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First attempt at sculpting

Started by Shannow, June 04, 2010, 11:00:45 PM

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Shannow

Hello fellow Inquisitors!

Having perused all the lovely self sculpted figures on here and having a lot of free time on my hand after my exams I thought I'd give it a bash. This is just a dry run to get used to the material and tools, it's not gone catastrophically I think....so far anyway...but I'll let you decide!

I'm sorry there not thumbnails but I haven't figured out how to do that yet and wanted to put these up before I forgot!

My inspiration is from this pic

http://s916.photobucket.com/albums/ad4/jerusalem-man/?action=view&current=DarkEldar.jpg

and these are it so far

http://s916.photobucket.com/albums/ad4/jerusalem-man/?action=view&current=DSCF5782.jpg

http://s916.photobucket.com/albums/ad4/jerusalem-man/?action=view&current=DSCF5783.jpg&newest=1

http://s916.photobucket.com/albums/ad4/jerusalem-man/?action=view&current=DSCF5786.jpg&newest=1

http://s916.photobucket.com/albums/ad4/jerusalem-man/?action=view&current=DSCF5787.jpg&newest=1


I intend to add sharp spiky detail by cutting out the armour from thin plasticard, and I'm not sure how I am going to approach the cloak which I do plan to have flowing forward as in the picture so it looks as though wind is coming from behind (I'm hoping this will help cover the crappy legs a bit....)

Criticism is more than welcome!
I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tanhauser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.

Time to die.

Ynek

Well, it's certainly a start...
But I fear that you may have tackled a bit of an ambitious project for a first-time attempt. A lot of sculptors find their feet in sculpting by starting with something where mistakes are less obvious, such as a mutant or miscellaneous alien. That way, mistakes are less noticeable, since the creature is quite warped anyway.

And I don't mean to sound like an evil, critical git here, but from what I can see, it looks as though you're intending on sculpting him with three legs. (Is the wire running from the base to his crotch entirely necessary? Normally, people have the armature running up one leg and down the other, so that they don't have an awkward 'third leg' to clip away later, and the clippers could leave toolmarks on the greenstuff when you make the cut.)

By all means, go ahead with this project and learn from it. Experiment a bit, learn what works, and what doesn't. Don't be disheartened when it doesn't come out quite like the image you have in your head. First sculpts rarely do.

But the beauty of sculpting, (and in fact, any skill,) is that every time you try, you get a little better, and a little closer to getting things just the way you want them.
"Somehow, Inquisitor, when you say 'with all due respect,' I don't think that you mean any respect at all."

"I disagree, governor. I think I am giving you all of the respect that you are due..."

Shannow

Ambitious...never :P I decided to aim high, and make statutory explanations for his ugly/mutated nature afterwards! After reading through lots of guides this seemed to be a very common armature construction which is why I went for it...though have since mused about its removal....

As I said this is just a trial run and hopefully after a lot of dud runs I'll get my dark eldar god damn it! I will post progress as and when it comes (subject to camera availability)

Sorry it's not prettier!

P.s. I will eventually post pictures of a 60mm Halo Spartan figure that I'm gleefully abusing....
I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tanhauser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.

Time to die.

Kallidor

It's not much use to you now that you've started, but I like to use a Necron as an armature for my sculpts, with it being plastic you can cut it and resize it very easily and it just helps get those basic shapes which a wire armature doesn't do for me.

It's not looking too bad so far but you might want to trim the chest down a bit or he might end up a bit bulky which might not work so well for a Dark Eldar.
Be Pure!
Be Vigilant!
BEHAVE!

Kaled

I've sculpted over wire armatures inthe past, but I usually buy an armature from Historex (which is basically a posable naked figure) and then add clothes, armour etc.  That way I can concentrate on the detail without worrying about the basic proportions & shape. By sculpting over a wire armature you'll learn more about sculpting figures but using an armature like the one I use means you can get the result you want quicker and with much less effort...  There are advantages to both routes - it's up to you which is better for you.
I like to remember things my own way... Not necessarily the way they happened.

Inquisitor - Blood Bowl - Malifaux - Fairy Meat

Shannow

Thanks for the tips Kallidor and Kaled, given ample funds I would have probably gone down one of those routes but as I don't have so much spare cash it was far cheaper to buy a few metres of wore for a couple of quid, hopefully I can take that approach in the future. Should have some new pictures by the weeks end depending on when plasticard arrives :)
I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tanhauser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.

Time to die.

Kallidor

I know what you mean, I only used my 'crons because they were sitting idle. After sculpting a human I made a mould of him although I've only cast the one so not so cost effective so far but it will be, if I ever get around to doing some more!

Look forward to the progress.
Be Pure!
Be Vigilant!
BEHAVE!

Shannow

Well I shall get cracking again when my materials arrive. If I can collar my mates gf (who I borrow a digicam off) then I will put pics up of the three 2-2.5 inch halo figures I've been butchering.

A flamer, Sniper and general weird halberd/pistol wielding bugger. Though having attempted a cloak on the sniper I have ruined him, alas I lack the skill to remove it and the money to just discard him....black paint shall hide it...yes.

I have plans to buy nine overall and make them into a creepy crime family called the Delacroix's. Hopefully get that up soon as an idea.

God I'm cheap :P
I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tanhauser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.

Time to die.

Simeon Blackstar

Doesn't green stuff just peel off in layers?  Just pull the cloak off and it'll be OK.  Probably.  :P

What's the Halo model made of?

Go for it though.  Sculpting is great fun once you get the hang of it.  Try different putties too: Fimo and ProCreate are both materials I've used (though strictly speaking, Fimo's a polymer clay and needs baking).  I find they're all good for different things too.  Fimo's a great, cheapish material to bulk up a sculpt, though you need a bit of putty around the wire armature for it to stick to.  It's also great for blending things together and anything you want a long working time for, but can be difficult to add small details to.  Green Stuff's very organic, while I find ProCreate is an excellent substitute with a bit more hardness, allowing it to be filed and hold an edge better.  I regularly use all three in sculpts depending on what it is I'm sculpting and what I have nearest at the time!

Shannow

I may invest in some procreate as I am finding getting hard edges a problem....damn scythe/halberd!

The halo models are made of a semi soft bendable plastic, easy to cut but resistant to filing and smells terrible when you do. The models I bought are articulated at the waist which was helpful in altering pose. Green stuff also seems to adhere to the plastic very strongly.

Nearly finished these three though without paint so shall put them up before weeks end hopefully.

Thanks for all the help.
I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tanhauser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.

Time to die.

Shannow

Hi there, some progress on the sculpt. But first up I must profusely apologise for the crappy pictures and also my crappy beard which sadly is also in the pictures. I have been unable to procure a digital camera so have used the one in my imac which is less than stellar and requires me to hold it up. So sorry about that.

Also completely abandoned the original pic as far too hard, which most of you pointed out. He is still going to have a coat though which will split over his tail (thats right he now has a mechandrite tail!) and cover the horrendous lower legs at the back.

As far as a character I am just seeing how it turns out then going from there. But seeing as he will have a hat/helmet/goggles to avoid attempting a proper face my thoughts at the moment are a glavian pilot who for a bet tried some ridiculous stunt and pulled it off but then crashed which the person he bet with claimed he'd failed and the result of losing bet was he had to get the tail, but now uses it in combat.....perhaps...thoughts welcome.

Anyway picture links for you all! Feel free (nay obliged) to laugh away :P

http://s916.photobucket.com/albums/ad4/jerusalem-man/?action=view&current=Photoon2010-06-10at0146.jpg

http://s916.photobucket.com/albums/ad4/jerusalem-man/?action=view&current=Photoon2010-06-10at01472.jpg

http://s916.photobucket.com/albums/ad4/jerusalem-man/?action=view&current=Photoon2010-06-10at0211.jpg

http://s916.photobucket.com/albums/ad4/jerusalem-man/?action=view&current=Photoon2010-06-10at02112.jpg

and also here are a couple of links to a converted halo figure to a flamer - pictures also resplendent with crappy beard

http://s916.photobucket.com/albums/ad4/jerusalem-man/?action=view&current=Photoon2010-06-10at0148.jpg

http://s916.photobucket.com/albums/ad4/jerusalem-man/?action=view&current=Photoon2010-06-10at01482.jpg

Have fun laughing and browsing, though some serious(ish) feedback would be nice :D

Rob

I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tanhauser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.

Time to die.

Kallidor

I hate to say it, but you've got a slug on your lip  ;)  :P


The self sculpt seems to be coming along but for a human his lower legs seem too short and his torso too long, with the tail he has a lizardlike quality. I do like the tail though, not a feature we often see and it's coming along nicely.

The conversion looks good too, it has a very Rogue Trader era Imperial Army/Guard look to it. Nice.
Be Pure!
Be Vigilant!
BEHAVE!

Shannow

#12
How very dare you! That is a £20 slug! (£25 if you include the actual piercing :P )

I now what you mean about the lower legs and they are too short, the torso however is actually about the right length for his planned height (which was originally 60mm) as according to Marco (and we definitely shouldn't doubt him!) the torso should be about 2.5 heads long and in a 60mm model a head is 8mm and the torso is 22mm long.

I think its one of those things that is technically right but doesn't look it :( but oh well this is a learning curve model after all. Not sure how I will address the short lower legs, maybe something ingenious when I do the feet. If you wish to be ingenious for me that would be more than welcome :P

Glad you like conversion, there is also a crouched sniper version with a hefty cloak on and a tall striding one that has a scythe and handgun. But they weren't in a photographable quality mood....

The halo models are surprisingly fun to play with and convert.

Rob

I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tanhauser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.

Time to die.

Kallidor

I don't know about heads, I work mine out in inches according to what the life size height would be and then convert into mil. With that in mind an average 5'9" person would be about 27" from waist to shoulder or 21.1mm so a 60mm model would be 6'4.6" tall so a head length of 11.1mm and a waist (belly button) to shoulder (top of the shoulder where it meets the neck) of roughly 23mm. Of course these are just rough estimates of heights and lengths based on my own calculations so take it as you will; I know it isn't the standard procedure but I enjoy doing it my own way 8)

For the short leg the obvious thing to do would be to cut it and lengthen it or you could try adjusting the knee height to even it up. You can also try using the metal wire as the very top of his boot rather than the bottom and that way you can add several mil to the bottom of the leg that way instead.
Be Pure!
Be Vigilant!
BEHAVE!

Shannow

Having pulled him out of his yogurt pot, he has a lot more wire beneath his calfs then I though so i may just be able to extend his lower legs or add fairly high riding boots as you suggest. Woop!

In terms of his coat, do you have any good tips on getting it fitting/flowing well? I seem to remember somebody saying they used a tomato puree tube as a template or something...

Your way of calculating height is interesting, I think I may have a go at using that on a future build :)

Thanks for all the help btw

Rob
I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tanhauser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.

Time to die.