First timer! Succubus WIP

[witheringsanity]

Hello everyone!

This is both my first post and my first (serious) sculpture. All of my previous sculpting was years ago with that colored sculpey III that we've all used at one point. Mostly I made little doo-dads and creatures that were just for fun, took very little effort, and were pretty forgettable. Well I finally decided I might actually enjoy making some realistic sculpture, might even end up as a career, so I've started this succubus project! :batgirl:

I've already been working on it for a month off and on, so I thought I'd post my progress which will hopefully motivate me to continue my work more diligently and get some critique and advice for this or future projects!

Sorry about the run-on sentences, thats just how I type.

On to the piece!

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_W7RmAnwWnsk/S-NSisQW0_I/AAAAAAAAABM/aXmpAymZggs/s400/succubusWIP01.jpg

Starting with the basic skeleton. Everything about this project is a learning experience, so of course I've made plenty of mistakes. As you can see i didn't attach the legs to anything, and put that support rod that I may have wrongly assumed I needed into the back of the figures head... sigh >:|

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_W7RmAnwWnsk/S-NSizd0-NI/AAAAAAAAABQ/HyXKJdQmP3M/s400/succubusWIP02.jpg

Added the wings. They seem to be the first thing I've done totally right. Also fixed the legs to the base with wire.... another mistake

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_W7RmAnwWnsk/S-NSjd3RFWI/AAAAAAAAABU/40BceDdXKzs/s400/succubusWIP03.jpg

Jumping forward quite a bit here. I did alot of work but forgot to take pictures! Well as you can see I've formed most of the body, added the gravestone underneath the figure, and changed her pose. After I did all this I finally started to feel really good about what I was making, that it might actually turn out well.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_W7RmAnwWnsk/S-NSjy5tcVI/AAAAAAAAABY/A9oTZNlfL1s/s400/succubusWIP04.jpg

I also added a cross to the grave stone for her to "lean" on, and moved the entire figure up further on the support. This way I could have her supported without re-doing the entire figure, and have an excuse for the pole that was once jammed into her skull.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_W7RmAnwWnsk/S-NSkavFumI/AAAAAAAAABc/ZiBNbXHINNA/s400/succubusWIP05.jpg

Added the head! Man I cannot tell you how much I was dreading this. I thought sculpting the head was gonna be a nightmare, but it actually turned out ok. It was still a trying experience, but I think I've gotten through the worst of it.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_W7RmAnwWnsk/S-NSw90az1I/AAAAAAAAABo/1NO_2rYw6bU/s400/succubusWIP06.jpg

And lastly I added the feet, and made further adjustments to the legs.

This is as far as I've got so far. I plan to work on her at least once a day, so expect more updates if you're interested.

I would love any advice or critique you have for me, as well as any tips you think would help me out for the rest of this or future projects. Remember that this is my first serious attempt at life-like sculpture, so please be gentle... :bashful:


P.S. I know that her torso is waaay to long, top-to-bottom. Sadly there is nothing I can do to fix this now... It's part of the reason why her breasts are so large and legs so long, to try and compensate for the huge torso. I figured that shes a fantasy figure anyway, theres no reason she can't just have some wild proportions.

P.P.S. Also, I'd like some opinions about what level of nudity I should go for. For some background I DO plan on trying to sell this piece once it's finished. If i wasn't trying to sell it, I would stay true to my vision of what the succubus is: a demon that kills men by sleeping with them. Well in my opinion that kind of creature wouldn't wear much clothing, and certainly nothing that would hinder her... activities.

So what do you guys think? Should she have all naughty bits covered, topless, or totally nude? And if I go totally nude, should it be detailed genitalia or just basic formless bits? I'm gonna try to turn it into a poll... hopefully that'll work.

[Aleio]

You have a pretty good start. :) A understand that some things can't be corrected at this point, but you can deal with that. Learning from mistakes is part of the process.
I realize things are in rough form right now, but I would add a little more definition to the head, and by that I mean you need to make it slightly longer. It looks rather short to add in a chin, or other features. I'd lengthen the neck a bit too if you can.

The pose is interesting, and the wings do look good so far. As far as nudity, we're all adults here, but the decision is entirely up to you. I don't mind it personally, but I'd tell you to go as far as you feel comfortable. You don't need to ask anyone for permission.

I'm not sure if you've heard of her, but there is a great Capcom character named Morrigan Aensland who is a succubus. Her design is pretty cool, and she's always been one of my favorites throughout the years. You might like the idea of modeling your sculpt after her, so look her up.

Good luck and keep working at it. :)

[Christopher Genovese]

Some nipples and a smiley face - POOF! - yer done.

[witheringsanity]

You have a pretty good start. :) A understand that some things can't be corrected at this point, but you can deal with that. Learning from mistakes is part of the process.
I realize things are in rough form right now, but I would add a little more definition to the head, and by that I mean you need to make it slightly longer. It looks rather short to add in a chin, or other features. I'd lengthen the neck a bit too if you can.

The pose is interesting, and the wings do look good so far. As far as nudity, we're all adults here, but the decision is entirely up to you. I don't mind it personally, but I'd tell you to go as far as you feel comfortable. You don't need to ask anyone for permission.

I'm not sure if you've heard of her, but there is a great Capcom character named Morrigan Aensland who is a succubus. Her design is pretty cool, and she's always been one of my favorites throughout the years. You might like the idea of modeling your sculpt after her, so look her up.

Good luck and keep working at it. :)

yay a reply!!

oh i love Morrigan. And Lilith. Been playing Darkstalkers since I was a kid. I didn't want to model Morrigan though since she's a well known character, and I wanted to do my own thing with it. I tried to do the succubus from Castlevania SOTN years ago but it was an utter failure so I've kinda blocked it from memory.

you can't see it in the pictures, but she actually has a chin already. the head was just kinda thrown on and i've done very little on it, so it's getting more clay once i start working on it. also it was modeled after Chi from Chobits, so it's currently in "squished cutie anime" form. i just needed some basic head shape to go off of so i could refine it later.

thanks for the help!!!!

oh and about the nudity. i know i don't need permission but i really do wonder what peoples opinions are, from both an artistic and commercial standpoint. i worry that if it's too "adult" no one will want to buy it, or that if i make it less adult it'll be less appealing... i just dont know what to do on that front

[Aleio]

Ah, I see. There are some collectors who do buy explicit models/statues. However, if you want to better your chances of selling, then I think skimpy clothing will work. You could have her wear a fancy thong/bikini bottom, and have long locks of hair slightly cover her breasts. I think that may work for you. :)
And idea for the bikini bottom thingy... You could have it look to be fashioned from some sort of fantasy armor. Some of Boris Vallejo's artwork has great examples of this. Good luck. :D

[aadi]

i like it you are going to good pl updat more view

[Camara]

Don´t be thinking about selling or not selling. You have a 2 or 3 % chances to sell your first sculpture,so just do what you want to do without being thinking about what the buyers want to see.If you want to make her nude,make her nude, if you want to try some drappery,try it! Take your first sculptures as practice, not bussiness.
You have a good start.Too early to criticize. If she is going to be naked and doesn´t wear a bra,the boobs are going to be more separated (if there is no silicone!!).Try to be original,think about an original design for the wings, to separate your piece from other sucubus.I see the pose a little bit too stiff,try something more dynamic,even when she is just sitting there.

[Waipunga]

All the comments are on the button, Mate. You do it the way you are comfortable with. The trick is to go hard and learn heaps. Don't get hung up on explicits one way or the other. The piece will actually tell you as you go. Yeah I know, sounds strange but that is the way it is. Some pieces actually need all the 'beautiful" bits showing to gain their full impact/potential while others are just as hard hitting fully clothed. That's why we sculpt..... to try out these things and see if we are happy with them. The other part of all of this to seriously consider is that this is the first of hundreds! That's really where it is at. You will stop sculpting when you die or simply give up. With me it will be when I stop drawing breath! All power to your arm Man.

[witheringsanity]

thanks for all the comments you guys!

yeah i think i'm just gonna do the nudity however feels right. even if i'm trying to sell it, i should cultivate a habit of making my art how i envision it. (unless someone's commissioning me or something).

[Mah ' Crub]

First of all I salute you for using your own imagination. Now, quite thinking so much, and just find her in the clay, she's in there. What I really mean is, somtimes its best to not have a plan and just let things fall in line with your thoughts. I often find an intresting little something in the clay, like a wrinkle that looks like something, and I follow that clue. I think this is going to be fun for you so try not to let any aspect of it like the "head" scare you because when you do finally face it, you will be stiff and scared to mess up. Thats the really nice thing about clay, you can mess up totally a thousand , thousand times, and still pull off a masterpiece in the end.
As for the nudity, I think that the barely hidden fruit is much more enticing than the peach that lays on the ground in full view. That does not involve my imagination, and thats a shame,...NO ... a crime !!!. Slight nudity that heavily entices has more "savior faire."

Mah ' Crub

[ebonyraven]

That's a fun project! You set up the wing armature really nice.

Yeah just enjoy the process of discovery and don't worry about what buyers want in your first sculpture. I remember the first full body human I did oh my gosh she was so stiff and I didn't even use wire in the armature just foil ropes. Yet she could actually stand without support but she needed a doll stand to insure she didn't fall over from a breeze etc. My work has improved dramatically since then and I love figuring out complicated wire armatures. You'll only get better and better the more you sculpt and experiment.