Attn: Custom Artists!! Newbs, ask Questions here!

[Skiman]

I remember my first box of Firm Sculpey

 

[agonistes86]

It's me again, with another question:

I want to remove the stock paint from a sculpt (Hot Toys to be exact).
I've read here that submerging the head in acetone for a couple of seconds and wiping it gently afterwards does the trick. As I don't want the remove all of the paint, do you think it's possible to put acetone on a cotton pad and brush the sculpt with it? I'm not sure if the swiping over the head could do damage to the fine details of the sculpt.
And BTW, I'd like to use Goof Off, but I haven't found any place I could get it from here in Germany.

 

[knucklefunger]

Use Pine Sol

Soak it overnight in a closed container. Scrub with a sooth brush or denture brush. If needed, repeat. Acetone can make a vinyl head turn white.

I've done it a lot. It works

Hope this helps

 

[agonistes86]

Use Pine Sol

Soak it overnight in a closed container. Scrub with a sooth brush or denture brush. If needed, repeat. Acetone can make a vinyl head turn white.

I've done it a lot. It works

Hope this helps

That's another specific brand, can't find it here in Germany. And soaking the head would remove all of the paint, I only want selected areas though. Thanks for the info though, all input is appreciated.

 

[Skiman]

That's another specific brand, can't find it here in Germany. And soaking the head would remove all of the paint, I only want selected areas though. Thanks for the info though, all input is appreciated.

This is what I do.

I have paint thinner from Hobby Lobby whenever doing this, instead of a cue tip which would work it's not strong enough to make the impression to get to the tight corners of the sculpt or to be exact if you want to save the eyes, etc....

I wrap a mini flat head screw driver that usually is used to fix computer or it's a mini screw driver set and I use the smallest flat head of the bunch. I wrap that in a paper towel to where it has that nice flat edge but at the same time the paper towel is wrapped around enough to where it won't cause damage to the sculpt. Once I dip that portion into the paint thinner I carefully work my way around the face and edges using the flat edge to be more precise and exact.

It works for me but others might have a better solution.

 

[agonistes86]

This is what I do.

I have paint thinner from Hobby Lobby whenever doing this, instead of a cue tip which would work it's not strong enough to make the impression to get to the tight corners of the sculpt or to be exact if you want to save the eyes, etc....

I wrap a mini flat head screw driver that usually is used to fix computer or it's a mini screw driver set and I use the smallest flat head of the bunch. I wrap that in a paper towel to where it has that nice flat edge but at the same time the paper towel is wrapped around enough to where it won't cause damage to the sculpt. Once I dip that portion into the paint thinner I carefully work my way around the face and edges using the flat edge to be more precise and exact.

It works for me but others might have a better solution.

Thanks for the info, will definitely become useful for those hard to reach places.
I just tried out the acetone on a spare TrueType head first, worked pretty well. Made sure to wash the head with soapy water afterwards though, to make sure none of the acetone rests on the head and eats into the plastic.

 

[Mighty_Jabba]

Hi guys! Can anyone share a good recipe for african-american skin tone using acrylic paint?

 

[red4]

.....

 

[jinroh75]

Hey folks! New here. I'm looking for some sculptors who can create a female head sculpt to fit a Triad Toys Alpha Female body.

have you checked and posted on the triad forum? there's some pretty awesome sculptors on there.

 

[red4]

.....

 

[EKT]

Questions to all painters here. I just started painting headsculpts and i gotta say I kinda enjoy it (Hate doing eyes though). Can you guys share your painting technique? I use all brush, Acrylic base for skin, and pastels for shading; I've tried acrylic for shading as well, they stand out more than pastels, but honestly, I'm not sure which looks better. Also for those using acrylics can you guys share color recipes for different skin tones?
Thanks in advance

Edmund

 

[GodofWar]

This is a great thread to be able to learn many great techniques from everyone. I though I'd post here to see if anyone has ever tried to do a head sculpt of family member or someone close to them. There is someone on this board that inquired about a commission of the sort done, and I followed along with the request. If any great female head sculptures are out there, would anyone be able to give a good reference? This would really be amazing for us.

 

[agen_kolar]

If I wanted to commission someone to sculpt a 1/6 head for me, should I create my own topic or ask somewhere else that already been established?

 

[DSD]

I have a question for those that use Super Sculpey Firm. I decided to take up sculpting recently and after a little searching decided Sculpey Firm might be a good choice for this. I've never used clay of any kind before this.

Now my problem is that I've been using Sculpey Firm for a few weeks now, just doing basic things to get a feel of things, and I'm finding it generally very frustrating. I have no complaint with actual sculpting, the trouble I'm finding is with the clay. Firstly, it seems like it takes a lot of time to begin with, warming and kneading the clay for use, and then after that I'm finding I still have to knead the clay as I work. The clay often seems to crumble/break as I work with it and it doesn't seem to blend together easily. Like if I had a blob of clay and then I wanted to fatten a section just a little with just a very small and thin strip of clay, it's a lot of work to get that thin strip to blend on smoothly. I come across a lot of folds and pockets, too.

In general, it just seems very tough to work with freely. It feels like half the time is spent getting the clay workable rather than actual sculpting, even after the preparation stage. Is this how things normally are or does it sound like I'm doing something wrong or have some old/bad clay?

My preparation process at the moment is that I break the Sculpey up into pieces no bigger than 3cm or so and then I put it in a plastic bag in warm-to-hot water. After I leave it there for a short while, I knead it with my fingers. Even if I just had a very small ball of it and kept kneading it for five-minutes straight it still breaks and crumbles. Is that normal? I was expecting it to have the smooth quality of blu-tack or an art/kneaded eraser, almost. Is it not meant to be like that? Is regular Super Sculpey more like that?

Dude, I had exactly the same problem. I bought some Super Sculpey Firm on eBay that was advertised as "new" and when it arrived it was like rock, and it just crumbled in my hand. Also the box was crumpled and clearly not new, so I complained and got a refund.

It was a minor nightmare though, as the guy kept telling me it was fine, even though I have seen umpteen videos of people using it and blending it just like the flesh coloured Super Sculpey (which I currently use).

Anyway, I've got another box coming soon from a reputable art shop, so I'll let you know how it turns out!

 

[DSD]

Sculpey Firm arrived, and it's perfect! So you (and I) must have just got an old/bad batch.

 

[Anzik]

D ick Blick art supply carries super sculpey firm and they are a great outfit to deal with.

 

[Anzik]

Questions to all painters here. I just started painting headsculpts and i gotta say I kinda enjoy it (Hate doing eyes though). Can you guys share your painting technique? I use all brush, Acrylic base for skin, and pastels for shading; I've tried acrylic for shading as well, they stand out more than pastels, but honestly, I'm not sure which looks better. Also for those using acrylics can you guys share color recipes for different skin tones?
Thanks in advance

Edmund

Search this thread for darkartist81, or figuremaster les, as they have each done some very good tutorials on painting

 

[gdb]

Hi guys! Can anyone share a good recipe for african-american skin tone using acrylic paint?

I just finished a bunch of heads in acrylic and believe it or not I used the same ingredients for each head -- just different proportions.

Titanium white + Burnt Umber + Burnt Siena + Raw Siena + Blue. For the Washingtons I used very little Raw Siena and White and Blue and for the others I used much, much less Burnt Umber and even less Blue.

 

[Mighty_Jabba]

I just finished a bunch of heads in acrylic and believe it or not I used the same ingredients for each head -- just different proportions.

Titanium white + Burnt Umber + Burnt Siena + Raw Siena + Blue. For the Washingtons I used very little Raw Siena and White and Blue and for the others I used much, much less Burnt Umber and even less Blue.

Thanks I'll give this one a try

 

[sivousplay]

I just finished a bunch of heads in acrylic and believe it or not I used the same ingredients for each head -- just different proportions.

Titanium white + Burnt Umber + Burnt Siena + Raw Siena + Blue. For the Washingtons I used very little Raw Siena and White and Blue and for the others I used much, much less Burnt Umber and even less Blue.

Very impressive work!!!
jim