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Author
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Topic: Sculpting questions
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Wade
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posted 09-07-2000 05:31 PM
Hello all...I'll get to the point. I'm using ChavantLe Beau Touché non-sulfur, oil based clay. I'm having a very hard time getting the surfaces baby-butt smooth...any secrets?
Also, I need to sculpt teeth and gums into a mask I'm currently doing, but none of my tools are really small enough to get such detail. Any tips there, until I can afford some more tools? PS..Does the hardness of the clay matter? Mine is about the middle hardness. ------------------
**AOL IM - EyesRMaced**e-mail - dedhorse@ev1.net [This message has been edited by Wade (edited 09-07-2000).] |
FangsandFurF/X
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posted 09-07-2000 09:57 PM
I was using Roma clay that is alot like the clay you are using and I had a lot of trouble smoothing mine out too. I used a hair dyer on a low setting to melt the clay somewhat and therefore smooth it out.
I have recently switched clays to some non-hardening clay I found at Wal-Mart it is alot softer and takes alot of practice to get used to but it smoothes out with just a finger and finishes nicely. As to the question of tools. Try some things you have lying around the house like any wire, or wire clothes-hangers (remember those??) and make some home-built tools out of them. Some of the best tools I have used are ones that I have made and others will probably agree. |
Jeff F
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posted 09-08-2000 01:02 AM
No more wire hangers!Whoops, wrong forum.  I have had great success with the following things:
- Mineral Oil
- Petroleum Jelly
- Isopropyl Alcohol (watered down)
A fingertip dipped in one of these works wonders. For a super smooth finish, use a soft cotton rag dipped in it and "polish" the surface. ------------------
Jeff F - Moderator
Magic and FX
Amazing the Masses |
SuperFlea
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posted 09-08-2000 01:25 AM
As far as small tools for sculpting teeth, I use small crochete hooks and dental tools that I bought at Harbor Freight Tools for 3 bucks(a kick ass deal for a six piece kit!)
Flea |
FangsandFurF/X
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posted 09-08-2000 11:21 PM
Jeff- What do have against wire hangers? What else can you use to fix your car, sculpt, hang clothes, and retrive lost items out of the sewer drains with? For me they are indispensible!!!! lol  |
Cinetech
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posted 09-09-2000 10:14 AM
Jeff's refering to the film "Mommy Dearest", The true story of actress Joan Crawford.
She was actually very abusive to her children in real life. In one scene from the film, after finding out that her daughter used wire hangers to hang her clothes in the closet, She has a fit and starts beating her daughter severely. |
FangsandFurF/X
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posted 09-09-2000 11:15 PM
Musta missed that one..... just don't beat me severely for not catching the joke.... lol |
Jeff F
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posted 09-10-2000 11:57 PM
Actually my wife is annoyed at how many wire hangers I keep around for repair & other uses.Cinetech got it - the scene is actually quite effective and upsetting, but has beome a standard "wire hanger" reference/joke. ------------------
Jeff F - Moderator
Magic and FX
Amazing the Masses [This message has been edited by Jeff F (edited 09-10-2000).] |
Cinetech
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posted 12-04-2000 02:18 PM
So Thea, Are you an artist or a representative of Stage Door Studios, who is coming onto this board with the express intention of hawking your products and company. Good sales tactic, but I don't think that what you're doing is allowed.
It's the same as "Spamming", But on a more personal level. |
Crazy Clayer
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posted 12-04-2000 07:08 PM
What is the mouth on your sculpture like? Is it a creature with an open mouth or a slightly open mouth...You might even try sculpting the inside f the mouth separately and attaching it after its done.------------------
http://members.spree.com/sci-fi/crazyclayer/ |
Wade
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posted 12-05-2000 08:19 AM
The mouth is already part of the mask. A friend told me to go to a dentist and buy the fake enamel teeth and push them into the clay. This was also confirmed by a sculpting/mask making tape I bought from Death Studios. Pretty good tape.
www.deathstudios.com ------------------
**AOL IM - EyesRMaced**e-mail - dedhorse@ev1.net |
Crazy Clayer
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posted 12-05-2000 07:15 PM
Yeah thats a good idea....I have that video. I have no idea what your mask looks like or is so i didnt know if it had weird teeth or not.the link to my website is at deathstudios. sseeya
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morpherguy
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posted 12-06-2000 04:47 PM
If you really want the clay to be smooth you have to use steels. It takes a lot of time and practice but once you get it you can make things as smooth and even as a bowling ball. Once the clay is smooth you can polish it by simply brushing it with a soft brush dipped in water. It's kinda like polishing a shoe. |
Wade
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posted 12-06-2000 05:46 PM
What are/is 'steels'? |
Big Al
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posted 12-06-2000 11:02 PM
A lot of good sculpting rakes or loops can be made by using small diameter brass tubing fitted with loops of either very fine wire, or small saw blades. One type of wire loop tool frequently used is made from steel guitar strings. A slightly larger rake can be made from scroll saw blades; the next size up are coping saw blades. Because the saw blades are tempered, you will need to heat them with a butane torch before bending them. All of these can be fixed in the brass tubes with super glue, epoxy, dental acrylic or, best of all, silver solder. |
morpherguy
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posted 12-07-2000 10:04 AM
Steels are flat pieces of metal shim stock. (kind of like the size and thickness of a baseball card) You can make your own or buy some from an art store. They are generally made out of steel, aluminum or brass. Some people make them out of plastic. You gently drag them across the surface of the clay. They will slowly remove the high spots in the surface of the clay. You fill in the low spots with more clay then use a steel to smooth out the surface again. The edge of the steel must be smooth or it will leave cut marks in the clay. You also use small rakes to even out the surface of the clay before you use steels. Using a steel is like dragging a baseball card across the surface of the clay. A baseball card is too soft to use as a steel though. To smooth out surfaces that have a lot of contour you can use alcohol and a scotchbright pad. These are the green pads that you might use to scrub pots and pans in the kitchen. you simply dip the pad into the 90% Isopropyl alcohol then use the pad kind of like you are "sanding" the clay. The pad will leave scratch marks in the clay but you can remove them by brushing the clay with a brush dipped in alcohol. It takes a little practice . [This message has been edited by morpherguy (edited 12-07-2000).] |
