much early in life is just amazing when u get to college and amaze ur art teachers and know ur gonna make it through... man uve touched all of us with this.. thank you

-juicy

[samhain]

What more can I say than anybody else...just thank you!
pure inspiration! :chug:

"Draco" was really awsome, he saved the movie
I just read, that you worked on Jurassic Park, i think you did animatics, right?
And what was your job on starship troopers?

thanks for spending your time with this tutorial,
You make me want to sculp!
:thumbsup:

[smellybug]

Thanks Sam, yeah, on Jurassic I worked on the stopmo animatics. Just moldmaking and fabricating, helping to turn the stan winston sculpts into stopmo puppetts. I was there the day spielberg called my boss phil to basically anounce the end of stopmotion. Originally, the dinos where going to be computer 'enhanced' go motion. Anyway...long story that's probably told better on the dvd. On Troopers I sculpted a number of the bug maquettes, most of the warrior and all of the brainbug. These were based off of Craig Hayes designs. I then moved on to being an animator once the art duties where done. BTW, everybody go out and buy Starship Troopers II or watch the pay perview next month. I was animation sup' on that. That way Phil can get more and bigger projects funded. (sorry for the advertisement.)
www.starshiptroopers2.net (http://www.starshiptroopers.net)

Coro; thanks brudda
Juicy: wha?
ninja: doit
dethJ: I'll be putting more up in the next few days
jester: that picture of you always cracks me up. thanks for the enthusiasm. now get to work.

Thanks to all for keeping up with this forum. It's great ego boost.

[DanPerezStudios]

Thanks for the great tutorial, Smellybug--hope to see some more from you.

The animatics can be seen on the making-of sections of the Jurassic Park DVDs. They're pretty cool in their own right.

I'm definitely looking forward to Starship Troopers 2...

[fukifino]

This is really awesome stuff! Can't wait for more updates.

I have a quick question for Dan or Smellybug. (BTW Dan, your tutorials on your site rock...they definately pointed an absolute beginner in the right direction).

If you bake a part of your model to make sure you don't lose detail before adding other stuff to it, what's the best way to get new clay to stick to your baked model? I know I've seen something about this before, but I just can't find it. :/

[smellybug]

I usually prep the already baked parts with a rub down of turpenoid. If the area is smooth, I'll also score it a bit with an xacto knife to give the new stuff a little something to hold on to. Just a little cross hatching is enough.

[fukifino]

Thanks Smellybug, I'll have to try that! Although I fear my model might be a little too small...I might have to add the details with milliput. :o

[tyboogie]

smelly.... im jonesin' for an update.....

:D tyty

[smellybug]

Ok, finally an update! "Woot!" as Manley would say.
Lets start with the webbing between the arms. Here I've cut out some fine wire mesh. You can use anything, alluminum or stainless steel is good. Cut it with tin snips and just push it into the sculpey...about half an inch here. At least deep enough to stay put.
http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/roughing/webbing1.jpg

Then I press the clay in there..keeping it thin for now.

http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/roughing/webbing2.jpg

here I'm laying in "stretchies" or tension folds. You guessed it...use real fabric for ref. Or your grandmas butterwings.

http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/roughing/webbing3.jpg

stretchies roughed in just using fingers.

http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/roughing/webbing4.jpg

going over the surface with my knotched loop tool. Notice I'm still using large tools. It ain't time for the little ones yet. Just trying to find the natural looking folds that give the area a sense of pulling and tension.

http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/roughing/webbing5.jpg

The other side is much more relaxed. It's tricky to decide how to show this. You just have to experiment. Look at different materials and see what seems right, think about what the creatures skin and flesh are made of. Is the skin tough or silky and thin? Here I feel that there should be a number of permanent folds that just buckle, since this character spends a lot of time in the stretched position, running and leaping about. I think the skin should be thick and tough. (btw, this isn't done!)

http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/roughing/webbing6.jpg

[smellybug]

So for the dorsal spikes, i need a thicker, more rigid mesh to support the clay. Again, I'm using the drawing to figure out how this is cut.

http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/roughing/dorsalSpike1.jpg

here's side view after planting the rest of the spike meshes and throwing clay over them. Starting to look like the original picture, huh?

http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/roughing/side1.jpg

Hand armature almost done. Still need to wrap in thin wire for grip.

http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/roughing/hand1.jpg

blocking it in without tools, just rolling balls of clay and pressing it in there. Trying to keep in mind the anatomy at all times, functionality sells the shapes y'know. Gee whiz, now that I look at it, the arms looking a little feeble and thin! I'll fix that tomorrow.

http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/roughing/hand2.jpg

The nose needs good support. Measure with calipers. Notice that here and on the fingers I added propoxy tips. This is an optional way to make sharp tips of.. things. When the model is baked, you can sand the tip very sharp and they'll be durable this way. Worth a try.

http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/roughing/faceWires.jpg

Roughing in some wrinkles with the large-ish loop tool.

http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/roughing/wrinkles1.jpg

Use reference. This is just the rough the begining, but I won't finish without looking at the real thing.

http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/roughing/wrinkles2.jpg

Enjoy...more soon!

[Zaphod]

Oooh... nice job! Keep it up.

Say, Propoxy, is that perhaps some kind of epoxy clay?
I've read that Sculpey gets brittle and breaks easy. How thin is not good to go beyond if I don't want it to break easily?

Thanks for a great tutorial! You should ask the people at CA to host the images when you're done so that the tutorial will stay on the forum!

EDIT - Sorry, I should read more closely in the future. I saw the post where you wrote that you used an epoxy putty named Propoxy.

[Scotty]

Man, this is great. I'm loving this tutorial. I've been trying to figure out what to use for flat areas (wings for a giant bee I'm making) that I can add clay to, and that MESH is perfect for what I need it to do. Thanks!! :chug:

Oh, and this sculpt is looking amazing....love a good imaginary creature anytime! :cool:

[foster]

oh please more now, more now! this is so good i feel like i am watching a great film and then the lights go up and "continued" rolls across the screen. i must admit i have been avidly checking this thread for you updates, eagerly waiting for christmas.

smellybug, you have given of your time and talent way beyond any expectation. thank you so much. you are an incredible artist, gentleman and teacher.

hope to meet you some day at a convention or job.

jon

[MindCandyMan]

wow this thread is amazing! I'm so glad I found it...wow...awesome. I can't wait to see it totally done!

[smellybug]

Thanks again you guys.

Zaph: Yeah, it can break if it's unsupported. I'm close to too thin here, but I'll risk it. Superglue is your friend. If you need make thin strong parts, you can also make them out of something stronger, like the propoxy, though it can be a bit tricky. In the past I've made parts like this seperately and then molded them out of plastic and attached them...but that's another tutorial.

Scotty, yeah...wings are a challenge for sure. Good luck with that. You can further stiffen the mesh by painting 5min epoxy into it, or two part easy plastic. (get that at Douglas and Sturgess) If you put two layers of mesh together and bind them with those products, it'll be reeelly stiff, sorta like fiberglass.

Jon: I'm huge fan! I'll do my best to post more often. I'm glad you're getting something out of this. As for being a gentleman....have you read the chukw fiasco?! I'm a bad person...lol. Yikes!

MCM: Me too.

[Deth Jester]

Foster, my sentiments exactly... I keep checking this thread... sometimes 3 or 4 times a day just to see if there is anything new... :)

thank you smelly...

-mike

[Giottoface]

Smellybug. I know you have yet to get to this stage, but i cannot resist asking this question to someone so willing to help out us little guys.

I have a sculpey sculpture I just finished. I want to paint it, but fear that putting primer on it will lose detail. If i wanted to paint it with acrylic paint, would a primer coat be necessary? The sculpey I used was the big box of white sculpey mixed with black sculpey 3 to get a medium gray. thanks!

[smellybug]

No, it's not necessary. Just don't use oil based paints on it. Paint away!

[DanPerezStudios]

Sandable laquer-based primer and acrylic paints are the best way to go for painting super sculpey pieces.

You can get acrylic craft paints cheap at places like Michaels and Hobby Lobby. They come in 3 oz. bottles.

Great work on the tutorial, Smellybug. Keep it up!

[davidheijl]

Oh man, this is amazing stuff!
i always wanted to try this out, and now i'm finally getting a start-to-finish overview of how to do it!

please keep going!!

[smellybug]

Check for more updates tonight!

[Shadow Lady]

this is my first time on this site...and i thought that your sculpture looked awesome...i'm really hoping to do more sculpey myself..i just started out a few months ago...had to do one for an art class. it didn't turn out too bad..lol..and got myself into doing a lot of detail (scailed armor). i would love a job doing more of this...so i'm glad you made this tutorial...it really helps me learn more about skin textures and wrinkles and all that tedious "fun" stuff. you've been a big help. i want to post pics of my scuplture soon. i really want to see this one finished...great job...but i guess that's why you're a pro at it...lol

[smellybug]

Ok...notes:
Starting the detail process now. This is a multi stage process. I like to jump around, so you'll notice that there are many parts not yet ready for fine detail. Again, I work big to small through all stages of work, going over the sculpt in waves.
http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/detailing/detailing1.jpg
Here I've sorta cheated, combining the first stage and second. I should have taken a picture earlier in the day...
STAGE 1: Muscle details. Very important to get the "canvas" ready for the finer details. This involves tightening the muscle shapes. Making sure muscles read like they are interacting with eachother realistically. The overs and unders. Reference is a must. Even with a fictional creature like this, people can spot that something just ain't right if you don't understand how the real thing works in the natural world.
http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/detailing/detailing2.jpg
STAGE2/3: See the larger wrinkles and folds? This is stage 2 work. Every stage of work depends on the previous stage being right. So before I add the finer lines and textures, the ones they lay upon need to be worked out.
http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/detailing/detailing3.jpg
Notice also that the surface detail is very tooled looking and rough. Eventually once I get the entire character detailed to this point, I will go over the surface with turpenoid and a soft, relatively small brush. But that will be in future updates.
http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/detailing/detailing4.jpg
He I'm showing that only half the model is textured. Normally I'd do both sides, but since I'm trying to replicate or get the feeling of the original drawing, i want to work out that side first. I will then mirror it over to the other side, which is a challenge by itself. More on that later.
http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/detailing/detailing5.jpg

* A word on patience. I can't teach it, but you gotta have it. This is something that masters like Foster understand very well. You have to be able to sit and work methodically and focused for long periods of time. This is one thing that gets overlooked with a number of people just getting started. You reeeally want to see the finished product, I know. But there are few shortcuts to learning the craft and going through the necessare steps to complete something that will knock peoples socks off. All of the kickass people on this site have put their time in and done their homework, even extra credit. That's the only way you can get to the point of making cool things look effortless. Normally if I was working on this full time, I could crank it out in a couple of days. But speed only comes with experience. Take your time and pay the dues, it will pay off later.

[TARGETE]

Petey,

This is freakin wicked, we are grateful that you took the time to show us how its done.

And this all free to us..people have paid much tuition learning
half this stuff.

knowledge is invaluable, not sure whats going on with thunderdome, but I still want that studio tour man. :)

peace homeboy,

JP

[Giottoface]

Very very nice/inspiring. got a pic of how the relaxed flap came out?

[Zaphod]

Wow! That is truly nice! Amazing texture!

Is there any reason for just texuring just half of the creature? Is it to make it easier for the 3D-modelers perhaps?

Is this finished for baking now? Will you paint it later on and show us the process of that too? That would totally rock.

Thank you for the indepth tutorial, I learned a lot!

[Scotty]

Excellent detailing! In comparing it now to the initial concept sketch....it's uncanny. Thank you for taking the time to do this....it's greatly appreciated. (Especially for "self-taughts" like myself) You've answered many questions :chug:

[pixelherder]

i only stumbled across this by accident, and even though i'm not a sculptor, i thought i had to say how good this tutorial is. thanks for the time and information. VERY much appreciated!

Cant wait to see more...

[fukifino]

Holy crap! When I saw these pictures this morning I had to go back a page and see if I missed a step. Damn, that's an awesome jump in detail.

And thanks for mentioning patience..I need every good artist to pound that into my head. I'm so impatient when it comes to this stuff.

Brilliant stuff, can't wait to see it continue!!

[volk23]

it would of been great if you could show some screen shots of how and what tools you use to add the skin texture like this. Other than that its awesome!

[smellybug]

I will scan my tools and put them up tonight. Can't ftp from work. There are some pics of them on the first page though.

[Caspergt]

This is insane. I keep shaking my head. Drooling.

[FunkYeti]

I just want to say how inspirational this tutorial has been. I have never done this before but always considered it after watching the special features on the Star Wars and LOTR dvds. Now with this tutorial and a long over due break from school I'm going to give it a try.

A few question from a complete newbie:
1. Is there any certain procedure for maintaining yor tools?
2. My wife is a into making ceramics but she has taken sculpting before and understands your tutorial better than I do. She uses regular clay I guess, well not super sculpy. I was wondering if I could use this but she says she can't use armetures because her clay shrinks when baked (fired)?

Eagerly awaiting the rest of this tutorial :D

[CopyNumberFive]

This tutorial is amazing, I'm so happy someone at the Kid Robot forums pointed it out. I have a question about eyes. It looks like you used some kind of ball bearing and was wondering if this is the best way to go, or should i use pre-baked sculpey spheres, especially if I want to paint the piece later. Thanks for all your time with this, it is a real thrill to see.
cheers :beer:
-Craig-

[smellybug]

FunkYeti:
1) No, not really. I usually customize them a little for particular uses, but no, you just use them, clean'm when dirty.\
2) Ceramics clay is great on an armature as long as you plan to make a mold from it. It will crack and fall apart otherwise. I usually use clay called "06 buff" for water clay. It has a nice fine texture, easy to work with. See my Ogre post for an example of what you can do with it.

Copy#5:
Glad you're getting something out of this! The prebaked spheres are a great way to go. THe ball bearings I use are just temp for now. I will eventually make some eyes, or find some appropriate glass eyes from a taxedermy supply. Bird and fish eyes might be great for this critter.

*Had a problem uploading my tool pic, I'll try again later.

[ChaosEidolon]

hey man, just thought id join the bandwagon and thank you for such a great thread. I think were all getting tons out of it. The absolute best way to learn from others is to see their process...
I cant wait to see the rest.

[smellybug]

chaos:
Thanks man. I definitely appreciate the positive response to the tutorial. Gets my butt in gear to get it done, that's for sure. I'm happy to do it, too. When I was trying to learn this stuff 20 years ago or so, there was little help around in my suburban hellhole. A couple magazines, but little else. If I can help to get someone going a little faster or demystify a technique, I feel like I've done something positive. I'll have a new update in a day or two. By Thursday definitely. Thanks again.

[the good war]

hi i've been wanting to get into maquettes for some time and i was wondering if it would be ok to bake glass eyes and is there a limit or anything to how many times you can bake super sculpey before it dicintigrates or deteriorates
excellent tutorial, thumbs up

[smellybug]

glass eyes are fine usually. And you can bake sculpey a number of times, but I haven't done it more than 3 times. Bake it at 200 or even a little lower for a longer time instead of what the box says. Seems to work better for me.

[smellybug]

Ok....the juicy part starts. DETAIL! Or I guess it continues. Looking two pics back, you can see the raw detail pass in closeup. Below I'm going over that surface with a soft brush and some turpernoid. I keep brushing it until it looks how I want it to. Starting with too many lines and pits and knocking it back until it feels right.
http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/detailing2/armDetailing1.jpg
http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/detailing2/bodyDetail1.jpg

Now the right side before brushing...

http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/detailing2/rtbodyDetail1.jpg

A comparison to show how much I'm smacking down the rough lines at this stage. Yikes...those neck wrinkles look like crap!

http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/detailing2/bodyDetail3.jpg

Lets break down the next phase of detailing, shall we? Yes. Let's start with the arm. Here I am lightly dragging a homemade tool across the arm adding additional fine detail. Every texture has a number of levels of detail that make it what it is. It's up to you to decypher the trick and see how far you need to go to create the illusion you're after. Here i just want thick and leathery with some age to it.
http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/detailing2/armDetailing2.jpg
Notice that I have a lot of lines there, but there is a sort of order to it, even though I'm trying to make it look natural and random. It needs some logic behind it to sell it. My reference is pictures of rhinos and elephants, even leather clothing has cool and interesting patterns to it, after all, it is skin.
http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/detailing2/armDetailing3.jpg

I've brushed it very gently with the same brush and turp, now I'm using a simple piece of sponge to take away the super smooth, shiny look the brushing has. In some cases, like inside a mouth, you might want to leave it smooth. Doing this also helps the surface hold the paint, give it more age and cut down on reflection, making it a matte surface. Many sponges and foams will work, this one is very soft so I don't screw up the detail I just made.
http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/detailing2/armDetailing4.jpg

So here is the result on the arm. Standing back a bit it looks ok. Looks like I need to give the elbow a different texture, it's starting to look a little monotonous (sp?). These pictures are helpful for me to see what works and what doesn't. Normally I use a mirror to get a different view of what I'm doing, but the pics work similarly.

http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/detailing2/armDetailing5.jpg

Same process with the legs...

http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/detailing2/legdetailing1.jpg
http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/detailing2/legdetailing2.jpg
Here I'm going back over the wrinkles to emphasize some a little more. If you don't take time to punch things up here and there your texture can look bland and mechanical.
http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/detailing2/legdetailing3.jpg

Now I've done the same to the right side of the body.
*note: You have to let the sculpey dry out a little between brushing and detail passes. After you apply the turpentine, the surface is very soft and liquidy. Wait an hour or mist some rubbing alcohol over it and that will help evaporate the turp. CAREful. No open flames nearby, right?

http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/detailing2/rtbodyDetail2.jpg

Check out the seemingly natural look of the skin. Learning how to achieve a feeling of randomness in your tool strokes is the key.
Also notice how some of these textures are more compressed and squeezed looking on this right side where the creature is pulling it's arm back. That's also something to learn through observation, how various materials react to pose or movement. Getting this down helps add another layer of believability to your creation. (although my dorsal spikes are hella weak! Dang...gotta fix that too!)

http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/detailing2/rtbodyDetail3.jpg

After sponging...

http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/detailing2/rtbodyDetail4.jpg



Cool! Well. Things are moving along. Next time I'll show more work on the bottom, the hands and the head, as well as some fixes to what you see here... Hope you like the latest.

[Ninja_ASSN]

U just become my personal hero... favorite artist.. ever... :chug:
I also take some time now to see ur webpage, and again.. my jaw felt off.
True inspiration to me!

[Zaphod]

That detail is insane! Very nice!

A (few) question(s): when adding wrinkles like these, how do you place them? Are they placed after a ceartain pattern? Like after how the muscles wrinkle the skin (obviously). Do you have any good tip on how to approach it? Is it like drapery when you usually pick out directions and points where the fabric is tight against the underlying structure?

...I was really sleepy when I wrote that above, I realize now that you do answer most of those questions already in your text.

Keep up the good work. I can't wait to see this beauty finished and painted.

[Scotty]

Fantastico! Great stuff man...this thing just keeps getting better and better. Just when I think that you aren't gonna let anymore secrets out....YOU DO! Thanks....leathery skin is one of the things I have had trouble with...not anymore!!:chug:

[el coro]

hey pete! that's looking great! you are truly the man. i'm proud to be your friend dude. the textures you get are amazing. are you gonna paint it now? -c36

[fev]

good heavens thats insane... btu i think you might have heard that a few times before...

thank you very much for posting this.. there had been many questions i've had, yet thig has answered most all!

[Tully]

Fantastic work, Smellybug :) I've been trying to get into this for a while now and this is the best resource I've ever seen. Thanks a lot!

A couple questions... when doing the armature in a bipedal creature, what sort of strength of support would you need in the legs? Assuming they're the only parts of it that are going to be touching the base. Would the 1/4 inch wire be enough to support it in a maquette of similar size and weight to you're doing here, or would you need something extra?

And what did you use for the teeth in the weird dinosaur thingamabob in your avatar? Is it just sculpey? I saw it on the massive black website and I can't figure it out.

Thanks again :D

[el coro]

tully: i have it sitting in my house, an di still couldnt figure out what the teeth were made of! i asked, and its sculpy as well. but it looks so much like teeth, he had me fooled!-c36

[smellybug]

Tully:
For a bipedal character, your best bet is to first get the feet mounted into your base. It's up to you whether you make them permanently attached (epoxy or super glue) or removable (threaded rods with wing nuts or wires simply pushed into holes in the base.) For a 12 or 14 inch character, 3/8 or 1/4 alluminum wire is plenty strong. Once you are happy with the pose for the armature most people then attach a support rod to the middle or lower back that extends out and then down to the base. Give yourself enough room to work back there, but make sure your setup is solid. Some guys get fancy and make a removable support rod. If your support isn't easily removable you can clip or saw it off right before you bake it and patch the hole, or do it after baking if your figure can't stand without it.

For the dino teeth I used translucent white or beigey buff colored Sculpey III; the kind that comes in the small packages. I make a little tray out of alluminum foil and wearing latex surgical gloves, I roll and shape the little teeth with my fingers. The gloves eliminate fingerprints which is a huge help. I know roughly how many and what basic size and shape they need to be, but instead of laboring over making each one just right for where it's going to be placed, I simply make a ton of them, way more than I need and pick out the best ones after baking. Just make a bunch, drop them in the foil tray and bake them at 200 for 20 minutes or a half hour. Then I press them into the presculpted gums, touching the gums up with tools, doing the whole turpenoid thing etc...Phew...didn't mean to make such a long response. Hope this helps!

[foster]

well! this must be accumulated and saved for it is the best sculpy tutorial i have ever scene. from armature to blocking in shapes to textures all with great clarity and precision. the is nothing like doing to learn but this comes very close1

jon

[smellybug]

Thanks Jon. Hopefully after a few more of these things I'll try to put it into book form. We'll see.

[fukifino]

That would DEFINATELY be a book I'd buy.

[bRyaN]

Bravo...Pete...

THe level of detail is simply astonishing...

Keep em coming, cause as soon as you compile a book i'm buying it...

[S51]

This is looking absolutely amazing. At first I had my doubts as to how accurately you could transfer all of the detail into this medium, but you've set all of those doubts to rest. Simply beautiful, keep it up.

[TARGETE]

You are a master sculptor Petey, I've learned alot looking at this tut, I'm dying to try my hand at it. Whats the total hours you have spent on the actual sculpting?

JP

[smellybug]

Yo T: I dunno. I only work on it a bit at a time here at work. I suppose if I was working on it full time I could get it done in 40 or 50 hours. When I pick at it like this it all gets really drawn out..

[Dragonfire]

Bar None the best and most thought out tutorial I have seen.
Did you work on Jurasic park 2? This was posted on another forum and caused me to join this one. Great forum. Grate post.
-K-
www.dragonfirestudios.com

[smellybug]

Icey: Thanks bub!

Dragonfire: No I didn't work on Jurassic II. I did work on the first one, but I only helped fabricate the stop-mo puppets used for the animatics. Didn't get to sculpt on that show, which was pretty frustrating, so to ease my nerves I did this thing:

http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/dinoDude.jpg

So the sculpting part of this tutorial is coming to an end. I'll post the final pics next week. Then I bake and get to the painting and stuff. Stay tuned!

[SubPablo]

Holy cow! I love when I find threads this awesome and this late into the project! I get so much incredible info in one lump sum!

Thank you so much for sharing your tips and tricks. Particularly mixing to get a nice base grey, brushing on turp, and your tip for extra wrinkle detail.

Do you ever work in Casteline? Any tips on that medium?

Again, thank you SO much!

[smellybug]

Nope, haven't used it. I usually work in Chavant, sculpey, or waterbased ceramics clay.

[STIX]

GREAT TUTORIAL ! WOULD BE GREAT TO SEE A BOOK PUBLISHED WITH A VARIETY OF CREATURES. COULD YOU POST (TIME PERMITTING) A COUPLE OF PHOTOS EACH SHOWING HOW YOU CREATE DIFFERENT TEXTURES ? HOW WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENT TYPES OF REPTILE SCALES SO THEY LOOK NATURAL, HOW WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENT TYPES OF HAIR, ETC. THANKS.

[smellybug]

I do plan to do a texture tut in the future and in the book. Cool.

[Groover McNab]

This is one of the coolest tutorials i've ever seen! Thanks so much for posting this.

[STIX]

This is wishful thinking on my part but since you do work for Phil Tippet is there any chance you could do a similar tutorial for sponge rubber build-up stop motion animation creatures as Marcel Delgado used in the original King Kong ? Thanks.

[smellybug]

Doood you're so old school. Naw..I'll just stick to the sculpture stuff for now.

[DanPerezStudios]

Hey Pete, any more cool pics like that Triceratops guy you'd like to share?

Thanks again for a killer tutorial!

[smellybug]

your wish=my command.

http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/finalSculpt/closebw.jpg

http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/finalSculpt/backbw.jpg
The textures here are done by hand, no stamps used on this dino guy, who is sort of a fantasy humanoid ceratosaurus. Anyhoo, dig!

[DanPerezStudios]

How did you do the scaly textures on the Trike?

Did you you use a texture stamp or do 'em one by one?

[smellybug]

Ok, sculpting done. I pull the plug. I could work on this forever, but it's been forever already. Here are a couple last shots...

http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/finalSculpt/finalfront.jpg
http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/finalSculpt/finalside.jpg
http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/finalSculpt/bottom1.jpg

Then its into the oven. Luckily I have access to a large pizza oven. It'd proably fit at home too, but this one is very cool.

So I baked it at 200 for about an hour and a half. Then I let it cool in the oven with the door cracked open a bit.

http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/finalSculpt/oven1.jpg
http://www.conceptart.org/peteySculptTut/finalSculpt/oven2.jpg

The result is good. Only a couple minor cracks to repair. I did this by first putting some waterthin superglue in there to keep the cracked area from flexing. Then I pushed some sculpey into the cracks brushed it over with turp, did a little detail to blend and then hit the area with a heat gun. This cooks the fixed area without having to rebake in the oven.
I then primed the sculpt grey. So...
LETS GET PAINT'N!! (hmm maybe I should do that in a new thread?)

[Giottoface]

i vote for keeping it all in this thread! wow.. its gonna be great. conceptart is already gonna be hardpressed to ever find a cooler thread.

so how did you prime it? just spray on primer? any special brands you recommend to best keep the detail?

if the sculpey is baked at 200 like you did, is it possible to overcook/burn it?

[smellybug]

Giotto:
I used bondo primer. but any regular one should work. Just mist it on carefully. Worth doing a test to make sure your primer doesn't melt the sculpey. Fast drying primers are usually ok.

At 200 I've never burned anything. Even when I forgot for four hours. Overcooking? I guess. Never had that happen with super sculpey though.

[DanPerezStudios]

Pete, I think we crossposted and you missed this:

How did you do the scaly textures on the Tricertops guy?

Did you you use a texture stamp or do 'em one by one?

Thanks!

[smellybug]

Dan: They were all done one by one. Painfully slow. No stamps on that guy. Wouldn't work anyway because I used a really hard Chavant clay. I'll do a texture tutorial in the future.

[DanPerezStudios]

Well, the results are spectacular, so I think the time invested was worth it.

I read in Cinefex where the guys sculpting the Beetlesnake from Beetlejuice were begging to use texture stamps, but they had to sculpt the snake scales one by one, too.

[STIX]

For long spindly appendages as for a pteradactyl, what would you use for a wire armature and what would you wind around it for gripping the clay ? Also, do you have a favorite maquette that you done (which and why) ? What do you draw inspiration from for creature designs ? What are your favorite effects films that inspired you to get into this endeavor ? Thanks.

[smellybug]

Stix: For a long skinny part I would probably use steel rod or threaded steel rod, 1/8 or 1/16 thick. If the appendage ends in a tapered point, sharpen and taper the rod. You can even blend the clay up to the tip of the sharpened metal and use the exposed tip as part of the sculpt. There are many sizes of wire available to wrap a thin piece with. Try soldering wire as well. You just have to experiment.

Favorite maquette would be the old Dragonheart maquette. Mainly because the character played a larger role in the movie, as opposed to just being a random creature that appears and gets killed 12 shots later.

Inspiration comes from nature and the world and my tweeked little mind.

I was inspired to actually try to do this for a living when I saw American Werewolf in London when I was 13 or so. Star Wars of course, the Creature from the Black Lagoon. Planet of the Apes was a favorite. Y'know, typical geekdom. Except I got obsessed with it early on.

Icey: I wil I will. I will start the painting and finishing on monday. Hang tight.

[countrikula]

Hi Pete ,
In regards to the Chavant clay you used on your cool Triceratops-warrior-guy , what type of Chavant did you use ?
I know there are many different grades , besides the the NSP clays . Just curious ! Thanks !
Rick Force

[smellybug]

I think I used chavant cm70, but that was a long time ago. I wouldn't use it now...waay too hard. Cm50 is what I normally use now. It's a sulfur based clay. They make non sulfurs also if you are sensitive to that.

[Dodgymotah]

Thanks for doing this excellent tute Smellybugs! And I love your work!
$200AU later (Super Sculpey is expensive here in AU, and hard to find) and I'm ready to start. Still choosing a subject.
I'm fairly ok with 3d modelling, but I wanted to learn the whole character development process from paper to clay to 3d. One day I hope to make my own animated short.

Update - First Blood
A Quick safety moment...
I just put some piano wire through my finger making my Armeture, be careful with this stuff if you use it as it can spring out and bite! Yeeeouch!:bash:

[Barti89]

Terrific sculpt
cant wait to see the painting

[rydel]

Boy, am I glad that I just stumbled on the thread at the end, it would have been agony to have to wait for each instalment, waiting for the pages to load was bad enough.

I was wondering how you would set up the support rod on a free standing (humanoid) figure, one that would eventually be taken off the support?

[ChaosEidolon]

gaack!! im having withdrawl symptoms...
we hunger....feed us....

*sigh* this thread has gotten me way too excited


oh yeah...i dunno if you mentioned this, but who did the original concept?

[smellybug]

Sorry, sorry. I've been too dang busy. I will get the painting going in a day or so. Keep checking back. ( I did the original concept btw)

[SAMDEL]

Goodness...I just realized how much I can lose out by not keeping up with the posts. THIS THREAD IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!

Petey, this is most glorious and I'm left without words to express how impressed I am by your work. You're extremely generous by sharing all this information. THANK YOU! :)

[MennoKnight]

Sorry if this was already asked, how much does sculpy cost? I'm hoping it isnt too much though...

[fukifino]

You can get a 1 pound box for under 10 bucks US. The little colored packs to mix with them are usually unde r2 bucks. So, you can get quite a bit for pretty cheap.

[EVIL]

Originally posted by smellybug
LETS GET PAINT'N!! (hmm maybe I should do that in a new thread?)

be sure to post your progress in colour this time ;)

[lyon]

Truly one of the best threads on this forum. I can't wait to see where this goes. Great work.

Howard

[H.Evans]

giddy for the painting stages...

[PaintMonster]

Hello. I am PaintMonster of the new member of this forum.
nice to meet you.
I was impressed by your inspiration.
Seeing this thread, I decided to register with this forum.

Although you are using SuperSculpy, is there any work made for other materials?
I am interested in latex form.
However, I do not learn the usage.
Moreover, I use to natural dryness type Clay. because my offis has not oven.

[diagetus]

Hello Smellybug. I just wanted say I am a big fan and always enjoy viewing you work. Sorry about this long post, but I enjoyed reading this thread so much I just had to comment on it.

LOL, first I can completely relate to the embarassment of buying out-of-the-ordinary magazines, like the bodybuilding mags. It's nice to know I'm not the only one suffering to get good reference material. Although I guess there's nothing to really to be embarrassed about if you're a man. I think the fear is that you believe that people assume you are buying the magazine because you want to become a bodybuilder and that you have low self-asteem. It takes too long to explain exactly why you really need the magazine. They wouldn't believe you anyways. LOL.

You mentioned before that you mix your sculpey with sculpey III. I also wanted to add two things that are implicit in your statement:

One is that, when you mix two different color sculpeys to get an intermediate new color, you are ensuring that the clay is kneaded properly. Kneading is a necessary process for just about all clays. Bruno Lucchessi addresses it in his terracotta books. You know your sculpey is kneaded well if you mix two colors and you no longer see the swirl patterns of the two colors, but just one uniform color. If your sculpey is not kneaded, when you go to bake it, you will get more cracks than if you had kneaded it.

Two is that sculpey mixes like oil paint. What Smellybug is saying is that you can basically use the same subtractive color mixing techniques to mix different colors of super sculpey as you would use to mix oil pigments. This allows you to make counterfit terracotta, or roma plastilina parts(eyes for ex.) to blend in with a sculpture primarily of oil clay or water clay without the sculpey distracting from the overall piece.

You also mentioned that sculpey can get old and dry out. Sculpey came out with a liquid solution that can rejuvenate the clay. It's called Sculpey Diluent. I've used it before and it works ok, (well enough, when you don't have the money to buy new sculpey). It seems to give temporary rejuvenation though. The sculpey will not stay moist as long as it was when it was new. If you're going to be working on the sculpture for more than a month, I would just buy some new sculpey.

I also have some questions. Smellybug, you said that you use ballbearings for temporary eyes, but in the final eye placement, you can make your own eyes. Do you think you could give a tutorial on making acrylic eyes? This is one technique that I haven't found on the web. I think this would be a life saver for all those who are looking to create realistic maquettes. The next one tutorial I'd like to see would be hair insertion. Neither of these techniques have been presented as open tutorials.

In one of your posts you show a stand for the model. The base of the stand looks like it is custom made. Your whole studio looks like it's hand made for that matter ( book stands, art table, window frames, etc.). Are you cutting the wood yourself, are you cutting it at another studio or are you waiting in line at Home Depot? If you did make your art table by hand? If so, could you briefly explain the process?

In the end, I guess I'm asking how self-sufficient are you? Can you do almost everything in your studio? What are the things that you almost always have to do elsewhere? Are there situations where you are forced to use the foundry? If so, give some examples. I'm interested to hear the answers to your questions. You don't have to answer them all. :)

I'm looking forward to seeing more of your progress pics.

[smellybug]

Lyon: Thanks, that's a great compliment!

Hillartsympho: Me too! I'm finally starting today, look for progress tonight.

PaintM': Welcome to the site. Lots of cool stuff here for sure. To answer your questions: I don't plan to do any latex demos at this point. I mainly wanted to stick to the area of "design" and how to create a design maquette, like something you might show a client. I do plan to do another demo on water based clay sculpting, so keep an eye out for that. I don't know of any airdry materials that work like sculpey, perhaps you could post tips on that yourself?

Diagetus: Phew...biggest reply yet!

Do you think you could give a tutorial on making acrylic eyes?

>I'm not an expert, but Magictorch just got me all excited about fake eyes again, so maybe. Of course I'd have to practise myself. We'll see....maybe MagicTorch has some time to do a tutorial himself? Check out his Big Lynch post.

Do I do everything myself? In one place?
Am I self sufficient?

>Yeah, mostly. I have a house with a cluttered garage and a bunch of tools. Since I work at an effects studio, I have access to the workshop and do a lot there too. Right now I'm doing most of this tutorial there on lunch breaks and after work. Yes I did build my own studio tables and shelves, though it's more because I'm cheap than for any other reason. I can do most of this stuff at home, but one thing I don't have at home, which is very handy, is a spray booth. A spray booth is basically like a giant oven exhaust which draws the sprays and dusts away from you as you work. Ventilation is very important. At home I use a couple of fans or work in the garage with the door open. Breathing paint or urethane isn't recommended. I'd like to not work with some materials at home, like fiberglass. But I'm usually making smallish things, so home is fine for most of it. Thanks for the interest. Keep checking back.

[Scotty]

I'd just like to thank you again Smellybug for taking the time to do this tutorial...it answered some questions I had, and it really inspired me. It caused me to really push myself for my latest sculpt....:chug:.

[PaintMonster]

smellybug
Thank you for answer of my questions.
so, I show soon sculpture made now.
The film of CM is made using the sculpture which I made. It will be able to show, if the work finishes.

Although latex form is very interested, since it is expensive, I am using other materials.

Since it is very interested, please continue your work report from now on.

[iDio is]

Pete, this is awesome for a new starving artist like me.

I am graduating this year, and this is my first post, and waiting to do what my heart desires.


This is truly inspirational. Let's get working shall we?

[smellybug]

Ok you bastards, here we go: PAINTING

For this project, I'm using FW Acrylic Artists Ink. I will put up a picture so you can see (later) but it is widely available and airbrush ready. It comes in small glass jars with eyedropper tops. I mix it in smallish amounts in little cups or film cans.

For the first picture below, I'm laying on a darkish redish gray color for a base. My plan is to start kinda dark and build up to a lighter tone.

(sorry, my pictures came out a bit contrasty and I had to do a bit of color correction. Please bear with me.)

http://www.massiveblack.com/stabby/paint2.jpg

Here's our friend covered in the darkish grayish redish color. Notice I covered the eyeballs in a bit of clay to protect them.

http://www.massiveblack.com/stabby/paint3.jpg

I mix a bit of black into the paint and start a bit of shadowing, enhancing the sunken valleys and lowered details.

http://www.massiveblack.com/stabby/paint4.jpg

After going over the entire creature with the darker color, I'm going to pure black and darkening what will be the darkest areas. I've also warmed up the webbing area with a mist of yellow ochre. These paints mix well with alcohol. I thinned out the yellow ochre with alcohol before spraying so it didn't come out too opaque.

http://www.massiveblack.com/stabby/paint5.jpg

Once I'm satisfied with where is is as far as base colors go, my next step is to start to bring up the flesh tones. Our guy is mostly a gray color, but I don't want to simply airbrush gray onto him. I want his skin to be made up of many colors, just like real life. Below I'm using a "squiggly line" technique I learned from my friend Jordu Schell. making multiple passes using this technique with different colors creates a nice sense of deptch and realism, even if it starts out like you see below...


http://www.massiveblack.com/stabby/paint6.jpg
To do these fine lines, I take the end cap off of my airbrush. This allows me to get an even finer little line for this squiggly pass:
http://www.massiveblack.com/stabby/airbrush2.jpg
http://www.massiveblack.com/stabby/paint7.jpg http://www.massiveblack.com/stabby/paint8.jpg

Now I'm doing it again, but with a sky blue this time. Trust me...it's wierd now, but it works in the end.

http://www.massiveblack.com/stabby/paint9.jpg
http://www.massiveblack.com/stabby/paint10.jpg

Now I'm adding pinks to the stretchy/softer areas of the webbing...this give the illusion of thinner skinn with blood vessels effecting the color.

http://www.massiveblack.com/stabby/paint11.jpg

...And darker blues, and some yellows...
Up close it looks funny.

http://www.massiveblack.com/stabby/paint12.jpg

But as you step back it starts to make sense.

http://www.massiveblack.com/stabby/paint13.jpg
http://www.massiveblack.com/stabby/paint14.jpg

Getting some greens in there and some browns to unify things.

http://www.massiveblack.com/stabby/paint15.jpg

And here's where it stands now...getting there, but I feel like I need to lighten it up a bit. I will go back over it with some greenish light gray tomorrow.

http://www.massiveblack.com/stabby/paint16.jpg

More soon....

[ChaosEidolon]

woohoo!

[Darkk_randley]

Woooooooow...this is possibly the most incredible tutorial i've ever laid my eyes on....omg...you're the bestestestest...lol

thank you very much for this

Darkk_randley

[Skello]

Damn!! this is awesome!!!
BTW are you using your flash when you take the pictures? :chug:

[juicy_fruit]

Hey there guys.. long time no c i havent been around for awhile and i came in to look at some progress.. and its beautiful my friend.
i like how u use like a underwater technique with the coloring the skin with white n blu but with all diff colors n stuff. truly amazing man..
ill prob b checking in weekly to see how its going.. good luck

[S51]

Jesus, that looks amazing already... I can't wait to see what else you do with the paintjob.

[diagetus]

Smellybug, what kind/brand of airbrush are you using? Is it a Badger? Thank you for replying to my previous questions.

[Scotty]

Man, I have always been leary of painting any of my sculpts for fear of ruining the artist look of them. (Like my Crab Sculpt that I just finished) Now I know that one day....I will definitely be giving this a go as the difference is remarkable. (I would never attempt it though without an airbrush......I will have to purchase one someday)
Thanks for continuing this lesson.:chug:

[smellybug]

diagetus: It's an Iwata. Best there is. Pricey, but worth it.

Scotty: I often don't use an airbrush at all. You don't necessarily have to wait until you buy one. You'd be surprised with how far you can get without an airbrush.

[xbiten]

WOW!!! this is just too beutiful. great tutorial. thumbs up for smellybug. now im going to begin learning sculpting. anyone knows a store in sweden with super sculpey?? :D

[zantergog]

I`d like to add my thanks for the tutorial, how about taking a pic under natural light outside, when youve finished the thing, will you be adding a sheen to the skin? Magic torch did a raptor sculpt which looked great in his garden, hang the thing from a tree and it will freak out the squirrels !

Thanks again for a beautiful tutorial of top class work

Zant :beer:

[DNA]

Wowowowowowo awesome, really great job

[Scotty]

Scotty: I often don't use an airbrush at all. You don't necessarily have to wait until you buy one. You'd be surprised with how far you can get without an airbrush.

Dually noted.....I will get up the guts one day to give it a go. For right now...sculpting is my master.:chug:

[magic torch]

smellybug, Is there any reason you started off with a dark base tone? Do you ever start off with a light base and then work your way up to darker colours? I`m airbrushing a maquette at the moment, using the HPC as well(best airbrush there is for this type of thing!).I also started out dark and worked my way to lighter tones. Worked OK, but want to try the reverse next time just to see the difference.
Thanks for taking the time to do this, it rocks!

MT:chug:

[smellybug]

Torch, as you know, there's no "one" way to do anything, especially in this area. I'm mainly practicing a technique I don't do that often, trying to get better at it. So I'm definitely experimenting along the way. I could have gone either way. But with this way of painting, I'm building up and allowing underlayers to show through. But you don't have to start dark necessarily to get a good result. I do know that if you go straight to the target color, it's harder to get that feeling of depth and things look too simplistic.

[Darkstrider]

Wow Smellybug, I know it's been said too many times already, but this is incredible! Sheer inspiration.

Hey, did you sculpt the Garthok creature from Coneheads? It certainly looks like one of your "babies". I love that thing... definitely some of the greatest stopmotion ever, and one of the coolest, most creative creature designs. It messes with my head just trying to figure out all the various animals that went into it... could you give a quick rundown of what they were, and what other inspiration went into it? Who did the design, was it a collaboration between you and Phil?

Unfortunately, another one that only had a few minutes of screentime before it went kerplunk, but what a spectacular few minutes!

[DanPerezStudios]

I'm another Garthok fan! Loved it--it both fit the idea for the movie and was still a fearsome, realistic monster.

What model Iwata are you using, Pete?

[Scotty]

I do know that if you go straight to the target color, it's harder to get that feeling of depth and things look too simplistic.

Just logged that little tidbit into the memory banks.:chug:

The Garthok was awesome...I loved it as well. Good to know that a well placed golf ball will do the trick should I ever come face to face with one. :conehead; I found it to be the saving grace of the film...much like the creature at the end of "THE RELIC" which was also and awesome "hybrid" of many animals.

[smellybug]

Darkstrider : Thanks man, Yeah the Garthok was mine. Dan Akroyd actually designed it if I'm remembering correctly, but since it was a really rough sketch, I had a lot of freedom with it. Phil definitely had a lot of input as well, and his ideas are always great and unexpected. I also molded it, ran the foam latex and painted it, so that was a rare show. It was also significant to me because it was the last stopmo show here and the last time Phil did stop motion on a movie. End of an era I guess.
I'm trying to find some old pictures for a friend of mine right now, old portfolio stuff. When I find them I'll post some garthok goodness. Other great animators like Randy Dutra also worked on it, probably his last stopmo gig as well.
Animal inspiration for the character? Jeez...kinda all over the map, but mostly gorilla and rhino. Hard to remember. Mainly, Dan Ackroyd wanted to have a Ray Harryhausen like moment, not with computer graphics, but definitely stop motion. So there you go.

Dan: It's a Iwata HP-C. There's a smaller model, but I like this one for it's all-around qualities. Few moving parts, easy to clean, dependable. All that.

Scotty Yeah, the movie wasn't a "10", but at least I got to work on a Chris Farley flick. Oh yeah, and about the "target color" comment, don't take it as a steadfast rule. Each character presents it's own challenges. For a skull, you probably do want to paint it skull color first and then through some darker raw umber washes over it to reveal detail or to age it. The secret to painting is to paint a lot of stuff badly first. You can't paint anything well until you've painted a lot of things very badly. The number of fuckups just start declining with time and experience. But they're still there, believe me.

[Scotty]

The number of fuckups just start declining with time and experience. But they're still there, believe me.

Understood.....that's the thing really then...I don't want to ruin sculpts that I have put so much effort into. Most people tell me not to paint them, but I see your stuff, and think...MAN...That'd really bring 'em to life. I guess the only way around it is to learn the process of molding and casting...then paint those. (At least until I'm confident enough)

Thanks for being so cool with the responses.

[slinky]

I too would love to see some of your old portfolio stuff Smellybug - Hell, I'd love to see anything you had your hand in . Your work is just amazing - The Garthok was one of my favorites, along with the creature from ( groan ) Howard the Duck - did you have anything to do with that?

I look forward to more of your posts

Slinky

[Darkstrider]

Wow... Dan Akroid, sort of a savior to stopmotion! Who knew? I wonder if he was instrumental in getting the Terror Dogs into Ghostbusters?

I got goosebumps thinking about the goodies you must have in your portfolio Pete!

Over at http://www.stopmotionanimation.com we refer to the Garthok's movement as "Hyper-Harryhausen". I guess if there had to be a last blast for feature stopmotion, the Garthok was a fitting creature... sometimes I curse Jurrassic Park for bringing it all to a screeching halt. Funny thing about it too... there hasn't been much CGI that's come close to the level of the original JP since. I love the direction Phil (and you) were going... some really crazy, ultra-creative creatures. Sigh......:(

I can imagine this insane thing you're sculpting now as a stopmo puppet.... even just in the little movie in my head, it's incredible!

[smellybug]

Finishing touches...sorry bad pic. I lightened him a bit with some thinned out green grays, added the red markings.

http://www.massiveblack.com/stabby/stabbysidefinal.jpg

Closeup of final paint. I could keep going, but I think it's time to stop.

http://www.massiveblack.com/stabby/stabbydetailFinal.jpg

And the 'beauty' shot....yes I photoshopped the reds brighter. didn't have any flourescent paint on hand...

http://www.massiveblack.com/stabby/finalStabby.jpg

Hope everyone liked the tutorial.
Seemed like a lot of folks checked it out and the response was great.
I'll do another soon, something totally different.

Thanks everyone and particularly Jason Manley who hosted all these pictures, it was a ton o'fun!

[EVIL]

Totally awsome.. thats all I can say

[Giottoface]

Thank you.

[PaintMonster]

Wooow, Holy wonderful!!!
What does the hand piece of your airbrush use?
It seems to use very for a long time.
I purchased the compressor of Airtex, and the hand piece of Evolution recently.

[MindCandyMan]

amazing! Awesome stuff man thanks so much for putting forth the effort and taking so much time to lay all this out for us. It's awesome...very very cool.

[Smeagol71]

Well, being on a dial-up has made viewing some of those pages a real test of my patience over the weeks...but I can say without reservation that it was worth every single minute of waiting!!!!

This has been, by far, one of the very best threads this site has ever seen. It is extremely generous of you Pete to share your time and techniques with us and I for one have taken them to heart and hope to start sculpting very soon, due in large part to your inspiration.
Thanks so much! I think you've done our whole community here a great service. Here's to you! :chug:

[Darkstrider]

Indeed, you have done a great service, perhaps to a larger community than you know. This thread has been drawing people in from all over the net... all around the world! I've seen a lot of sculpting tuts... some of them incredible, but this has been without a doubt the best.

And with that I go back to my humble attempt.

[S51]

This has been a really, really cool ride. Thanks for bringing us all along!

[DanPerezStudios]

Pete, one way to punch those reds (or any bright color you are applying over a dark color) is to first paint some opaque white over the areas you are going to paint with the brighter color.

Just a suggestion.

This has been a kickass tutorial, and I think I speak for everyone when I say thanks for taking the time and making the effort to post it here!

[EVIL]

Really.. I thought the stuff MCfarlane Toys did was cool but this beats it all.

If you ever produce figurines I will buy every single on of em ;)

Exelent stuff

[OLSEN]

Fantastic tutorial. I´ve been watching it daily but waited to reply untill it was finished. Thank you very much, i learned much watching this and i´m looking forward to future tutorials from you. Btw, I found the armature part especially usefull, a part of sculpting i often neglect.

Cheers!

[Stitchface]

Thank you Smellybug!!!
Its great to see step-by-step how a professional works at making a high quality maquette, plus the painting tutorial will help me for years to come. All of this is free too!! Thanks for taking the time to show us all here, you are very generous with your time! I can't wait to see what the next one will be.

[Jaku]

After seeing all the tutorial, all i can say is THANKS!
:thumbsup:

[Zaphod]

Great job! You did the community a big service with that tutorial! Definatly the best one I've seen on the subject!

One question (sorry if it has been asked): do you do paint everything with the airbrush or do you use a normal brush to do details?

I have never used an airbrush so I wonder if it's a big advantage over painting with brushes? Is a mixture of both the best or is it praxis to use only airbrush when painting models among pros?

Once again: thank you for the indepth tutorial! :chug:
It really came out just as good as your original image!

[art]

Congratulations for the tutorial.
REally amazing.
I´ve seen your web and really wonderful works there(weel, you know that already:D )
I only would like to tell you that very impressive, thank you man.
:chug:
Arturo

[Skank]

GREAT tutorial!!!
ive been watching it from the beginning, and ive learned alot from this.
thank you very much for sharing your knowlege! :chug: :beer:

[Izi]

Well I'm no sculpture, mainly because the techniques are so mysteriously innaccessable! Thanks for sharing, this looks like a fun project, I'd love to try sometime when I take a break from my drawing and painting. I would love to buy a book...either as a collected works or a how-to version.

My son and I both loved the Draco dragon on that movie, he is 3.

You're very talented and may you recieve many happy karmic returns for spending the time to write this tutorial. :)

[SAMDEL]

Smellybug,

I was fortunate enough to recently have taken up a DSL connection and have enjoyed the flexibility of going back and forth through the thread in lightspeed. This has been an incredible tutorial and I'm sure to come back to reference it in the future.

In case I missed something, would you mind telling us what single factor you believe has best contributed to your ability to create such a "believable" creature. I probably know the answer to this already, but...

The thing is, you have captured some basic elements of both human and animal anatomy and reconfigured them into your creature in such a way that it is highly realistic, although we know in our mind that such a creature doesn't really exist (?). I think that even artists sometimes forget how important the basics are to achieving the master stature. I know that some in the "fine arts" fields might think that the knowledge of anatomy is, in today's twisted world, inconsequential to the value we can place in an artist's body of work.

I have always admired, and can only hold the highest regard, those artists--such as yourself--who have done their legwork and toiled their way through learning the very difficult nuances of how anatomy works. Of course, this is only but one aspect that makes this tutorial so spectacular, but I would be interested in hearing from your personal take on how significant knowing the basics of anatomy has been in your work.

Cheers to you! :chug:

[DJorgensen]

Oh my god! That was like the most insanely cool thing I have ever seen.

Wow... It was definitly worth the venture - even on dial-up!

Thank you so much for sharing this.
I greatly appreciate all that you have said.

[smellybug]

Sorry guys, I've been all jammed up here, I will respond to your great replies next week....Big Thanks again! :hearts:

[Summer Pudding]

Smellybug: I used to buy Cinefex many years ago, and marvelled at the esoteric film making process. My eye would always linger on the phenomenal maquettes. I remember seeing a long haired guy in a t-shirt with a Walkman sculpting something for Jurrasic Park. Was that you? I forget which issue it was, but it made a lasting impression on me.
Without this phenomenal tutorial I wouldn't know where to start.

You have my eternal gratitude.

I hope to post some of my own work soon.

drunk, tired and incoherrent

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

:beer:

[el coro]

i just laid the finished maquette over the initial concept drawing in photoshop, and its pretty fucking amazing. i think you improved on the overall creature phenominally in the finished maquette. you are so the man petey.true craftsman.-c36

[iDio is]

Ok, We have all seen the monsters... In every turorial, a monster. maybe for your next one, you can do a person in a pose, like drinking and sitting down. something close to that.

[Sammy]

thank you so much, you're a master!

it's clear you love every part of the process.

[Oblio]

i'm with sammy and each of the guys here who thank you.
one day i'll rule that beast! ;)

Oblio

[strych9ine]

It was amazing to follow this start to finish... inspiring as hell. One of the best threads conceptart.org will ever have the priviledge to host, so thanks!

[bRyaN]

We are ants to your godly might....

From start to finish, amazing...

Thanks Pete, looking forward to Austin

Peace
bRyaN

[jenjen1018]

cant believe i just now looked at this tutorial. it is so awesome and inspiring! the sculpture looks amazing, so hard to beleive it came from clay! amazing. thnks

[akuria]

thats pretty good. i like it. the colors are nice too.

[liquidwerx]

WOW. :eek:

[poly_cube]

this is the coolest tutorial I have seen for a while!

any future plans on a new model? if so please post your progress like you did for this monster-

thanks again for sharing dude!

[Gunyouken]

This is why I love this website so much!
Professional people going out of their way to help us amatures(speaking for myself here) ,without the slightest hint of selfishness.

This is most awsome! I've never done any sculpting I haven't even touched a piece of play dough since I was 10 but through this thread I am seriously concidering taking it up. I am already seeing the fabulous creatures in my mind taking form.

Thanks Man


:chug:
Cheers to you!

[Frankie.jr]

Don’t know if people are still reading this thread.

Smellybug or anyone who can answer my questions.

I bought 1 box Sculpey, 1 block white Sculpey III and 1 block black Sculpey III in your pictures when you mixed all three they seemed solid. When i mixed the materials they became soft and not that pleasant to work with. Unlike my Roma Plastilina that is really hard and possible to create all the little details. I can’t imagine how you did all that wonderful work with the same sculpey i bought. It’s too soft and plasticly. When i applied the clay to the wire it felt wrong to block in and create any shape. Sorry i hope i’m making sense. Do i let it sit outside for a while to become hard enough to be able to work with it? And how come mine doesn’t look the same color of yours? weird, i hate Canada we get all the crappy stuff.

Thank you for your time and patience.

[smellybug]

No, you're doing it right. It is softer than Roma or Chavant. Some people can't stand it, others get used to it. Mix it with a bunch of Super Sculpey (the pink stuff) and see if you like it better. With what you have, mix it with one box of super s'. That's mostly what I did for this sculpt. Good luck, be patient. You can't treat it like oil based clay because it's just different, but it has a number of positive qualities...stick with it.

[Frankie.jr]

Thank you for your response.

One more if i may?

What do the animators of DreamWorks and Disney use to sculpt there Maquette? I have seen many but always wondered how and what they used. Now that i see your tutorial i know how, but with what, Sculpey?

How do you cast a mold of the finished product? may we have a tutorial of that?
I’ll post picture later in the week of my own little thing and let me know where i went wrong.

=) thank you.

[Darkstrider]

Hey Frankie,

If you want the clay stiffer you can use Fimo instead of Sculpy3. But I don't recommend using it unless you mix it with super sculpy... otherwise it's too hard to work with.

Another thing you can do to stiffen it a little is to leach it... using a pasta machine roll it out into thin slabs and stack them with some kind of thick paper in between, like brown kraft paper. Put a weight on top and let it sit for a few days. When you take it apart the paper will be soaked with the oils from the clay, and the clay will be a good deal more solid.

But basically polymer clay is just going to be kind of soft. You do get used to it, but it takes a different touch than the harder clays.

For some good info and tuts, check out the Shiflett Brothers site: http://theclubhouse1.net/forums/viewforum.php?f=9

I'm pretty sure the Disney artists do maquettes wit WED clay (after all, it does stand for Walter E Disney). It's an air drying moist clay that some people rave about. It does have some nice characteristics... probably more to your liking if you prefer oil based clays over polymers, but you need to keep it wrapped and damp or it'll dry up on you fast!

[smellybug]

Frankie:
Darkstrider is pretty much correct. As far as sculpey goes though, it's very widely used in the industry for smallish maquettes. I'll be using the WED clay at the workshop though. Anyway, the good thing about Sculpey is that it's easy to mold after you bake it out. And yes, I should do a tutorial on moldmaking. After the workshop in June, I'll be doing a new tut' here.

[Scotty]

And yes, I should do a tutorial on moldmaking. After the workshop in June, I'll be doing a new tut' here.

YES! :thumbsup:

[Frankie.jr]

Wow! Thank you for your reply. Wonderful information. May I have more links? That other forum was great, is there any other websites a like?

Thank you for your time. You guys are the best. I love Sculpey. DAmn wonderful materials. Best forum ever even better the sijun well they have a super star over there too Damn that Spooge Demon! Ack! But we have one even bigger DAmn you Smellybug! =)

[smellybug]

:rofl:
Thanks, man!

[Gotenks]

That thing is awesome. How many hours did you spend for the whole process?

Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[arghmisfit]

OMFG! u rock!

[Gunyouken]

I see you use aluminium wire for armatures.
Is there some reason why one should not use steel or copper wire?? what about galvanized wire?

:) M

[smellybug]

No, I believe you can use those types as well. With oil based clay you have to be a little more careful though because some metals react with the sulfur in the clays. Sculpey ok though as far as I know.

[Mike3]

Hi Smellybug,

When you're not painting with an airbrush, do you use acrylics, or watercolors?

Are there any issues with starting with gesso as a base?

Do you have any pealing issues with those types of paints on baked sculpy? If so, how do you work around it?

Thanks again for the tutorial, really appreciate you taking the time to show us how you do your work.

Mike

[smellybug]

It's good to use both. Mostly I've used cell vinyl paints. I like them because they are very matte and when you thin them with water, they do a nice job as you build color with washes. You can also mix various waterbased paints with airbrush thinning medium and that helps when you are trying to get paint to flow into the fine lines of a sculpture. Most of my maquette paintjobs have been a combination of washy brush work and airbrush. I usually go as far as i can with paintbrushes before bringing in the airbrush, then go back at the end with the paintbrushes for final details and touchups. Also, I never use gesso as a primer. just never tried it. I like bondo primer, but really it's fine to just paint directly on the sculpey. I've never had peeling problems.

[TARGETE]

Great finish Petey, Looking forward to meeting you and seeing you in action my man!.

JP

[justasculpt]

wow,

I am fairly new to this site, and wanted to thank you for your willingness to spread the knowledge, knowledge should always be passed on to those that can and may absorb it. I recently had undergone a crash course in high definition sculpting. allthough I choose to work with chevant and/or wax, so far your methods of armature construction are right on with the techniques that I have used. My only question for now...in the "tools" segment, where's the x-acto knife?
But on the real...Many thanks and mad love for the posting of this tutorial. It is good to know that the sculpting angels still fly among the people.

J

[smellybug]

Word. Now post some of your sh*t man. Let us dig.

[justasculpt]

Here is my only problem, how the F*CK do you post pieces on this site!?!?!? please help AAAAAGHHHHHHH!

out.

[Bishop Six]

Awesome tutorial, Petey(is it ok if I call you Petey?). I've never done any sculpting, but I've always been fascinated by it. This really makes me want to get started. I think it's just awesome that you spent all this time to share your knowledge with us. I wish I could go to the workshop. :(

I have one simple question for you: How does one get to be as slick as you? :D

[smellybug]

Oh yeah, I'm sooo slick! lol

[EVIL]

Make a tutorial for that "How to be slick for the stiff"

[swampbug]

Hey great stuff! Everything is so dead on to the original concept.


Question:

If you wanted to make duplicates of your 3d sculpy model.. how would you do that? Or in other words, how could you make a mold for your sculpy, in order to reproduce more duplicates?

[7thStone]

First, let me add my thanks for this excellent tutorial! It was much appreciated and very inspiring. :D

Second, I'd like to second Swampbug's question.

If you wanted to make duplicates of your 3d sculpy model.. how would you do that? Or in other words, how could you make a mold for your sculpy, in order to reproduce more duplicates?

Do you have any personal preferences with regard to materials and methods used in reproducing your work, or are there any sources of information on this topic you would recommend?

[KrisTaylor]

I have been sculpting now for about 8 years and I have to say if there is one step that I would like to modify or just get rid of I would have to say its the armature process, Yeah its fun and artistic in its own way but after about 100 of them I think it tends to lose its luster, So in my pursuit of lazyness I have stumbled across something that I found very exiting and though I should share.

Basically If you are a comper nerd as I am there are some new interesting processes going on in the world of rapid prototyping, lets say you want to sculpt a 3 foot long T-rex, sounds fun huh, but setting up the armature so that you can cut it all up sounds B-o-r-i-n-g and like a lot of work to me so I took my computer model that I just happened to have of ol' Rex, posed it, and cut it up into pieces just like a model kit would be done, sent it off to the prototype company and for not much money, I got my 3 ft rex in teh mail, put it togehter and mounted it on a pole and got to sculpting.

All you have to do is apply a very think layer of clay and detail out the skin, now obviously this takes out all of the form sculpting because all of that is done in the computer, but if you want to get 80 percent of the way there without leaving the computer its a good idea, and kinda interesting approach, anyways though I would share this with all, here are some pics of the results along with the original computer model that was used to generate the prototype. I used www.3darttopart.com for this one, pretty fun process and ideal for this project, saved me a ton of time, and since all this is done on my off time that is pretty essintial!

http:// C:\temp\rex\rex.jpeghttp://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v257/krisTaylor/rexModel.jpg

[KrisTaylor]

here are the some shots of the body sculpted http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v257/krisTaylor/rexModel01.jpg

[KrisTaylor]

http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v257/krisTaylor/rexLeg.jpg

[archstanton]

Possibly the best thing I've ever read on the web. Thanks Pete - you rock. Come visit Austin again soon.

-Doug

[smellybug]

great stuff Kris....yeah...you're on the right track there. I just wanted to do something closer to traditional for the first post. Nice work man.

Arch: thanks bub. the workshop ruled.

[KrisTaylor]

Yeah the workshop was fun, a little muggy but fun! Do you have any pics of the sculpt you were working on, I only got to see it in its early stages on friday, I'd like to see what you ended up with!

[smellybug]

I shall post the sculpt I ended up with. Never totally finished it, but hopefully people got the idea.

[Mike3]

Hi Smellybug,

Couple armature questions:

1) I noticed you put the wood base in the oven, have you ever had a fire incident? I'll be using an electric oven at home and I was thinking of putting
a pizza stone on the first shelf to keep the direct heat of the wood.
But seeing I've haven't "baked" wood before, I'm not sure what it will do.

2) In your pictures just prior to baking the model, it looks like you used another rig to rotate your model. Is that a custom setup? Kinda makes me wonder if I could use an old camera tripod with a custom base to attach the armitures to... hmmm... gotta think about this when I get home from work.


Final Note: bought some sculp/sculpy 3, spaghetti machine. Working my pose (Male standing, right arm up holding post, left leg bent, slight twist to torso and head) on paper. Doing multiple sketched views, studying my anatomy books. Just have to pick up some wood, get some rods, and then get to work on the armature. Hopefully I'll be letting the clay fly this 4th of July weekend.

That ends my ramble... thanks again.

Mike3

[Leopoldo]

Smellybug, thank you so much for this tutorial!
I would buy your book any day.

Cheers,
Leopoldo

[robert]

how fo i add a pic to a thread?

[robert]

hey there smelley you have singlehandedly opened my eyes. thanks

the workshop provided me with the inspiration and direction i hoped it would.

i spent the most memorable time at the workshop looking over your shoulder absorbing the idea of bringing a block of clay to life. It really made my arts eye turn inside out! Thank you ya know somtimes all it takes is to be in the right place at the right time and stop to see whats going on. I am just glad i had the since to watch you work as long as i did.

i have created a "game" character . or somthing to that affect out of armadillo clayi have spent 15 hours ion it since the workshop i am very pleased with the results thus far in "your" process i would appriciate a few words of wisdom from the experinced one!

moersdesign@comcast.net

thanks again
robert
dallas texas

[Cat]

I'm starting a special effects make up course (grime in Dutch) in september, that's been my dream since like.. forever, i think it's the reason i was born.
Always wanted to make monsters n stuff in latex.
When i see your progress i just can't wait till school starts!!
Your work inspires me, thank you Mr Smellybug! =^x^= :bheart:

[Big Jay]

Wow,

This is a great tutorial.

I had to make a pdf out of it to print and study.

Thank you for posting it.

Jay

[Andrew G]

1) I noticed you put the wood base in the oven, have you ever had a fire incident? I'll be using an electric oven at home and I was thinking of putting
a pizza stone on the first shelf to keep the direct heat of the wood.
But seeing I've haven't "baked" wood before, I'm not sure what it will do.


I'm not SmellyBug but I can answer this...because you are cooking the Super Sculpey at around 200 F (275 according to the instrcutions but you get better results cooking at a lower temperature for longer) you won't set the wood on fire since wood/paper burns at 451 F.....You know like the Bradbury story Farenheit 451.....You are safe....Just dont shove the wood right against the heating element and all is good (I know from experience)......

[elboy]

wow. going through this thread from start to finish was like magic. wow.
so..... cool......

[Misty17]

I was so enthralled with this thread (which I found by accident) I had to join the fourm. After checking out everything else here, I am so glad!

This thread Rocked!
I am a baby newbie to sculpting...and have had no training. I rely solely apon inspiration...and re-dos.
Thanks for all the help and the great tutorial...
the only thing I want to mention, is that the painting pics were missing...? as well as the finished piece.
But now that I have found this place, I am afraid I will not be getting much sleep!

Thanks again, and I am very much looking forward to the molding tutorial...If it is not already around here somewhere...


Misty

[imglue]

petey thank you so much. the overall finished project looks awesome!!!!!

[Leopoldo]

Is turpenoid just another name for turpentine?

And, just by chance, does anyone know the Swedish name for turpenoid?

Thanks,
Leopoldo

[batmantheking]

nice very nice... tanks.. a lot.!! :bashful:

[Lono]

you are my hero Smelly..

this thread is fucking MONEY!

thank you so much for taking the time to document this and walk us through your process!

-Lono

[Mr Man]

Thanks smelly. You have truely opened everyones eyes with sculpting.
I still cant believe you worked on Jurassic park, so kewl!!! :^^:

[dem0n]

this is amazing really.. weird I missed this thread in the past.
saved it all, it'll really come in handy thanks alot man.
... I love you :bashful:

[geo5]

Great job. Makes me want to sculpt something. Incredible details. Amazing.

[Peter Johansson]

Thanks for a great walkthrough smellybug, very inspiring!
I don’t know if you have posted your website url here or if you have one. Please do if you got one.
Thanks again!

//Peter

[Jorganus]

Hi,

This sculpting course is Filled with valuable information! I especially appreciated the emphasis on patience and scientific thinking to make a good anatomical inner construction.

There is one thing I wonder about. This sculpture has much wrinkles over its surface that helps to clearer show its forms. But how does one do with a creature that is more smooth, like a human body with some underskin fat? My sculpture often looks good under lamplight, but out in daylight many forms become invisible because they are so subtle. I don't know how to exaggerate forms without distorting. For example, if the muscles of the human are exaggerated the body will either look lean and wiry or else overly muscular. How does one do exaggerations for better clarity?

[KrisTaylor]

Hey smellybug, good stuff man, I usually use supersculpey but have recently become interested in using chavant (cm-50 the hard stuff) lately and Im wondering what techinques work for smoothing out and doing all the finishing work with oil based clays, can you use alcohol on it and stuff like that?

[KrisTaylor]

actuall its cm-90 and 70 that im using :^^:

[KrisTaylor]

Hey there smellybug, we met briefly at the workshop in austin this summer and you mentioned that you sculpted some of your maquttes and production pieces out of chavant clay, my question is how do you do the final smoothing of the piece, say like a 15" character with like semi-muscular anatomy, its usually nice once you have sculpted the anatomy and wrinkels to go back over the piece with some kinda of solvent( like you show here with turpaniod for sculpey) how do you deal with this in Oil based mediums like the hard chavants.

Thanks for all the inspiration!
-Kris

[Cloak]

I have a few questions about sculpey, so... what is the purpose of mixing? just to get the right colour? or is there something else. and also is it one of those clays where you can just add water and smooth out the little bumps and things like that? and what is the average price?