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No-Sign-of-Sanity β€” Quickie Face Tutorial

Published: 2006-11-08 07:51:52 +0000 UTC; Views: 63643; Favourites: 406; Downloads: 3531
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Description **This is an animated .gif so you must "FULL VIEW" it to see what the hell I'm talking about!!!**

This is just a quick sculpting tutorial I threw together to preach about the wonders of Super Sculpey and heat guns. Super Sculpey is a heat-activated polymer clay that stays soft and workable until you bake it in your home oven. But by using a heat gun you can sculpt features and quickly "flash" bake them on the spot without having to constantly run back and forth to the kitchen.

So when doing really fine detail work, it really helps to be able to quickly bake certain features so you can work right next to them and not have to worry about mushing them on accident. So here I go thru a few stages of blocking in the features of a face and I'm using a heat gun to set those features in between each step to lock in the details.

1.) The basic shape of the eyes is done and the top row of teeth is sculpted. Then I hit it with the heat gun.
2.) The lower row of teeth is sculpted, and then I hit it with the heat gun.
3.) The lower eyelids are sculpted, and then I hit it with the heat gun.
4.) The upper eyelids, the brow structure and the top of the head are all sculpted and detailed, then heat-gunned
5.) The lips are sculpted and the jaw and neck are given some detail and then the whole piece is thrown in the oven for a full bake.

While this isn't the most intricate tutorial ever made, hopefully it'll help pull back the curtain about my process of sculpting details.

Oh by the way, this piece is 1/8th scale so this head is just barely bigger than a quarter coin. I'll share more of this piece as it draws closer to completion.

Hope this helps guys!
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Comments: 175

No-Sign-of-Sanity In reply to ??? [2006-11-15 07:22:24 +0000 UTC]

Ha! It never occured to me either until I read about it in a magazine years ago. Now I've stolen the technique as my own!!!

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VikThor [2006-11-10 01:17:42 +0000 UTC]

wow

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No-Sign-of-Sanity In reply to VikThor [2006-11-15 07:22:33 +0000 UTC]

Thank you!

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znow-white In reply to ??? [2006-11-10 00:05:35 +0000 UTC]

My poor viking horns are saddened...I was expecting to see a model of you...well you have always said you are the model for your images and such....

but seriously Walt that is quite a remarkable transition...will try this on my mashed potatoe....

Kudo's for the tut..

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No-Sign-of-Sanity In reply to znow-white [2006-11-15 07:54:37 +0000 UTC]

Yeah it's not the best tut, but it's better than nothing....

Oh and this looks just like me... if my skin were horribly burned and I were cursed to be a general in Satan's army.

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znow-white In reply to No-Sign-of-Sanity [2006-11-16 10:40:58 +0000 UTC]

Well it better than I could ever do..

lol....ok I'll take that back about being you..we wouldn't want you burnt or any nasty soldiers of hell getting their mitts on you ...

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Kyre In reply to ??? [2006-11-09 06:57:23 +0000 UTC]

HAHAHAHAHAHA, I love that step one is two million times more awesome than I could make a finished-sculpting product!

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No-Sign-of-Sanity In reply to Kyre [2006-11-15 07:58:24 +0000 UTC]

Well, we all have to start somewhere...

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digiko4u [2006-11-09 04:32:58 +0000 UTC]

Ur stuff is so awesome i need to practice my faces more the bodies seem a lot easier to me for some strange reason but i find firing the whole piece a little hard... Hey!! ^ w ^ Do you do it piece by piece or altogether lol!! HEHEHE!

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No-Sign-of-Sanity In reply to digiko4u [2006-11-09 05:04:33 +0000 UTC]

I roughly block in the whole figure so I know where everything is going to go, then I start detailing things piece by piece. So right now this figure has a full rough body, but a finished head. You really need to get the entire flow of the sculpture down before you really start tightening things up otherwise it'll feel stiff and disjointed in the end.

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ArcanuS-ArtifeX In reply to ??? [2006-11-09 01:58:05 +0000 UTC]

Damn nice work bro !!!! Make my sculptures look like dirt hahahaha !!! Got plans to do a how to of the upper body anytime soon? i been haveing probs with the abs !! Great work bro Mike Lang

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No-Sign-of-Sanity In reply to ArcanuS-ArtifeX [2006-11-15 07:30:01 +0000 UTC]

Yeah I could probably put together an ab tutorial. The best advice I could give you though is that being subtle is best. We all generally hit that area of the body harder than we need to and it tends to make it look more cartoony. Also get yourself some muscle magazines or men's health magazines and have them next to you when you sculpt. It really helps.

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BobRedding [2006-11-08 23:03:44 +0000 UTC]

Is there a wirey kinda skeleton underneath? Or is it 100% sculpey stuff?

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No-Sign-of-Sanity In reply to BobRedding [2006-11-15 08:07:23 +0000 UTC]

Yes there is a very sturdy Aluminum wire armature underneath.

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BobRedding In reply to ??? [2006-11-08 22:58:38 +0000 UTC]

I AM IMPRESSED! IMPRESSED! I wanna do it!

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No-Sign-of-Sanity In reply to BobRedding [2006-11-15 08:07:45 +0000 UTC]

Well give it a go then!!!

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krazzydragon33 [2006-11-08 21:51:41 +0000 UTC]

Thank you perhaps the next time I pick up the sculpty I may do better instead of relying on the dremel so much to fix what I couldn't sculpt XD;;

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No-Sign-of-Sanity In reply to krazzydragon33 [2006-11-15 08:08:45 +0000 UTC]

Ah a dremel is something that I still don't have but I wish I did... it would save me soooo much time!

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krazzydragon33 In reply to No-Sign-of-Sanity [2006-11-15 21:36:37 +0000 UTC]

lol

Mine is hardly worth getting envious over XD its just a $20 cheepie I got through some deal with one of those stupid sweepstakes things. I can get more attachments easily at Sears so I'm happy and it works for as well as I need it to work lol.

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No-Sign-of-Sanity In reply to krazzydragon33 [2006-11-16 02:37:14 +0000 UTC]

I really need to get one, even if it's just the cheapy kind. I was working on a carving down a piece today and thought to myself "This would be a hell of a lot easier if I had a dremel!!!"

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krazzydragon33 In reply to No-Sign-of-Sanity [2006-11-16 22:14:05 +0000 UTC]

Yeah....tis a *lot* easier than trying to sand things back down with various sandpapers and staring in frusteration XD;

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Dub-T In reply to ??? [2006-11-08 19:57:44 +0000 UTC]

First, great tute.

Second, the piece looks really good so far.

I agree that Regular white Sculpey sucks but one works with what one has, sadly. And I still a half a "case" left.

So where can I get a heat gun and would you reccomend any particular type?

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No-Sign-of-Sanity In reply to Dub-T [2006-11-08 20:59:49 +0000 UTC]

I got my heat gun at Sears years ago, but I'm sure most hardware stores still carry them. They're generally used for stripping paint and wallpaper so they are fairly common items. Mine is a Black & Decker but I'm pretty sure they're all generally the same across all brands. I'd look for one that has a dual heat setting so that you're not always blasting the thing full force if you don't want to be.

Also let me warn you that there is a fair amount of learning curve involved in using one, so work on some test pieces first to get the hang of it. If you're not careful you can really scorch your sculpture and turn it black in seconds.

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britt-lipy In reply to ??? [2006-11-08 18:30:29 +0000 UTC]

that's awesome! i so want to see more of these from you!

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No-Sign-of-Sanity In reply to britt-lipy [2006-11-08 18:47:12 +0000 UTC]

Definitely! I'll keep them coming as time permits!

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britt-lipy In reply to No-Sign-of-Sanity [2006-11-13 02:36:44 +0000 UTC]

yey!

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drido In reply to ??? [2006-11-08 18:08:31 +0000 UTC]

ItΒ΄s really cool the sculpy, i know some guys the work in it, but IΒ΄m pretty bad with the sculpture, even plasticine is a challenge to me. Do you use tools or only with hands?

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No-Sign-of-Sanity In reply to drido [2006-11-08 18:51:20 +0000 UTC]

I mostly just use my hands. I've got 2 mains tools that I do use though. One is a very sharp pointed tool with rounded sides that looks like a large needle. The other is a very short bristled oil painting brush that I use to smooth out my forms with alcohol. That's pretty much it.

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drido In reply to No-Sign-of-Sanity [2006-11-09 16:20:22 +0000 UTC]

Sculture is something that I still don't know.

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ATLbladerunner In reply to ??? [2006-11-08 16:53:02 +0000 UTC]

ooo, a heat gun! Why did I never think of that??

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No-Sign-of-Sanity In reply to ATLbladerunner [2006-11-08 17:47:16 +0000 UTC]

I never really thought of it either. I read about it in a garage kit magazine years ago and have been using one ever since.

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tsunnamii In reply to ??? [2006-11-08 15:43:17 +0000 UTC]

great work!!

thaks for the tips!


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No-Sign-of-Sanity In reply to tsunnamii [2006-11-08 17:48:10 +0000 UTC]

Sure! I'm always glad to help!

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Pzak In reply to ??? [2006-11-08 13:40:00 +0000 UTC]

Cool

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No-Sign-of-Sanity In reply to Pzak [2006-11-08 17:55:12 +0000 UTC]

Whatever Mike! I don't need your pity compliments!!! One day I'll be a Sculpey god just like you, and I'll be wielding my heat gun like the hammer of Thor! Then we'll see how "cool" you think that is!!!






Thanks Mike!

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Pzak In reply to No-Sign-of-Sanity [2006-11-08 19:45:17 +0000 UTC]

Heat gun?!?

You are insane, my friend? Everytime I use one, the surface turns out like chicken pox.

And when are you going to switch to the Grey SuperSculpey? Opaque grey rules! No more mystery finger prints.

Actually, I meant the animated gif was cool, not your steaming pile of polymer.........

Kidding..........I kid.

Actually, it is very well done. I just am not very articulate in the morning.

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No-Sign-of-Sanity In reply to Pzak [2006-11-08 21:12:55 +0000 UTC]

Oh don't get me worng, I've ruined many a sculpture with some lackluster heatgun-slinging. But I've pretty much got the technique down now so I'm rather fearless with the fucker these days.

Actually this is some of that gray super sculpey. It's just a bit of the yellow tone from the bad lighting in these shitty pics that still makes it look a touch pink. I mixed some black and white Premo Sculpey in to my normal pink stuff and I'm definitely never going back. I have seen the light brotha!

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Pzak In reply to No-Sign-of-Sanity [2006-11-08 21:58:04 +0000 UTC]

Dude! Mixing SS is for the birds. You can buy it in Grey at most crafts stores now. Step into the 21st century.

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No-Sign-of-Sanity In reply to Pzak [2006-11-08 22:39:16 +0000 UTC]

Well Mr. Richy Rich, just because your George-Jetson-ass is from the future and living in a cloud-city where they sell pre-mixed sculpey and robotic arms to sculpt it for you, doesn't mean that some of us broke-ass surface dwelling folks aren't above saving a dollar or 2 by mixing it the old-fashioned way!!!

Actually, I like my super sculpey a touch softer than normal, so since I already have to knead in some of that sculpey solvent shit anyway, I figure I might as well just mix the color myself.

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Pzak In reply to No-Sign-of-Sanity [2006-11-09 13:48:47 +0000 UTC]

Geez, man. I would have thought that that Geico you and your other caveman buddy starred in would have paid better. Oh, well......back to the stone age for you.

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Iyou In reply to ??? [2006-11-08 13:31:47 +0000 UTC]

Bravo! I've always wondered how you end up with such wonderful work. Even though I've never tried sculpture before, I think I just might go out and get some Super-Sculpey to try this.

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No-Sign-of-Sanity In reply to Iyou [2006-11-08 17:56:45 +0000 UTC]

Thank you! Give it a shot, you just might get hooked like I did. It totally feels like I'm making my own toys!!!

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Clayprinter In reply to ??? [2006-11-08 13:20:25 +0000 UTC]

More!!!...

Excellent job btw...

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No-Sign-of-Sanity In reply to Clayprinter [2006-11-08 17:58:00 +0000 UTC]

I'll put together a way more detailed one in the future where I really show the WHOLE process. Stay tuned!

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cypherx In reply to ??? [2006-11-08 11:45:39 +0000 UTC]

You know, I really need to get some of this, I had always wondered on how the Super Sculpey Gods of this site worked... I didn't realize you could add to it, I kind of figured it was all a "take away" process... it's very very impressive

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No-Sign-of-Sanity In reply to cypherx [2006-11-08 18:10:12 +0000 UTC]

It's totally the most user friendly sculpting medium out there. You can pretty much do anything to the stuff you want so it'll accomodate just about any style of work you can think of. Right now I'm working on a mini human skull and I pretty much started with a solid cube of SS that I baked and I'm carving away at it with an exacto knife. I drilled out the eye sockets (with an actual fucking drill no less) and I don't ever have to worry about really screwing things up because I can always just add more Sculpey to it and start over.

It's great stuff!

Make sure you get "Super Sculpey" though becasue the regular white sculpey sucks donkey balls.

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cypherx In reply to No-Sign-of-Sanity [2006-11-08 23:39:05 +0000 UTC]

But I do so enjoy a good suckling a jackass now and again; perhaps I should try the white shite

For certain I'll get super sculpey, as I've heard nothing but good things about it from people I've admired.

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No-Sign-of-Sanity In reply to cypherx [2006-11-15 08:06:23 +0000 UTC]

Seriously, if you have any sculpting questions that I can help you with please just let me know!

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cypherx In reply to No-Sign-of-Sanity [2006-11-15 10:15:44 +0000 UTC]

I will most certainly take you up on that (as I always do when someone of talent offers)

thanks again!

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No-Sign-of-Sanity In reply to cypherx [2006-11-15 18:21:05 +0000 UTC]

My pleasure! And I'm not the only talented one in this conversation...

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