My F&IW greens - now with added goat 23/02

[Silent Invader]

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[Malamute]

For your first attempt I'd say they were pretty good.

[white knight]

Well,I'd say the face needs some more practice (but I can't do those very well either). There are several face sculpting tutorials floating around.

What tools are you using?

I'm usually using these:
- toothpick
- clay shaper with round tip, kinda like a non too sharp pencil,  for smoothing
- a scalpel-like sculpting tool to cut (hobby knife will do, will leave thinner cuts that aren't always what you want.
- a needle pin, for fine detail

Switching between these for different parts of the sculpt. And work in little steps at the time, not trying to do too much at once or you end up with some misshapen bits or worse, squashed ones.

[blackstone]

Yeah agree with Malamute, pretty good,  I'd say you're well on your way to producing some top notch figures. From what I can see from the pictures the actual handling of the putty is a little rough at the moment but everything else is spot on.

I think you're doing the hard stuff really well, proportions look good, the posing is natural looking, hands are good, faces are getting there, the attention to detail is great.

Looking at the figure you crited yourself, all the "faults" you circled are pretty minor. I'd focus on what you got right. I think at this point they just need an overall clearer definition in the putty but I think that just comes with experience of working with it.  

Molding the guns yourself is a great idea btw.

Here's a quick question. How many stages are you sculpting in, by which I mean how often are you letting the putty cure before carrying on with the next part of a figure?

[blackstone]

Maybe trying some different sculpting tools will help with the definition on the detail. I sculpt everything with a 3 inch sewing needle. I'm always thinking I should try "proper" sculpting tools when I see other people working with them but never seem to get round to it. I do know you can get really sharp detail with a needle though and by rolling the needle in your fingers I can roll the putty onto the wire frame and get it smooth before putting detail in. Maybe try a needle and see what you think?

white knight mentioned a needle and a clay shaper.  I only saw a clay shaper recently and they look super useful. Also you can uses a wet paintbrush to smooth the top layer of putty... good of creases in clothes once you've roughed them in.

sometimes I do have to carve back and start an area again.

Yup me too this is part of the process I know a professional sculpter that does huge amounts of carving and dremelling also.

Do you use a lamp to speed up the curing BTW?

Those goats look really nice BTW. Like the other figures they have good proportion and pose.

[Smokeyrone]

I'm no figure sculpter, so you'll have to seek critical advice from some of the more talented, but I like them a lot!


Very good work. "No flared nostril"?  I would have missed that.   

How about buildings?  You need a rustic cabin and shack!  Maybe an indian or trapper's "fort",  breastwork/redoubt thingy?

[white knight]

I will be giving the needle a go, and I'm particulalrly intrigued that you roll the putty with it.  I hadn't heard of that technique before and it will be interesting to see how it compares to pushing with a flat end (at first thought I suspect that it will alllow more control and less displacement, is this right?). 

Yes, I do this too sometimes (but with the toothpick). put a blob of putty in the right spot, roughly smooth it out with the clayshaper and then gently roll over it with the toothpick. This is also good for putty build-ups where you don't want to put too much pressure on them so as not to push them out of shape.

[Hammers]

Are you using pure Kneadite, Green stuff?That material has a fairly high elasticity which means it will 'bounce back' when you push it. In practical terms this means that it is harder to sculpt sharp edges and small detail with it. You could try using Brown Stuff , which has higher plasticity, or some similar putty, or a mixture of Green and Brown stuff.

if you don't get what I mean, check Wikipedia for the definitions of plasticity, viscosity and elasticity.

[rob_the_robgoblin]

eBob is expensive, go to antenocitis workshop or sylmasta.

Only real criticism is that you need to keep your tools wet, don't be scared to use your saliva. It is not very toxic at all really, most sculptors I have met do this.

Also, look at as many guides as you can. I found Musketeer Miniature's one very useful.

Eyes are the hardest part to pick up, and I think it is where you need to work on.
I'd say my sculpting at the moment is 50% luck, so with that in mind it usually takes 1 to 3 times to get something 'right'.

[rob_the_robgoblin]

Good work mate, keep it up.

Using the oven? Explain?

I usually do a little sculpting and then leave it 4 hours.

However, I use tin bits on mine as well (provided by Alternative Armies) which I guess might melt.
I dunno if it makes the sculpts weaker either. Which is important when considering casting.

[Belgian]

Nice goats! Really nice sculpts keep up the good work.

Greets,

[Furt]

Love the goats - where can I get some? 

[archangel1]

...I have now finished the goats, 5 does and one ram (buck?)...

Apparently, the preferred terms these days are buck and doe.  For us uncultured sorts, though, billy and nanny are still common.

[Christian]

Nanny goats were dubbed so when midwives gave their milk to feed Victorian aristocrats' babies, and had to feed goats milk to their own kids (no pun intended). Or so I've discovered...

Anyway, those goat sculpts are awesome!

[Malamute]

Excellent stuff, the goats are great and the young boy look sgood. Keep going you are getting better and better