First sculpt!

I'm new to sculpting and BJDs are the main focus for me. I first attempted a polymer clay sculpts few months ago, but it wasn't the right marterial for me so, on recommendation, I got some Creative Paperclay and started on this head. He is 1/3 scale, and progressing slowly in a cycle of adding, filing &a carving, then adding again. In the second picture, I haven't done his lower lip and jaw, because I was happy with his top lip and thought I'd let it set so I didn't mess it up!

I really am a total beginner, but I'm much happier working with paperclay, I feel like I'm more in control of it!

 

So, here's some pictures from yesterday. I also worked on him tonight, so he's a little different (eyes and mouth have changed. I'm thinking I still need to make the top of his head bigger, it looks a little small. His eyes will be filed a lot, and sanded, so they will look different.

I'm very happy for him as my first proper head sculpt. I had a play with polymer clay once, but that was a flat out disaster and this one is already infinitely better. I don't want perfect symmetry, because I quite like the 'human' aspect of him being slightly off. I'm not really going for the typical, pretty BJD look but a more normal person look, with flaws.

I'm really enjoying working with the paperclay! I'm going to try some eyes in him tomorrow, so hopefully that'll give me some pointers too. ^_^

 

Latest update.

Since the photo above was taken, I've worked on adjusting his eyes, and he's been given a coat of liquid paperclay (just a clay and water slush) to help fill in the little scratches and dinks. I've also added nubs to start building his ears on. I'll post the next update when he's dry enough to photograph properly.

I'm still quite happy, but his eyes need more work, they're a little odd. Please ignore the junk on my computer desk in the background! ^_^

 

Okay, I didn't wait for him to fully dry, but here's how he looks now. I'm guessing progress will be slow for a few days due to work, which is annoying because I'm still not happy with his eyes. Hopefully, I'll make some progress with them. It's frustrating, because I can't get them looking decent, but I keep trying to remember that this is my first ever serious sculpt so I try not to be too harsh!

 

Hey Deadish!

I have got a rotary tool, but I need a long extension cord to get it into the garden (sure my parents would appreciate me not sanding in the house!). My cordless Dremel is on its way, but apparently I can't have it until my birthday (thanks, mum). If I can get a massive extension cord out, then I'll probably redo his eyes completely!

My dad thinks he looks like Patrick Stewart and you think Jackie Chan! Considering my reference photos were Tom Hiddleston, I'm guessing I need a lot more practice...

I'm really enjoying the process, though and I figure his eyes just need a complete reworking.

^_^

 

I've ordered some of those bevellers too! Unfortunately, they were cheaper from China, so I'm in for a wait... I'm going for 8mm eyes, because I want him to look like an adult and not as anime as many BJDs. 8mm is the same as my bought 1/3 BJD.

Thanks for the eye socket explanation. His sockets are very shallow on the inside so I'll have to build them up. (In the photos with eyes in, his head is full of blu tack). I use beads wrapped in cling film to stick in there when modelling the eyelids, so that helped a little. As you say, it's a fun process so I'm not frustrated (yet) and he's turned out pretty good so far, for a first attempt.

It's funny, I can see clearly a likeness but maybe that's because I know, and I've been staring at him too long! I do know his eyes are wrong, more or less, though. Hopefully the post from China won't take too long!..

(I would probably Dremel inside too if I didn't live with my house proud mother. I'd never hear the end of it if I made a mess on the furniture... XD )

 

@mokarran Thanks! The bevellers arrived and I convinced my mother to let me have the Dremel now!



Here's a photo of how he looked earlier today. He's rough, and lacking in detail, because I'm working on filling in some small nicks and scratches, by giving him coats of liquified paperclay and then sanding. This is him pre sanding. I've also worked on the inside of his head, hollowing and smoothing, as well as drilling eye sockets. I've realised his eyes don't sit as I'd like them, so I'm going to work on those internally.

I think the next step is to put his ears on and make a head back, before final refining. I'll post some sanded pictures at some point. He looks a bit different sanded.

 

Thanks Deadish. This was meant to be a practice, but I really like him so if I can get him finished and smoothed nicely, I'm thinking of having him cast. I might try to sell some, but whether anyone would buy is another matter! I'd certainly like some resin versions, though!

 

So, I sprayed him with grey primer and the result is brilliant! I'm so pleased with him, even though he still needs ears and more sanding. I have a terrible cold, though, so he might be earless for a few more days. Pics will be uploaded when I get them off the camera (I took some with my iPhone, but they look awful compared with the proper camera shots).

 

Okay, no pictures yet, because... Ears! Oh my god, ears are so hard to sculpt. I've done one. It's a bit big. But not massively so (I measured it against a photo). I've left that ear to dry as I'm afraid of messing it up while I do the opposite one. Luckily, I'm on leave from work next week, so I'll have some time to work on him. I'm also debating whether to do a head cap or a face plate. I was going for a face plate, but now I'm not so sure. I could still make the back of his head and create a head cap, as that wouldn't be too difficult at this point.

 

Update: He now has two ears! I've begun working on smoothing out the inside of his head. I used the Dremel to make sure he was nice and hollow, and also to bevel his eye sockets. I've also begun working on the head back (I'm sticking with a faceplate) using a bouncy ball as a former!

I'm happy with him, but progress is slow as there's limited work I can do while I wait for things to dry, so I've started two more sculpts. One is of Lee Pace, and looks nothing like him, and the other is based on Martin Sheen from Apocalypse Now sort of era, and looks a bit better. I'll post pictures of them all when I can be bothered to get the memory card out of the camera... XD

 

So, this is where I am currently. He's been given a coat of white primer and I'm staring to shape the back of his head for the back part. Two things stick out at the moment: his eyes don't quite match, but I can remedy that. His ears also need work. I was wary of making them too big and sticky out, but I think I went too far the other way and they're not prominent enough.

Pictured with him are the other two I've started, who are both in their hideous stage. XD

 

So, I've decided that I'm happy with the sculpt and I'm going to try to cast a couple in resin to continue working with. This has a few benefits:
1) I don't risk damaging the original sculpt.
2) I can try modifications.
3) it's cool. Okay, only I think that.

Disadvantages:
1) I risk destroying the original.

Okay, so he's sealed inside and out with primer and I *hope* that means the clay won't get soft from the moisture in the silicone. I've made a pour space, and left areas for air release. I should point out I've never successfully made a two part silicone mould. I have tried many, many times. The first part has now been poured and I'm in a state of anxiety. As long as the original isn't destroyed, I'll be content. If it is destroyed or badly damaged, I may actually cry. This is the first sculpt I've ever done that looks passably like an actual human being and I'm very fond of him!

*EVENING UPDATE*: I peeled some of the silicone that had spilled on his face, and it came off cleanly! This makes me much happier that the original will be okay with any luck! ^_^

 

Yeah.

Um...

Well, he had no ears and has modelling clay embedded in his face. XD He is proportioned normally, it's just that my phone camera takes weird shots. (Sorry about my eczema... I mess about with clay and chemicals too much. Involves a lot of soapy hand washing and then eczema. I'm trying to make myself uses gloves...)

I made the mould, and part of it didn't set. The air releases above his ears clogged and air got trapped in there, so no ears formed. Bits of plasticine were left in the mould, and the release I used to separate the two halves didn't work, so I had to cut open the mould with a blade.

BUT!

The original came out with only a minor scratch from the scalpel during release! And I did get a cast on the first attempt. I've since poured a second and will see how that comes out, but I plan on making a second mould when my new silicone arrives, anyway. I've learned a lot, and like I say, not a complete failure for a first try. I'm going to fix this one up with sanding, Miliput/apoxie and primer. Then probably paint him for fun.

This was a learning experience, and quite enjoyable!

Evening Edit, 22:07: Second cast came out with ears! He had a couple of minor bubbles (back of ear and back of head) and a slight dink in his jaw. Also sill had plasticine flecks, but fewer than cast 1. I'm not sure how long the mould will last, it's had a beating and was dodgy to begin with, but I'm going to keep pouring casts while I can and I'll have a mess around with them. I'm just having too much fun... Which says a lot about me, really. *loves experimenting*

 

Here's another cast. Just one fleck of plasticine in this one, and a partially missing ear (because the air release was blocked). I think you can still see the seam line from the mould, too.. I also coloured the resin. These are really just experiments in mould making. I've learned a lot, and hopefully, when the head back is finished, I'll be able to create a good mould of both parts and get some decent casts!

Sorry about the poor photography.

 

Thanks! I had some silicone and resin left over from another project years ago, so luckily I didn't have to buy anything! Now that he's been practice casted, I can still see some issues around his eyes that need working on. They're not quite right. But I can work on that! I may work on one of the resin casts, with apoxie, as I think it's a little disfficult to get right in paperclay. We shall see what happens!

 

Loki heads! With varying numbers of ears!

Here's some casts. As you can see, they're not great but I'm happy to have got that far! I played with tinting the resin. The speckled one (far right, top row) is natural resin. The middle of the top row was my first attempt at a skin tone, and looks sunburned! The bottom three are various attempts at skin tones, and the blue one is... Um... Jotunn Loki, I suppose. XD he's the last one I did before running out of resin, and did come out with two complete ears now I finally cleared the air release tubes.

Back in sensible world, I've been working more on the back of his head, trying to get the cap to fit, and on refining his eyes, which I'm still not happy with. Photos of him and the two 'babies' to follow!

 

This is where I was before I started work today. I'll post some pics of today's work later on, maybe.

Anyway... Tom has had yet more eye revisions because I'm still not happy with them. He also has a head back (not pictured) which is very rudimentary at the moment but it does fit! Quite frankly, I'm amazed I've got this far and not given up in frustration. I think the nature of paperclay helps my temperament because you need to wait to let it dry, which stops me from working frantically and then getting frustrated as I have with other mediums. It forces me to work slowly and think things through.

The first picture shows (R) Lee, smiling a bit. I'm still not that happy with the likeness but we'll see where it goes. (L) Ramiro, a character of mine who was originally modelled on a 1970s era Martin Sheen. I love his mouth. XD You don't get to see many adult BJDs with chubbier faces, so I really enjoyed sculpting his cheeks! He'll probably be a little smaller than the other two, but then in the books he is small and skinny (yet still has chubby cheeks, no matter what ^_^)

 

Slow progress! Had a lot going on and been working long days. I also had a bit of a nightmare with the back of his head. It was really tricky to get a neat fit. I'm sure there's a way to do it but I did it my own way. I'm almost there now, just involves some neatening up. Will post some pics later!

 

Here's progress on 'Tom' so far (I'll probably rename him at some point.)

Photo 1 is one of my casts held over a 68cm mirodoll body. I think he could go to 70cm without issue, although I have a Ringdoll 68cm, with broader shoulders, that'd fit!

Other photos are progress of the headcap and also some modifications to his eye sockets. His eyes fit much better now and look more even. He was a little cross eyed before! Everything still needs finishing: sanding for his face, neatening of the headcap, closing gaps and expanding the slot in his neck.

Getting there, slowly!

Last photo shows Ramiro, Tom and Lee (who is still causing me trouble by refusing to look right...)

 

XD thanks Deadish! I measured them on a photo to scale with callipers, though! Here's a quick photoshop...

I do need to carry on working on his eyes though! ^_^ I'm a portrait artist, and I've been drawing faces for years. It's more the small things that I'm getting wrong than general proportions. The back of his head will cone out a bit more when I get to rounding it off, but the ears sit much further back than people tend to realise!

Just realised a few things that are off, though... I'm a painter, not a sculptor! XD now I try it, though, using Photoshop is a good technique for checking this out. I keep thinking his eyes look way off still, so I'm going to tinker with photos and see where I'm going wrong. I think his eyes are sitting too far forward, and the bridge of his nose is too shallow. Also, his eyes are still too big. *sigh* more adjustments!

 

That's cool! I tend to use resized photos and callipers, to check measurements. I got calliper advice from a very good sculptor (Switchum of Namonaki workshop) I commissioned in the past. I find it really helpful to check dimensions and stuff. I need to go back and sort out his eyes, though, and I think it might require some significant reworking. I was getting all carried away thinking I was nearing completion but on comparing the photos I can see quite a few problems. Maybe the trick is accepting that I'm a beginner and it'll never look as great as work from an accomplished sculptor!

 

Tis indeed! I did some more photoshop work and although I don't think his ears are wayyy too far back, I think the tilt is wrong and maybe that's what you saw that I didn't! The bottom of his ear should be further in than the top, pulling it at a slight diagonal. I don't have that at all. The distance between his ear and eye looks extreme because his eye sits too far forward in profile. I need to recede them more. *sigh* I've got a whole lot of filing and remodelling to do!

So far I've sliced off his ears and filed down the eye sockets. Hopefully I can reattach his ears because they were hard to sculpt. I've also filed down his jaw in profile so that it lines up with what'll be the new position of the ears. His nose has been slightly reshape D and his forehead will be built up a bit. His mouth I'm happy with.

I feel a bit annoyed at having to go back and destroy my own work, but I want to get him as good as a can and complaining won't help so I'll just have to get on with it. It'll be worth it in the end, because if I'm paying for casts, I want the best sculpt I can manage.

 

Still on holiday, in Portugal, hence no updates! I'll be home later, though, so I can get back to working on them.

 

I'm back, back sculpting and I've started a fourth sculpt! XD

 

So here's the latest pics!

Top row (L-R): Ramiro, front and side view. He only has one ear at the moment! I like him, but his eyes are not even and need more work still. After that, I'll make another ear and then he's ready for the head back! Yay! Lee, front view (he has no ears) Again, his eyes are uneven. I'm going to carry on working. I'm getting a bit happier with him, his mouth is getting better.
Bottom row: Tom, front, 3/4, side. His eyes chipped as I was filing, so they're messed up. But, I've moved his ears (thanks @deadish!) and I've modified his forehead a lot, it was too sloping before. He's a mess because I was spreading primer when it started to rain so it didn't get an even coat (thanks, British weather!).

So, next steps: head back and ear 2 for Ramiro, eye work and neatening of head back for Tom, ears and continue face work for Lee.

Bank holiday tomorrow, so I might get a bit more work done, but I'm also in training for a 5k in a couple of weeks so... I spend a lot of time running and being tired. :XD

 

Ha ha, thanks! I've realised Ramiro's eyes aren't symmetrical, so more work there!

In another note: ive decided that the best option with full creative control is to mould and cast myself. I've ordered a vacuum chamber to de-gas the silicone and I'm saving up for a pressure pot. I've read they can be dangerous, so I'd rather pay the extra and get one designed and made for casting. Plus: better quality. I already have a compressor so that'll save a bit.

To supplement this... Remember my terrible first casts? Well, they have a use. They're currently partially wrapped in tape and left in the 'sun'. I want to see how this resin copes with UV, as I'd never want to sell something that yellows badly and has quality issues. That said, they're out in British summertime. Plan B is to expose them in a UV light box I have, or to take them to my other house in Sardinia and leave them in the sun there. If Sardinian sun doesn't kill the resin, nothing will...

 

View attachment 878

So,
Ramiro and Tom have had a nice coat of car primer (still wet in the photo). They both have ears, and head backs, although Ramiro's is still in a mess. Tom's head back has now been filed and prepared. I'll be spraying it with primer soon, then working on neatening his jaw line. Not the best photo of him, he's tilted at a funny angle and his eyes are still weird!

Next up: Lee's ears! Monkey ears...

 

Well, I've been away a while! I was busy with work, then very unwell, then I went on a figure sculpting course for a week (while still unwell) BUT I learned a lot. I even got to ask the teacher about my head scupts, and their eye issues. She pointed out that I'd just made almond shapes, and not really worked enough on the eye sockets and bone structure. As a result, everyone got their eyes dremelled out today!

Yup.
Ouch.

But their eyes were a mess. They looked like holes just cut on the surface. They were bad.
So I started remodelling them with some things I learned. At the moment, Lee has new eyes, Tom has one eye and Ramiro is waiting. Hopefully pictures will follow, and hopefully there's been some improvement!

 

Ha ha! Massive delay... But here they are. Lee is looking weird as ever, I'm happier with Tom's eyes though! I covered one because it's not sanded and finished yet. I'm delighted that they both have actual eyes now, rather than holes. Ramiro is next for eyes!

I've also decided to start sculpting a body. It may end in failure, but I'm having fun with it! So far, just a chest piece she'll, with main areas mapped out.

 

XD... Thanks! They still need loads of work, but at least I'm seeing improvements! The body is tricky, and I'm using DAS instead of Creative Paperclay. I much prefer working with CP, but the amount needed for a body means DAS is just much more cost effective.

 

Wow... it lives! I’m delighted. Not all pictures properly attached but I’ll update this journal with everything happening since!

 

I’ve got so off track. Due to illness, work, university & other things I’ve had very little time & lacked the motivation to get working. I do still want to finish them, but I feel I need to narrow my focus having messed around on so many different projects. The current situation is that only my own characters, Garrett & Ramiro will be the focus for the time being. I would, ideally, like to sculpt a body for Garrett as the correct body type is impossible to find at the moment, but I need the guts to keep working.

Sigh

 

This thread is a mess, so I’m going to start a new one with the guys I’m progressing.