Sculpting help

[DCM81]

Right. So i've finally gotten enough courage together to attempt my own headsculpt - it's Deadpool so fortunately the only REALLY hard part I had to do were the eyes but I'm feeling pretty good how it turned out for my first try.

Anyway, there's 2 points where I'd like your guy's feeback which I need help with:

1. How do I get the final sculpt nice and smooth?
2. I used Super sculpey and it says to bake it for 15 minutes per 6mm thickness. My HS is solid sculpey though - no foil or anything inside - which would mean I'm supposed to bake it for 1 hour 52 minutes!!!
The instructions say 15-30 minutes and DON'T OVERBAKE and then the stuff about 6mm so I'm just a bit confused here...

Any and all help is much appreciated guys!

 

[dchung]

Just bake it for 15 mins. No need to overbake it. Also no need to bake thoroughly, really... once the outside 6 mm or so is hard, it's able to be handled etc. You'll never know the interior is soft. My two cents.

Before you bake it, though, if you want to smooth it out... use some small, really soft bristle paint brushes, dab in rubbing alcohol and lightly smooth it out. Works for me. Try it on a practice piece first though, if it's your first time...

Good luck.

 

[DCM81]

Thanks for the info! Should I use the regular heat from above and below? I don't know what it's called in english but my oven can also heat with hot air circulating....?

 

[myc]

turpenoid works perfect for smoothing before baking

 

[dchung]

Thanks for the info! Should I use the regular heat from above and below? I don't know what it's called in english but my oven can also heat with hot air circulating....?

Convection, circulating air settings are fine. The important thing is to make sure the heating coils are not too close to the clay, as the clay can scorch.

One way to ensure that you do not scorch at all, is to boil the sculpt instead of baking it. Of course this only raises temp to 212 degrees, which is a little shy of what it is supposed to be, but many prefer this method because it will not scorch/discolor/burn the clay. I've boiled pieces as well without any problems.

Since this is your first time, I would suggest making a couple of test sculpts and try boiling versus baking, just so you get an idea. No sense in sending in your detailed hard work into the oven on your first try...

 

[dchung]

turpenoid works perfect for smoothing before baking

good tip!
turpenoid is also great for when you someday perhaps make the switch to sculpting in wax...

 

[DCM81]

Is that like terpentine? I live in Germany so I'd have to be able to translate it and I can't get the same products as in the states.

If it's similar to rubbing alchohol I'll just use that because I know what it's called here and where to get it.

 

[DCM81]

good tip!
turpenoid is also great for when you someday perhaps make the switch to sculpting in wax...

What benefits does wax have and how does one go about hardening it to be able to cast?

 

[DCM81]

Now that is a very good tip! I'm so eager to get it all done I never even thought about that.

Thanks a bunch for all the help man!

 

[wax murderer]

Okay, a couple of points...
Only baking the Sculpey until"the outside" is cured is asking for trouble.As the Sculpey cures, the unbaked portion will shrink and cause the cured section to develop micro-fractures. Over time, the uncured sections will expand and contract with temperature changes, which will turn the micro-fractures into full scale cracks. To prevent this, put the piece in the oven when you turn it on,so that it can warm up gradually.Bake at the low end of the range(265) and let it go for at least 1/2 hour, then kill the heat and let the piece cool in the over until the oven is cold.This should give you a thorough cure.
As to wax, it's a completely different process.With Sculpey it's mainly additive;you build up. Wax is largely subtractive;you carve it down to your final piece.The advantages of wax are many.It allows for very precise details, is easy to repair in case of a mistake, and can be recycled easily.In fact, it's the standard in the toy and collectible industries.It does take a bit of learning to get a handle on it, but once you have it down,it's well worth it...PS

 

[scottyb]

I might as well ask since i will be casting a head for someone made from wax what is the procedure for making a mold out of wax?

 

[mark7612]

Okay, a couple of points...
Only baking the Sculpey until"the outside" is cured is asking for trouble.As the Sculpey cures, the unbaked portion will shrink and cause the cured section to develop micro-fractures. Over time, the uncured sections will expand and contract with temperature changes, which will turn the micro-fractures into full scale cracks. To prevent this, put the piece in the oven when you turn it on,so that it can warm up gradually.Bake at the low end of the range(265) and let it go for at least 1/2 hour, then kill the heat and let the piece cool in the over until the oven is cold.This should give you a thorough cure.
As to wax, it's a completely different process.With Sculpey it's mainly additive;you build up. Wax is largely subtractive;you carve it down to your final piece.The advantages of wax are many.It allows for very precise details, is easy to repair in case of a mistake, and can be recycled easily.In fact, it's the standard in the toy and collectible industries.It does take a bit of learning to get a handle on it, but once you have it down,it's well worth it...PS

I was going to mention cooling the sculpey and cracks but ya beat me to it

Also, wax is easier to handle without worrying as much about damaging your sculpt/detail. It is hard at room temp and needs to be heated to work with it.

 

[dchung]

Okay, a couple of points...
Only baking the Sculpey until"the outside" is cured is asking for trouble.As the Sculpey cures, the unbaked portion will shrink and cause the cured section to develop micro-fractures. Over time, the uncured sections will expand and contract with temperature changes, which will turn the micro-fractures into full scale cracks. To prevent this, put the piece in the oven when you turn it on,so that it can warm up gradually.Bake at the low end of the range(265) and let it go for at least 1/2 hour, then kill the heat and let the piece cool in the over until the oven is cold.This should give you a thorough cure.
As to wax, it's a completely different process.With Sculpey it's mainly additive;you build up. Wax is largely subtractive;you carve it down to your final piece.The advantages of wax are many.It allows for very precise details, is easy to repair in case of a mistake, and can be recycled easily.In fact, it's the standard in the toy and collectible industries.It does take a bit of learning to get a handle on it, but once you have it down,it's well worth it...PS

Yes, very good post about the cracks. I always go straight to latex or silicone mold, so hadn't encountered the "over time" issues... If you're going to keep the sculpt itself as the show piece, then listening to waxmurderer wouldn't hurt.

 

[dchung]

Is that like terpentine? I live in Germany so I'd have to be able to translate it and I can't get the same products as in the states.

If it's similar to rubbing alchohol I'll just use that because I know what it's called here and where to get it.

Turpenoid is just an odorless brand of turpentine. Turpentine works as well of course.

 

[dchung]

What benefits does wax have and how does one go about hardening it to be able to cast?

Wax is already hard. You scrape, chisel and carve to shape it. You use a wax pen (like a soldering iron, sort of, with special tips) to add melted wax to it. Having sculpted in supersculpey for years, I found the transition to wax delightful. Below is my first wax sculpt:

To cast, you can just box it and pour silicone to make a mold.

 

[DCM81]

First off, thanks again for all the info guys. I really appreciate it!

That wax sculpt of yours is very impressive! I think I'll try to get better at sculpting in general first and stick with the sculpey for the time being. I definately add a lot as I've made countless mistakes carving into the sculpey and taking away too much.
First step before considering wax; get better...much better!

I also think I'll go for Waxmurderer's longer "cooler" baking method since it'll also be my first attempt at casting and who knows how many tries I'll need. It would also be nice to be able to keep a hold of my very first HS without it cracking away over the years!

As you might have noticed I chose Deadpool as my first because most of the hard parts are covered by the mask. I think this is a good way for me to get used to the medium and sculpting itself and I love me my comics
As I have you knowledgable sculptors here and I'll be going for less and less "mask covered" faces in the future how do you do the skin-texture? On all really detailed HS I can see the pores and a real human texture - is it like a sponge or something along those lines?

 

[Lejuan]

The talent on this board never ceases to amaze me.

 

[DCM81]

...and thankful for it!