One question I hear often from beginning sculptors is, “How do I sculpt eyes?” My first response is usually, “The same way you sculpt hair, noses, hands, feet, and everything else…
This tutorial was originally posted by Mark Newman on the Clubhouse Sculptors Forum . Demonstrating his technique for sculpting afro-textur...
All words and pictures Andy Bergholtz. First, I warm up the Castilene in a microwave and work it in my hands like clay, applying the warm Castilene to the sculpture (Fig. 1) After I achieve the basic form using just my fingers, I'll then heat my sculpting tool and smooth the surface (Fig. 2, Fig. 3) I will continue to heat the tool during this process every few seconds, holding the tool very briefly over the flame. I will continue to refine the surface with this tool until I get a basic flow of detail that I like (Fig. 4, Fig. 5) Next, I will gently heat a small loop tool over a flame (Fig. 6), and will use this to carve some deeper detail into the form (Fig. 7). I will do this briefly, just to add a bit more depth to the form (Fig. 8) Next, I will very briefly heat a sanding pad over the flame (Fig. 9), and use this to smooth the surface a bit (Fig. 10). For this stage, you must heat the pad over the flame for only a half-second or so each time, VERY quickly or else it will begin to burn. You'll need to do this every 3-4 seconds while you work, and lightly drag the heated pad on the surface of the Castilene to smooth it. It sounds tricky, but it's quite simple. I'll do this until the hair is generally smoothed and ready to begin detailing (Fig. 11). For detailing, I heat my metal tool over the flame once again (very very quickly this time, only to warm it up a little... you don't want it to be too hot, only warm enough so it doesn't "stick" to the Castilene). Then I will use the edge of the tool to "press and roll" detail into the surface of the Castilene (Fig. 12) This "press and roll" method is the most important step in my detailing technique. I will continue doing this until I've achieved the level of detail that I want (I try to avoid dragging or 'scribing' detail in this stage, as that is what often causes the unwanted "crumb effect"). For smaller curves, I will use a smaller tool and even a round loop tool sometimes, but the "press and roll" method still applies (Fig. 13, 14, 15) Finally, sometimes I will lightly brush down the surface with lighter fluid (Fig. 16). I do this VERY little, as using too much will make the surface grainy and mushy, so use it sparingly (Fig. 17) Just make sure to only brush lighter fluid on Castilene when you are completely finished with the sculpting, as it's very difficult to re-sculpt any area that has already been brushed. The hair is finished! (Fig. 18)
Today I want to delve into the topic of sculpting hands. It's one of the hardest things to get it right when making dolls. And I completely understand why! I've sculpted dozens of hands and just about a year ago I finally got it right. So don't beat yourself up if they don’t turn out perfect every t
About a year ago, I wrote an article about sculpting hands and my favourite techniques . This time I want to bring up another difficult part of the doll's body - feet. The complicated nature of this body part usually causes difficulties when sculpting and detailing. I’ll try to break the process in
About a year ago, I wrote an article about sculpting hands and my favourite techniques . This time I want to bring up another difficult part of the doll's body - feet. The complicated nature of this body part usually causes difficulties when sculpting and detailing. I’ll try to break the process in
I thought I had a good way to make eyes for my little sculptures, until yesterday. I would hallow the head out once it was hard enough to do so without collapsing. Then I would smoosh in eye bals f…
Along with the underside of feet, hair is one of my absolute favorite things to sculpt. By its very nature, there is so much variety in texture, volume, shape and movement. Add in the ability to style and embellish and *poof!* a cornucopia of possibilities! Different hairstyles can lead viewers to i
Quick 'n' Dirty Wickerwork Sculpting Tutorial - posted in Modelling Tutorials: Reference courtesy of Encyclopedia Britannica:
Just figured I should start keeping track (more for my own reference than anything else) How I am building my zbrush BJD. This way I can look back and see where I can improve the workflow later, and maybe help someone who intends to try for themselves in the future :)
For the last year or two, I’ve been fascinated by sculpting tiny hands and feet, trying to achieve a realistic look of them. It wasn’t always like this, my preferences changed over the years and my dolls changed as well. There have been a lot of different stages, from creepy dolls to melancholic sle
’m sculpting my second ball-jointed doll and I’ve decided to document all the process! A few years ago when I was just trying to understand how ball-jointed dolls actually work, there was almost no information about the topic. Now, people are sharing a little bit more on Instagram or Facebook groups
Sculpting Tools: I never have exactly the tool I want for working with clay, so I recently searched out how to make a new set of rakes and loops for my tool box. While most instructions called for brass tubing, I found out that old paint brushes and knitting needles…
