Building: The Captain

Today I'll go into the step-by-step process used to create The Captain, the figure seen in the blog logo and also in the previous post. There are many photos, but I neglected to shoot some of the steps along the way (though not very many important ones are missing). I'm not going into specific sculpting techniques and methodology just yet; that will come along later one, probably when I've started an entirely new figure. The current piece (not shown) was much too far along for that when I began the blog. Now let's jump right into the briny sea and swim until we've found some glittery treasure (or until our arms fall off)!

1.  Here we have the basic armature, coated with basic heavy-duty tinfoil shapes. I have left some wire curling around at the feet - this allows me to readjust the character's height if needed, and also doubles as a makeshift temporary base. The head is fairly overlarge and round at this stage, and eventually got hammered down into a more useful shape. The small hammer can be your best friend when fleshing out your armature. You don't want to pile your Super Sculpey onto bare wire; the stuff is costly and you certainly don't want to run out when you could have saved a lot of it by using the right amount of foil.

 2. My initial pose was, of course, completely temporary (as it always is). The first layer of Super Sculpey has been added over the foil in most areas, and the legs have been lengthened a bit. The layer of Sculpey is very thin; I usually want to add more foil to flesh things out, so I'll lay down just enough Sculpey to give me ideas and then I can strip it off with little trouble or effort and try again with more foil. This test pose was from an idea that didn't really go anywhere; you'll see a bit more of it before The Captain shows up.

3. After removing Sculpey where necessary and adding more weighty foil, I began to do some light detail work and fool around with the pose some more. This piece, unlike many others I've done, was created totally by the seat of my pants at first. I did not have a character design in mind and was trying to come up with something new (which was eventually dropped). 

4. More pose fiddling, along with some detail work to begin mapping out the face. She has a somewhat mischievous look and a wider stance at this point. Perhaps I was thinking of a mystical gal?

5. Another change in posture, along with more foil definition added into the body. Small details like the facial features are usually removed at this point, mostly to keep them from getting squashed (or getting in the way) as I work on refining the figure. The hair is no more than a few small pieces set in place to get ideas from; it can be mashed or cut off at any time, so I usually don't worry about damage at this point.

The excess wire has been clipped now that I've decided on the proper height and added feet. The wire is then straightened out and, using a drill to put two holes into a simple piece of wood from the cellar, I've got a sturdy base that is sure to keep her standing as I work on her. I used to create freestanding figures, which honestly looks nice and all, but you won't think so highly of the practice once you've knocked a figure off a shelf with a small bump. Nowadays, everything I sculpt is anchored with a base no matter what.

6. This is fuller than the last shot (and yet another pose), but not so different that we should dwell on it for long.

7. The ninja arrives! Yes, at first this lady was going to be skulking about with daggers/kunai in hand, but that occupational choice would not last very long. There's a new face and some semblance of an outfit, though the clothing is nothing more than rough "sketch Sculpey" thrown on to get a look at how things could shape up to be eventually. It's an easy way for you to get an ideal position for garments, seams, and accessories before you've made final parts to use. Simply slice some strips of Sculpey in the general size you think you'll want to use, then gently place them onto the body.

8.The ninja leaves! This piece sat for months gathering dust due to unforeseen circumstances, but when I'd finally gotten back to her, I couldn't stand the ninja idea and decided to go with someone much more familiar to me instead. Practically every ounce of ninja was stripped away, and I got much farther in a much shorter time since I was using a design I was quite familiar with drawing. The costume is far more complex than my ninja attempt, but I was able to block out the basic outfit much more quickly overall. The right foot was raised and she would now stand on a small barrel. The left foot still gives enough support, thanks to the base.

9. Now that things had gotten well under way again, I began to tackle the hair after (yet again) refining the pose. That barrel was simply too small, so I stripped off the Sculpey, wadded up some more foil, and soon had the beginnings of a full-grown barrel. Well, a larger small barrel, anyhow. The pose holding the sword was switched to something pirates love even more than cutlery: flashing a few golden coins. I had some spare coins left over from a previous project (they had gone unused for nearly a decade), and this would be a perfect place to finally get some use out of that dollar fifty I'd wasted on them long ago.

10. The barrel is taking shape now, as is the Captain's hair. I probably spent too much time on the head at this stage; I kept having to remove it to work on the body, all to avoid damaging it too much. But this isn't really so much a problem as it is a solution; I've created several figures with removable heads to aid in painting them later. The body and legs have been sculpted past their previous state, and so are the feet.

11. This is definitely when I began to focus on the head. Here's a close-up mugshot of the face and hair. The pipe is removable; there's a small wire running through its middle which slips into a hole at the corner of the mouth. This makes it removable for later after it has been baked, and makes it much easier to paint. The hair has its first layer of curls, but will soon get some more to add thickness. The foremost bangs have thin coils of foil in their centers to keep them from drooping during baking. I sometimes use wire for pieces like this, but I always test it with foil first, and it if works, then hey, it works.

12. Another head shot, this time with a lot more detail work finished up. You can see where I made a terrible mistake, too! This head is not currently connected to a neck! I stupidly left the neck on the body instead of attaching it to the head; I advise not to do that. If you've got an outfit that will hide the seam between the neck and body with some sort of collar, you can easily get away with it. This, however, was baked without the neck, so there is an unfortunate seam visible between the neck and head. You have to be looking at her from the right angle to catch it, but it's there, and I can't believe I messed this step up so badly.

13. The head has been baked. In this shot you can see the simple gold hoop earring in her left ear; it's nothing more than a small ring of wire with a small portion cut out. I baked the head long before the body was finished because I did not want anything to happen to it during the meantime. If I'd waited, I probably would have caught my idiotic mistake and baked the head with the neck attached, but what's done is done, moving on.

14. After baking the head I refocused on the body and began some detail work. The ruffles on the top were created by simply folding a strip of Sculpey back and forth until a uniform pattern was achieved. Well, more or less uniform; ruffles generally aren't precise. Below that are some fasteners and the outlines for the rest of the top. Below, the dress has been fitted by smoothing out some very thing pieces of Sculpey, though if I'd had one, I'd have simply used a pasta machine/Sculpey Clay Conditioning Machine to get nice, uniform pieces.

15. The top has gotten several folds and some additional detailing. Both gloves have also been worked on, and now she's wearing both boots. The collar, too, is better off than it had been, and is now anchored properly instead of simply sitting atop the figure loosely.

16. Egad! I seem to have neglected to take some photos here, she's already been baked! At the top left is the sword in its sheath; I (very carefully) snapped it off to sand and paint it. It would have broken off anyway, so I planned on it ahead of time and made two cuts in the straps where they were attached to the belt. This left them weak enough to be gently broken away, to be later reattached with super glue.

Middle left is the barrel, quite battered-looking and bumpy. It is an ugly old barrel, but it doesn't let that get it down, no.

Bottom left are two accessory bags that attach to the back of the belt with wires. You can see one in the bag furthest from the camera. The other one had its wire get lodged in the belt, which was unforeseen but not troublesome; it still slips onto the wire and holds fast.

Finally, the figure with all of her stuff. The gold coins are not attached to the hand, they simply rest in a slot between her middle and index fingers.

17. Sanding has gotten into full swing. The Sculpey becomes much lighter when it has been sanded, which can be helpful to you, showing you at a glance what has and hasn't been sanded. This required a lot of small tool work to sand, wrapping fine sand paper around short lengths of wire and carefully filing away at the less accessible bits. The back flap of the dress was also carefully broken away for sanding and painting purposes, but it was unfortunately not an even break. Nothing disastrous, but not as planned.

18. After sanding, it is time to paint. Here I've laid out base coats in most major areas. This is where having a detachable head really comes in handy; so many areas would be almost completely inaccessible if I couldn't take the noggin off the body. 

19. More painting. Gold accents have been added. Flashy pirates love their gold, don't they?

20. At this point, painting is more or less finished, or at least so close that there's little else to say.

21. A closer view of the Captain's face (and her coins), and a back view of her hair. You can see the skull logo (not yet finished) on her hip, as well as the accessory bags on the belt.

22. Here's the skull logo again, now with a purple outline running throughout it. The barrel has been aged slightly to give its bands some rust and defects. It only says "this end up" so I know which way it should be facing; it baked slightly crookedly and only sits beneath her foot at one angle. A reminder was helpful. The left boot needed a heel added in after the fact to give her more stability. It is a bit thick, but I had no choice; the wire connecting her to the base couldn't be thinner, but you can't always get what you want.

23. It's a repeat of the previous photo from the last post, but it is from last week and far more recent than the others, so here it is again. Well, that's the entire ride from start to finish, though I regret not having a shot of the initial armature at the start. Oh well, there will definitely be one documented in another project post coming up soon. I am currently painting that figure, and I've taken many shots along the way. See you there!

The gate is open.

Welcome to an out of the way nook on the net where we'll be exploring figure-making with oven-baked polymer clay. You will find techniques, helpful hints, and also be able to take a look at the process of creating a figure with Original Sculpey, Super Sculpey, Sculpey III, or Super Sculpey Firm.

I have been working with polymer clay for just about seventeen years now, and primarily use it to create Japanese anime/manga-style figures of my own characters. They are usually fun (though time-consuming) projects, and can also double as a maquette when I'm finished. Like many artists I also enjoy drawing, and it's very handy to have a 3D representation of a character I want to draw ready at a glance. I have a full 360 degree view of all the outfit details, accessories, hairstyle and whatever, anytime. I can compare the heights and builds of two characters and see if I've drawn someone too tall, short, thick, or thin. I mostly work on my own creations, but here's an example shot of a small figure I made of Yotsuba from the manga Yotsuba&! by Kiyohiko Azuma. You can click on the photo for a larger view (sorry in advance about the poor quality lighting).

Yotsuba is (c) Kiyohiko Azuma. This figure is roughly eight inches high (which is small compared to my usual work size). I may create a future page going into greater detail about the process, as well as snap a new photo or two of the finished sculpture since the one on the end is so poorly lit. This project went fairly quickly since the character is small and doesn't have many details to worry about. My average project size is around 16 inches tall, like this:

The Captain is (c) me. Click the photo for a larger view (after that, right click the larger view photo and choose "view image"; sometimes this site doesn't show at full size even when it says it's full size). This project took several weeks (interruptions kept putting it on the sidelines) but she was eventually completed. The base is a simple piece of wood with a hole for a wire running through the foot to settle into. The head is removable, which made for much easier painting.

If you're just getting into polymer clays, feel free to read onward; old pros will probably not find much that they weren't already aware of, but you never know. I'm always discovering new things, so you might, too.

Super Sculpey, for those who don't regularly haunt art/craft stores, is a polymer clay which can be shaped into whatever you like, then baked in a conventional oven to harden instead of inside an expensive kiln. It's not wet and muddy like traditional pottery-making clay, and it is certainly light years beyond Play-Doh and other cheap modeling clays (no offense to Play-Doh, you helped make my childhood an adventure old pal). It can be sanded, painted, and glazed, and it's really very versatile. The majority of the figures I've made are made of Super Sculpey, but that is not the only variety.

Let's take a brief look at them (and some other things), shall we?

(Not pictured) Original Sculpey (it comes in white and terra cotta; I'm only writing about white since I've never bought terra cotta) is cheaper than Super, but it has enough shortcomings to counteract the attractive price. It is much more malleable, which makes it tougher for me to use; I tend to damage areas on the figure as I'm sculpting something else. Being so much softer really gets in my way as I try to complete work, especially small details. I do, however, recommend Original for making bases for a figure to stand/sit/etc. on. It's cheaper, and you can create an interesting scene for your figure to be a part of instead of using a simple flat base (or no base at all). Make a chair for them to sit on, a little grassy patch with flowers, some dank old swamp, whatever you like. Since Super is about $14-$15 a pound and Original runs about $10-$11 per pound, the beginner might simply say "why pay more for my first try?" and walk out with Original Sculpey. My recommendation is not to do this. Original has its uses, but overall it is the inferior Sculpey product.

1. - Super Sculpey is less malleable than Original, and much more malleable than Firm, giving it a nice overall balance.

2. - Super Sculpey Firm is the latest addition. The clay is dark gray, and when they say Firm they mean it. I have not yet used the brick I bought last year, but from my time playing around with it, I can see why professionals use it. It has the opposite effect of Original - you won't have to worry nearly as much about wrecking completed portions while working on other areas of the figure. A little jab from a finger won't demolish three hours of work in a heartbeat with this stuff.

3. - Sculpey III is more or less Super Sculpey, but in a variety of different colors. I do not use this clay, since I paint everything I sculpt, and also it is quite expensive. A 2 oz. block is around $2, so a pound of the stuff is roughly $16. It's about the same as a pound of Super, so why am I complaining? Well, when you take a look at the overall figure and how many ounces of certain colors you're going to need, it can really start adding up. You may need, say, 10 packages of beige for an outfit, on top of all the other colors you'd need to buy just to use small amounts. You're either buying a ton of one color, or buying a a pack of a color you only need a tiny amount of (and may have no future need for). It's not a bad product, but the cons out weight the pros in my book. Painting with acrylics is fine for me, and hopefully you'll give it a try.

4. - Sculpey Glaze can be used after you've finished your figure. I use it after painting (depending on the figure), but I've seen some people use it without painting at all (I've never done this). It gives, as you might imagine, a glossy finish to the surface you brush it onto. I do not recommend Glaze if you're planning on airbrushing your sculptures! The Glaze simply destroys airbrushed paint, so be warned.

5. - Simple wooden tools useful for shaping and smoothing clay. You can find them in pretty much any art store, and they will quickly become your go-to tools.

6. - It never hurts to have something pointy laying around; this tool can be used for tiny detail work, and is essentially a long needle. I've seen many other sculptors use dental tools for their detail work (those awful things they scrape your teeth with, that's them), but I've never explored the option of purchasing any at this time. This tool has its uses, but I can't for the life of me remember what it was called. I found it in an arts and crafts shop, then sharpened it to a much finer point with a file.

7. - Another old favorite, an Xacto knife with an extremely dulled blade. This is my all-purpose cutting tool and it allows me to precisely shape the Sculpey into anthing with an angle. It is also useful for stripping clay from an overly bulky area.I don't recommend using a new Xacto blade; you might cut yourself or your work area, or even wind up slicing into your base foil, which can cause all sorts of troubles. To dull an Xacto blade, simply grab a piece of styrofoam and continually run the blade through it until it won't even slice a piece of paper. Nothing dulls a sharp blade like styrofoam; anyone who has ever worked with foamcore will tell you. My blade is so dulled that it has no hope of breaking my skin, but it still slices through Sculpey just right.

8. - Another useful tool to have at your disposal is an engraving pen. Like the sharp pokey needle thing listed at #6, an engraving pen can be used to dig fine lines and details into the clay without gouging it to bits. It is also useful for poking holes, which I'm sure you've already guessed by now.

9. - Another package of wooden tools like the ones in #5, but I'd like to direct your attention to the three metal tools with ring-like shapes on top. These tools are used for scraping over bulky areas in order to reshape them strip by strip. You are essentially shaving the clay away with each pass of the tool. These can be fairly useful, but I haven't had much luck with them when working with Firm; it's so firm that it bends the heads of the tools! I probably just bought cheap ones, but it's worth mentioning so you don't rush in and snap something in half.

Your next best friends are various tools, some wire, and tinfoil.

1. - Many art stores sell flexible armature wire for use in sculpting, and while it can be nice to work with, it is out-of-control overpriced. Your armature shouldn't cost an arm and a leg. Some people even use wire coat hangers, but that should probably be avoided. What do I use? 12 Gauge Ceiling Tile Hanger Wire from Home Depot. It's twenty five cents per wire, and you get about ten feet of it. It lasts me so long that I usually just buy a dollar's worth at a time and don't run out for years. The wire is tough, will keep its shape, and can be bent any way you need with pliers and snipped through with the average pair of handheld wire cutters. You can also get a 100 foot roll of the stuff for around $7, but that's a lot of wire.

2. - I always keep a small, lightweight hammer on hand when I'm building an armature, because it lets me easily shape the heavy-duty tinfoil. Once you've put on your foil, you may want to hammer it into a better shape instead of leaving a craggy mass of foil to sculpt on top of. On the other hand, flattening and smoothing the foil entirely can also lead to problems; the clay might slip if it's too smooth. You just need to experiment and find a proper balance. It will come along easily enough.

3. - Heavy-duty tinfoil is a great way to use up less of that expensive box of clay you just dragged home. By filling out most areas on your armature with tinfoil, you can then sculpt right on top of it with clay and it will stay put with no worries. Heavy duty is recommended over normal foil because it will have a much more difficult time being crushed as you work on your figure. Normal foil tends to flatten and can ruin things in a hurry. Heavy duty can be shaped with a hammer if need be; you can really create a sturdy bulk to rest beneath your clay that will retain the shape you want no matter what.

4. - Common pliers are great for building an armature. The Ceiling Tile Hanger Wire is stiff, and you could probably bend it with your hands easily enough, but why not save yourself the trouble and use the right tool for the job? Also great for bending hard angles.

5. - A common wire cutter will need to be at your side when building an armature, but you can safely put it away afterward completion. In a pinch, you can use it to completely snip through clay, foil, and wire all in one shot, but that really shouldn't need to happen in the first place! When building an armature, a beautiful inside leads to a beautiful outside, so don't rush through it in order to get right into the clay.

6. + 7. - When building your armature, you'll need thinner wire to hold it together. I use 18 gauge and 24 gauge wire. 24 gauge is the utility wire for wrapping pieces together. 18 is useful for inserting into parts, or bracing things like fingers so they'll have less of a chance of snapping off.

8. - Sandpaper (not pictured) is a must for after you've baked your sculpture. Fine and Very Fine sandpaper can help smooth out your piece and give it a more complete look. I can't tell you how hard I cringe whenever I see a photo of a sculpture that has been painted but not sanded. Fingerprints all over the clay do not get covered up by paint! You need to sand them off beforehand. Sanding can be obnoxious, but it's almost always necessary. Also necessary is a common sanding mask to help keep the wafting flecks out of your body. I have a dremel for sanding, but don't use it anymore since it generally did more damage than good.

Sanding can be a hassle, but 91% Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol can reduce the need for it. By painting it onto the Super Sculpey with a small brush (before the clay has been baked), you dissolve a small layer, which can eliminate fingerprints and such. Be careful around small details, though; you may need to reshape them after using the Alcohol. Also (obviously) make sure the Alcohol has completely evaporated before baking!

Well, that's all for now. I'll try to get some photos in here soon, along with a few step-by-step examples of the process.