Building: The Mummy

This was a small project, much smaller than my usual size. The Mummy stands just about eight inches high, compared to my usual figure height of 14-20 inches tall. This was an experiment, and overall I enjoyed the new challenges of working with Super Sculpey at such a scale. Unfortunately, I did not snap photos of the armature or foil-covered stages, but that won't hinder things very much. Despite the post order, this piece is older than the Mechanic and was constructed after the Captain.

1. The blocking stage. This is the first layer of Sculpey with a few anatomy details laid atop the initial layer. It's always a good way for me to get a feel for how much foil is actually needed before I get into any detailed sculpting.

2. Smoothing and more blocking; this time it's the clothing. The pose has changed a bit as well.

3. After moving further along with the clothing detail, I had to stop and plan out the method I was going to use to set the bandages in place. Cutting too deep would make them appear too thick, and if they were too lightly carved in, they would easily get sanded away.

4. The pants and belt, along with the shoulders, have gotten some seams. The tie is also now in place.

5. I finally discovered the perfect tool for carving the bandages - the long needle from the first post (#6 in the first photo of various tools). After I'd sharpened it to a fine point, it was slow going while etching the lines in place. My hands aren't the most steady things anymore, so it got a little hairy at times.

6. Since the face had finally gotten its bandages, the mustache and cigar could also be added. The cigar is on a small length of wire and can be removed at any time; this was useful for painting, as always.

7. Whoops! Looks like you've dropped something. Oh, it's your hand. Yes, during baking, the left had somehow decided to drop straight off. Thankfully it wasn't otherwise damaged, but the break was too messy to glue. What to do, what to do...Oh, I know!

8. After creating a tinfoil sling, I added new Super Sculpey to the broken area (circled in red), repaired the bandages, and put the figure back into the oven for 15 minutes. The result was a successful reattachment. The new clay was lighter and the hat got a bit darker, but other than that, it was smooth sailing.This is a useful technique for filling in cracks, though if you're following the instructions on the box, Super Sculpey shouldn't crack during baking.

9. Sanding and base coats. Not much else to say.

10. The sanding is done, and more base coats have been added.

11. Still more coats. Moving on.

12. Now some shading has been added, plus a bit of the detail work like buttons and the belt buckle.

13. The shading of the bandages needed some varied tones of gray to give it a more natural look. A second tone had been added to the shirt for shading and seams, too.

14. The painting is mostly finished now; only a little more to go.

15. The final shot, with multiple views (which were strangely missing before now); the Mummy is now completed. This character is actually so massive that, if I'd sculpted him to scale with the others I've done, he would have needed to be about 24-27 inches tall, and his shoulders would have ended up 14-18 inches wide. I'd always wanted to sculpt him, but I haven't exactly got room for something so huge. Working at a smaller scale was a fun change. The other characters from his story could be sculpted to scale with this smaller version, however, but they would be an even greater challenge. I don't know if I'm capable of sculpting tiny details on 4-6 inch high figures.

Well, that's it for this Mummy adventure.

Building: The Mechanic.

My latest project gave me a few troubles here and there, but overall, everything went well. The Mechanic stands about eighteen and a quarter inches high, and several of her parts are removable. Let's dive right into the timeline. 

As always, click on the photos to see the full-sized versions. Some of them might need to be right-clicked, then choose "view image" (even after you've clicked them), because they don't show at full size with a simple click. It's kind of annoying, but those are the breaks.


1. This is my procedure I use to build the average armature. If you click on the photo, you can read the step-by-step text included.

2. Here  I've begun to add the clay, and toyed with a basic pose idea. This project went through a few different poses; I kept deciding that the current pose wasn't what I was looking for. Basic outfit pieces have been laid in place to give a small idea of where they'll eventually wind up.

3. More basic shaping has been done to the hair, which was completely missing prior to this shot. The ponytail is a separate piece that fits into a small hole in the foil of the head. This sort of shape really, really likes to demolish itself in the baking phase if it is left alone. I tend to eliminate such problems before they arise, since with this scale, I've got to lay the figures down to bake them in my oven. The foil layer for the legs was far too thin, which would have used up a lot more clay in the long run, so I've stripped it off and added a large amount of foil.

4. Super Sculpey had been added back onto the legs, and a few more outfit details have been blocked out with simple strips of clay.

5. This shot has gone through a lot more filling-out and detail work (also the first pose change) since the last one. The bangs are fuller and closer to finalized than the rest of her hair. The outfit is still blocky, but it's getting filled out and progressing. The wrench finally got some clay, but that wouldn't last long.

6. Some more detail work on the head and hair. She wound up needing much more volume than this, however.

7. Things are moving right along with the head and hair. If you look closely at the ponytail you'll see the inch and a half long wire used to keep it in place. The hair band (and the hair shape on the back of her head) keep the wire snugly in place when the ponytail is attached. These eyes were not what I was looking for; too much clay in the lashes.

8. The eyelashes have bee trimmed very carefully using an X-acto knife.Since my hands are shakier than they used to be, it was somewhat nerve-wracking.

9. Jumping ahead, I finally got a pose I liked well enough to keep, the head has been baked, and some base coats were applied. The bangs are also attached by wires and were delicately snapped off of the hair after baking. It is very troubling to paint a face that is hidden by parts, so I plan ahead and create areas that are not firmly sculpted to one another, which will eventually allow me to make a clean break. Later on I can superglue them back together, or simply leave them as-is if there's no danger of the piece falling out on its own.

The head and neck were baked separately because the collar of the shirt allowed it; the seam is well hidden and nobody would notice unless I pulled the head off in front of them. It was easier to bake the head first because I was able to work with the unbaked body Sculpey the rest of the way unhindered. No accidental damage to the head or hair,since they were on a shelf away from the body! I could also create a perfectly matching impression of the neck in the collar, insuring a great fit. 

10. These shots show the eyes and lips. The face has gained a lighter shade of sienna than the last one; the paint straight out of the tube was far more red than what I'd imagined, so I needed to mix up a better tone.

11. I began finalizing details on the body at this point. If you've got a box of Super Sculpey handy, then you can get a rough idea of the size (sorry for not including something else in any of the shots for size comparison).

12. The basic wrench became a pipe/monkey wrench over time. It, along with several bags for her tool belt, were baked before the body, since they were all made to be detachable. The preliminary sanding has been done, and a few of the wires are visible in the shot. On the body you'll notice many wires sticking out; these were left in place to keep the tool belt bag holes from getting closed by accident, and to keep their shape during baking.

13. This is a multipurpose shot. Top-left: this is the "rig" I use when baking a figure that must lay down to fit into the oven. It is made from the same armature wire as I use for the figures. I can modify it in many ways to accommodate whatever pose I need to bake! The wire jutting out on the right is where the figure's feet will be anchored; I usually use a small loop that one of the figure's base wires can fit into. If needed, I'll add a second loop to hold the other foot.

Middle-left: a side-view of the rig. My last project, The Captain, needed her right foot supported in a different way during baking, which explains the wire in the upper left portion of the rig. The wire on the far right is usually used to steady the character on their back, or, in some cases, is used to hold the wire their head fits onto.

Bottom-left: the rig had to be heavily modified to fit The Mechanic! Both feet are anchored on the left side, and the right wire holds her neck armature wire. This was lucky; no Sculpey was dented or pressed in by the rig this time around. She was fairly well-balanced.

Right: The figure has been baked on the rig, and momentarily put back together. There are many pieces on this lady that are removable this time around, which definitely makes sanding and painting easier.

14. Honestly, this is a pretty boring shot of the sanding in process. Sanding is boring. I'd have had to sand much less if I'd known about 91% rubbing alcohol sooner...

15. Here's the first base coats for the rest of the colors, and the hair has gone light pink. Too much cotton candy, maybe? Well, I was trying something different this time. I almost NEVER use "anime hair colors" on my characters. 99.9% have normal hair coloration; she's just part of the .1% who doesn't.

16. Lots of overhauling in these shots. The overalls have been given a lighter shade, the hair has been given a darker one, and things have gotten quite messy - grease and oil stains all over the place. Did you expect a mechanic to have pristine clothes? The wrench it also rather dirty, but that's always a sign of a well-worn tool.

17A. This is more or less the final figure, shown from five views. I still have a few tiny details to iron out, but nothing major. (Small warning: this photo is larger than the rest.)

17B. Once again, only closer up and with six views!

17C. A close-up of the wrench in hand. There is a wire-hold that I'd left in the palm when she was baked. I later made a small hole in the wrench, superglued a bit of wire in there, and created a perfect peg to fit into the palm's hole. The wrench is stable, and can also be easily removed for dusting, moving, or what-have-you.

18. A few small details have been painted here and there, but this is mostly the same as 17A. (Warning: this photo is much larger than the others)

Well, that's all for now. See you again, and happy sculpting!