Friday, October 18, 2013

Ultimate Wolverine vs Hulk Sculpture WIP #6

Well, the Hulk is coming along really well and I thought I would post another update of him. Before I do, however, there are a few questions I wanted to answer.  As you remember in the last post, I said I would answer any questions when I post the next update. Thank you to everyone who asked questions, either on here, my facebook page or by email.  So here are my answers to your questions.

Are you using greenstuff just to bulk it out, and pro-create for your detail?

Yes, I am using green stuff for the bulking out and I make a pro-create mixture for the gray stuff so it isn't quite pro-create but the blend is a secret.  Most sculptors have their own secret blend that works for them and I am constantly trying different blends.  I have gone through hundreds of different combinations and used everything from Fimo to milliput.  As a rule of thumb, any two part putties (epoxy putties with a softener and a hardener) are usually mixable, you can't mix polymer clays with epoxy putties as the curing is different.

Do you do additional bulking when you add that final layer?

I try to get the musculature as close to what it is with the green stuff but it is a balancing act.  If you bulk it out too much, your proportions get messed up when you add the surface detail.

Are you finding the bigger scale harder?

It is harder in ways but I absolutely love the bigger scale.  You can really go all out with detailing as you have a much bigger canvas to work on.  It does take longer though.  The biggest challenge is the putty as it dries faster.  If I were to do more big stuff, I would have to switch to a polymer clay.

Now that I have answered a few questions, here are some more photos of the Hulk.  I have the legs done and next week, I will be posting photos of him with his skirt done.

So right now, I have the legs done and you can see that I have started to do the underpinning with the skirt.  I have also roughed in the areas where I want the cloth to flow away from the figure.  Before adding the skirt, I will underpin that more so there is a foundation for me to put the cloth on.  One thing that is very important is movement.  Everything on the figure should flow in the same direction so you really have to know how drapery flows with motion.

As I did last update, feel free to ask any questions as I am always happy to answer them.









7 comments:

Tom Mason said...

So sad this mini won't be available to the public. Gorgeous work James!

James Van Schaik said...

Thanks Tom.

Steve Conlan said...

Just out of interest James, but why keep your blend secret? Why not share what you look for in a blend, what you don't want, the properties of adding too much hardener, too much putty and so on.

Share with us.

I hope you are not keeping it secret because you think that if another sculptor knew your blend, they'd be able to replicate your work?

Be the inspiration, share

:D

James Van Schaik said...

Hey Steve,

Don't worry, I do plan on sharing, eventually. :)

I completely understand where you are coming from as I ran into that same difficulty of lack of good information when I started out. Thankfully, I found some excellent sculptors who did share with me.

I am not the guy that keeps secrets, I have done tutorials at game stores and I like to help aspiring sculptors and hobbyists with their sculpting. I also have some how to tutorials on here, just look through the posts.

Actually, recently, I have been working on a big project that is just that. Please bear with me as I get it all set up. It is something that is very exciting and something that has never been done before.

With regards to other sculptors knowing my blend, that is usually the first reaction - to worry about sculptors getting a leg up on you or giving away your secrets. I don't worry about that now; I learned a long time ago that sculpting is about 20% technique and 80% skill and practice so I am not worried about sculptors learning from me. I actually like sculptors and modelers learning from me so I can help them improve.

Thanks

James

Steve Conlan said...

I'd love to see more of your work and your processes committed to video.

I saw the one you did for Miniature Mentor, but to be honest, it was so badly produced, I had to stop watching.

Sounded like it was recorded off the camera mic, there was so much noise I found it really distracting.

Also, the focus kept shifting, and in close-ups, the focus was just out. Very hard on my eyes.

Be that as it may, I was interested in your style and technique. I found it to be informative to watch you work. The miniature mentor guy talks and interrupts way too much though.

I'm really interested in what you have up your sleeve, something never done before? Sounds very intriguing.

Also, your space marine was the most dynamic and expressive I've seen. Good work.

Sirena Van Schaik said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
James Van Schaik said...

Hi Steve,

I haven't actually seen the miniature mentor one. Unfortunately, I had no control over the content of that video. I wasn't happy with both how he designed the content and how it was taught. I have run sculpting lessons at game stores so I approach teaching to sculpt differently than he wanted.

Thanks about the space marine. I really did enjoy sculpting.

James