Pete in Lincs Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 9 hours ago, Hunter Rose said: Over the moon with how that went! I should think you are. Excellent facial work that really brings out the character in this Alien. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Rose Posted February 19, 2021 Author Share Posted February 19, 2021 14 hours ago, Toftdale said: Sculpting has never really been my thing (primarily due to a lack of talent). However ever it's been really fascinating reading your step by step guide and quite clearly being able to see how each element adds to the final piece. Thanks for sharing - Andy Thanks Andy, I try to make my WIPs as thorough as I can so nice to hear, and I always appreciate interest in my work 13 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said: I should think you are. Excellent facial work that really brings out the character in this Alien. Cheers Pete, yeah I really feel like the texture has breathed life into him! Done some mopre to the head, went of on a bit of a tangent somewhat by deciding to add some creases to the back of his nec to greater add to the material look of his face surround and further define it as seperate to the skin. So I started adding sausages of clay and trying to place them where I think it makes most sense, i blended the edges with my tools just to hold it in place and then use the ball stylus to shape and thin them. IMG_20210218_143601 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210218_143706 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210218_143943 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210218_144222 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210218_144327 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210218_144501 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210218_144610 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210218_144742 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210218_144920 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210218_145408 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210218_145414 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210218_145420 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210218_145514 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210218_145916 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210218_150535 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210218_151031 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210218_151039 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210218_151039 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210218_151044 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210218_151050 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210218_190216 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210218_190223 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210218_190259 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210218_190525 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210218_191800 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210218_191807 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210218_191853 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210218_191859 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210218_192120 by Nick Frost, on Flickr Now, I haven't really said anything between steps, as to be completely honest with you I wasn't sure if I liked the creases almost the whole time I was working on them. I think they look okay, and I guess they're at the back of the head, but I'd really appreciate opinions if I'm over thinking it or not. I think maybe the only part throwing it off is the diagoinal crease that connects the two larger creases on the back, I may remove it to see how it looks, as I do like the smaller ones on the sides. I also added a bit of detail to the helmet connector side bits IMG_20210218_193205 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210218_193213 by Nick Frost, on Flickr And with that, the head is done! IMG_20210218_194201 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210218_194045 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210218_194106 by Nick Frost, on Flickr As I said I may rework the creases but thats his head sorted, once I've got the torso started I will have to shorten his neck and add a bit of shoulder muscle but thats for when I come to add it on which is ages away yet. So next up, maybe a bit of work on the creases, and I'll have to draw out a scale plan of my figure to get the dimensions I'll need for the torso section then get cracking with an armature. Thanks for looking, more soon 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted February 19, 2021 Share Posted February 19, 2021 (edited) The creases look fine to me, though possibly agree on the one center diagonal by the spine. Might be an odd bit with that piece. Will the second head be exposed like this one or fully helmeted ? I would think that to be for the better, then you have one for off duty and one for combat so to say. Dennis Edited February 19, 2021 by Corsairfoxfouruncle 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Rose Posted February 19, 2021 Author Share Posted February 19, 2021 34 minutes ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said: The creases look fine to me, though possibly agree on the one center diagonal by the spine. Might be an odd bit with that piece. Will the second head be exposed like this one or fully helmeted ? I would think that to be for the better, then you have one for off duty and one for combat so to say. Dennis Thanks for the input Dennis, yeah think I'll move that crease, either redirect it make it separate so it doesn't meet another. And yes the second head will be fully helmeted so face totally covered 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted February 19, 2021 Share Posted February 19, 2021 You did ask. The diagonal one doesn't make anatomical sense, even for an alien. Maybe a small upside down V between those two tendons? It's connected at their base and then one connection to the skull? Hey, what do I know? Love it so far. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Rose Posted February 19, 2021 Author Share Posted February 19, 2021 54 minutes ago, Pete in Lincs said: You did ask. The diagonal one doesn't make anatomical sense, even for an alien. Maybe a small upside down V between those two tendons? It's connected at their base and then one connection to the skull? Hey, what do I know? Love it so far. Oh it's not crazy alien neck tendons yeah your right Pete that would make no sense. It's just creases in the stiff material of his neck surround, don't blame you for thinking that though, I really do need to rework those back ones! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted February 19, 2021 Share Posted February 19, 2021 I must have misread things somewhere. Sorry, bit tired and run down. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Rose Posted February 19, 2021 Author Share Posted February 19, 2021 No worries Pete, any input is always appreciated 👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Rose Posted February 22, 2021 Author Share Posted February 22, 2021 Just a quick little update, I have now taken out the back creases. I think they made no sense, if he was turning his neck maybe, but I think I was just getting carried away adding an unnecessary and unrealistic detail ! I have kept the smaller side ones, I do like how they look, but removed and blended out the back area. IMG_20210220_111013 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210220_111628 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210220_111637 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210220_111928 by Nick Frost, on Flickr Forgot to mention earlier, I have also given the material a slight bit of texture by just pressing a stiff bristle brush into the surface here and there. Also I started to think about scale and armature size, so measured his head and made a very rough proportion sketch based on an eight head figure. IMG_20210220_114345 by Nick Frost, on Flickr As you can see he's going to be big! Oh and the feet look weird because the T'au have hooves (really) For the actual armature I'm going to scale up a drawing of a skeleton and use that for it, I found that very helpful in my last sculpt and its a good way to make sure your wire armature is accurate in size and the limbs are as they should be. Thanks for looking, more soon 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Vale Posted February 24, 2021 Share Posted February 24, 2021 That's a good point about the hooves, there's also the little bit of reverse-jointed leg although it's not very pronounced. The Air Caste figure shows the anatomy quite well, but I think Fire Warriors et al are a bit chunkier. http://www.coolminiornot.com/pics/pics8/img43392030e8093.jpg (Link to CoolMiniOrNot page) Great work on the head, it's exciting to see these projects develop. Will 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Rose Posted February 25, 2021 Author Share Posted February 25, 2021 Thanks Will! And cheers for the link, that's a really good reference for the feet. One thing I was struggling to get my head around at first was how the foot/hoof impacts on the size of the lower leg. A lot of the models are of slightly squished proportions and artwork I've found shows a lot of variations. But that link shows what I was starting to think, that the lower leg is only slightly shorter (if at all) and the back jointed section is basically the foot at an angle from the ankle position with the hoof being extra from the toe position. Im currently sorting out how I'm doing the armature, it would be so much easier if it fit in the oven but hey ho I can manage. Basically I'm going to do the legs first on the base, and as it's lighter than a full figure at that point I won't have to add extra back support with a rod. Then the torso will be done on a separate armature slipped into a block of wood for stability like the head, then after baking I'll connect them using a brass rod sleeve to connect the two spinal sections. Weight is something I want to improve over my last sculpture, looking back I used way too much clay, I should have blocked out much more with foil. So for this one I'm planning on trying to keep the layers of clay as thin as possible which will also decrease the chances of cracks as well as hopefully speeding the process up! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Vale Posted February 26, 2021 Share Posted February 26, 2021 Sounds like a good plan - if you're doing all the armour stuff then there's plenty of room to hide the connections between parts. For Bemular I made a "cage" armature with foil around it, leaving the inside hollow. That meant he was really light and if necessary I could support him from the inside when applying clay. Once I had a first layer on I baked him and could sculpt the details over a hard surface. It might be different for you as you're using the stiffer grey stuff, this was all in the flesh coloured clay. If you go solid I would definitely pack the foil in really tight so nothing deforms under your tools. (My 2p, based on not enough evidence/expertise!) W 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Rose Posted February 26, 2021 Author Share Posted February 26, 2021 Ah Bemular, that was a bloody good build Will! Yeah my thoughts exactly on the armour, I'm thinking of doing the split where his belt will be to cover it, or failing that the undersuit they wear seams fairly baggy with folds anyway so can even use them to help with a seamless join. Will hopefully have an update soon, just sorting out the wood for the base Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carts Posted March 7, 2021 Share Posted March 7, 2021 Don't know how I missed this,but glad I've caught up,real sculpting skills on display,and a handy how to guide to boot.(should I ever pluck up the courage😀) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cadman Posted March 7, 2021 Share Posted March 7, 2021 Wow, this entire thread is just...amazing! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Rose Posted March 8, 2021 Author Share Posted March 8, 2021 On 3/7/2021 at 12:26 AM, Carts said: Don't know how I missed this,but glad I've caught up,real sculpting skills on display,and a handy how to guide to boot.(should I ever pluck up the courage😀) Welcome by Nick Frost, on Flickr Cheers Andy! Thats alright you've been up to your neck in cool aliens stuff as usual On 3/7/2021 at 1:13 AM, Cadman said: Wow, this entire thread is just...amazing! Appreciate the kind words Cadman, thanks! Right just a quick update nothing that exciting (apart from *SPOILER ALERT* a pine tabletop 😎 ) I've been sorting out the base and getting my head around the armature, this is always the bit I find that takes the time, all the niggly sorting out rather than the sculpting. So I've had an old pine tabletop (end of spoilers) in my shed that I decided to cut a chunk out of rather than bother trying to buy something off the 'bay. IMG_20210226_153537 by Nick Frost, on Flickr Ah carpentry, the unsung modelling skill IMG_20210226_160129 by Nick Frost, on Flickr And after a bit of jigsawing and sanding I have a base to stand the legs on. IMG_20210306_153252 by Nick Frost, on Flickr I've now printed out a skeleton thats the same size as my fire warrior, so I used it as a guide to bend some wire to shape to ensure the correct sizing. IMG_20210306_153542 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210306_155651 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210306_163038 by Nick Frost, on Flickr For the feet, I bent them at a lowered angle as the sit up on their hooves. So I used the forearm length as a foot size guide to know where to bend, then put a slight kink on the end for where the hoof will go. If need be I can fine tune it once I start I just want to make sure all the major bends and marking out is done for now. IMG_20210306_163044 by Nick Frost, on Flickr Then I wired the two bits together, leaving only a single wire going up for the spine as at some point this is where I'll slip a nit of brass tube to the torso section. IMG_20210306_163336 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210307_152314 by Nick Frost, on Flickr I've drilled holes in the base now and I've superglued and used greenstuff to make sure the two wired sections for the legs are firmly together IMG_20210307_153622 by Nick Frost, on Flickr So thats where its up to, once thats dry I'll start blocking out with foil. Like I said previously I just want to try and use as much foil as I can to keep the clay from becoming too thick. Thanks for looking, more soon Edit: oh forgot to mention, I've also changed the title as I measured and checked, and he is 1/5 scale. Knew he was bigger but wasn't sure how much bigger than 1/6 he was 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockpopandchips Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 Catching up, absolutely stunning head sculpture and really looking forward to see what you do with the body and how you build up those horse/centaur type legs. Just out of interest what is the circumference and hight of the head? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Rose Posted March 14, 2021 Author Share Posted March 14, 2021 On 3/12/2021 at 6:50 PM, rockpopandchips said: Catching up, absolutely stunning head sculpture and really looking forward to see what you do with the body and how you build up those horse/centaur type legs. Just out of interest what is the circumference and hight of the head? Cheers Brian! His head is about 5.5cm from chin to top of head, and the circumference is roughly between 16-17cm Been working on the lower body armature so just sharing the progress so far, I got the basic wire skeleton onto the base after drilling some holes IMG_20210313_104805 by Nick Frost, on Flickr And then I twisted some soft armature wire around for strength and also to give the foil a little more purchase to it. IMG_20210314_115040 by Nick Frost, on Flickr Then I started building up the foil under structure by wrapping it around tightly and scrunching it on to get it as firm as I can at this stage IMG_20210314_115752 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210314_120301 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210314_154051 by Nick Frost, on Flickr At this point I had to be careful to stop just wrapping around on his thighs, as the thigh bone sits at an angle and most of the flesh and muscle is on the inner side, so I didn't want the outside getting too thick and had to roll some extra bits to add to the inner thigh. IMG_20210314_154235 by Nick Frost, on Flickr I wired them on as tight as I can and also wrapped some wire around all of it IMG_20210314_154545 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210314_154552 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210314_154603 by Nick Frost, on Flickr The wire is firm but I'm still going to add glue once its all done, and I may even squish in some greenstuff to firm it and strengthen it. Next I'm going to keep adding foil to build up the profile of the legs, the rear end and waist need thickening up still and then I'll glue and fix the whole thing again to get it as firm as I can at this early stage. Thanks for looking, more soon 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Rose Posted March 18, 2021 Author Share Posted March 18, 2021 Right quick update, I've now pretty much finished the lower body armature. Just been packing more foil on, and trying to build up the shape more. This has been a more rigourous process than last time I did this as I'm adding more foil to use less clay, but I have to be careful not to use too much so I have to keep checking it to my proportion diagrams to make sure I'm keeping everything on track. IMG_20210315_113730 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210315_115155 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210315_115241 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210315_115636 by Nick Frost, on Flickr At this point I started to build up the inner thigh and crotch before beefing out his middle section, it was a bit awkward to wrap wire around so I used greenstuff to help block out and also to secure the foil in places. IMG_20210318_112116 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210318_113550 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210318_113602 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210318_113843 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210318_113859 by Nick Frost, on Flickr I do have some leeway here as the under armour clothing is quite loose, but the more work you put in on the armature now to get your proportions and measurements right the better as it makes life so much easier later on when the clay goes on and your nailing down specifics. Only things I'm going to do more is cut the foil at the top so its leveled off at a point just below his navel as thats where his belt will be and will cover the join between top and bottom. Also I may have to add a little more support from the base to the top of the armature to make it a bit more solid to work on. So next up will be clay! Thanks for looking, more soon 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toftdale Posted March 18, 2021 Share Posted March 18, 2021 You really need to change the name of this thread to "1/5 T'au Fire Warrior Full Figure Sculpt Masterclass" 😉 - Andy 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Rose Posted March 19, 2021 Author Share Posted March 19, 2021 Thank you Andy appreciate the compliment! But there's still plenty that could go wrong!! 🤞 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Rose Posted March 26, 2021 Author Share Posted March 26, 2021 Right nothing too exciting to show, just been finally adding clay to the armature, I've also added a bit more strength to the back support by hammering in a solid rod and wiring it onto the support. This process always feels slow, the clay is very firm and brittle till you warm it and squish it abut with your hands, so you cant do too much at once so getting a lot of flat bits to cover is a bit of a pain in the hand! IMG_20210325_191954 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210325_193007 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210325_193445 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210326_164933 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210326_165254 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210326_165535 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210326_201512 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210326_201710 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210326_201718 by Nick Frost, on Flickr Its important to really squeeze and press it on as tight as you can, it needs to be a firm base to work on and you dont want it slipping from the armature. And now its on just as a base covering, I can begin adding more clay to build up shape and the details, I'll start from the bottom with the hooves and work my way up. Thanks for looking, more soon 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted March 27, 2021 Share Posted March 27, 2021 Well, that's me caught up and impressed once more. The bigger the better BTW! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Rose Posted March 27, 2021 Author Share Posted March 27, 2021 Cheers Pete, yeah and I feel like it seems even bigger now I'm getting clay on it! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Rose Posted March 29, 2021 Author Share Posted March 29, 2021 Okay, update time, I sat down last night and made a start on the feet. Started by rolling a couple of balls of clay as a start point to building up the hooves and then smoothing them into the foot IMG_20210328_185419 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210328_185846 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210328_185911 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210328_185952 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210328_190113_1 by Nick Frost, on Flickr Shaped them a bit more by cutting the edges, I dont want them to spread out too wide and start to look too cartoony IMG_20210328_190144 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210328_190347 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210328_190518 by Nick Frost, on Flickr The hooves are exposed, so I need to make an edge to show where they are coming out of the material, and also that it goes between them. IMG_20210328_190619 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210328_190706 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210328_190749 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210328_190857 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210328_190944 by Nick Frost, on Flickr I need another edge too to show the transition from his skin to the hoof, so I rolled a thin sausage to make a start IMG_20210328_191109 by Nick Frost, on Flickr Also just to mention when I'm blending I often use my soft silicon blending tools to remove the marks from the harder metal tools and help with smoothing IMG_20210328_191207 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210328_191517 by Nick Frost, on Flickr Then blended in the skin side IMG_20210328_191628 by Nick Frost, on Flickr And repeated for the other IMG_20210328_191752 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210328_192005 by Nick Frost, on Flickr Then added some texture to the skin IMG_20210328_192137 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210328_193808 by Nick Frost, on Flickr Just a zoomed out pic to show proportions IMG_20210328_193832 by Nick Frost, on Flickr They have another spur that comes out from the side of the foot, so rolled a cone of clay and blended it in with another sausage to give an edge to the material its sticking through IMG_20210328_193919 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210328_194131 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210328_194218 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210328_194503 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210328_194700 by Nick Frost, on Flickr Then I added some splits to the hooves to add more detail and show wear IMG_20210328_194845 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210328_194855 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210328_194929 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20210328_194942 by Nick Frost, on Flickr So thats where he's up to, and I already know at the next session I'm going to make changes. I think the spur on the side is too low, I'm going to move it up to the ankle bend as I think that makes more sense. I'm using the miniatures as my main reference and the proportions are a little squashed which I forgot to bear in mind Allso I'm going to flatten off the top to bottom profile of the hooves so they aren't curved, at the minute I think it looks a bit more "magical fairy land" than "death by pulse rifle" and possible a little too toe-like. I may remove a couple of the splits too so there aren't as many, think I went a touch overboard. So thats what I'll do later, and work on the shape of the calf muscle and the rest of the leather foot coverings before copying it over to the other side Thanks for looking, more soon 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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