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I've finally got my hands on some proper greenstuff as opposed to the milliput that I had previously been working with. I figured that given how this seems to be alot more compliant when being worked I'd step up my work to something more large scale (well relatively)

I've managed to work out a rough hooded cape for my cryptek and extended the shoulder pad a little.

So may I ask, what if anything is wrong and are there any tips on how to improve it?



This is just using the legs from a Lychguard and the top half of a deathmark (its all I had to hand)

Please excuse the half painted legs, they came from a mini that took a foot to the... well pretty much all of it.

That is actually fairly well done for a greenstuff cape. It can be tough stuff to work with and you're off to a good start, but I don't think you're quite there yet.

Right now it looks like what it is: a cape sculpted of green stuff. It looks too thick (because it is thick, but it is the illusion of cloth we are going for). It is also a bit too round.

The chain around his neck is a particular weak point. Chain really has to be done by combining two strands of green stuff into one. Here is a good tutorial: http://excommunicatetratoris.blogspot.com/2009/07/daemonhost-greenstuff-step-by-step-part_7219.html

As for making the cape look a bit more like cloth, you need to add more wrinkles. Most green stuff sculpting is a two part process, first you sculpt the main body, then after it cures you sculpt the details that meld it with the rest of the figure.

For sculpting wrinkles a silicon paint pushing tool is probably best, though dental tools or sculping tools will work in a pinch (though not as well). Get the main body of the green stuff down on a flat surface and sculpted how you like it, let it cure till it gets a bit stiff, then transfer it to the miniature. Get it attached securely and let it finish curing.

Now you can go back, add some details, and sculpt the bits melding the cape with the rest of your model. Make some new green stuff, smooth it over the areas where it attatches to the model, and add some fine details. There is going to be lots of wrinkling and bunching where the cloak is sinched around a body.

Finally, the hood. Again, do a two part process. First sculpt the main body of the hood, let it cure, and then add sharper details. Yours is kind of bulbous and droopy. Think of what kind effect you want to go for. A draping death shrowd like a reaper would wear? In that case you might want to focus on the droop of the hood, coming in very low.

Or do you want something more monk-like? Dark angels are a great template for this. Notice how sharp their hoods look?

Either way you want it to look like thin cloth, with some well defined details.

I also found a fun looking tutorial for making a hood using a jig. Haven't tried it yet, but it looks like a fun concept.
http://carmensminiaturepainting.blogspot.com/2009/10/green-stuff-making-cape-using-jig.html

now that its set . if you get a sharp knife you can trim the hood edges so thet look thinner and sharper .and shape the back so it looks draped.

Would a file work as well to sharpen hood or would you suggest sticking to a knife?

Thanks for all the help guys, its really heping me understand and hopefully improve

Roll your green stuff much thinner for "sharper" cloaks/hoods. You'll want to let it harden a little before putting it onto the model so it will retain the shape once it's there. Right now it looks like he's wearing a comforter stolen from some bed & breakfast

filling sounds like a very good idea. I often file down any missed fingerprints that didn't get wiped out and add a bit of shape to a sculpt.

Brilliant cloak though, for something that uses less than three layers that is rather impressive.

Aside from filling gaps and creating spots to glue on, I've never had a lot of success with GS sculpting. I think your attempt was good, as the shapes are all there (I like the suggestion to carve some harder shape after the GS dries). The only thing that sticks out, to me, is the thickness of the hood.

Nice job though--you've inspired me to try out something I was thinking about last night while at a very boring New Year's Eve party. I could see this dude's lips moving, but I couldn't hear what he was saying, as visions of a GSed, plasticard cape danced through my head...

Melcavuk wrote:Would a file work as well to sharpen hood or would you suggest sticking to a knife?

Thanks for all the help guys, its really heping me understand and hopefully improve

Files don't work so well on green stuff, you need to use an exacto knife. There is another kind of epoxy, brown stuff, that files work well with. It dries much harder and is used when people want to make hard, solid things like weapons.

riplikash wrote:

Melcavuk wrote:Would a file work as well to sharpen hood or would you suggest sticking to a knife?

Thanks for all the help guys, its really heping me understand and hopefully improve

Files don't work so well on green stuff, you need to use an exacto knife. There is another kind of epoxy, brown stuff, that files work well with. It dries much harder and is used when people want to make hard, solid things like weapons.

Sand paper is an alternative, though, as long as it's a very fine grade, say 1000-3000 grit. I find wet/dry automotive sandpaper works great on greenstuff to remove missed fingerprints and to smooth joins that my color-shaper wasn't able to finish properly.

Gavin Thorne wrote:

riplikash wrote:

Melcavuk wrote:Would a file work as well to sharpen hood or would you suggest sticking to a knife?

Thanks for all the help guys, its really heping me understand and hopefully improve

Files don't work so well on green stuff, you need to use an exacto knife. There is another kind of epoxy, brown stuff, that files work well with. It dries much harder and is used when people want to make hard, solid things like weapons.

Sand paper is an alternative, though, as long as it's a very fine grade, say 1000-3000 grit. I find wet/dry automotive sandpaper works great on greenstuff to remove missed fingerprints and to smooth joins that my color-shaper wasn't able to finish properly.

Never thought of trying that, thanks for the tip.

One is glad to be of service.

Great cloak! I'd be sure to carve in/paint on lots of necron symbols, or even carve details similar to an overlord's "cloak" into it to make it more Necron-like.