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Post by dskorn on Jul 21, 2009 7:37:32 GMT -5
I'm totally amazed by your creations. Did you learn to sculpt by yourself ? I'm looking forward to see your next videos
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Post by Supersaurus on Jul 21, 2009 13:29:52 GMT -5
Yeah, I have been teaching myself sculpting, molding, casting & painting over the past 15 years. It was Jurassic Park that got me into it all! As soon as the film came out in 1993, I got myself a copy of the 'Making of Jurassic Park' book, which is the first thing I studied on Stan Winston's dinos & methods. I have so many projects started, but am getting them done finally now. The cane is the first to be completed hopefully within 2 weeks.
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Post by dskorn on Jul 22, 2009 4:38:02 GMT -5
How many times did you need to succeed in sculpting ? Do you plan to sell casts ? Models ?
I'd like to start sculpting but I don't have much time and much money.
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Post by Supersaurus on Jul 26, 2009 6:58:11 GMT -5
Sculpting can take a lot of time and practice to really get anywhere with it. It doesn't have to be expensive, and if you sold your creations (i.e. casts) then this would make it affordable.
I can offer some of my models, props & sculptures for sale, and will be listing them on my site in the 'Models for Sale' section.
;D
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Post by dskorn on Jul 27, 2009 4:21:16 GMT -5
What sort of material do you use ? Clay ? Because there are a lot of material, and I don't know which one to pick ... And what tools ?
Do you advise me to take lessons before going alone into this undertaking ?
(Wow, there are a lot of questions ^^)
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Post by Supersaurus on Jul 27, 2009 14:18:09 GMT -5
There're a lot of materials available, it really depends on the project. Generally, to do organic sculpts (i.e animals, dinosaurs), it's best to use oil-based clays such as Roma or Chavant. It is really a case of finding the clay that works best for you. Everyone is different and techniques vary slightly between individuals. Sometimes wet clay (water-based clay) can be good on fast projects that require low detail and lots of body mass - Jabba the Hutt for instance!!! ;D
Roma is the most common clay used in the movie industry for organic sculpture, especially at Stan Winston Studios. It is available in the States, but not sure everywhere else without checking. I have to import it into the UK as it's not available here. Chavant is, but I didn't get along with that too well (balls up badly and isn't as smooth as Roma).
Like most clays, Roma and Chavant come in 3 - 4 grades of hardness. No.1 is really too soft for a lot of projects. No.2 was used on all the big JP dinosaur sculpts. No.4 is very hard and is best for small busts or maquettes that require a lot of fine details.
One advantage with Chavant is that it's Sulphur free, making it an easy clay to use with molding rubbers (silicone doesn't cure properly against Sulphur filled clays). Roma is a nicer material to use, but it does contain sulphur, so it would have to be well sealed prior to molding.
You're right about the many questions! There's literally hundreds of questions that could be asked on each and every of the following topics:
Concept design Armature building Sculpting Molding Casting Painting etc...
The tools themselves depend on the artist, but wireloop tools are generally used for carving/sculpting wrinkles, skin folds and large bumps. Texture pads can be used sometimes for finer bumps & details.
Ask me just a few questions at a time, and I'll do my best to answer them! ;D
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Post by dskorn on Jul 27, 2009 15:35:02 GMT -5
Thanks for these explanations ! I was wondering how much time and money does it cost you ? With the 1/1 Raptor bust for instance.
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Post by Supersaurus on Jul 31, 2009 14:09:09 GMT -5
The Raptor head had actually taken me a long time, but that's because I have been working on so many other projects at the same time. If I was to work on a head like this every day, 8 hours a day, it would take maybe 2 - 3 weeks to complete.
The amount of clay I used on this was approx 15 blocks of Chavant. The clay is only an inch thick at the most and the rest of the model inside is a hollow plaster shell. There're better ways of doing this, and I will be improving my techniques on future projects. You could maybe make a wood silouette of a Raptor head and pack out the sides with foam/wood blocks or crumpled newspaper covered with maybe a layer of resin to keep it in place. This will also provide a nice hard non-porous surface for the clay to stick to.
The detailing takes the most time by far (once the head is shaped). 15 blocks of clay like this probably costs around £70, but can be reused as many times over. There're cheaper clays available, but I tend to go for the high quality stuff that works best with the molding rubbers. A typical silicone mold could last long enough to produce 20 - 30 casts in resin (plaster casts can yield hundreds as it's a less agressive material with the silicone).
;D
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Post by dskorn on Aug 1, 2009 7:55:33 GMT -5
Ok, well I'll see if my next timetable and my purse will let me time to work on sculptures.
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Post by giganotosaurus on Sept 19, 2009 17:45:54 GMT -5
Whats the difference between Roma and Chavant?
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Post by dinoslayer on Sept 24, 2009 3:48:33 GMT -5
My neighbourhood doesn't sell oil-based clay but I've found clay based on bee wax from my local hobby store. Would that work for detailed sculpting?
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Post by Supersaurus on Sept 24, 2009 16:21:27 GMT -5
I've never tried that material before so I couldn't honestly say. Does the packaging for it give any clues to common applications? Most clays can produce details to some degree, you just need to find the best methods and smoothing fluids to work for them. For Roma, a rubbing alcohol is best for smoothing details and creating believeable skin textures. This is the most common material used at Stan Winston's studio and was used on the JP dinosaur sculpts. If you look at some of the pics in the Making of Jurassic Park book, you will see spray guns with 'alcohol' crudely written on them. ;D This material is especially available in the States, and can be ordered online such as here: www.artmolds.com Roma
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Post by giganotosaurus on Sept 24, 2009 17:13:33 GMT -5
what about Chavant?
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Post by Supersaurus on Sept 29, 2009 16:02:00 GMT -5
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Post by giganotosaurus on Sept 29, 2009 20:04:21 GMT -5
Chavant is described equally as good if not better than Roma.
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