Monday 22 March 2010

Going green

I'm a great believer in pushing yourself, whether it's in your studies, your work or even the hobby. I mean, what's the point in spending a fortune on models, ages painting them and then not trying to improve them? So, over the past few months I've been dipping my toes into sculpting with green stuff.

Now, I'm no Col. Gravis or Dverning and I don't think I'm going to be sculpting figures anytime soon but I do think with a bit of work, I'm going to be able to do stuff that'll make my models more individual. This is what I've done so far and where I am with my sculpting skills .....

My very first bit of sculpting was my snipers cloaks, at the time I was really proud of them but looking back now, they were pretty basic and I can see loads on them that I could improve.



Next up was Marbo's cloak which was slightly better than the snipers as the folds were sharper but I'm still disappointed with the folds of the cloak as they go over his shoulder and the hood. At least I learned to get the folds sharper this time.



Next comes Doc Butcher, my first non cloak sculpt, although it was a bit chunk, I'm still pretty chuffed with how he came out, especially the arm cuffs. The one thing that lets him down are the sleeves as they're too flat, in hindsight, I really wished that I'd put some ridges on them to help the drybrushing, another lesson learned.


Finally, we have Doc Butchers victi .... patient. Now this one I'm really please with, ironically, not for the wound or surgical sheet but for the drip bag. It was the first really small detailed item I did and it was the first that I did in stages, letting the first part cure completely before moving on to the next.


And that's where I am now, all of these were done with a clay shaper and I haven't used metal tools yet. So at Dvernings suggestion, I picked up a set of twelve from ebay last night along with some different clay shapers. Add this to the fact that a friend is setting up a sculpting supplies business and I'm helping him with some marketing, so I'm hoping I'll have access to some cheap green stuff.

2010 could be the year of sculpting, so expect more sculpting related posts coming soon. Here's to pushing yourself and going green!

19 comments:

Mordian7th said...

I gotta say I'm really impressed with your GS skills Corbane - that's some amazing improvement in such a short time. I really need to try to expand my own use of GS as more than just gap filler... Can't wait to see what you can do with the new tools!

Max said...

Hopefully I'll get up the gumption to go back to GS land again... those vets won't get camo cloaks all by themselves, and those Cadians need to look a bit Stormier...

TheMightyFlip said...

Very nice stuff, I need to learn how to do the greenstuff stuff :)

Dverning said...

Thanks for the link and enjoying what you've done to date. Reminds me that I really need to put some of my more recent sculpts up...

timeforacatnap said...

the drip bag is really cool, the cut/open chest though is perfect.

suneokun said...

From an artists POV (I'm a naff greenstuffer so far) ... the cloaks could use some serious 'flattening' over the shoulder. Think of the material as it is draw across the shoulder, with the weight of the cloak pulling it down ... I think this would help with the realism ... as the cloak should mask, but also hint at, the figures form underneath.

TheKing Elessar said...

That drip bag looks phenomenal. You're making me want to take up the sculpting tool myself!

CanolliCrusader said...

I really do need to start experimenting with GS...I only use it for gap filling right now...whenever I try to use it for something else it ends up looking very chunky and not smooth...wonder if I should add water..?

anyway, love the dripper and open wound conversion your working on. very cool.

Blitzspear said...

This may sound silly but if there is a handy person available and an equally handy old curtain, drape old curtain over the sholders of aformentioned person and take some snaps. Just cuz your sculpting a mini shouldn't stop you gathering ref pics or setting up your own, As in the case of the cloak the net didn't spit out meny images taken 360 around a person wearing one. So wife and curtain it was.
Another tip is to try lots of tools and by tools i mean anything that can make a mark in clay or putty. As you go along you will find 3 or 4 tools that you use all the time but if you never try them you wont know. I got a selection of leather workers needels and used plastruct tube to make handels for them, cheep and very handy for small details. I still haven't try'd a clay shaper myself and keep meaning to as your results using one look great.

Stephen said...

Something I've always wanted to learn how to do is sculpt. I've just recently started doing things with putty besides filling gaps in metal, and it has been going well, but i still need loads of practice before i trust myself with anything close to what you're doing.

Frag_Dad said...

I'm looking forward to seeing more of your sculpting! I'm in the same boat - slowly learning how to do it, but I find it's very rewarding!

Green Stuff Sculpting said...

You know, that drip bag when you look at it does look really good. I'd noticed it before, but not enough I guess, too interested in the figure himself. Shame of me.

Keep up the good work, fella.

I've also linked this post on the blog. *salutes*

HOTpanda said...

I started off with Nurgle fungus which I quickly picked up. My current green stuff project is fur. Clothing like that of cloaks and lab coats are not easy as all as there is so much more dynamics to think about. I do think though that you pull it off nicely. I tip my hat to you, kind sir.

Mark said...

Nice work! I love that operating table piece; very characterful.

Don't sell yourself short, you're an excellent sculptor. Top-notch stuff.

Mark said...

Nice work! I love that operating table piece; very characterful.

Don't sell yourself short, you're an excellent sculptor. Top-notch stuff.

Zombieburger said...

ALso liking the sculpting! I never get the hang of it to get such smooth greenstuff ... mine always got fingerprints all over hehe.

Zzzzzz said...

Nice work.

Practice really does make perfect, as they say.

I might start filling in the gaps in my minis.

jmezz382 said...

I would dare say that it looks awesome ..... better then what I can do at the moment Col !

Col. Corbane said...

@Mordian7th - Cheers mate, I'm a bit of a perfectionist which is a blessing and a curse in the case of sculpting.

@Max - Do it mate, you and me have the same ideas, cadians, cloaks and carapace!

@TheMightyFlip - Cheers mate, just give it a go, you've got nothing to lose.

@Dverning - No worries mate, you're inspirational, can't wait to see your latest work.

@timeforacatnap - Thanks mate, it did come off well considering it was my first detailed work.

@suneokun - Totally agree on the cloaks mate, I'm hoping the one's I do for my veteran platoon are better. I figure if I can learn from a mistake on every model, by the time I have the vet platoon done, I should have it down.

@The King Elessar - Thanks mate, do it mate, what have you got to lose.

@CanolliCrusader - Glad you like them matey, get yourself some clay shapers, they're great for smoothing gs out, I don't think water would make any difference, perhaps more yellow in the mix? That might help.

@Blitzspear - Nice tip mate, and on the tools, I've ordered a whole set from ebay. Get some clay shapers mate, I've only got one at the moment and that's what I've used for all my sculpting so far. Excellent tools mate.

@Stephen - I had even used it for gap filling mate before I did the cloaks. Sometimes you've just got to jump in and give it a go.

@Frag Dad - More coming soon mate, and yeah, I'm loving the results aswell.

@GSG - Cheers for the link mate, I've already got some good tips from that site of yours.

@HotPanda - Thanks for the hat tip matey, I just love your nurgle stuff. I've even thought of going renegade just to give the chaos conversion a go (sssh, don't tell the inquisitor!)

@2501 - Cheers matey, I'm not sure if I'd consider myself excellent but thanks for your kind words anyway.

@Zombieburger - Cheers mate, get yourself some clay shapers mate, they're perfect for removing fingerprints.

@Zzzzzz - Cheers mate, hope it's inspired you, even if it's just for gap filling - lol

@jmezz382 - Thanks mate, don't put yourself down, just give it a go, you'll never know what you can do until you try.