Friday, February 27, 2009

Second Favourite Tool


One of you asked about the tool I used for edges so here it is. This is your basic run of the mill No.11 Exacto blade. The key to this tool is that the edge has been taken off and the tip smoothed out and then it has been polished using a dremel.

I use this for sharpening edges or trimming excess putty. It is also good for cutting panel lines and details in hard-line stuff like guns and machinery.

Any Questions?

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Favourite Tool

People always ask me what types of tools I use or if I have a specific type. Surprisingly, I only have about 4 tools I use on a regular basis, here is a photo of my favourite one:











This is a basic wax carver that you can get through most dental supply stores. Games Workshop also sells a similar tool. Here is a link to a site where you can find them :

http://www.usdentaldepot.com/categoria.php?c=577&sc=3030#nogo

The tool is the inlay carver. I use this for about 80% of all my sculpting and have thickened the handle using hockey tape so my hand doesn't cramp up. This tool is great for shaping and smoothing. I have also ground the edges with my dremel and polished the edge to keep the putty from sticking to it. You also have to make sure the tools you use don't have sharp edges because an edge will "catch" or "gouge" the putty when you use it.

Any Questions?

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

A Couple of Armatures

Here are a few figures I'm working on. This is the basic stage where I've just added underpinning to the metal armature. One is going to be a body matrix so it isn't posed.

Underpinning is essential to all sculpting, it gives you underlying musculature, a base to work on so you have support, and adds depth to any shape you are sculpting.

As you can see I have basically added the underlying musculature to bulk out the figure. I will add details on top of the underpinning later. I always sculpt from the "ground up" so you can see I've started the footwear on these two first.

Any Questions?