First time sculptor

[protiek]

Hey guys, I've been a lurker here on the boards for a while now and may I say that the work on display here is absolutely mind blowing.

I recently got the urge to try out some sculpting for myself and chose to *attempt* modelling this: http://www.spawntoys.com/Metalgear/mgs2_metal_gear_ray.jpg

I am sorry if this is the wrong forum for posting this, maybe this forum is solely for showcasing recent work, so if it is the wrong forum, forgive me! Haha anyway, I am not sure how to progress with this project, I am going to purchase some clay and wire for the skeleton tomorrow and am constructing a base at this current time, it is a small board with a threaded rod put through it secured with some winged nuts on either side, much like in smellybug's tutorial.

Now I have some queries, firstly regarding the clay. I am going to purchase some "regular" clay, is this suitable for what I am attempting? Will it be too heavy or does it really matter?

Secondly, will I need to buy any more materials, or can i just whack the clay straight onto the wire skeleton? Are there any tools I will need to buy or can construct myself? I'm not looking for a whole array of specialist tools, just the basics.

If you have read this far, thankyou very much, haha. Any help / suggestions are much appreciated!

Regards,
Tom

[Merkin]

Hey Protiek, how's it goin?

If you have worked with regular clay then that might be your best bet to start off with as you will be familiar with it's properties, but if you haven't sculpted before you should probably get some super sculpey. I would stick to the steps in smellybug's tutorial as much as possible, adapting them to match your sculpt. This way you won't get 'lost' while you are building your maquette.

As for tools, you can definitely make some of your own out of things around the house - bamboo skewers, old paintbrushes with the ends sanded into different shapes (this is my favourite tool), knives, scalpels and pieces of wire. You can also pick up cheap wooden tools ready-made from an art store but I wouldn't go overboard as I bought a few and have only ever used one of them. As you work you will probably think "I wish I had a tool that was this shape so I could do this" and then you can go and make a tool like that out of an old brush or something.

Also one more thing - you have set yourself a lofty goal by trying to make such an intricate piece straight off the bat. I think it is harder to make mechanical structures rather than organic ones which are a little more forgiving (especially if they are of fantasy creatures/monsters cos nobody has anything to compare them to)! So you might like to reconsider your choice of subject so you don't get dejected if it takes too long/ is too hard/ doesn't look the same. Just my two cents, I am sure other people have ideas to add or disagree with mine :o)

Good luck!
Merkin

[protiek]

Thanks a lot for your response, interesting stuff. I will definitely look into what you said about tools, thanks for the pointers. On what you said about the figure I am attempting to create, I thought that this would actually be easier than an organic model, seems I was very wrong haha. I think I may give it a go and I'll post whatever I come up with, I wont be painting it just yet as that is a whole different thing altogether which I would like to learn, I will probably be purchasing an airbrush and experiment on different surfaces with different techniques etc.

Anyway, I have a lot of patience and a keen eye for detail, lets hope that helps!

Thanks,
-Tom

[perumeridian]

Tom
if you are trying to do some mcfarlane style stuff you should use the materials they use castilene. It comes in three grades, soft, medium, hard. I would recoment the mediun to a beginner because i has some good give when hard and nice pliabilitu when warm.

check out www.sculpt.com . The compleat sculptor site has all the clay, tools and molding/casting materials you'd need. They also have a great staff of experienced sculptors to help you figure out how to pull this off.
their # is 212 243 6074
ltr

[protiek]

Unfortunately I'm in the UK so i cannot buy any of their products without astronomical shippings costs.

And anyway, I have already bought most of my materials and constructed the frame, is this doable using regular air drying clay? Thanks for your help

[Merkin]

I have a lot of patience and a keen eye for detail

That could be all you need! :rendered:

As for air drying clay, I don't know too much about it. I have heard Chavant NSP is great for sculpting in but I wouldn't know if it is good for this type of thing. Why are you leaning that way anyway? (Not that is a bad thing, just curious) Have you had experience with air drying clay or is sculpey and similar products hard to get or just feel like it...?

Brad

[protiek]

Never had any experience with clay, just bought a load from an arts store and thought it looked interesting. Just testing the water and having fun while I'm at it, I'm amazed by some of the stuff you see people doing and Sculpey sure does look like an interesting material to work with although I haven't tried it yet.

I'm just working on the frame at the moment :)

P.S. If anyone in the UK knows where to get their hands on some sculpey for decent prices, please give me a shout.

-Tom