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With the following results. A fur mantle/cloak/cape thing for a captain / special character model. I know the pictures are bad, but I will post better ones when I get around to painting the model. Any comments or tips to steer me in the right direction? This was my first time using g.s. so be gentle.

I rather like it, though the fur texturing could be refined a bit. It'd look great if you gave your SM a snow theme; i.e. snow on the base, shoulders and small cracks.

It's better than I could do...

It's pretty good for a first try!!!

As far as comments, I'd say that GS'ing a smaller area would make it easier to learn at first. Also, I think once you master getting it flat and smooth, you'll be able to do textured, too. Then it won't look thick or lumpy as easily.

But again, this looks pretty good, and will look really convincing when painted. Great job!

Looks pretty good for a first attempt. I agree with RiTides Nids, start with small areas to get the hang of it before moving onto bigger projects.

Try using an X-acto knife and cutting thinner grooves should make it look more like fur.

If you want to get into sculpting properly, I'd advise you to invest in a decent set of sculpting tools and a couple of clay shapers (a chisel head and a tapered head).

Looking at your work there are a couple of things I would say:
1. Use less putty - when you measure out how much GS you are going to mix up, halve it... If you mix up more than you need you'll be more tempted to use it all on the mini you are working on. Use the paradigm 'less is more' when adding GS to your model and work on small areas at a time. Build up to the layers to the level you want and it won't look awkward and bulky (unless you've deliberately made it that way!!)
2. You can make flowing cloaks by rolling out a ball of GS into a relatively thin sheet (around 1mm or less) and allow the putty to sit up for about 30 minutes is, until it is going slightly plastic. Cut out the cloak shape from the sheet and gently lay the putty onto your mini (being careful not to get finger marks on to putty too much). Use your tools to form the folds in the cloak and smooth out any marks. Once that has cured you can add a skim of GS over the top to create the fur effect you were going for.

Finally, sculpting is all about practise and patience... No one is brilliant at sculpting straight out of the blocks, but the more you try the better you will get.


Stuart

Good tips guys, I appreciate them. Now for a question: what are some good ways of handling GS without it sticking to your tools? Water has a mild effect, but I read somewhere that babypowder can really keep it from sticking. Has anybody used this method and can vouch for it?

@Silent_Spectre, I know you are in the UK, but where might a US resident find clay shapers? Have you any ideas? I have the GW sculpting tool, and a couple of plastic shapers I found in a department store, but I am sure you were referring to tools of higher quality and durability.

a good tip for making capes alot easier:


cut the shape you want out of thin foil, smooth over it with green stuff, model it as you want, this will make it alot easier to work with, you can the also make it on a table, and add it to the model once you have finished making it and sculpting detail.
the foil allows you to bend the GS into a more flowing shape aswell, and also stops it sticking to the models legs, arms etc etc.

Check out www.heresyminiatures.co.uk for sculpting tools and clay shapers. Or look for GF9 products


Stuart

erm what is it?

tuatha1337 wrote:I rather like it, though the fur texturing could be refined a bit. It'd look great if you gave your SM a snow theme; i.e. snow on the base, shoulders and small cracks.

It's better than I could do...

hahaha snow ? wenn i saw the picture's without reading the text i thought it was a nurgle conversation XD

gennadius wrote:

tuatha1337 wrote:I rather like it, though the fur texturing could be refined a bit. It'd look great if you gave your SM a snow theme; i.e. snow on the base, shoulders and small cracks.

It's better than I could do...

hahaha snow ? wenn i saw the picture's without reading the text i thought it was a nurgle conversation XD

Comments like this are less than helpful... If you want to rag on someone else's skills at least have the courtesy to either post pics of your efforts (so everyone can see how good you are or not) or offer constructive criticism. I've personally helped a lot of kids start painting and/or sculpting, and yes, their earlier attempts were not the best anyone has ever seen. However, what I have noticed through this is that the kids who are given encouragement and advice on improvements continue on and produce better and better results. The kids who were derided by their peers and had their efforts mocked tend to give up much more quickly.

So everyone, if you don't like something tell us why and how you think it can be changed

Thanks


Stuart

FoxPhoenix135 wrote:
@Silent_Spectre, I know you are in the UK, but where might a US resident find clay shapers? Have you any ideas? I have the GW sculpting tool, and a couple of plastic shapers I found in a department store, but I am sure you were referring to tools of higher quality and durability.

You might be able to find some at an arts and crafts store like Michael's or AC Moore.

Yea Id say for a first go its pretty impressive. I too will be trying my hand at GS soon. I hope I can pull it off because its going to be on my counts as thraka lol

FoxPhoenix135 wrote:Good tips guys, I appreciate them. Now for a question: what are some good ways of handling GS without it sticking to your tools? Water has a mild effect, but I read somewhere that babypowder can really keep it from sticking. Has anybody used this method and can vouch for it?

@Silent_Spectre, I know you are in the UK, but where might a US resident find clay shapers? Have you any ideas? I have the GW sculpting tool, and a couple of plastic shapers I found in a department store, but I am sure you were referring to tools of higher quality and durability.

I got a set of small ones at ArtMedia, but they're Portland, OR only... You would probably also find it at places like Utrecht, some well equipped hobby stores, and maybe, maybe, Michael's...

I paid an arm and a leg for mine (about $4 each, set of 5)... for the small ones.

@tuatha - if you're talking about clay shapers for ~$4 each that's not a bad price... I paid roughly £4 each for mine (maybe a little less) in Hobbycraft in the UK. For sculpting tools you may want to check eBay - I got mine on there for a song!


Stuart

Silent_Spectre wrote:

gennadius wrote:

tuatha1337 wrote:I rather like it, though the fur texturing could be refined a bit. It'd look great if you gave your SM a snow theme; i.e. snow on the base, shoulders and small cracks.

It's better than I could do...

hahaha snow ? wenn i saw the picture's without reading the text i thought it was a nurgle conversation XD

Comments like this are less than helpful... If you want to rag on someone else's skills at least have the courtesy to either post pics of your efforts (so everyone can see how good you are or not) or offer constructive criticism. I've personally helped a lot of kids start painting and/or sculpting, and yes, their earlier attempts were not the best anyone has ever seen. However, what I have noticed through this is that the kids who are given encouragement and advice on improvements continue on and produce better and better results. The kids who were derided by their peers and had their efforts mocked tend to give up much more quickly.

So everyone, if you don't like something tell us why and how you think it can be changed

Thanks


Stuart

Lol, do not worry S_S, I am neither an adolescent nor a beginner to the hobby that will simply "throw in the brush" at the first sign of nonconstructive criticism... But I understand your sentiment.

Ok, now that I know where to get clay shapers, my other question has not got much of an answer yet: what are the most effective methods for keeping the greenstuff from sticking to your tools? The only one I have tried is water, but surely there are better methods.

Sorry Fox, I wasn't trying to suggest you were! I'm just sick of people trying to put others down for no reason... I have been the recipient of that on many occasions recently and I hate it :(

Anyway, on topic, try licking your tools before using them on the GS. I've been doing this for a while and it's very effective.

One other thing I'd recommend to you is if you are serious about getting into sculpting try using Grey Stuff to get your skills up to speed. Grey stuff is a bit more forgiving than GS, it's less sticky and you can get sharp edges more easily with it. Alternatively, if you are set on using GS, mix a little FIMO into the GS (about 1/5 to 1/4 of fimo to the amount of GS) - it makes the GS a bit easier to spread over the model and to smooth out

Hope this helps!


Stuart

Licking my tools? Yuk! But I see how saliva might work better than water, thanks! Great tip.