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Community Sculpting Project - The Warrior

Started by Alyster Wick, February 09, 2016, 02:12:41 PM

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Alyster Wick

Still extremely WIP, but I'm overall pretty happy with my first attempt as a face. I'll be doing some sanding and adding a bit more mass (that chin needs a bit of work) while also building out the rest of the head, but all things considered it's rather better than I thought I'd do on my first try.

Commnet/criticisms/suggestions welcome!


MarcoSkoll

Proportionally, it's good and that's absolutely the most important thing in making a head look right. I can't comment on whether it's good from other angles (obviously), but of what I can see the height to width looks right, the eyes are halfway up, the size of nose and mouth is they should be and they're positioned well.

There is a little wonkiness, but human faces do that (if you actually look, people's faces just don't quite line up - and in the rare cases they do, it's usually a bit unnerving in the same sort of way as the "uncanny valley"), and the eyes would benefit from being better defined (from about 28mm scale up, you'd normally want to make out some actual details rather than just the shape of the eye sockets), but overall it's a very solid first attempt.
S.Sgt Silva Birgen: "Good evening, we're here from the Adeptus Defenestratus."
Captain L. Rollin: "Nonsense. Never heard of it."
Birgen: "Pick a window. I'll demonstrate".

GW's =I= articles

Alyster Wick

So some updates. I may have screwed things up a bit by adding and subtracting some bits. FYI, I am definitely bulking out the right-hand side (the character's right) cheek/jaw. Happy w/ the ear and left side mouth scaring. Not totally sold on the right side burns on the head (explaining why there's no ear) but they are growing on me. I attempted a left eye, considering leaving the right as a vacant socket (and possibly using an MIU Range Finder on his shoulder). Also, something looks off about the head. I don't know what it is.









Also, gotta close with a teaser :) ...


Lord Borak

The head is looking great mate! It looks a little 'off' but when you even out his right side to match the left it should be fine :)

Ah, silicone in some Lego. This is my life right now.

greenstuff_gav

'S an odd colour though; What silicone did you use?
Also knockoff lego! :o
i make no apologies, i warned you my ability to roll ones was infectious...

Build Your Imagination

seaglen

QuoteAh, silicone in some Lego. This is my life right now.
- ditto that!

Alyster Wick

Quote from: greenstuff_gav on February 12, 2016, 09:37:06 AM
'S an odd colour though; What silicone did you use?
Also knockoff lego! :o

I used Smooth On (the site is here: http://www.smooth-on.com/Sculpture-and-Art-/c1239/index.html). I put the second stage silicon in a couple hours ago so I can tell you how it turns out tomorrow, but so far I'll say that stage one was impressive. The stuff was quite sturdy, I feel as though I'm going to get good quality out of it. It was a little pricey though, so we'll see how far it actually goes.

I got a few new pics. I think I may need one more attempt at bulking out the right cheek, but he's closer! I also used a small file to rub away at the left eye and it's looking a bit better, though it'll be hard to tell until it's painted. As an aside, who here uses a set of those magnifying glass glasses things? I don't know whether they're worth it (the military and science surplus store near me has a $9 pair so it wouldn't set me back much, unless others feel that more expensive ones are worth the price).

Anyway, a preview of the legs and torso that I'm roughing out. I did basic shapes and I'm now adding musculature/armor-ature that will serve as a base/be sanded down soon. Overall this project is exciting, I'm moving far quicker than anticipated!








Alyster Wick

#7
Double post warning (it keeps up my motivation).

First, it took three tries but I was able to get some heads out that are serviceable. Unfortunately it appears the mold has an air bubble by the left eye of my skull-masked individual, but other than that they're pretty solid. This was mostly an experiment to see how difficult creating a cast would be and the answer is not very! I will throw out a thank you to Thanatos for posting in the other thread about the dangers of casting without proper ventilation. It's a good reminder that sometimes it's worth the extra cash to stay healthy in the long run.



Also, some updates on the torso. The broad strokes of the powered carapace armor are coming together nicely and I'm happy so far with the beginning of the fur "cape" on the back.





Also, I need input on two things!

Not sure what to do about his close combat weapon. I was thinking of giving him a big machete-like knife (counts as short sword) but I also liked the idea of him carrying a big, brutal looking sword that was forged from the armor of the rhino from the Carthage Massacre (there was a rhino in that story, right?). It would like almost like a shorn piece of metal that was worked over into a blade. It'd be a basic sword, possibly with some fun rules based on its origins. The point here is just aesthetic though, should I go with a more compact military looking thing or a big brutal/non-traditional sword?

Second, is there any Carthax-specific iconography for IG regiments? Or is there a notable numeric regiment/force of some kind? I'd like to do something on the right shoulder-pad that is uniquely Carthaxian but I just don't know about the sector. It isn't mandatory at all and I may just make something up (or pic a standard IG symbol, or leave it flat for others to play around with). Thoughts?

For armaments I was thinking of giving him a las-rifle slung across his back (somehow, not sure how to fit it in at the moment) and a two-shot bolt revolver as his "side-arm" with an olde-timey hex barrel. It's a fancy piece of kit, but as he's a Carthage survivor who was later given the opportunity to serve as a warrior for the Inquisition I figure there's plenty of opportunity for him to pick something like that up.

Alyster Wick

So I had a nice long post written yesterday and apparently I just hit "Preview" rather than post. Arg. Anyway, I'm at the point where the basic outline (sans arms) of the mini is basically good to go and I'll just be gradually adding detail. Let me know if anyone sees any egregious scaling issues (just know that I'll be bulking out the waist/midtorso area with armored plates and the shin guards haven't been put on yet). Also, it's fair to say that any uneven or bumpy surface will either be getting a fresh coat of GS or significant sanding/cutting to add detail.




Lord Borak

He's coming along very nicely indeed! What's his pose going to end up looking like? How are his arms going to be posed or are you going to do them separate? Liking the chest piece as well by the way. He looks like he's going to be pretty armoured up, will you be doing a helmet for him as well?

Seeing that Chaos Magos just reminded me I need one! *Adds to the shopping list*

Alyster Wick

Quote from: Lord Borak on February 22, 2016, 10:10:32 PM
He's coming along very nicely indeed! What's his pose going to end up looking like? How are his arms going to be posed or are you going to do them separate? Liking the chest piece as well by the way. He looks like he's going to be pretty armoured up, will you be doing a helmet for him as well?

Thanks! I'm thinking of doing two sets of arms, one with his lasrifle held across the midsection, another holding a knife in the left hand and something else in the right. I am planning on doing legs and torso separately to allow for maximum conversion, though there may be a cloakish piece added that could complicate things. We'll see how it goes.

On the helmet end, I am working on a alternate head which I'm actually really, really excited about. Hopefully I'll do some more sculpting this weekend and get out some pics :)

Lord Borak

Ah cool. Multipart models would be awesome. Although having the Legs/Torso as one part would make your life as a casting a lot more simpler and save mould space. If someone is desperate to move his legs/Torso then it's not hard to cut resin up to repose. I know I'd be happy with a one part model.

Oh cool. Looking forward to seeing the helmet.

seaglen

Looking great!

with regards to sculpting, I am really just venturing into this field - any tips on how to get the best out of greenstuff?

do you sculpt whist it is very malleable? when it has cured, and "carve" it? or somewhere in between?




Thantos

Baked putties with no working time are my new favorite, easy to carve and sculpt with as very firm like chavant clay for minis. 6 euro and you wont look back ;)
http://beesputty.com/index.php/beesputty-plastic/bppfsgrey.html

Alyster Wick

Quote from: seaglen on February 26, 2016, 03:14:15 PM
with regards to sculpting, I am really just venturing into this field - any tips on how to get the best out of greenstuff?

do you sculpt whist it is very malleable? when it has cured, and "carve" it? or somewhere in between?

So this advice is going to be aggravating, but it's the same advice I was given years ago. You just have to kind of play around with it. The more you practice the better you'll get. Putty behaves in strange ways.

On the more productive front, I'd also urge you to try out new tools or even make your own. I have what amounts to different sized spheres on the ends of sticks that I use for a lot of stuff. Often times I'm just using the tube section as a roller. I'm also a big fan of using an exacto knife to make fine indentations when I need them (straight edges on straps, texture in hair, etc). A plain old GW tool actually isn't bad either, I often times find myself defaulting to that when spreading on a big goober of GS. Also, a pair of fine clippers is great for doing hair, fire, fur, or any number of things.

I'll also say that letting GS totally hard then cutting or sanding it is totally acceptable, and sometimes it's the best way to get hard edges or smooth surfaces. Rather than driving yourself crazy while it's malleable, just slap a little extra on then go to town when it's done.

Finally, if you're doing robes or things like that don't be afraid to flatten a sheet of GS, wait 45 minutes, then cut out the shape you want and then drape it over whatever you're doing. That advice carries over to straps and other clothing items.

Again, just play around, have fun, and prize educating yourself over frugality when it comes to GS.

Quote from: Thantos on February 27, 2016, 02:10:07 PM
Baked putties with no working time are my new favorite, easy to carve and sculpt with as very firm like chavant clay for minis. 6 euro and you wont look back ;)
http://beesputty.com/index.php/beesputty-plastic/bppfsgrey.html

I'd love to see some examples, and also some specifics on temperature, cooking duration, etc. What's your process like and what does the final product end up looking like?