spider squig

[Minky]

hi this is my newest sculpt it is a spider squig from the game warhammer. It was a really fun sculpt to do. i hope you guys like it. any crits.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v730/Minky12/spider.jpg

[Merkin]

Hey Danny, I like your sculpt but what impresses me the most about it is that you must be pretty good at making armatures cos it can be hard to get something like that to stay up on its own accord!

Also let me say that I think it is great that you have made so many sculpts - I have seen improvement in every one. I think you have a good eye for the overall shape and form but a couple of areas you should pay some attention to are making sure the model is even/balanced - by this I mean make sure that one half of the model is almost symmetrical to the other. eg that the legs on your squig are a very similar shape and size and the facial features match from left to right.

The second area that needs some attention is the finishing. The surfaces of your sculpts are uneven and don't seem to have any texture on them. If you look at your reference pictures (or some spiders and monsters if you did it from your head) try and see how different parts of the squig have different surfaces. eg I don't know anything about squigs but let's just say that their bodies are hairy... grab a toothpick and starting at the tail of the body work towards the head making small strokes in the clay in the direction the hair goes (from front to back). Work across the body and make sure it's not too even (not much in nature is perfect). When you are finished, it might look a little rough but should resemble hairs or fur. Get an adult to supervise and use a little turpenoid (also called turpentine) and using a very small amount on a soft paintbrush, brush it over the surface of the fur. This softens the lines you made and makes them look smoother. When it dries you should have some cool looking furry stuff!

Sorry to go on a bit there - I really think you are progressing well but also think you are ready to take it to the next level. This can also take a bit longer but if you are patient, you will benefit greatly from the extra time spent doing it.

Can't wait to see your next piece!
Brad