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Message: <blockquote data-quote="nyrfherdr" data-source="post: 2329082" data-attributes="member: 3394">Inspiration? More like PlanningI bet you thought I was ready to start talking about sculpting!Well... Not quite.IN REVEIW:  What do you need to start?You need to be comfortable with human and animal anatomy and proportions, preferably with ready reference material.You need something to sculpt (a medium)You need toolsYou need an armature material or a ready made armature.NEXT:  You need to decide what you want to sculptThis is INSPIRATION! right.  I decide I want to sculpt a knight in shining armor and I'm ready to go.Well.  A knight in shining armor is a fine idea for a sculpt. And I'll use it as my example for today (but probably not for later.  I don't do armor very well right now.)PLAN:Now that I made my decision of what to sculpt, I need to plan my sculpture.If the Knight is human, I can use one of my ready made armatures. CHECK.I know the proportions of a human and with the armature to keep me in line, I'm good there. CHECKI don't know the first thing about armor though.  HMMM  See below.What about weapons?  Am I going to use one from my bits box, or sculpt my own.  HMMM See below.Shield, cloak, face?REFERENCE PHOTOS/SKETCHESBefore putting blade to putty, it's best to do a few sketches (if you are so inclined) to get a feel for the pose, the look of the face and hands, the clothing/armor, etc.  Everything that will make up your mini.  If you don't like to sketch, you can use Photographs or Artwork of others.(Please remember that you cannot use other's work without permission if you are going to sell or enter a contest.)  If you are a hobby sculptor like me, feel free to use other's work at will.  Send the artist who inspired you a photo of your completed work.  They will likely be flattered.  Show photos of it in action on your game table.  That's always a hit.For example:  I have sculpted the Monster Hunter, A dwarf, a WoldWarden, all creations of Privateer Press and their inspirational Iron Kingdoms.If you use Photos, make sure you have an idea of what your work would look like in 3D!  Photos and artwork, however beautiful and inspirational are 2D.  When using Photos, I always search for multiple pictures, multiple angles and hopefully a few close-ups.I sculpted an Owl familiar at one point.  I had a great photo of a spotted owl perched in a tree.  Gave me a great feel for the face.  It gave me no data on feet, legs, tail or what the wings would look like outspread (which my mini would be)  I had to get those photos too.Back to the example of the knight in shining armor.I still need:   A face reference (I would normally sketch this myself, but photos and other art would work)   Armor reference (medieval armor photos, lots of them.  Maybe some art.)   Weapon (I have some in my bits box, so I'll call that good)   Sheild (I have a shield in my bits box, so I'm good)   I'm planning a cloak, so I'll need some draping photos and maybe some artwork for ideas.Once you have your photos, sketches, and/or artwork, then you can begin sculpting.  Well not quite.   There are a couple of more steps I'll cover next time in Planning your mini.TIP:  Sculpting a single mini can be an excercise in frustration because of the CURE process.  You MUST wait for each part to cure before starting another part or run the risk of ruining your hard work.  I don't try to speed up the cure process, but other sculptors do (with a heat box or by putting the work under a lightbulb).  I usually have several projects going at the same time.  When I finish part of one, I then move to the next, and so on.  If I finish up across all projects and curing is still not complete, I wait.  PATIENCE IS REQUIRED HERE.TIP:  Look at your miniature collection and examine some of your favorites.  What makes them your favorite.  What would you want to include in your own work from those.  Also look at your least favorites.  What makes them less appealing?  You'll want to avoid that in your own sculptures.  Knowing what effect you are looking for and how it looks will help you when working on your own sculptures.Next... Using your references to plan your project.Stay Tuned...  Photos probably this weekend (Woo Hoo)</blockquote>

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