Sculpting Research 2

Materials

- Chavent Le Beau Touche, NSP or Monster Clay
- Rotating sculpture stand
- Oltracal or resin positive
- Sculpting tools (wood + metal)
- Brushes
- Plastic wire brush
- Plastic toothpicks
- Lighter fluid
- Toothbrush
- Baby Powder
- Reference photos
- Serrated Scraper

Rub vaseline onto the mold to help the clay adhere to it

Clay
- Don't use sulfur infused clay as this will prevent the silicone from curing
- Water based clay takes texture stamps more easily with less pressure and is easier to work with quickly because it's soft
- Oil clay (like Le Beau Touche) is firmer than water based clay but easily warmed for malleability ] and takes texture stamps easily.

Reference Photos
- Sculpting from memory is difficult and can be practically impossible if skill level is below expert
- Most makeup artists have a large reference library that they work from.

57 - face cast

58 - rough joker sculpt

1) Place positive of actors face on the sculpture stand - become familiar with the face

2) Draw line in pencil on the cast to recreate where you want to place the clay. It makes it easier to have a plan beforehand so nothing goes wrong.

3) Begin the place bits of clay where you've drawn the lines. This is the roughing in stage and can be done with just clay and fingers

4) Keep adding small bits of clay at a time to block out the shape you want.

5) Begin to sketch lines in the clay where you will eventually place finer detail - can place pieces of clay together as well

6) Begin to crosshatch over the chunks of clay that was placed with the hands - rake the surface and smooth and blend rough areas.

7) Continue to add clay and block until all the main features and shapes have been created.

Refining Sculpture

1) Refine your tool selection to create finer detail in sculpture

2) Take a plastic wire brush and lightly brush over whole surface where have been using rake and loop tools to remove the tool marks

59 - refining sculpture with medium rake tool

3) Use a solvent to soften the clay - it breaks down the surface and can smooth out any blemishes in the clay

4) Some detail may be have been lost with the solvent so might need to go back in and recarve some detail

5) When piece is completely hard and dry brush talcum powder all over the piece, this whisks away little balls of clay

6) Some lines may be too harsh so go over with a toothbrush to refine and increase detail

60 - talcum powder and bristle brush to rake away lumps.

7) Repeat steps 5 and 6 until completely happy with texture - fine lines, coarse lines, sharp and soft lines.

61 - layered wrinkle texture

8) Begin to make pore texture. Small indentations along the nose, brush back, soften and then add more. Can use anything from an orange peel to a toothpick etc.

9) Any elongated pores need to be vertical not horizontal.

10) Add small bits of raised texture using clay slurry (bits of clay and solvent)

62 - bumps added with clay slurry

11) Check edges are as fine as you can make them.