Morning!!
Im regularly blown away by the sculpting prowess of some of the 'clavers here. Apart from doing some "filling in" and some pipes, iv never attempted any sculpting work.
I appreciate that everyone has a different technique, but is there a good "sculpting 101" website/reference that people could recommend to me and others who might wish to indulge?
Cheers 8)
EDIT: - Iv noticed GreestuffGav's pages. looking now but any others I still like to hear about.
I've linked to a few articles below, but the best way to learn is to just give it a try - you have to accept the fact that your first attempts won't be great, but if your persevere and learn from your mistakes then you should quickly improve.
I can definitely recommend these (http://www.historexagents.com/shop/hxproductdetail.php?ProductCode=FR54) armatures - I've used them a few times, and they mean that the basic underlying shape is done for you, the proportions are good, and you just have to concentrate on the detail.
Sculpting faces (http://www.one-ring.co.uk/phpBB2/kb.php?mode=article&k=91)
Sculpting cloaks & armour (http://www.one-ring.co.uk/phpBB2/kb.php?mode=article&k=389)
Sculpting miniatures (http://www.satyrsculptingstudio.com/downloads/DWsculpting-class.pdf)
Greenstuff casting (http://www.drunkdwarves.com/?p=343)
Miniature sculpting (http://www.miez.nl/putty-n-paint/tutes/sculpting_tut01.pdf)
Sculpting tutorial (http://mandragoreminiatures.free.fr/tutorialanglaisfinal.pdf)
Heresy armatures and sculpting tutorial (http://www.heresyminiatures.com/wiredolly.htm) A great little reference for sculpting models from scratch I think.
Heresy also sell various types of putty and tools for sculpting, including the almost obligatory clay shapers. Basically a sculpting paintbrush type deal with a rubber-tipped poking end.
Becareful with sculpting tutorials as most of them are written from a sculptor's personal viewpoint and method. I have just had a look at the examples given by Kaled and realised that I use very few techniques that they have laid down.
Ultimately sculpting is a lot of trial and error, just keep practicing to get your own style down. One piece of advice that I have found very useful (especially in 54mm sculpting) is to download a picture of DaVinci's Vitruvian Man and resize it to fit 54mm scale and use it as a mark to making and armature in the right proportions.
Another piece of advice that I can offer is, if you make a mistake with trying to sculpt detail and can't get it right, stop, take a step back and try to figure out another way of approaching it. Don't be afraid to pull apart entire sections of your sculpt if you aren't happy with them and start again.
And be patient. Don't try and rush things, sculpting takes time, and the more you practice, the quicker certain techniques will become.
Quote from: Macabre on August 11, 2009, 09:16:59 PM
Becareful with sculpting tutorials as most of them are written from a sculptor's personal viewpoint and method. I have just had a look at the examples given by Kaled and realised that I use very few techniques that they have laid down.
Neither do I most of the time - however a big part of the learning process is in figuring out what techniques work for you. Thus, it is useful to know of a few different techniques before trying something yourself as it may give you some ideas you hadn't thought of - and by trying something you might learn that although it's not right for the model you're working on at the moment, it might be something you come back to at a later date.
The most useful bits of advice I can give though are to work in layers and to not do too much in one go. For example if I'm sculpting an arm, I'd make a frame out of wire and sculpt on the basic shape in one session, in the next session I might sculpt the sleeve, and then in another session I'd add cuffs and other detail. It's always tempting to sculpt as much as you can in one go, but do too much and you just increase the chances of ruining it by accidentally squishing it with your thumb.
Quote from: Kaled on August 11, 2009, 10:06:38 PM
a big part of the learning process is in figuring out what techniques work for you.
Quote from: Kaled on August 11, 2009, 10:06:38 PM
The most useful bits of advice I can give though are to work in layers and to not do too much in one go ... you just increase the chances of ruining it
For including both of these points +1 Respect .. i've messed up too many sculpts by squishing detail, putting it down on wet detail or just dropping the sculpt :lol:
also don't be afraid to grab some putty and just play around or to copy someone else's technique straight up; its all about getting the putty to show what you see :)
Quote from: Kaled on August 11, 2009, 10:06:38 PM
The most useful bits of advice I can give though are to work in layers and to not do too much in one go.
Well, the thing is that things get better if you do it in one go, it's just more difficult to do it. So, unless you are extremely good at it, try it only once in a while on a test model just to try to learn, don't do it on an important piece.
Cheers chaps.
Iv got a few long weekends coming up. Time to take the plunge I think!
Quote from: Serge on August 11, 2009, 10:16:38 PM
Well, the thing is that things get better if you do it in one go, it's just more difficult to do it.
You might be right, but it's probably not the best way to start for a beginner.
Another thing I did think of, it's worth starting two models at the same time - that way you can switch between them and work on one while the putty on the other is curing. Having a second project helps avoid the temptation to keep adding more to a model before the last bit has had time to harden because you've got something else to occupy you instead.