Modeling clays?

CharlieDog

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#1
Right now Im using Scupley original to make my models, but its a pain in the arse to try to get fingerprints out of. Lots of sanding, and Id like it better if it held its shape at room temp a bit better. Its a very soft clay which is both good and bad.

Ive picked up some 2oz packages of fimo soft, two different kato colors and some premo sculey. So far ive only played with the translucent kato, but its ridiculously hard to get kneaded and workable.

Any suggestions as far as that goes?

Im building armatures for my larger pieces and that helps but imnfinding it difficult to get details set in the sculpey without leaving fingerprints.

Anyway, who here works with this type of clay? I know Romy does so im hoping shell chime in here too
 

smkie

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#2
A sculpey created dog went for 500 at Art Unleashed this year, and it was only a couple inches big. IT is a good medium, you just got to figure out the ins and outs of it. Clay is my medium, I don't know about others.
 

Keechak

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#3
I have used Super Sculpey in the past and have sold one 3" tall sculpture for $110. I have recently switched to Sculpey Firm for the color mostly.
 

CharlieDog

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#4
Thats awesome. Ive considered making small sculptures on commision, mostly because ii really enjoy it but also because ive got a lot of free time, rofl

Nice to see that there can be a market though.


Im really really liking the premo sculpey. Its very nice. Of course its all the most expensive. The kato ended up a lot softer than i expected after it was conditioned i guess. Its okay, but it looks like even small ones are going to need armature support.

The fimo im not a fan of either. Based on the two ounces ive got, i wouldnt buy a block. I wish my internet would work, ive got a couple id like to show you guys that are works in progress.
 
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#5
Wow, it's been a long time for me since sculpting. I'll have to go look it up, but I really hate the "melting" factor in unbaked colored sculpey, but found this huge brick of plain white sculpey that is so easy to work with, but since it's white you do have to paint it. I can't say as I've actually found one that didn't hold some amount of finger prints. I also hate Femo, I have a few bricks that I sometimes mix with a sclupey to get softer, but may just end up eventually throwing them out if they're not rock hard by now (it's been at least two-three years since I last picked it up). One thing you could try to get out the finger prints, cover them up, I bought this semi-gloss clear sealer and after applying it to the pieces they were completely smooth, but it might not be ideal for your application.
 

CharlieDog

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#6




Here's a few that I've made and are baked already. I'm most pleased with the skinny dog. I think it may end up being my bosses dog, but so far I don't know. I'm less pleased with the sighthoundy one as his foot doesn't want to cooperate with me. :p

What sort of sealer did you use? I'm trying to figure out some way to seal the Ozzy I made. He's been painted with acrylics, which is what I'm planning on painting all of them with. But something I could seal them with after sanding, before painting, and then again after painting would be ideal.
 
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#7
I have no idea where the bottle went! But I know it was made by sculpey so on a quick Google search it came up with it, "Sculpey glaze", I'm sure I paid too much for it, and there's a cheaper way to seal them, 50% of what was left went bad (hard in the jar) a year ago because I didn't use it up in time, it air drys in minutes.
 

CharlieDog

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#8
lol. I just saw that, it was like three dollars for an ounce! I just found you can use Modge Podge though, so I'm going to try that.
 

Snark

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#9
Sis hasn't done any modeling in awhile but when she did, she liked to use Super Sculpey. She'd build a wire armature and also use styrofoam balls to keep the sculpture from getting too heavy (she liked to sculpt horses and the styrofoam would dissolve in the oven, leaving the pieces hollow). Sis used the wooden sculpting tools used for clay for the details, as well as that little metal thingy (helpful, huh?) for smoothing out the bumps.

Hopefully this will show up - it's a Saddlebred she made a few years ago. Painted with acrylics but I don't think she sealed it with anything.




I'll have to dig up some old photos, Sis also did 'cartoon' sculptures, usually horse related (the pitfalls of jumping, eventing and/or foxhunting).
 
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CharlieDog

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#10
That is gorgeous!!! I wish I could find Super Sculpey in a store. All I've found is Sculpey III and Premo and the Original kind.

I mixed some Fimo and the original together tonight, I actually quite like it now. :p
 

Romy

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#11
That's a beautiful horse!

I like your skinny dog too. :)

For getting prints out, it depends. Some pieces I work on in stages and bake in between so that I have a hard surface to hold while detailing other parts. Fresh stuff adheres to cured surfaces really well.

Fimo I don't like, it tends to be crumbly.

My favorite favorite favorite type of polymer clay is prosculpt. You can paint it but it's amazing too in that it's sort of translucent like real skin. It's also a lot stronger than others. I think it's made by the sculpey company. I get mine through Jack Johnston's Art Dolls. Sometimes he gets surplus in a color and sells the bricks for $10 each which is a super good deal. If you look at the price of those little super sculpey bricks it's a better deal I think.

http://www.artdolls.com/

Here's an early blue faerie dude pic so you can see what I mean about the translucence. It's shining through his ear. Also, his eyes are black glass beads and the shadow around them is the bead showing through his eyelids. It looked kinda cool and I'm kicking myself for painting his lids now. Ah well.


Also, he's a good example of something baked and sculpted in stages. Initially I did his chest piece and neck, with a little stemmy thing sticking up to put the head on. That was baked VERY briefly so it wouldn't burn, about 5 mins on 270 F. Then I did his head/face. That way I could hold his chest piece and not make finger prints. Left holes where the ears go, and baked it again.

Then I put ears on. Tada! No fingerprints.

Another awesome thing about the Prosculpt is the way it takes detail. It sort of dimples in and makes more organic looking lines when you're working on it. There's a lot less edge smoothing anyway.

ETA: I like sculpey original too. Sometimes I'll use it on top of a wire armature, to bulk it out and stiffen it up and sort of build up a core that can be cured. After baking it I'll "skin" it with prosculpt. It saves money that way.

ETAETA: When curing stuff in the oven, I'll use wadded up tinfoil to prop up the sculpture. You can make it any shape you need.
 

CharlieDog

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#12


Not quite finished and sealed yet, but another one I've done. Hopefully, if all goes well, this will be my first commission!
 

Romy

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#13
You do a really good job with the planes of their heads. :) I noticed the same thing with the Ozzy one in your other thread. It makes me wanna pet their faces.
 

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