Hopefully someone's following this so here's the next steps:
STEP TWO the ribcage, hips, posing and mounting
Polymer clay (super sculpey) should not be used too thickly as it may crack in the oven when it is being baked so to bulk up the hips and chest use plain old cooking foil wrapped in the correct spots. The foil will heat up and help cook your clay from the inside out and help avoid cracking in the thickest portions of the figure.
Photo #4 the foil wrapped figure.
It is only necessary to wrap for the ribcage and hips on a 1/6th scale or smaller figure (mine are actually about 11" high, an inch less overall than your standard 1/6th scale). Be sure to constantly compare to your anatomy chart your first few times to avoid having comically large hips or an enormous barrel chested ribcage. For females an average measurement of chest, waist, hip ratio is 1:73:1. Of course this is the "textbook body shape" and not the rule. Each person has different body shape and if you are attempting to create a real person (portrait) in miniature you will need to keep that in mind. After you are happy with the tightly wraped foil, cover the foil area with a tight wrap of the thin floral wire.
Photo #5
This is a picture of the inspiration of the sculpt. Just a few lines I sketched at work. She was intended to be a moon goddess holding aloft a crescent moon and casting the moons rays with her right hand however, I thought holding up the whole moon would be a bit silly so I have switched to the idea of holding a staff.
Photos #6 & 7
The Figure has been aproximately posed and mounted to the sculpting board. To mount into the board simply drill two holes slightly larger than the heavy armature wire and place the extra 1/2-3/4" of wire that you left on the ends of the legs in those holes. If it is wobbly take some wooden toothpicks and stuff them in the holes and break them off to fill the space. This will hold it steady and allow you to remove it from the base easily when the time comes that it must be removed. You will also notice the whole figure has been covered with a wrap of the thin floral wire this gives the "meat" layer of clay something to grip into for the next step...
Next time: time to start slappin the clay!
Watch this topic off the forum at: http://www.mordordesign.com/tutorial.com
Life is short have fun!
STEP TWO the ribcage, hips, posing and mounting
Polymer clay (super sculpey) should not be used too thickly as it may crack in the oven when it is being baked so to bulk up the hips and chest use plain old cooking foil wrapped in the correct spots. The foil will heat up and help cook your clay from the inside out and help avoid cracking in the thickest portions of the figure.
Photo #4 the foil wrapped figure.
It is only necessary to wrap for the ribcage and hips on a 1/6th scale or smaller figure (mine are actually about 11" high, an inch less overall than your standard 1/6th scale). Be sure to constantly compare to your anatomy chart your first few times to avoid having comically large hips or an enormous barrel chested ribcage. For females an average measurement of chest, waist, hip ratio is 1:73:1. Of course this is the "textbook body shape" and not the rule. Each person has different body shape and if you are attempting to create a real person (portrait) in miniature you will need to keep that in mind. After you are happy with the tightly wraped foil, cover the foil area with a tight wrap of the thin floral wire.
Photo #5
This is a picture of the inspiration of the sculpt. Just a few lines I sketched at work. She was intended to be a moon goddess holding aloft a crescent moon and casting the moons rays with her right hand however, I thought holding up the whole moon would be a bit silly so I have switched to the idea of holding a staff.
Photos #6 & 7
The Figure has been aproximately posed and mounted to the sculpting board. To mount into the board simply drill two holes slightly larger than the heavy armature wire and place the extra 1/2-3/4" of wire that you left on the ends of the legs in those holes. If it is wobbly take some wooden toothpicks and stuff them in the holes and break them off to fill the space. This will hold it steady and allow you to remove it from the base easily when the time comes that it must be removed. You will also notice the whole figure has been covered with a wrap of the thin floral wire this gives the "meat" layer of clay something to grip into for the next step...
Next time: time to start slappin the clay!
Watch this topic off the forum at: http://www.mordordesign.com/tutorial.com
Life is short have fun!