ENWorld Sculpting Project #1 The Wizard's Lab (complete)

[nyrfherdr]

Hey everyone,

I've finished the Wizard's mechanical assistant.
Here is the green.
Completed Servitor:




I'm pretty darn close to finishing the wizard. I'm a little stuck. I need to decide if something should go in his hand and if so, what. I could use some input. (I can't guarantee I'll take your advice, but I'll consider it. )

Wizard (WIP)






Game ON!
nyrfherdr

 

[Alf]

Now I take the Zen approach to sculpting...

Heh. I'm actually a practicing zen-buddhist, member of the Cloudwater Sangha. I devote about one hour a day to zazen and forty minutes to Kata practice.

Not sure if this helps in sculpting though :\

 

[Patrick Keith]

Do I have to change my ratio of yellow to blue to get a softer more malleable mixture? What should the ratio be? Currently I'm using 1:1 yellow to blue. It starts out very sticky at the beginning but cures very quickly into a rubbery consistency.

You may like to read some of the comments posted on the Reaper Minis Forum about battling the greenstuff properties. In doing something like a table you may have to break it up into parts. Like, do just the tabletop part first. Mix up a batch, let it set for a bit to firm up a little and then flatten it out on a piece of polyethelene plastic (like the stuff it comes wrapped in) to keep it from sticking. Once it cures, you can add another thin layer on the top to work in your woodgrain, slats or other textures. Then you could do the legs in the same stages and then assemble it all afterwards.

The wizard progress is looking good Nyrf, I like how the mechanical bits are turning out.

 

[D'karr]

You may like to read some of the comments posted on the Reaper Minis Forum about battling the greenstuff properties. In doing something like a table you may have to break it up into parts. Like, do just the tabletop part first. Mix up a batch, let it set for a bit to firm up a little and then flatten it out on a piece of polyethelene plastic (like the stuff it comes wrapped in) to keep it from sticking. Once it cures, you can add another thin layer on the top to work in your woodgrain, slats or other textures. Then you could do the legs in the same stages and then assemble it all afterwards.

The wizard progress is looking good Nyrf, I like how the mechanical bits are turning out.

Thanks for the info and the link Patrick. This matter will definitely be researched some more.

I was able to do some more sculpting this weekend and all the Wizard's Table accesories have been created. Some of them are really cool looking, others are in a style I'd call "cubist." Let's just say Picasso never had this much fun...

The Wizard is coming around nicely and his bodyguard too. I sculpted a head for one of the warforged to try and figure out how to do them. It came out a little too big. Let's just say, it would be like having a human sized torso with a watermelon for a head...

Fortunately that experiment was done away from the mini so I don't have to decapitate anyone yet.

Nyrf, fantastic sculpt. I must second Patrick's comments, I like the mechanical bits. As for suggestion for what to put in his hand, "A Tea Cup." His assistant is giving him tea...

Oh, I've come up with a title for my sculpt, Warforged wizard gives a helping hand. Make of it what you will.

This whole project has taught me a lot. I actually really enjoy sculpting. It is a challenging pursuit but it is so much fun to see the little green men come "alive." Very, very cool and something that I will continue to do now.

Nyrf and Pogre, thanks for putting this "challenge" together.

 

[pogre]

Dang it!!!

 

[Shape D.]

Dang it!!!

I guess that means youre in the same boat I am.

On a brighter note though I just got the sculpting tools I ordered today. So now maye I can make something that doesn't look like poo.

what sucks is I now have less than a month to fufill my part o' the bargan.

 

[pogre]

That's pretty much my sculpting mantra...

dang it - dang it - dang it!

 

[D'karr]

That's pretty much my sculpting mantra...

dang it - dang it - dang it!

That was my mantra as I started this project too. It's funny how frustrating this stuff can be. The worst part is when you got one side of the miniature really nice and, because of ignorance, you start working on the other side and put a nice big thumb print on the work that you just finished.... AAARRRRGHHHH, Dang it!!!!!!!

Then I asked myself, "Why the hell are you doing this project?"

I figured out that it was to challenge myself but also to entertain myself. I don't have to be as good as anyone else for this project. I just have to do the best that I can in the time I have. So with that new perspective I started again. More peacefully, I might add.

Now I'm actually having a lot of fun as I do this. I'm not really any better in the talent department and yes, there are still some frustrations as something doesn't look like you'd want it to. However, overall I'm much more satisfied with how the project is progressing.

After all, Fear leads to Anger. Anger leads to Hate. Hate leads to suffering. Suffering leads to the Dark Side...

 

[D'karr]

Metal Casting

Okay, I think I've finished creating all of the accesories for the wizard's table.

Pogre, I have a question about casting. All my accesories are separate entities. For example if I have two bottles, they are separate elements. When we send this project to you do you want us to "glue" the elements as if they were assembled or send this off as bits?

I was thinking that permanently placing some of the accesories on the table would end up creating some weird undercuts. I've never cast anything so I have no experience on what kinds of arrangements would create more problems. What is your advice on this?

 

[nyrfherdr]

Congrats D'Karr.
Any photos to share?

I'll let Pogre respond on the casting, as I have no real world experience on that either.