Sculpting set up.

Ewan · Sculpting set up.

I've been asked what tools are used for sculpting and what are the basic odds and ends needed.

What you need -

Thin wire - For making the armature (wire skeleton) of the mini you want to make.

Corks - To 'hold' the armature while you work on it.

Greenstuff or Brownstuff - You're going to have to sculpt with some kind of material. There are a few different other brands but most of you will have heard of and understand how greenstuff works.

Tools - I use G.W's 'sculpting tool' - thats it. In the last few weeks, I've got a couple of other tools and although I now have a choice, I still keep using the Grandma Wendy one

. A pin is quite useful too for detail although I've only started experimenting with that recently.

I'm sure some of our other sculptors will have alternative tools/materials when sculpting but thats my 'set-up'.

If you do want to try sculpting out, there will be tutorials and advice coming soon - experiment away and please post your attempts here for compliments and advice

Cheers,

Ewan

Bonehead

Need good sculpting tools?

Ask your dentist!

Ewan

I do have more than just the one sculpting tool but I really only use the Grandma Wendy one the most often.

Chairface

I swear by the sculpting kit that I got from Andy from Heresy.

I use the second from the left almost exclusively, and another is identical to the Grandma Wendy tool.

fen

That's a set of Wax Carving tools, the same ones that I have. :)

Chairface

Yeah! They're great!

Bonehead

I have this set:

http://www.gf9.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=37&products_id=160
http://www.gf9.com/images/gf9hobb...culptingset/gf9_sculptingset.html
It was very expensive and I usually use just one tool (not of this set

). But this set hopefully coveres everything I'll ever need.

Fubar

That all sounds very sensible. See if you can pick up some corks from a home-brew shop (there's an excellent one near where I live). I have yet to work out what sort of wire is best to use, but I would advise against using paperclips, especially if you are hoping for the model to be multi-part!

Make sure you get some nice fresh greenstuff (not the stuff from Grandma Wendy that has been sitting on the shelf for the last few months) and keep it in the freezer to keep fresh.

I still use the tools that are available from Heresy, although I do want to get myself a really nice Wax5 tool - I just haven't managed to track one down yet! I would also advise you to have something small and sharp like a pin to pick out details. And a scalpel. However, my favourite tools are probably 'Clay shapers' - soft tipped tools that can be used to gently shape the putty.

A lamp to gently heat your models under is also handy - it speeds up the process no end (but you have to be careful not to soften the detail too much).

Mike

Chairface

I went to a sculpting tutorial at Toronto games day last year by the Perry Brothers and they do EVERYTHING with one dental pick. I just wish that I could remember which one.

Sallacious

I have a set of 4 different types of dental picks. I am going to buy the Grandma Wendy tool as well. Also, someone told me that an embossing tool (a pick with a little ball at the end) works wonders for sculpting too.

[EDIT] I can't wait for the tutorial

Norse

Klute

I use a dental tool called a Wax5 for most of my work. Other stuff I use are clay shapers (sort of a rubber tipped tool) which are excellent for smoothing. Other things like pins and needles for fine detail. All of these have greenstuff handles to make them more comfortable to use.
Vaseline for lubrication.

Darkson

Bodhi

I use almost only clayshapers (rubbertipped tools) and x-acto knife.
I have quite a few metal tools (both dental and others - I have a set like the one Andy sells, though I bought mine from ebob. Same tools though) but use those only occasionally.
For holding the armature I usually use a pinwise.

Fubar

@Klute, where did you get hold of your Wax5? I keep meaning to get one, but general slackness has resulted in me not managing to find one just yet... any suggestions where I could get one from?

GalakStarscraper

Fubar

I didn't know you sculpted! Any chance we will see some of your work? Or is it mainly for gap filling?

I should have thought of Tiranti. I get the impression that there are lots of different types/qualities of Wax 5 available, but I wasn't sure precisely what shape I was looking for. Ta for the suggestion.

GalakStarscraper

Norse

now you have your chance Tom..

GalakStarscraper

Norse

oooh.. a GSS original?

I'm semi-erect with anticipation..

Chairface

Emphasis on semi.

So this is the fabled Wax 5 eh? It does look good. I'll have to track one down.

Darkson

Tom, gonna try the Fimir? ;)

Norse

I have a feeling we will see some enormous amphibians emerging from Indiana anytime soon..

GalakStarscraper

Musta_Surma

I found an article about sculpting but after asking the writer of this article I was asked not to post the pages here but rather list this link to his homepage, give it a look, to me it looks very good, only thing is that this person also has his own store so I am not sure if you wish it to stay here or not.

http://www.lyonstudio.biz/Sculpting/SculptingIndex.htm

Urb

Fan sprue? Is that on the list. Let me check. omg it is. It's a great idea really. I'm really interested to see what you come up with.

Klute

Chairface

Urb

Isn't the ball burnisher just a rounded end used to flatten out uneven sufaces?

Bodhi

Musta_Surma

I got a few more articles which I find very very good, but I am waiting for an answer from the people behind them to see if its okay with them to post it here. One of them is 43 pages long so PM me if you want it by e-mail.

Ewan

I thought it was a highly specialised job in the porn industry.

Chairface

Klute

If what you mean by ball burnishers are just steel tools with rounded ends then I use these. They are embossing tools for card making and come in various sizes.
I use them to create textures on the putty.
The skin on these was done using a small end....approx 1mm.

Using the burnisher and plenty lubricant I gently textured the fresh putty. Fresh to get the texture right. Slightly cured putty would have sprung back and the texture wouldnt have shown. There is a cured main bulk for the body and the texture is only done onto a thin new layer.

Chairface

I was admiring those on the FOD. Congrats on winning the Heresy Monster contest! You had my vote.

Klute

Chairface

I'd be interested to see how that turns out.

Klute

So will I.

minimaker

Chairface

Those tools are awesome minimaker! Thanks for sharing. I have a few ideas of tools to get.....

aerofool

Where's the best place online to order your greenstuff?

Ewan

Depends where you are based...

If you are in the UK, probably Heresy Miniatures

Link: http://www.heresyminiatures.com/

If not, maybe some of our friends from further shores could help?

aerofool

I'm in the US.. not in the UK. I didn't think about Heresy, but it would be nice to have a place closer!

Father

Gale force nine sells green stuff.
I'm lucky enough that all the local hobby shops now stock it. Here in Canada anyway. Online shopping is great and all, but usually for things like greenstuff I want it right away, waiting for shipping is a pain.

Bodhi

Well I order new green stuff while I still have half a package left. So even counting with two weeks shipping or something I don't run a risk of running out before the new batch arrives.
Only one available directly in Sweden are the small and very overpriced Grandma Wendy packages.

Louis X

Who uses wax to sculpt ? Since the Heresy set is meant to be a wax sculpting set. I know the Americans use it a lot for big comics like figure but for 28mm ? Someone knows ?

Nexus

Simon Egan of Forgeworld uses wax. Don't know if the rest of their design team do, nor of anyone else that does, however.

phil

look, the wax 5 is a decent tool, but it won't transform you or your work in some transcendant moment. I see it mythologized over and over and I hate to see people lay out a lot of money on a golden goose that may not live up to hopes. The rounded end is awesome for flowing fabric work, because it is narrow, rounded, and symetrical. The scimitar end is awkward. I'm glad I have one, but for me, it is a task tool. I've a box with easilly 50+ sculpting tools, made, purchased, or found and in the end, 98% of every figure I have made that anyone here would have seen was made with just one, and it isn't that this tool is so great, though it is versatile in design, but because I know every effect that I canget from it intimately through countless hours of work. Almost any tool with those hours and some skill can become a #1 tool like that, some are better t an others, though.

Personally, I would tell you that the tool on the far left of the set from andy is more useful than the wax 5, but both makes a good kit. My #1 is one of these with a grinder-narrowed spatula end.

Don't let it be said I don't contribute anything anymore, eh?

Bodhi

I think they were referring to the sculpting MATERIAL wax, not the Wax 5 tool (which I have so far only seen on pictures and probably won't buy- I rarely use metal tools).
I've got some wax and I've tried it. It's very soft though and from discussing with other sculptors it seems that they use a firmer type of wax probably not available in arts/crafts stores in Sweden. So I've yet to try that.
Anybody got a brand name for the best type of wax to use?

Labert

I personally use just a craft knife, pin, plastic bag and a bit o' wood!
all that "pro" stuff is a waste of time for me, if i got a kit i would only use 1 tool!

Chairface

Interesting tutorial on the Reaper website on how to make your own scuplting tools.

http://reapermini.com/TheCraft/27

Dark Lord

I just bought these at Dick Blick for $12.00 (the set of 12 not the set of 6 that's in the default picture)

Good deal? bad deal?

Could I have done better?

lahatiel

Certainly good enough. It's possible that you might have been able to find them for a buck or two less but when you're talking about that little a difference, it wouldn't have necessarily been worth the time you'd spend hunting around.

Crazycavey

I have only scanned through here but I believe that no one has mentioned a very important tool and often overlooked:

Opposable Thumbs

and a selection of fingers.

You can buy whatever addon's you like, dentists tools, wax carvers etc. But I find they can be at the most effective as is.