Customizing Q-n-A: Sculpy and Sculpting

[Darth Cruel]

I would like to keep this thread centralized around on the sculpting area in general, as in the head and hands thread, to keep it organized and easy to peruse for information.

This is going to be a tough area for me to get into. I have absolutely no talent for art...painting, sculpting, none of it. But I have some good ideas that I want to make. So my first question is... how did any of you (if you alter the sculpt on your figures) learn to do the sculpting.

[dstephan]

I've made attempts at sculpting heads, but for the most part I just alter hair styles. I have tried sculpting and casting accessories with some success. Regarding sculpting, it's just a matter of taking a lump of clay (or Super Sculpey) and carving away everything that doesn't look like your subject. As with everything, it just takes practice.

[Darth Cruel]

That is an interesting perspective. I never thought of it like that. Thanks.

[dstephan]

Actually that was supposed to be a joke - you know the old one about how to make a statue of an elephant? Take a large piece of stone and cut away everything that doesn't look like an elephant.

I'm not formally trained at all, but from what I've read there are two styles for sculpting - the additive and the subtractive (my terms, I don't know if they have official names). In the additive (which I use) you keep building up certain areas until it looks like the subject, this can result in parts of the face that are out of proportion to other parts. A lot of professionals use the subtractive method where they form the basic shape and get the look all on one pass and then focus on the details. As a beginner when I try this method I just get frustrated, it's easier for me to just concentrate on getting the nose right and then moving on to another part. But for the most part it really is just trial and error.

[Raiden]

I've got a buddy over at the MWD forum who is sculpting out a Aayla Secura out of a 1/6th scale Cy Girl. Anyone who doesn't know who Secura is, she is a Jedi Twi'lek. Here is the address if you guys wanna see it.

http://pub75.ezboard.com/bmenwithdolls