For those who sculpt

[Yodacappy]

How did you get interested in sculpting, what did you start with and how did you learn?

I always find things like this interesting to know about people in a hobby and thought it would prove to be a good discussion/interesting reading.

 

[shocktrooper_au]

Well while i don't consider myself a sculptor I'll get the ball rolling.
Basically I've always been an illustrator and always considered sculpting a form of illustration, to me its drawing in 3D.
while I've always liked the idea of it I only got started a few years ago (since I don't really draw for fun anymore), I figured I'd try to make a couple of figures that I knew would never be made " The Goodies". I'm self taught via trial & error (the same way I learnt to draw & basically learnt by redoing the sculpt until I was happy. I first started with Fimo clay basically using my xmas holidays to play and leaving on it on the shelf for the rest of the year. Basically I gave up for a while because I was stuck on the next stage "casting". Eventually early this year I jumped into casting, & suprisingly my sculpting had improved because now I can complete the next stage & the stakes are higher in terms of investment in the projects which have spurred me along.

Simply put I'm loving it

PS there's some old threads of mine around here somewhere with my early attempts

 

[Gipetto0812]

Very good discussion topic!

I started or rathergot interested by seeing Darren Carnell's rescuplts of SS T2 Arnold T-800, Legolas, Obi-wan and Anakin. That coupled with seeing other figures here and there made better by clothin alterations for better/more accurate fit to repaints, weathering, the whole 9. So ithought to myself that if i ever got the chance to start collecting these 1/6 figures ive been seeing by lurking on these boards i'd want to start trying to improve them like others have. As soon as I started finally buying 1/6, I almost immediately started trying to "fix" problems I saw with my figures. My first go at sculpting would be Legolas in which i used super sculpey 3 and i hated it. It got the job done but i quickly tried something esle, FIMO. I use FIMO for all my sculptong work now and wont use anything else for sculpting in 1/6. As for how I learned, it was a bit of trial and error with just an artistic vibe i guess. I've always been good or my approximation of good at drawing. The arts flows through the veins of my family (mom makes custom greeting cards my brother is an animator) so it was a bit of a natural transition from drawing to sculpting almost. Just the slight difference of 2D to 3D. I would also say that it was natural to sculpt in portraits versus accessories or something like that since I drew portraits mostly. I already had an idea of commonalities between most males and females. I'm not the best sculptor by far though. My drawing still outweighs my sculpting still in terms of "likeness" but fundamentals are similar IMO I'm actually going back now reworking my original attemtps (legolas has been done) that I've learned quite a few things since the beginning and have grown as a sculptor and painter. Aragorn is being reworked now then SS Anakin will get his second turn as well. Also in terms of learning/experimenting, I'm now heading into the 1/4 direction of sculpting and it's a bit intimidating to say the least but I hope to get a good comfortable feel with it just as I have with 1/6.

 

[Crimsonbob]

I can't sculpt human likeness headsculpts for buggery, but i'll have a go at pretty much anything else lol.

I started a year or so ago. Previous to that i played with plasticine as a kid about 27 years ago.

I think my 1st go was doing some clone helmets, Neyo and Bacara etc which dorgs cast for others. The most ambitious was doing the Space Marines with Dorgs, but ive done plenty of other's as well.

As for learning i brought a load of milliputt and just went for it.

 

[wax murderer]

I've been playing with clay since I was a wee lad,doing mostly dinosaurs and monsters. About "79 I discovered Sculpey;the possibility of permanent pieces was too good to resist.It also brought my work up to a much tighter level. As my work improved and I started displaying it at a local comic shop, people began asking if I had pieces for sale.Several commissions later, I found that I was developing a bit of a following.
It was around this time that I got seriously fed up with the toy dinosaurs available at that time. Hearing my complaints, my mother said"if you're that unhappy, why don't you just sculpt your own?"From that simple question there grew a career. I focused on dinosaurs for several years;then came another watershed moment. My sister attended vet school at Penn;her anatomy instructor was Peter Dodson, a fairly re-knowned paleontologist. As soon as she learned this, my sister began"selling" me to Dr. Dodson.Through him, I made a number of valuable connections in the paleo-art and commercial fields.Eventually this led to a job in a commercial model shop as a full-time sculptor, a job I enjoyed for over 15 years, until the market out-sourced overseas(thanks George, you bloody @#$%^^&!).
I'm still trying to get back into a model shop.'Til then, I keep my hand in with private commissions and custom work...PS

 

[Yodacappy]

I've been playing with clay since I was a wee lad,doing mostly dinosaurs and monsters. About "79 I discovered Sculpey;the possibility of permanent pieces was too good to resist.It also brought my work up to a much tighter level. As my work improved and I started displaying it at a local comic shop, people began asking if I had pieces for sale.Several commissions later, I found that I was developing a bit of a following.
It was around this time that I got seriously fed up with the toy dinosaurs available at that time. Hearing my complaints, my mother said"if you're that unhappy, why don't you just sculpt your own?"From that simple question there grew a career. I focused on dinosaurs for several years;then came another watershed moment. My sister attended vet school at Penn;her anatomy instructor was Peter Dodson, a fairly re-knowned paleontologist. As soon as she learned this, my sister began"selling" me to Dr. Dodson.Through him, I made a number of valuable connections in the paleo-art and commercial fields.Eventually this led to a job in a commercial model shop as a full-time sculptor, a job I enjoyed for over 15 years, until the market out-sourced overseas(thanks George, you bloody @#$%^^&!).
I'm still trying to get back into a model shop.'Til then, I keep my hand in with private commissions and custom work...PS

Awesome story, thanks for sharing that!

I find it very inspiring that those that have responded basically are self-taught. Gives me hope that I can pick it up and succeed!

 

[shocktrooper_au]

I think you just have to love doing it enough to keep going & keep going even though your going it hit a stage where all your work looks crap to you.

 

[Yodacappy]

I think you just have to love doing it enough to keep going & keep going even though your going it hit a stage where all your work looks crap to you.

Fortunately, I'm going to start out with accessories instead of heads. I figure that will give me practice with basic shapes and detail. Unfortunately, I'm a perfectionist and I can't say I've ever done anything that I'm completely satisfied with...lol

 

[wax murderer]

None of us are ever"completely satisfied" with our own work. We always think it could be better, and we always see all the flaws.Occupational hazard...PS