Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I bought putty and tools hoping to do some modelling, then realized that I don't quite know where to start.
I know how to cast my miniatures in resin after they're done, but does anyone have a good tutorial for how to actually get started modelling?

Rather than jumping straight into sculpting your own models from scratch, the first thing you'll want to do is just get used to work with with GS. The best way to do this is to practice on converting existing minis; add some capes, repose limbs, add details as you get more and more confident.

Once you get good at that, then you can start working on full sculpts, preferably working from an armature (bought or made, there are tutorials for the latter). This will only come with practice, though, so start small and build up from there.

i suppose that gives me a good excuse to build my Hive tyrant's Devourers

seconded. jumping in at the deep end wouldnt work half as well as working your way up from simple conversions and sculpts on existing guys.

 Squidmanlolz wrote:
I bought putty and tools hoping to do some modelling, then realized that I don't quite know where to start.
I know how to cast my miniatures in resin after they're done, but does anyone have a good tutorial for how to actually get started modelling?

Try these for starters. And yeah, practise on conversions too.

What putty and tools did you get?

In addition to "converting existing miniatures" to get a feel for the GS....

Go and get some very stiff plasticine.

Then build some armatures, and use the plasticine to practice with your anatomy and detailing.

This will lower the cost of consuming what is a much more expensive media (two-part export resin, typically "Green Stuff" - although I quit using Green Stuff for most sculpting in the 1980's and switched to Miliput and other forms of 2-part resin).

I prefer to work with a resin that is water soluble while it is workable, as you can get a larger variety of tool and surface work.

GS still has its place, and is excellent when you have a lot of experience at being able to work details quickly.

But....

As I was saying.... It, and any other 2-part epoxy are more expensive than a re-usable plasticine.

A recommendation on that:

Get a plasticine that is VERY STIFF, yet softens with heat, and then re-hardens when cool.

Learning to work with a media that changes texture and consistency as you work (heat the plasticine to soften it, and then work it while it is cooling) will give you experience in recognizing the changing consistency of the GS as it hardens.

Also... The plasticine will allow you to work at LARGER SCALES.

DO THIS!!!

Do this to learn surface anatomy and textures.

You will discover that if you get to where you can sculpt a larger figure, then shrinking the scale will actually make sculpting easier, and not harder (save maybe in fine details, like eyes).

As for eyes, you might think about buying a bag of ball-bearings, which can be bought in sizes as small as .1mm.

I forget what size to use for a 25mm eye, but it wouldn't make much difference, because most miniatures are now 28mm - 40mm in size, and the size of the eye would be different.

But... Calculating the size of the eye would not be hard.

And having the ball-bearings to use as eyes saves a LOT of time, and headache (plus, they are useful for a great many other details as well).

If you need to learn specific details like how to do chainmail, I can give you some photos, or maybe I will do a video, or how to sculpt chainmail so it actually looks like interlocking rings, and not like you just poked holes in a cloth.

MB

 Vermis wrote:

 Squidmanlolz wrote:
I bought putty and tools hoping to do some modelling, then realized that I don't quite know where to start.
I know how to cast my miniatures in resin after they're done, but does anyone have a good tutorial for how to actually get started modelling?

Try these for starters. And yeah, practise on conversions too.

What putty and tools did you get?

I've got some Milliput and GS, and a couple tubes of an epoxy putty from home depot since it was cheap, though probably more suited to sculpting a rougher piece of terrain than a miniature of any kind. I've got a couple tools that look like a dentist's picks and a couple flat tools.

All of the advice so far has been really helpful