Mini Sculpting Super Show 003 - 15mm Miniatures - Part 2

In part 2 of sculpting 15mm minis we cover the techniques for posing and getting started in the sculpting process.
Medium:
Greenstuff
Tools:
Wax #5
Colour Shaper Flat Chisel Size 0 Firm
Scalpel
Needle Tool
Snips
Patreon: / masonstudios
Website: masonstudios.blogspot.com/
Twitter: / puttypusher
Facebook: / tom.mason.796

[@Gtrellis]

Tried to find a little toy man to captain an RC yacht. Saw your creation, gave me some fun made one in 10 min. right about easy to bulk him out, but it works he's got a survival suit with life jacket. Talking I notice a dentist tool is useful. I'm going to make some other figures thanks to your inspirational show.

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Very cool!

[@TalentHouseAd]

Thank you so much for your videos! I have recently taken up miniature sculpting and you are one of my heroes! Keep up the good work! Cant wait to see more videos!!

[@TomMasonSculptor]

+spearman247 thanks! Finishing the next one up this weekend.

[@anouk273]

These videos are really nice. Well done!

[@TomMasonSculptor]

+Anouk R thank you.

[@Mastergunz100]

Awesome information! Thanks for making these. I just decided to try my hand at sculpting and was directed to seek you out by a friend who does it professionally. Well worth the watch, thanks again!

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Mastergunz Paint Worx in so glad to hear that! Thanks for the kind words.

[@AM_RUS]

Thank you sir for making these videos! FINALLY, a greenstuff and mini sculpting tutorial that is not stupid press templates or some guy in the kitchen making fur cloaks for his spacemarines! It is very hard to find actual advanced sculpting videos, and especially for miniatures, and have them be useful. That scale is super tiny indeed. I always wondered how the Russian guys from Zvezda able to sculpt rivets and chainmail on to soldier's armor at 1/72nds scale. I have 2 questions. Working with supersculpy, I started to sculpt with it right on the armature. The material is quite soft, boiling it for short ammount of time, just makes it brittle, and boiling it for long period of time, still brittle. When It comes to baking it, I am a bit afraid, because the sculpt is quite thick and not hollow. Was more of a test really, to warm up, sculpting anything back from academy days. But, What does supersculpy actually good and time efficient for? And if you have free time I do have 1 more question that ALWAYS gave me no rest, and I couldn't find an answer too. :) In miniatures, of any scale, All the way up to like 12" tabletop action figures; how are very very very very very smooth transitions between plane changes are achieved? Is it just practised hand of master, or is it a special tool, or perhaps a brushed on solvent that smooths out the surface from tiny tool marks, perhaps special putty that allows for that, or post processing of a sort? Because I tried man, to make a surface smooth, and no matter what I tried, with (supersculpy and greenstuff) I still have visible tool marks in the surface. Thank you for your time! Can't wait to see the progress.

[@TomMasonSculptor]

+Anton Kagounkin Magdalina supersculpey is a polyclay much like FIMO. I do prefer FIMO however since supersculpy always baked very brittle for me as well. Not sure if that's just the way supersculpy is or if I had an old batch. You can purchase bottles of supersculpy conditioner which can make it more supple and should help with it being brittle. It's one of the top polyclays out there and I've seen many people achieve great things with it. Comes down to what you're used to really. Getting a smooth surface really does take time to train your hand to have a light touch. You can always file or sand the sculpt after, but you may still have deep marks if the tool bumped the surface before baking. If you are using polyclay try brushing paint thinner or mineral spirits over the clay to break down the material on the surface and smooth things out as well. That too is done before baking. Hope that helps.

[@AM_RUS]

+Tom Mason Thanks man. Reason I started with sculpey is because yes, in academy saw other departments create awesome stuff with it. But it was always in glass case. The reason I started to sculpt is I just wanted something awesome to sit on my desk. So perhaps sculpey is used more of a concept and sketch material, and prototype material, and for molds. And sitting on a desktop won't last very long with the brittleness. I did see FIMO tutorials with different clay extruders, and looks nifty, however I was impressed with the way it holds after baking, will need to try it for sure. Also found out that GreenStuf is not very sturdy as well, and will break after quite low bend-point. So, Smoothness is achieved mainly with practice, good to know I am moving in right direction, thank you for that. BTW, the vaseline tool coating I tried today, and made me so happy! Because I used to use strategic amount of water to keep greenstuff from sticking to tools and fingers. And one more thing, are there any mini-sculpting communities where one can interact with fellow sculptors? Or are mini-sculptors like rest of us artists, working in their own dungeons? Again, thank you for reply, and for content.

[@TomMasonSculptor]

+Anton Kagounkin Magdalina I should say, when I spoke of the brittleness I meant that it seemed to crack when baking. I would say it does seem to bake slightly harder than FIMO which could contribute to chipping BUT I have 3 sculptures I did back in university that have sat out for over 10 years and they are just fine. My suggestion would be to pick the polyclay that you like sculpting with the most. I think any of them will be fine for display purposes. One of the best places to go for sculptor communities is 1listsculpting on Yahoo groups. It's not as active as it used to be but it's where I got my start and there are still many miniature sculptors there. The focus is on small miniatures though (usually nothing larger than 54mm). Hope that helps!

[@AM_RUS]

Thanks!

[@kalipercampbell656]

Anton Kagounkin Magdalina you made a long ass comment

[@Yimyimyimyim277]

Thanks so much for this, I've been having quite a bit of trouble with Greenstuff so this helps a lot!

[@Yimyimyimyim277]

Like it's nice to visually see how you're supposed to manipulate it and the tips are very helpful.

[@TomMasonSculptor]

+KannibalKorpz666 thanks! I'm processing the next video in this series right now and am working on another video that will cover in more detail, how to work with putty.

[@AngusTheZombie]

Are you planning on making a video on smaller detailing? Things like nasty skin textures and fine patterns on armor or whatever.

[@TomMasonSculptor]

+AngusTheZombie absolutely.

[@johnkelley9877]

I started watching your tutorials to make my own figures for tanks, So far I have been really impressed with your method of sculpting and I am looking forward to making and casting my own figures. Thanks for sharing this information. I t has been really helpful.

[@TomMasonSculptor]

+John Kelley that's awesome! Can't wait to see how they turn out.

[@TheSudsySutherland]

About green stuff/epoxy drying... Are you in favor of using a lamp and tin can setup for drying epoxy faster, or do you generally avoid that in favor of letting the polymerization happen more slowly after getting the detail level you want at that given time?

[@TomMasonSculptor]

++TheSudsySutherland if the putty is under FIMO I let it cure naturally. If I'm sculpting with putty only I like to use the lamp and tin can to speed things up. However if I'm done sculpting for the day I let the putty cure naturally.

[@marcusadrielsalesramos9601]

Hi, thanks for the videos, i'm making my own rpg miniaturas an 15 mm is a really hard scale, i tried to make a goblin but he ended up beeing too bulk lol, so i decided he is now a general goblin lol

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Way to pivot! That's a great solution that gives you a useable sculpt and keeps you sculpting. Keep it up, and you'll be able to make 15s.

[@MurderHoboRPG]

Hi Tom! love your show! Do you have a tutorial for sculpting a bigfat diseased troll deamon? Id love to see how to go about that

[@TomMasonSculptor]

+West Side that would be cool! No tutorial for that yet.

[@MurderHoboRPG]

Tom Mason cooool. i didnt really like the gw glottkin but i definately want something that size and super sickening. id love to learn how to sculpt obese putrid corupted anatomies

[@RoninZatoichi]

Great vid. I'm curious, why You use for your miniatures fimo classic and not for example super sculpy firm.

[@TomMasonSculptor]

+PanZatoichi I prefer the consistency of FIMO classic to super sculpy. It feels more supple and tends to be more opaque. The main distinction I have for what material to work with is Putty vs Polyclay. I prefer Polyclay over Putty in almost all cases. If you're more comfortable with supersculpy then definitely continue to use it and keep sculpting ;)

[@RoninZatoichi]

+Tom Mason Thank"s for the answer.

[@josephburton2656]

In the dead periods I would like to know about different materials you use and when you use them and why.

[@TomMasonSculptor]

You'll love the next video going up tonight. I talk all about Greenstuff.

[@jamirovega1332]

the proper term for a creature with three fingers/toes is trydactyl (pronounced /trīˈdaktl/).

[@Daedelor]

Where'd you get that small black tool from (burnishing tool?) cause I need one :)

[@TomMasonSculptor]

+Anci that tool was custom made for me by a friend. I'm looking into creating a source to where people can find tools like this.

[@redberry33]

Can I use an alternative? Like modelling clay or modelling paste or something?

[@redberry33]

*air-dry midelling clay

[@redberry33]

+AnimAddict21 *modelling

[@TomMasonSculptor]

+AnimAddict21 absolutely. There will be some different consideration to take when you go to mold, but if you're comfortable working in the material and can get the necessary detail, those will work fine.

[@redberry33]

+Tom Mason Thanks for your time! ^^

[@dickward1090]

where did you originally learn to sculpt?

[@TomMasonSculptor]

The short story is, I’m self taught. However as I went along in my carrier groups such as the 1listsculpting group on Yahoo and the GenCon sculptor’s meeting were invaluable to helping me develop. Those aren’t around anymore which is one of the biggest reasons I produce The Mini Sculpting Super Show. Great question. I should do a full video on it down the road.

[@dickward1090]

Tom Mason yeah most definitely. I paint 28mm minis but I’ve always been intrigued by how they were made. So when I found your channel I spent a good couple days just watching and learning. Haven’t quite taken the leap towards getting tools or supplies but I’m sure it’s in my future at some point.

[@TomMasonSculptor]

That’s awesome. A very similar story to my own. It’s very rewarding to be able to create your own minis from scratch. I look forward to seeing you join the ranks of sculptors!

[@emilwestgaardhenriksen1715]

when will the next video be up? still waiting :P

[@TomMasonSculptor]

+Emil Westgaard Henriksen it's running a bit late, but it will be up this week.

[@emilwestgaardhenriksen1715]

Awesome! will be sure to look oout for it! ^^

[@steveis33]

would be cool if you can show a close up on faces😊

[@steveis33]

+Heinrich VonMeister woohoo lets have a look or is it private patron vids

[@steveis33]

Ah i found sculpting faces but i was looking for a more heads for 15 or 25mm, Still through vids

[@emilwestgaardhenriksen1715]

+Steve b hopefully he will cover that in upcoming videos :)

[@TomMasonSculptor]

+Steve b I'll definitely show sculpting tiny 15mm faces. Hope I can get a good close up shot too :)

[@mrpacobeto]

Is that a paint brush?

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Nope, it's called a Colour Shaper (it's produced by a UK company). It looks a feels a lot like a paint brush but instead of bristles, it has a silicon tip. There are a variety of shapes and sizes and make GREAT sculpting tools.

[@DearthXalex]

Hello Tom Mason's daughter.

[@TomMasonSculptor]

She says hi :)

[@achilles1500BC]

What's the green stuff?

[@TomMasonSculptor]

It’s a 2 part epoxy putty called Kneadatite.

[@achilles1500BC]

@@TomMasonSculptor thanks alot !

[@DearthXalex]

your naming method for these videos is very peculiar.

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Hahah. Thanks.