Sculpting Linna - Hair

Here I will be sculpting hair for the Linna Babe™ for Bombshell Miniatures.

Ordinarily I use the same method for each figure I sculpt. They may be shaped differently but it is essentially the same process.

In this instance I had a bit of putty left over from the previous session so I added it to bulk up the back of the hair and then cured that under my putty lamp.

I mixed a fresh batch of ProCreate and then formed all of the masses for the hair.

It is important to get the volumes correct at this stage. All the forms must show the correct weight of the hair and it must flow in a consistent manner to the direction of the movement. Here again. reference is good for this.

All of the forms of the hair must be smoothed. Any seams that run across the direction of the hair flow will be impossible to work out.

Using the rounded tip of my Spoon Shaped Putty Knife I add a tiny amount of Vaseline to the tool and wipe the excess off on the side of my thumb. I begin to block in the general direction of the hair flow lightly. If the smooth motion of the tool starts to drag, I will clean it if it has putty stuck to it, add more Vaseline from my thumb or the brush and then continue.

It is possible to use water for this as a tool lubricant but it dries very quickly and you continually have to add it so it takes longer.

After setting up the basic flow and direction of the hair, I go back over this adding smooth curves and flowing strands with the #64 Scraper Tool. I use Vaseline the same way for this process too. One the hair is done it's time to move on to finishing up the figure with whatever final details are left and to add either a base or tab to the feet.

Sculpting Linna - Drapery

Here I will be making drapery for the Linna Babe™ for Bombshell Miniatures.

Ordinarily I use the same method for each figure I sculpt. They may be shaped differently but it is essentially the same process.

Here I have mixed ProCreate putty with the same amount of Aves Apoxie sculpt. This 50/50 mix creates a much stronger and stiffer putty once it has cured and will hold its shape better under the molding process.

I let this mix sit for about 20 minutes as a I work on something else. When you first combine the two different putties the mix is very soft. allowing it to sit for a few minutes allows it to cool from the mixing process and firm up a bit.

I flattened out a section of it using the plastic sheeting to keep it from sticking to my flattening block. It is trimmed to shape and folds are scored into it.

Using the edge of my #64 Scraper Tool, I flick the edge of the putty wedge to pop it off of the plastic divider. This takes quite a bit of practice to do properly without marring up the surface of the piece. It is placed agains the back leg of the figure and pressed lightly into place with the chisel shaper tool.

The putty is carefully positioned by the edges using the chisel shaper tool.

Using my scalpel blade I cut the excess putty from the back of the leg.

The edge of the cloth is blended into the figure.

It is carefully rounded a bit using the chisel shaper tool.

I check the profile of the draper ti make sure it shows from all angles.

Another wedge is cut from a flattened slab of putty.

This wedge is then smoothed out by pressing on it with the plastic sheeting.

It is now smooth and rounded.

I peel this wedge off the plastic divider and apply it to the back side of the leg the same as the first one.

It is feathered along the back of the leg as well using the chisel shaper tool.

Small folds are added to the top of the drapery since this particular piece will be visible on the final model.

Here the first session of the basic draper is finished. This is placed under the lamp to cure it in a short amount of time. The model is positioned so the putty will not sag under the heat of the lamp. Once this part has been cured it will create a form to add the rest of the draper over.

After the first section has cured fully, I repeat the same process adding wedges if putty to fill out the draper over the existing form. these wedges are then scored to add folds and wrinkles. The putty that I use for this session of the process is ProCreate with a tiny bit of Fimo added to help blend it into the cured areas.

On the back side you can see I covered a section of the existing drapery with more folds.

After the drapery has cured. I slice a belt from another flattened slab of straight ProCreate. Over this a bit of armor and decoration is added by layering more flattened and trimmed slabs. Once these slabs are in place they are textured using the tip of my #64 Scraper Tool.

This all goes into the putty oven for curing again.

In the next segment I cover Sculpting Linna's Hair.