Interested in traditional sculpting,want help!

nikos667 · Dec 2014

Hey guys!
My name is Nikos i'm a high school student.
I'm messing around with Zbrush for about a year or so...and i can definitely say i have improved my self by far but,there's still really long way to go,i have read an anatomy book(not completed yet,but i became familiar in this year as you can't imagine compared to the start).

I was wondering what perks i would earn from traditional sculpting as well as how expensive it could get to take all the appropriate tools/materials etc.

Would be a more wise choice to go with Zbrush or stick with traditional?

Thanks in advance!

Brian "Panda" Choi · Dec 2014

In regards to the second question.

Do both, but understand in regards to game art, more often than not, traditional sculpting just gives you bleed-over skill into your ZBrush skills. Though are you thinking about going to a class or just doing it on your own?

nikos667 · Dec 2014

I wish someone could teach me,but i don't have a single buck to pay,and my family really doesn't like the whole gaming development idea that much...I'm skilled as a hardsurface modeler,and have read some anatomy(not finished yet)...the sure thing is that i am quite passionate about this and believe in myself,i guess i could be taken as a junior character artist and learn by other more experienced people,although i really doubt it could come along like this...

So yeah,i suppose i will have to do it by the hard way...find my path,if i find it ofc...

pior · Dec 2014

Total cost : $4.08. I am not even kidding :

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Sanford-SAN70531-Design-Kneaded-Eraser/dp/B00006IFAJ"]Amazon.com : Sanford Design Kneaded Eraser : Artist Supply Erasers : Office Products[/ame]
[ame="

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXyRp_S8SY0"]Simon Lee Kneaded Eraser Sculpture - YouTube[/ame]

So, just pick up whatever you can find and give it a try ! Don't overthink it.

nikos667 · Dec 2014

interesting...

pior · Dec 2014

Sure, but there's nothing to loose by getting the cheapest tools available. Even the most important part, clay, is pretty cheap.

Spiderzero uses this :
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Chavant-Clay-Medium-Sculpting-Modeling/dp/B005V0YOY2"]Amazon.com: Chavant Clay - NSP Medium Brown - Sculpting and Modeling Clay (1/4 Case)[/ame]

Jordu Schell and the hollywood guys doing life size masks use this :
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Laguna-Clays-WED-Clay-EM-217/dp/B00A2FIG5Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1417736708&sr=1-1&keywords=wed+clay"]Amazon.com: Laguna Clay's WED Clay (EM-217) - 50lbs[/ame]

There you have it - the most advanced sculpting mediums you can find, both for under $50 ! Slap in some armature wire and epoxy putty from the hardware store and you're pretty much good to go. Everything else (carving tools, brushes, rags, and so on) can be found around the house.

Steve Schulze · Dec 2014

Have you worked with WED clay, Pior? Given its air-drying, I'm wondering whether it's prone to cracking. It's got a considerably lower shrinkage rate than regular ceramic clay but I'm thinking there's still going to be issues with armatures if it dries out entirely.

claydough · Dec 2014

dustinbrown wrote: »

I know people often preach that tools and materials don't matter nearly as much as the artist wielding them, and that largely holds true, but when you're first learning to work in a new medium I subscribe to the notion that, if you're reasonably certain you're going to stick with it, then get good tools and materials to learn with. That way you have the best possible start to get you going in the right direction. Plus you can't blame the tools for bad results as you're learning.

A major benefit Zbrush has over traditional character clay sculpting is in armature workflow. Miscalculate armature proportions on a clay sculpture and u may find yerself compromising more than u would in CG.

If u can find dental tools cheap they have an awesome weight and precision for fine detail work in clay:

pior · Dec 2014

Jack : WED is truly fantastic to work with, but indeed it comes at the cost of being workable only for a certain amount of time. If sealed properly a block of clay can last for years, but a sculpted piece is supposed to be worked on over the course of a few days/weeks, after which you either mold it, throw it away, or keep as a fragile piece prone to cracks. That doesn't prevent Jordu from doing fully painted character maquettes with it though !

Coating a maquette in epoxy resin is also a possible way to extend its life. But of course, the best practice is to make a mold. Still, that shouldn't deter someone from trying out this medium - it´s so nice to work with that even doing throaway pieces with it is well worth it !

claydough · Dec 2014

Takayuki Takeya:
[ame]www.youtube.com/watch?v=no645RpCPs4[/ame]

[ame="

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiL6uC7LGxA"]www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiL6uC7LGxA[/ame]

nikos667 · Dec 2014

It seems that i could use anything the does the job,i guess,except some basic tools i suppose all sculptors should have...

I'm just confused,buying clay and starting practising wouldn't really make sense isn't it?No direction no basic knowledge over traditional sculpting and only using some basic anatomy couldn't get me far right?

I assume that the best i could do is to take a class,right? But i don't have money so,i suppose this could wait for a year or so...but i guess nothing really stops me from practising in Zbrush...All in all i suppose i want to make small sculptures not large...especially since those are going to be my first steps in traditional...There are some stores in my area selling 1 KG Clay,would that be enough for small sculptures?

nikos667 · Dec 2014

I think wet based clay is better,or at least i have seen more people prefer this!
In general like i said,dealing with traditional clay could help me,although i feel this is going to be quite slow...

But yeah,does anyone knows a team/proeject looking for training artist so they can "invest" actually for their future grow?I mean,i can offer myself for working on people's project for free while they train me...it could work like that right?

nikos667 · Dec 2014

Hmm,i suppose you have right,i have to think more open-minded...I guess the community will still be here to give advice right

I want to ask 2 things :

How do you recommend me studying anatomy?
Also 99% of the time i feel like i'm approaching my anatomy studies/practices with the exact same way,so no real improvement comes out of this,any advice how to avoid this?

nikos667 · Dec 2014

Cool,this is how i'm doing it,i'm not quite sure although if i'm on the right way...It takes time...But it's coming along,i see progress...

Steve Schulze · Dec 2014

dustinbrown wrote: »

My understanding is that mask makers use water-based clays like Walter E Disney (WED) clay because most oil based clays (plastelina) tend to contain sulfer. The sulfur inhibits the curing of silicon molds unless you shellac it with something like Krylon crystal clear as a barrier to protect the silicon from the sulfur. As long as you're diligent about keeping your WED moist and keep it covered when you're not working on it, it should hold up long enough for you to finish your sculpture and either take pictures of it or make a mold.

You can get sulphur free oil based clay which are fine for making silicon moulds. Monster Clay is what we generally use at work. The Chavant NSP that Pior mentioned is another (I think the NSP actually stands for Non-Sulferated Plasteline).

nikos667 · Dec 2014

Well is plasteline considered good for this kind of purpose?Wouldn't clay be more promising or advanced?
I remember i was playing with plasteline when i was 5-6 years old...
I didn't know you can create great things with it

Interested in traditional sculpting,want help!

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