Mister Monkey Posted August 24, 2012 Report Share Posted August 24, 2012 That Green Justice looks superb.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mako Posted August 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 24, 2012 You're not short on skill, just on confidence! That collodi is nice. And really impressive for a first sculpt, my first scratch builds were horrendous! I quite like doing this kind of thing on here, then if anyone spots me talking total rubbish they stop me *wink* That is a pretty big project, but take your time on each stage and it'll come together faster than you'd think. Unfortunately, the one things can say is that no matter what you try, cutting corners never works out well... There's a few tricks for getting clothing right. I had to look it up in artists manuals to understand bits of it, but hopefully I can make sense when I repeat it! Getting fabric looking fit is all about where the body stretches it, and where it hangs loose. If the arm is held out for example, the creases run from the underarm outward to the elbow, and from the elbow to wrist. But If the fabric is loose at the wrist, these creases from the elbow spread and fade as they go. I still try to find close that fit the same and stand in the right pose to get the creases right. Just remember, there's never a truly flat area of cloth, the ripples don't stop partway along a surface, they just spread and fade. Skin is very dependant on getting proportion, muscle position and underlying anatomy right. People are really good at spotting tiny errors in humans, so it's worth taking the time, building up the skeleton and muscles with small blobs of putty. Getting that right is the major hurdle to doing good human sculpts. After that it's just a surface layer to give you the skin texture and smoothness. Hair is one I'm still experimenting with, but the things ie found are to never do it like spaghetti unless the hair's wet and hanging down. it tends to go in sections, and in those sections there will be lines that start at the base and disappear, lines that start partway and stop later, and lines that start partway and go right to the tip, splitting the end of the lock. The locks overlay, they end at varying heights, and they obey both gravity and their own curliness. For Mei, with her long braid, the same things apply but close to her head where the hair is pulled back. The braid will be interesting, I've not done one before but I recommend building it around a thin piece of wire. Also, green stuff can be good for loose hair as you can stretch the tips to thin it nicely, while Fimo tends to break if you try that. GS is also a bit better at surviving being bumped while you work on other areas. I have three books I refer to a lot. One is anatomy for the artist (by someone i cant remember at the moment), the other two are drawing dynamic figures, and dynamic wrinkles and drapery, both by Burne Hogarth. They've been really useful for me, especially the proportion diagrams in the anatomy one! Also, a pair of calipers would be really handy for measuring the bits of your sculpt while you work. None of that is necessary, but they're what I have as aids. That and a roll of sculpting tools, which I've gathered over time. Dental tools, clay shapers, colour shapers (the rubber tipped things, colour shapers are softer), files, an old soft bristled brush for smoothing with water... Wow, epic wall of text! Hope some of that helps! ---------- Post added at 01:15 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:12 AM ---------- Also, thanks to all you guys that have commented, I'm really pleased people like it so much! There's always a part of me that wonders if the Wyrd crew will end up on here looking at it. I'm like a child really, I want to show it off to them! But they have far more important stuff going on at the moment I reckon... And I'm claiming panda level awesomeness as my new tag in my profile *grin* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Monkey Posted August 24, 2012 Report Share Posted August 24, 2012 Maybe we should all start a 'sculpt along with Mako' thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mako Posted August 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 24, 2012 Is that anything like 'Watch with Mother'? Although I suspect far more worrying and probsbly not suitable for minors! ---------- Post added at 01:40 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:20 AM ---------- I thought I'd throw some thanks out there for all the comments. Monkey, you'll get one too as soon as my thank button reappears. I may have abused it too much... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iamwyrd Posted August 24, 2012 Report Share Posted August 24, 2012 Thanks mako I will definitely check out those books If I can find them. And the text you typed out for me has really opened my mind as to how to do things the correct way. I know I can picture things in my head, but making them real is the hard thing. So hopefully I can do mei some justice. Im also worried about her face. But thanks again for the write up. And im definitely subscribing to this thread so I can maybe get some tips from your sculpting as well. Can't wait to see more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mako Posted August 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 24, 2012 Faces are a sod. There's no other way to describe it. I had a tutorial once, that I still follow (well, without looking at it these days). Basically, make an egg shaped blob, press in a horizontal groove halfway up it for the eyes, then roll a thin sausage and put it vertically from in the centre of the eye groove, down under the chin. Cut that sausage in half (so on the bottom quarter line of the head), that gives you your nose. Cut the bottom bit in half again, that's the mouth position. Then smooth it all together, and then... Well, stuff happens, and you either get a face, or start again. Hard to know which when you start working on it! I can't really tell you much more, I just poke the Fimo until faces occur! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EnternalVoid Posted August 24, 2012 Report Share Posted August 24, 2012 I am really curious if you are going to cast this, if only to see how it does with the sheath and a few other of the parts. Overall it all looks suitable for casting, my only concern would be the air escape depending on the method for the sword/pig piece. This is the sort of skill I need work more on, scuplting is not my strong point and I need to at least improve it enough for improving pieces at least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mako Posted August 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 24, 2012 The pig halves are actually pretty flat when they're separate, so both can be cast fairly simply. It's just a case of the seam running the length of the scabbard and then round the pigs legs. And with the right vents, I shouldn't have any issues with either pig section. The interesting bit is making the mould work for the left forearm, but after the last casting experiment I did I've seen how to mould that kind of thing better. None of it should give me any real trouble, I planned the parts carefully for that very reason. The most troublesome bit is not having any of the stuff I'd use to cast normally! And no easy access to a vacuum chamber for degassing anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EnternalVoid Posted August 25, 2012 Report Share Posted August 25, 2012 I never have used a vacuum chamber, I always put my stuff under pressure with a pot instead. it has worked pretty well for me and my uses and I can use the air compressor for other things. But ya, got to be careful with the mold line on the scabbard but still, done right it will be a nice little set to be able to reproduce. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mako Posted August 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 25, 2012 I like to degas my silicon really well before pouring the mould, it makes it really easy to get solid moulds with no defects that can turn up when you change pressure. Casting itself is much less of a problem, I did Jaakuna by degassing the resin and then syringe loading the mould. I do want to build myself a pressure change rig, I have it planned out but haven't got the time or space to do it. As you say, it's all about mould planning. I always try to make my stuff in castable parts, and when I make the mould I plan angles and air/resin flow carefully to minimise any bubble traps. Also, a lego motor to vibrate it gently helps with that. I'm also having issues finding the same types of silicon and resin that I like. I could do with a hardness 16 silicon, some low viscosity G26 ish resin, and some filler. For which my preference usually is the inventively names Fillite... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eudaimon Posted August 26, 2012 Report Share Posted August 26, 2012 Absolutely stunning. Comfortably the best thread on the Wyrd painting forums IMO. I doff my hat to you sir, and will join the list of people who want to buy your sculpts. You should start a Kickstarter campaign to scuplt an alternative crew! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mako Posted August 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 Cheers! Although I'd be careful, you might make my ego even worse than it is already! :-P I don't think I'll ever go onto kickstarter, it just seems odd to me. So many projects on it, and some from companies with plenty of money to do them without! But I'd love to have done a whole crew, and once my stuff arrives I'll hopefully get back to my breach runners models, rather than another parody crew. Speaking of parodies, two part done death gremlins: They will have pig trough coffins, but I'm still trying to get the swirling smokey stuff right on the first one at the moment. Still, with little distraction (not counting the many many other sculpts I'm doing too!) I can get on pretty quickly these days, so I reckon the first one will be close to finished next weekend. The others will be a little slower, as I need the first one for reference when doing the others. And as requested, the beginnings of Outback Justice, the death marsupials: The head is still quite primitive, I think I need to texture it a little, but possibly not. I could do with someone who's seen one up close to tell me how furry/fuzzy they are, if anyone's reading and knows that, will they shout out? I've gone about this one a little unusually for me, with the head and chest first. All that putty is unbaked, and getting a little tricky to work on, so once I get the head improved more I will bake it then do things like the ears and lower jaw (currently missing one, which makes the head look a bit odd). Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EnternalVoid Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 Never really had problems any real problems with defects in the mold due to using pressure, just once when I did not properly seat one when doing a half and that was more the mistake of not checking it one last time before putting it in. Some one had dropped the lego frame I put it in and the piece came loose in the putty and I had not realized it. I use Smooth On products myself, as I started with them and found it easier to stick with a company that I know rather than branch out to much. I have used several of their different products when I was making some tunners and a few other parts for my father when he was rebuilding a few guitars he had gotten. Father always supported my hobby as he was a tinkerer himself. BTW, Love the death marsupial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mako Posted August 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2012 Turns out there's a supplier of casting stuff maybe 20 minutes from my house on the subway, so that's good. I can get things when I need them. But to prove I still know which end of a brush is which, here's a 3D submerged fish technique I'm trying out, saw it online and decided to play with it a bit: Next update will be back to putty tho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDL1113 Posted August 29, 2012 Report Share Posted August 29, 2012 Really cool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mako Posted August 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2012 There'll be a reasonable update soon, but I would just like to mention that sculpting short fur is a total pain. Far worse than long ragged fur! Still, now I think I've got the technique worked out, progress is being made... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mako Posted August 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2012 Ok, back to the putty poking. Here's the progress on the gremlins. The first is a lot more advanced, but the second shows you a rough and a finished leg on the second. He needs a bit of work this weekend to catch him up a bit. Hopefully the pose the first one will be in is becoming a bit more obvious now I can put the part done pine trough in there. I'll be trying to get the right arm in position before I bake him, so I can get the folds right on the sleeve. The left arm will need baking before I can finish it, as it's not really practical or fun to try and fit detailed stuff onto a loose base. It needs an armature drilling in first! And the most obvious progress this week goes to the death marsupial: With any luck he's looking right, and no one from below the equator will spot any really bad mistakes! But if you do, now's the time to say, before he gets baked! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iamwyrd Posted August 31, 2012 Report Share Posted August 31, 2012 I think they look great as usual. Keep em coming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Monkey Posted August 31, 2012 Report Share Posted August 31, 2012 Looking fantastic .... Hope to see corks hanging off of the hat of the Death Marsupial Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mako Posted August 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2012 Corks would be awesome, but I don't think I could get them to look right, and I'm fairly certain casting them would be a real nightmare! I shall have to have a think and see if I can work something out... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Shaper Posted September 1, 2012 Report Share Posted September 1, 2012 Ok, back to the putty poking. Here's the progress on the gremlins. The first is a lot more advanced, but the second shows you a rough and a finished leg on the second. He needs a bit of work this weekend to catch him up a bit. Hopefully the pose the first one will be in is becoming a bit more obvious now I can put the part done pine trough in there. I'll be trying to get the right arm in position before I bake him, so I can get the folds right on the sleeve. The left arm will need baking before I can finish it, as it's not really practical or fun to try and fit detailed stuff onto a loose base. It needs an armature drilling in first! And the most obvious progress this week goes to the death marsupial: With any luck he's looking right, and no one from below the equator will spot any really bad mistakes! But if you do, now's the time to say, before he gets baked! The Green Marshals are looking cool and don't worry about us finding mistakes with the marsupials... if we look we can buy them in the supermarket Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mako Posted September 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2012 In steak form, or do they sneak in to steal biscuits? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaceplayer77 Posted September 2, 2012 Report Share Posted September 2, 2012 The name of the dragon is Valcor- loved that movie- And very awsome job. i can't wait to see more ofyour work as a beginer im moved to try more models when i can though finishing raspy them first. Im getting december acyolte just so i can make him look more like a favorate gi joe ninja- Storm shadow- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mako Posted September 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2012 Definitely don't do what I do and keep starting stuff but not finishing it! Each time you complete a model, you can look at it and feel pleased abut the good job you did, and then do better next on the next without even realising! Whereas I have as much stuff started as I do finished... Also, that's an awesome idea for the acolyte. Will be good to see how it turns out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mako Posted September 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2012 Ugh, I've spent practically all afternoon sculpting gremlin heads. This is now the third version, and its an improvement, but I can't decide if it looks right or not. I thought it might be the lack of ears, so I tried adding some quick fakes in. But that just made it look like cat-yoda... Perhaps I should go back and try working from a different base shape, keep much further away from the humanoid look and more towards the movie (gremlins, obviously!). What do people think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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