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Author Topic: Sculpting an owlbear...  (Read 3320 times)

Offline Lovejoy

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Sculpting an owlbear...
« on: July 18, 2016, 08:41:00 AM »
In our latest Kickstarter project, we had an owlbear miniature. While I was sculpting it, I took photos, so I thought I'd share the sculpting process....

First of all, I made an armature out of 3 pieces of brass rod (.81mm thickness). Using three pieces let me include a wire for the head as well as all 4 limbs. Then I bent the wires to show where the joints would be. Obviously an Owlbear isn't a real animal, so I just decided for myself where the joints would go. Then I posed the armature, into a hunting / stalking pose, and attached it to a sculpting block. This is one I use for bigger sculpts, or anything with 4 limbs. It has several thin sections, to allow it to be used for lots of different sizes and poses.


Offline Lovejoy

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Re: Sculpting an owlbear...
« Reply #1 on: July 18, 2016, 08:43:37 AM »
Next I used some Milliput putty to form a central core to the model.


Offline Lovejoy

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Re: Sculpting an owlbear...
« Reply #2 on: July 18, 2016, 08:45:59 AM »
I wanted the Owlbear to be as close to a real animal as possible, so I began the sculpting by roughing in a basic skeleton.


Offline Lovejoy

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Re: Sculpting an owlbear...
« Reply #3 on: July 18, 2016, 08:47:54 AM »
Then I made a base using a mix of Milliput and Green Stuff; I let it cure, then drilled holes into it and attached the armature.


Offline Lovejoy

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Re: Sculpting an owlbear...
« Reply #4 on: July 18, 2016, 08:50:17 AM »
The next step was adding muscles; I printed pictures of bear musculature, but also prehistoric big cats, and a T-rex... I could see an Owlbear being descended from a dinosaur of some kind, like a Psitaccosaurus maybe.

Then I started adding muscles to the skeleton, paying attention to the pose and the way that affected the muscle's flexion and extension.

I added eyeballs at this point too.


Offline Lovejoy

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Re: Sculpting an owlbear...
« Reply #5 on: July 18, 2016, 08:52:25 AM »
I then added the beak, and let the whole thing cure.


Offline Lovejoy

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Re: Sculpting an owlbear...
« Reply #6 on: July 18, 2016, 08:54:29 AM »
Next it was time to start on the fur / feathers... I added thin strips of putty to the head, and blended them together. Then I textured them to look furry. At this point, the top of the head was a bit too low; I needed to add more mass, but I'd run out of putty. So I just decided to add to it gradually as I did other parts.


Offline Lovejoy

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Re: Sculpting an owlbear...
« Reply #7 on: July 18, 2016, 08:57:21 AM »
While the head was curing, I decided to start on the feet. I added blobs of putty to the front feet toe areas and shaped them. I marked in lines for the toes, then marked in the claws, and generally shaped and tidied them. Then I did the same for the back feet.

After that, I added more putty to work up the back of the feet.

Then I used flattened strips of putty to add scales to the fronts of the feet, and marked them to look like separate scales.


Offline OSHIROmodels

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Re: Sculpting an owlbear...
« Reply #8 on: July 18, 2016, 09:01:00 AM »
Cracking work  :-* :-* :-*

I really love the way you've gone about it as well. How long has it taken so far?

cheers

James
cheers

James

https://www.oshiromodels.co.uk/

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Instagram account - oshiromodels

http://redplanetminiatures.blogspot.co.uk/
http://jimbibblyblog.blogspot.com/

Offline Lovejoy

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Re: Sculpting an owlbear...
« Reply #9 on: July 18, 2016, 09:07:11 AM »
(Jim, it took about 10 days to complete, but I was doing other stuff at the same time, so it was probably about 5 or 6 full days really.)



I then went back to the fur / feathers. I added fresh putty to the front part of the body, and marked in the rough lines of separation for the fur. I then textured it to look furry.


Offline Lovejoy

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Re: Sculpting an owlbear...
« Reply #10 on: July 18, 2016, 09:11:30 AM »
Then I continued the same way across the rest of the body.


Offline Lovejoy

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Re: Sculpting an owlbear...
« Reply #11 on: July 18, 2016, 09:15:05 AM »
I then started work on the back legs; it was the same procedure as the body, but you can see the texturing process a bit better here. I mark in the lines of separation for the fur, then I use the blunt end of my sculpting tool to roughly mark each tuft of fur. Finally I work each one with the sharp end of the tool, gradually turning them into 'V' shaped marks. You just need to keep gradually refining them until it looks right...


Offline Lovejoy

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Re: Sculpting an owlbear...
« Reply #12 on: July 18, 2016, 09:17:51 AM »
I then began on the front arms / wings... and ran into a problem. Partway through, I realised that although the pattern of feathers I was using worked on that leg, once I turned to the other side, the leg position would make those feathers unworkable. So I stopped, let it cure, then cut it away...


Offline Lovejoy

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Re: Sculpting an owlbear...
« Reply #13 on: July 18, 2016, 09:20:25 AM »
I decided to do the other side first, as any feather arrangement that fitted OK there would also work on the opposite leg.


Offline Lovejoy

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Re: Sculpting an owlbear...
« Reply #14 on: July 18, 2016, 09:22:53 AM »
Then I turned it around, and did the other leg, for the second time...


 

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