SCULPTING 101 STEP BY STEP, 1/16 FIGURE

[Marijn Van Gils]

Thanks a lot for all the effort you put in this sbs, Gary!
It has already been very helpfull for me, and I'll certainly follow it to the end.
best wishes,

Marijn

 

[garyjd]

Marijn, Thank you, I do appreciate it. Though it's larger in scale your work along with that of other Pf members has been more than inspirational to me. Now to just finish these projects in a more timely manner.~Gary

 

[garyjd]

The following steps will show the construction of the hat the figure will be holding in his hand. I kept the figure bald as the crown will be built onto the head. I have chosen to make a low crown plug hat.

 

[garyjd]

After putting a light coating of vaseline on the top half of the head a ball of A&B putty is pressed onto it.

 

[garyjd]

I continue to press the putty onto and around the head keeping the thickness as even as possible.

 

[garyjd]

As I get my crown shape down to the ears I start to remove the excess material.

 

[garyjd]

I still continue to work the material down the sides of the crown still trying to keep the thickness as even as possible.

 

[garyjd]

I'm almost done removing the excess.

 

[garyjd]

I look at the underside edge and draw down the areas that are still thick with a small apatula. Pictured is an area that needed a little work.

 

[garyjd]

The finished basic crown.

 

[garyjd]

Here I have started to fill out the crown to what will be the finished shape.

 

[garyjd]

After letting the putty cure overnight, I then pour hot water from a tea kettle over the head. This loosens the putty and makes removal with a spatula a lot easier than trying to pry it off. Here can be seen the outside and inside of the crown.

 

[garyjd]

A coating of vaseline is then spread onto a section of ceramic tile. I then take a ball of A&B putty and press it onto the tile trying to keep a circular shape.

 

[garyjd]

I then place a piece of platic strip stock that is the thickness I want the brim to be. Next an X-acto handle that I wet down was used to roll the putty. The plastic helps to keep the thickness uniform. This is a little trick shown to us by Gordy some time back.

 

[garyjd]

After the brim is rolled out I then draw cenet lines on the crown. It is then pressed into the partially cured putty.

 

[garyjd]

I then take a platic template and select the diameter I want the brim to be.

 

[garyjd]

Here is the hat follwing removal of the excess material.

 

[garyjd]

Some rolled out Sculpey is used to prop up the sides of the brim as this type of hat has a curled brim. It is left this way to cure overnight.

 

[garyjd]

after curing I run a bead of supergule into the area where the crown meets the brim. I then take a sharpened toothpick and draw the glue into the little channel created between the brim and crown.

 

[garyjd]

After the glue dries the hat is slowly pried from the tile. If you look at this picture of the underside of the hat you can see the outline of the crown. I then take a rounded stylus tool and center it over the inside of the crown. I then lightly tap it with a stylus thus knocking out the material that's inside the crown.