Sculpey fail

Media Outlet Fan Art Gallery
1

So has anyone else ever tried working with polymer clay(sculpey, fimo)? I was on my way to making a sweet Rufus sculpt, but I ran into a bit of a snag in the final process.

Rufus was going to be about 4" tall, and very cartoonish. Not alot of detail, but you could easily recognize him. Everything went well at first. I mocked up a base figure with some cheapo modeling clay(this becomes an issue later) just to get the shape and proprtions right. Once I was sastisfied with the base I began covering it with the polymer clay.

Once the model was covered, it looked a bit rough, so I spent some time smoothing everything out, getting rid of fingerprints and whatnot. Then I added on the details to the outfit, stripes on the sleeves and the marking on the back of his jacket. Finishing with his top-knot and mustache.

I wish I had a picture of my sculpt at this stage, he looked pretty good for a first time go with sculpting something.

So, next step, into the oven for 30 minutes to alow the polymer clay to set. And this is what I find when I go to check on Rufus.

http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/2628/dscf9158q.jpg

http://img63.imageshack.us/img63/1051/dscf9159.jpg

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/1237/dscf9160.jpg

http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/3161/dscf9161.jpg

Using cheapo modeling clay as filler, is apparently a very bad idea. I’m a little disappointed, what with my time wasted and all, but at least I learned some things. And I have to admit, it was pretty funny seeing a pool of goop that used to be Rufus in my oven.

Anyone have any suggestions as to what I could have used for filler, instead of the cheap modeling clay?

2

Oh no lol. If you attempt this again, make the next one of Sagat in his win pose and standing over the Rufus puddle.

3

awwwww, lol.

shame wait to see successful attempts.

4

I concur! Good first try though, dude :tup:

5

Jesus Goddamn! That sucks bro. He was looking soooooooooooo good. Don’t worry man, the next one will be even better.

6

Looks like a bizarre snack cake of some sorts now. I can see where you were going with it though, can’t wait to see the successful product. Never give up! :tup:

7

I recently tried sculpey too! Good fun. On the box it says to use aluminum foil inside. I did and it works perfectly.

8

That’s a damn shame really. You were using his best colour and everything.

9

Thank you, I was hoping someone would know how to operate this stuff. I’ve had that clay for years, and if it did have directions with it originally, they’re long gone now. I was pretty much guessing with the whole process. I’ll definitely give the foil a try next time around.

And thanks for all the kind comments everyone, I was expecting to get flamed for being a clay n00b :sad:

10

Gx3vi,
I’ve done a lot of work with sculpey…heres some information to keep in mind.

Sculpey is a polymer clay with easy manipulation, for a firmer and more dense feel, you may want to try Super Sculpey Firm…its grey and nicer to work with…its closer to working with a plasteline modeler like Jolly King or Roma. When working with any sort of material like this its best to keep in mind WHAT its doing.

Sculpey, in creating the human form acts as the muscle, and layered again for clothing. The reason this figure fell apart and melted/burned was because it had no skeleton. If you were composed of just skin, muscle, and clothing…youd fall apart too. Lol.

To make it easier on attempt number two, try this: Go to an art store, or a Michaels/ AC Moore/Hobby Lobby type of craft store, and get a few things:

-Wooden Base
-Armature Wire
-CopperWire
-Aluminum Foil
-Poxy Putty
And of course, your Super Sculpey Firm. (http://www.amazon.com/Super-Sculpey-FIRM-Gray-Pound/dp/B001C4RTP2)

You may also need a dremel tool, and a drill.

Build a skeleton out of armature wire for your maquette. It would help to draw it out and literally build the maquette over the turnaround drawing.

Then use copper wire to fasten the skeleton, and then drill it into the base. Poxy Putty will bond this and it will be permanent and strong.

Cover it with aluminum foil, to pad the skeleton, and also conserve the amount of sculpey you’ll need.

Lastly, layer your sculpey on the figure, and then SCULPT! Make your character.

Remember, a maquette will NOT be stable without a solid foundation, this is true of ANY structure. So, focus more on that, and take the time to create the maquette you need. I’ve done a few of these during college, and will be doing one more during the next month as a possible portfolio piece, if you want I can detail my steps for you, if you’d like to see my process…as my post was very basic, and just the bare minimum of what to do. Feel free to shoot me a PM and I’ll give you my contact information, if youre serious about learning how to sculpt.

I hope that provided some insight into what would help you out! Its all about learning! Pick up the pieces and try again!

11

^^ thanks for the tips, I’ll start working up a Sagat, to stand over failed Rufus and laugh, very soon.

12

Awesome. It would be wise to build your armature (the skeleton) of Sagat, using an existing image. With the image and knowledge of human anatomy, you’ll be fine.

Try using this to help you:

Build your armature on top of that, and be sure to take a look at human anatomy texts to get the back view correctly. Pay special attention to how CRMK creates his muscle masses.

Note: Rufus, would be a far easier maquette to start with, if you build a solid armature. Hes really a bunch of round masses and has stout round limbs. It would actually make a great training exercise.

13

Arttronik got to it before me.

You need to have a base to work off of. House without a foundation, as it were. But yea, the idea is to bring the figure out of the clay. I like to layer on and carve out the figure and the details.

14

Arttronik nailed everything. Follow those steps and you’ll be fine!

You can definitely do a lot with sculpey, one of my favorite artists use it exclusively. http://kymianawabi.com/artwork/530173_Detail_of_All_Wound_Up.html

15

its okay to heat up plastic in your oven? doesn’t that release some chemicals that are harmful to humans? I’m serious, I don’t even know if it is, but heating plastic was never a cool idea with me.

16

Haha I just burned the fuck out of my second sculpey. Good tips Attronik. Definitely post your process since it would help others too ( like me for instance ).

My sculp is burnt but still feels hard and solid, think I can go ahead and paint it?

17

just give it an undercoat?

18

I’m glad I was able to help, folks.

AOS: Its fine to heat in the oven, eating off of it probably wouldn’t be safe without coating afterwards, but “cooking” it is fine.

Coco_J: Burning your maquette means that left it in too long, OR…your source of heat was practically broiling your maquette. You can circumvent this by building a small heat dome in your oven. Take some aluminum foil and create a dome around your maquette (think of the dryers hairstylists use in salons) and literally use that to help create an even distribution of heat. Also, be sure to keep it in just long enough, you can grab a oven mitt or something (cloth around your hand, even…just be careful) and feel your maquette, if its solid and starting to brown its defintely done. The time of baking is usually about 20 minutes if you have a decent amount of aluminum padding and around less than an inch of sculpey layered on top of said foil.

As far as painting it, you can go ahead if you want. Painting it would hide SOME of the effect of a burned sculpt, but a sharp eye will catch textural differences. If this is purely for fun, by all means, go for it.

Also, I can post a process, of creating a maquette as I could use the practice. Id need to buy a box of sculpey next check…so maybe I can plan a bust or something. At the very least I can show everyone how I plan the armature, which in my opinion would be a very important step.

19

Thanks Attronik, that would be heaps awesome. Yeah I think I left it in too long, the instructions said to leave it in for a long time according to how thick it was, but I saw it and thought " that looks pretty much done " and still left it. Texture wise it’s fine. It’s just darker. Still, it’s just for personal use. It’s solid and that’s good enough!