Drug Crazed Loonies

[Little Pete]

Well people,

I've finally finished up my sculpted figure and with the suggestions from this board I knocked up a quick corpse marker as well. I will be mailing these off to Curtis today to see if he wants to cast them up for sale.

[rob_alderman]

Those are a really nice start, however, I'd suggest a little bit of work. Nothing much, just a few bits here and there.
I think you need to look at anatomy a little more and also check out how to sharpen your sculpts up. If that is 'grey stuff', it's very hard to sculpt with. I'd try green stuff.
Keep your tools wet, it's better with saliva as it's thicker and stays wetter longer. With water, you have to keep adding more water more frequently.

Have you tried Clay Shapers? These are great for smoothing surfaces out and making folds in material. I use a tapered one and a flat edge one along with the normal dental tool everyone uses. I have a few others, but VERY rarely use them. In fact, owning them is pointless really! I only use them to justify owning them! But definately, tapered, flat edge and metal dental tool. 

I'd also consider trying out some dollies. There are several from a few different companies and some that are even open liscense. You can also get lots of heads from Hasslefree which are open liscense. It will make you much more confident with anatomy and stuff. It will let you focus more on the fun stuff like material. It might be worth asking Curtis if he has any parts that can be used for casting, like weapons. These are hard to sculpt and can often look more like rubber toys! 

Always good to see new sculptors coming in. I started sculpting 'professionally' (as in on commission, not as in I am Paul Hicks) because I sent a few dog-eared sculpts to AA suggesting that they could cast them. They did and they are for sale now. I had been sculpting my own personal models for about 3 years before that though, learning how to use dollies, converting miniatures. I have also done Life drawing since I was 13 or 14, so I try to regularly look at anatomy. I still get it wrong, because it is hard to get right at such a small scale in 3D!

Hope this is helpful and inoffensive! I'm not trying to put you down at all.

[Little Pete]

Hey Rob, thanks for the advice and no offence taken.

I am not totally happy with the anatomy on the standing figure by any means. It's very tough to get things to fit just right and still be able to shape them properly. I will probably look into getting some dollies to make it easier to get the right proportions to start with. This model is my second ever (the corpse marker is the third) and so I know there is a lot more practise needed.
  I might give green stuff a go as well to see if it's easier to work with than the Procreate grey stuff I've got right now.

Not tried clay shapers but I will look into getting one for smoothing stuff out and making nice folds etc. I've been having trouble because fresh procreate is tough to get to stick to set procreate and so I try to do a lot of stuff all at once. Perhaps with green stuff and more practise I will get better at layering up the detail and making things work better. It's hard when there are so many great models out there you want to emulate but they are of such high standard.

Thanks for the advice and I'll definitely work on some more stuff and see what I can come up with.

Pete

[rob_alderman]

I've never tried procreate. I've heard it is a very different being to Green. Green sticks to more green easily, whereas it sounds like Procreate doesnt...

Grey stuff and Procreate are different I think. Grey is just like Green stuff (kneadadite), but harder. It's more industrial. Pro-create is a putty made definately for sculptors isn't it?

Try a few things out, and as you say, practise makes perfect. I talk the talk, but it doesn't mean I necessarily walk the walk eh.

[Ramshackle_Curtis]

I've never tried procreate. I've heard it is a very different being to Green. Green sticks to more green easily, whereas it sounds like Procreate doesnt...

Grey stuff and Procreate are different I think. Grey is just like Green stuff (kneadadite), but harder. It's more industrial. Pro-create is a putty made definately for sculptors isn't it?

Try a few things out, and as you say, practise makes perfect. I talk the talk, but it doesn't mean I necessarily walk the walk eh.

ProCreate is designed for sculptors too. I prefer ProCreate. I find it easier to work with. GS tends to change shape slightly. Aslo, I hate the colour. Green putty is also more likely to give you eyestrain, aparently! I would say it is down to preference though.

As for the models, Yes some more anatomical knowledge would improve the work. Do drawings from life, or copy pictures from magazines. Use reference while sculpting. I almost always have my drawing or reference photos next to my sculpting table and constantly look at them!

I would also recomend using plastic or metal to make eapons and hard edged stuff from. I make guns etc from plasticard or melted down figures.( I melt them down and pour onto a can. Then I hammer the metal into a sheet the right thickness). That way you dont get the problem of rubbery looking guns! Using needle files you can make pretty much anything after a bit of practice.

[demi_morgana]

these are cool although I have no idea why are they drug-crazed: loonies should be enough

[rob_alderman]

ProCreate is designed for sculptors too. I prefer ProCreate. I find it easier to work with. GS tends to change shape slightly. Aslo, I hate the colour. Green putty is also more likely to give you eyestrain, aparently! I would say it is down to preference though.

As for the models, Yes some more anatomical knowledge would improve the work. Do drawings from life, or copy pictures from magazines. Use reference while sculpting. I almost always have my drawing or reference photos next to my sculpting table and constantly look at them!

I would also recomend using plastic or metal to make eapons and hard edged stuff from. I make guns etc from plasticard or melted down figures.( I melt them down and pour onto a can. Then I hammer the metal into a sheet the right thickness). That way you dont get the problem of rubbery looking guns! Using needle files you can make pretty much anything after a bit of practice.

Aye, what I was saying is that GS is more industrial, where PC is made specifically for sculptors. My preference is green. I might try PC though, but I only want a little bit!
Not all mould makers can handle plasticard weapons. But I guess you are doing resijn casting, so it's cold casting. Yeah, keep a scrapbook of reference. I have one just full of pictures of Toads!!! 

[Argonor]

Slightly off topic: Are you going to make more Dungers? Different sculpts, I mean.

I would especially like a full set of Pack Dungers (like the one in the 'special' set, but more individual variations)

I got the 2 sets yesterday and I have already prepared them for undercoating. I love Dungers! Among other things I'm going to use them as randomly moving hazards (they search for food and tries to eat anything remotely organic they come into contact with)