Sculpting How "pretty" are the insides of your heads?

I have been wondering this too. I feel like there's no way to get the inside looking nice and I keep trying. My hands are just too big to get in there D:
And my dremeling skills are....less than good.

 

I've been working on that too. Since I've made a solid head with apoxie, I had to make a first mold of it so I could make a few copies. By rotating my mold during casting with resin, I was able to get a mostly-hollow piece, cut it open and start working on the insides with apoxie. So far, so good! It's been way easier to get a smooth finish than my previous works in oil-clay. Right now, I'm torn between making it a usual head+backplate system or using a faceplate system.

20181108_122604 by Lilian Pereira, no Flickr

Spoiler: Extra image!

WIP da cabeça by Lilian Pereira, no Flickr

 

Just a bit less pretty comparing to the outsides.

As a faceup artist I hate the rough inside because it gets dirty really fast - during the faceup process, during play and taking the head off. So I made sure that my insides are neat and smooth.

 

They look amazing!! Thank you so much for sharing!!

 

@LilaAIP, thank you!

I believe that a head cap is better than faceplate, because a lot of faceplates from different companies tend to fall off and faceup gets damaged. Usual system is more secure. And huge ears can chip off too...

 

Mine was pretty clean, but Weiju redid the headcap and s-hook slot anyway. Apparently it was to make it easier for them to cast. (I've heard Weiju will also do this to joints, unless you tell them otherwise.)

 

@ira_scargeear They look fantastic! Working the inside is somehow harder for me than the face itself. I'm unable to avoid slight asymmetry so far.

 

@Sillion, thank you! Only checking my sculpts progress on the photos allows me to get nice symmetry. But slight asymmetry is inevitable when you work by hand, it's normal.
And I use a Dremel-like grinding machine to even out the insides of the head.

 

I use it too. And still, the inside is not perfectly symmetrical. I hope it won't make problems in posing the head on the body. I can't check it with the model due to the softness of paperclay - the tension of the hook would destroy it.

 

@Sillion, ah, that's what you mean! Because I was talking about the face itself.
The insides don't need to be perfectly symmetrical, it won't affect the balance that much. You have to position the neck socket as nicely as you can, and you always can pick a round ball of a proper size to check the socket shape.
What is PCP? Are you 3D printing your models or what?

 

@ira_scargeear Thanks for the advice!
Oh, I meant CPC - Creative Paper Clay and mistaken the abbreviation, I will edit it asap Actually, I hand-sculpt.

 

@Sillion, ahh, that's it!
I tried Paperclay a long ago and immediately hated it not because of its fragility but because of its hairy structure. It's VERY hard to prepare the prototypes for casting and takes endless layers of primer and too much sanding.

Then I discovered Mungyo Sculpt Dry. My choice #1 among air dry clays. No hairs, white color available, and it's very strong. Not as strong as Apoxie, but close. It withstands stringing tests like nothing, even for 65+ dolls. There are two main disadvantages: cracking while drying out (because it's not hairy) and zero water resistance.

 

@ira_scargeear Yes, hairy structure bothers me as well, but not that much With CPC (as I didn't try other brands of paperclay), I appreciate how easy it can be sculpted and new layers adhere to the dried ones. But the amounts of primer make me nervous already!
The Mungyo Sculpt Dry seems like a great tip. With this kind of clay, I hate the zero water (and moist of any kind generally) resistance you mentioned.

 

Sculpt your head/face on top of a base like a skull using it like a mold. The skull should have proxy eyes and teeth. Once your epoxy dries, pull it off the base. You will get a smooth inside.