Mini Sculpting Super Show 016 - Sculpting Capes

Learn to sculpt awesome capes that will make your mini look great and cast well.
Hasslefree Miniatures - Bela the Goblin
(I just saw it has been discontinued!)
Myth Dark Frontier: www.kickstarte...
Medium:
Greenstuff
Aves Apoxie Sculpt
Tools:
Colour Shaper
Scalpel
X-Acto blade
Small Burnisher
Needle Tool
Patreon: / masonstudios
Website: thetommason.com/
Twitter: / puttypusher
Instagram: / tommasonsculptor
Facebook: / tom.mason.796

[@angerworm]

Needed a ragged cloak to hide some other sins. This video was a huge help! Thanks!

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Glad it helped!

[@kennethmelsen]

I recently used this technique for a 40k conversion of mine. That was my first time sculpting and using this technique I was able to get a result I never would have thought possible. I’ll definitely be following this channel!!!

[@TomMasonSculptor]

That’s awesome!

[@dsmowday]

hey man, been looking into getting into kit bashing and skulping to take my painting and modeling experiance to the next level, this video is really good for beginners like me, clear and concise, thanks very much!!

[@foxleaf9867]

This is the best vid on sculpting I have found so far. Look forward to seeing the rest!

[@TomMasonSculptor]

+Foxleaf thanks!

[@last2nkow]

Fascinating! Thanks for being so clear and going beyond just the basics. Off I go to add a cloak to my Grey knight librarian kitbash!

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Wonderful!

[@archabe]

I like how the cape looks better than the actual mini

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Oh my! Don't tell Kev White :)

[@Xylaria2115]

This is the best cape tutorial I've seen in youtube, thank you so much for your fine work!

[@TomMasonSculptor]

You're very welcome!

[@hezakighamorgan9974]

I love your tutorials so much. Thanks a million.

[@TomMasonSculptor]

You’re welcome. And thanks for watching!

[@mooncabbagere]

I think conversions are a great way to introduce people to sculpting minis. The barriers to entry are much lower, as you don't need to worry about casting the model, or a particularly deep understanding of anatomy or proportion. Also, a lot of people who would never even consider trying to sculpt a model, are willing to attempt a sculpted conversion. You can learn about how to manipulate the materials, and the lifecycle of epoxy putty, without distraction. As a bonus, you reach a complete model relatively quickly, that you can paint and use. I imagine it'd be quite disheartening to sculpt an entire model from scratch, just to find the proportions and scale are drastically out of whack, and the muscles all look wrong. From the point of view of the instructor, you can focus on one technique at a time. Start withreally basic stuff like bags, belts, sachels and the like, as sort of sculpting 101, do hard surface with swords and shields, head and hand sculpting on appropriate models, and tentacles are a good one for an intro to armatures and bulking out forms. I guess what I'm saying is, unless your target audience for these vids is established sculptors ???, then there is no shame in using an existing miniature to demonstrate a technique. Your videos are helpful to me because you go into more depth about the techniques and why you do things, rather than a step by step guide to skulls and battle honors, or whatever those space marine paper thingies are. I've been watching this channel for a while, and while the ground up sculpting videos are interesting, the ones like this are far more help to me, and probably a lot of other beginners and amateurs dipping their toes into sculpting for the first time. Please do more!

[@TomMasonSculptor]

+Mooncabbage thank you very much for this very thoughtful comment. Great points that I plan to take to heart. Glad to hear you're getting so much from the videos as well.

[@2Stylish2Cry]

I second this. I've started modeling not so long ago, and now I'm fighting with greenstuff to make my ork kill team just a bit more unique. I do not plan to learn how to sculpt whole minis by myself - however I'd be happy to sculpt additional stuff for conversions and details. People like me would love to start with "bags. belts, satchels" etc and then move to more complicated stuff) I just stumbled upon your videos and watching gives a lot of info. Your end result is always inspiring and you show how to do everything in great detail, step by step. Keep it up! If you do requests from literally who, could you show how to do a mohawk? I tried doing one multiple times following this tutorial and I keep failing (it does not use armatures as it seems and I really struggled to give it even the basic shape) www.sciborminiatures.com/i/tutoriale/big/mohawk_tutorial.jpg

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Thanks C-C-COMBO BREAKER. I definitely plan to do more videos on smaller more specific elements. It's great hearing suggestions for tutorials. I try to capture as many as possible as a list for future videos. However, the best way to get your request made into a video is to join the Patreon community.

[@mooncabbagere]

Tom Mason for the record, I would like to be able to sculpt whole models, it's just a bit intimidating to start there. At the moment I'm still working out how to fix defects in existing models seamlessly, and even that's pretty tough.

[@evestrange1190]

Thank you so much for this video! Gave me the confidence to sculpt for the first time ever, and i'm really pleased with how it came out.

[@TomMasonSculptor]

That’s awesome! It’s so great to hear the videos help. Keep sculpting!

[@savageshark379]

Thanks for showing the process of sculpting the cape. This gave me some good insight for future ideas.

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Awesome!

[@rustedbeetle]

I've never had any luck with making green stuff work, and I suspect it is because of the 10 - 15 minutes of time you wait for the epoxy to begin to harden so you can start handling it. It hasn't occurred to me to give it time to become a little less malleable so it can be picked up and transferred to the mini. Thanks for mentioning that!

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Absolutely. GS is constantly changing. I hope that little tip helps. Just be ready to find out you'll have to keep adjusting how you work with it the more it cures :)

[@peterblrstlr8593]

Thanks for sharing, Tom!

[@TomMasonSculptor]

You bet!

[@girrafescream]

Great info, just put a cape on a mini and wondered about back-filling it, so thank you.

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Awesome! Glad this helped.

[@MrSquark]

That's brilliant and such clear instruction, thanks

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Thank you!

[@JoeInfinity]

Great video. Thank you.

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Thanks!

[@lcasito96]

thx! I'm new to this hobby and your videos are amazing to start learning

[@TomMasonSculptor]

That’s great to hear. Keep it up

[@Whizzlewhopfizz]

Thanks for this! I work in larger pieces, sometimes I make capes. I usually use cloth that i soak in paverpol. Im a hobbyist who makes ooak stuff so I don't have the burden of worrying about casting pieces. Love your channel!

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Thank you so much for the comments. Yeah, it's always nice when you don't have to worry about casting. So many options to sculpt cool effects.

[@torq42]

Great tips! Thanks.

[@Obsidianen]

"I dont have a ton of tools" Me: I am working greenstuff with pure water, a needle and my fingers.

[@TomMasonSculptor]

That's great! It's a great way to figure out innovative ways to sculpt with such a limited set.

[@martyndragar7910]

love your work Tom fantastic!!! will you ever do a video on sculpting a Orc head at all?

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Wow, beautiful figures.

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Thanks Martyn! I definitely want to do some heads for other creatures. The tough part will be to decide if I should show how to sculpt an existing aesthetic or try and do my own orc.

[@martyndragar7910]

Id love too see one of your own orcs Tom made from scratch I struggle with heads especially Orcs for some reason?? Been doing a Beholder myself

[@tiwaiifunchess]

Martyn Wootton I agree I struggle with noses the. most

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Hmmm, interesting thought. I sure could, but there are so many other, cooler heads to sculpt :)

[@TabletopWitchCRAFT]

Hey Tom, awesome video. Any way to get an Amazon link or more detailed description of those burnishers you used in the video?

[@TomMasonSculptor]

I usually get my colour shapers from misterart.com However I just saw a pack of cheap knockoff ones at Hobby Lobby. They don’t look to bad and can be a great place to start.

[@AnyCleverUsername]

Awesome Tom...

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Thanks!

[@M0U53B41T]

you make it look so easy! love it

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Thanks!

[@TomMasonSculptor]

That's quit a compliment. Thank you!

[@Kyurnmakes]

Super awesome! Thanks again for sharing!!

[@alexanderk.7782]

the cape from "Spawn" will be super nice, but much work ^^ or Yedi, that would be intersting for me :D

[@buttontoo3919]

Great job m8. I rly hope i ll sculpt as good as you one day:-D im pretty happy with my first few miniatures and cuz of your great tutorials i get even better !!!!!thx alot

[@TomMasonSculptor]

+Button Too keep it up and I know you will.

[@jollyrogerquill]

Hey man, I really love your channel. You are a great artist and I’m learning a lot. I’m an amateur of sculpting miniatures myself -mostly working with FIMO and Sculpey III (and also mostly already coloured polymer clay) … But I really want to step up and try out putty and painting to do my models. I don't know if you have a video of the differences between sculpting FIMO and PUTTY? I see you use mostly putty.

[@TomMasonSculptor]

+Stevie Quill you haven't gone back far enough in the archives :). I actually do most of my sculpting in FIMO, but I have done quite a lot of putty these days. There are a few early episodes where I talk about the differences in Putty and Polyclay, just check the MSSS playlist and you'll find it. Thanks for watching!

[@jollyrogerquill]

Thanks Tom!! I found your channel last week, but I have been watching a lot of your videos. I will defiantly check the earlier ones!! :)

[@gruvee9334]

Thanks!

[@TomMasonSculptor]

No problem!

[@davidsouzalobo]

Great Job!

[@skippen]

Fantastic!

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Thanks!

[@Gothead420]

Im gonna do this on my DIY Flayed Ones!

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Awesome!

[@thepavl]

Aren't those Warlands posters? Damn I had forgotten I read this back in the day!

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Yes they are. I LOVE Warlands.

[@thepavl]

Tom Mason they were very good! The artwork was great and the worldbuilding was great! I don't really remember what happened to the creator.

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Record of Lodoss War was the first Anime I really got into. When this comic came out, it was like a resurrection of everything I loved about that series but in new form. The story of Pat Lee is pretty interesting and a bit sad. Loved what he did with Dream Wave and wish it had continued.

[@thepavl]

Tom Mason i have Record of Lodoss War The lady of pharis which had absolutely phenomenal art!

[@RagnarTheGrey]

Could this methodology be used to make a bandanna or a scarf for face covering?

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Absolutely. I’ve done that many times. It should actually be easier than with a cape since it’s smaller.

[@robtype0]

This is a super helpful video! I have a question though - do you find that you need to wash the mini to remove the Vaseline once the putty is cured? I can imagine that it would cause issues with painting if it's still greasy.

[@TomMasonSculptor]

I have never painted one of my sculpts since they are always molded. However, I agree. I wash my metal minis because of talc and other mold releases that are used so it would be a good idea to wash your sculpt if you've used Vaseline or some other lubricant.

[@slithas]

Very nice, thanks for the tutorial! Where did you get the soft tools from?

[@TomMasonSculptor]

+slithas those are called clay shapers or colour shapers. I get them from DickBlick.com or MisterArt.com

[@lukemoore7319]

Awesome vid and amazing sculpting... I'm planning on making a custom cloak for a skull taker conversion, would u suggest doin all the skulls before applying to the model or after 😅

[@TomMasonSculptor]

I usually sculpt that sort of thing right on the model. It saves a little bit of time and you can usually get away with not having to sculpt certain parts of the skull as well. However, if the skulls will be placed in an area that is hard to reach with a tool, then definitely sculpt separately.

[@TrueDaemonLord]

What size sculpting brushes were you using there? And was the black one a firm brush and the grey/white a softer one?

[@TomMasonSculptor]

I use Size 0 Colour/Clay Shapers. Here is how the colors break down: Black = Extra Firm Grey = Firm White = Soft

[@sankyships952]

I tried putting green stuff in a sandwich back. When I was ready to peel it stuck to the bag and basically ruined the shape

[@TomMasonSculptor]

There are 2 things you need to do to help with this. 1. Let the putty cure longer so it is tougher. 2. It helps to pluck it off in a swift motion rather than slowly pulling.

[@thomascarter7447]

Hey Tom. Great cloak. What is it you added to the green stuff? Did you say fimo? My pure green stuff capes are too flexible

[@kolyayerg1118]

Man I am new to this. What would you suggest me making if I am totally new?

[@TomMasonSculptor]

kolya yerg I would suggest making a non-human humanoid with minimal equipment. This will allow you to work towards a complete sculpt that isn't daunting. Plus since it isn't a standard human it won't look "wrong" if the proportions aren't perfect. By doing this you'll be able to focus on getting used to the material rather than getting all the details right.

[@kolyayerg1118]

Thank you mate for your advice!

[@vincentdefosche1370]

Hey Tom, is it possible to do this same thing with Milliput? I have the yellow-gray but I hear it isnt “fine” enough. Would the superfine white work the same as GS or should I invest in a roll of it?

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Millionth does have a different consistency than greenstuff but it should work. Definitely use the superfine though. I’ve don’t care to use milliput straight and usually mix it with greenstuff or procreate to help give it a little more elasticity.

[@Zetapodius394]

I always get a small seam when trying to add more putty to hardned. is it just to keep pushing with a smooth metal tool or am I doing something else wrongfully? Also I use straight greenstuff at the moment.

[@TomMasonSculptor]

It can be a challenge to smooth new putty into hardened putty. You will need to practice, but it can help if your putty is freshly mixed and soft. Sometimes if the putty is cool while you’re working it can be difficult to smooth it down to a very thin consistency. It can also help to have some lubrication so your tools slide smoothly. Just keep working at it until you have a seamless surface.

[@OlavCleemann-himself]

Awesome :-)

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Thanks Olav!

[@florian847]

The model is again available. Another company, called shortwars, bought the Hasslefree Kev Adams minis: www.shortwars.co.uk/?product=bela-goblin-trooper

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Thanks for pointing this out. GREAT minis!

[@matthewbrookeart]

are those warlands posters ? i used to love that comic

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Yes!!!

[@andrewgoldstein1029]

Thanks for another great tutorial! I have a question. I'm interested in doing some really BIG capes (like Spawn, if you know the character) or capes that are dynamically blowing away from the body, like in a gale-force wind. Do you recommend using an armature for those kinds of designs, or will the set putty be strong enough to hold a shape without one?

[@TomMasonSculptor]

I would definitely recommend an armature for doing capes like this. If the cape will be thick enough, you can use a permanent internal armature. However, if the material needs to be relatively thin you can use a temporary armature to hold the thin initial layer of the cape in place while it cures. The temporary armature is made up of wires positioned in such a way that you can lay the cap over them to hold the shape. Once it's cured simply pop them off the cape and everything should stay in place.

[@andrewgoldstein1029]

Tom Mason Great advice, thanks!

[@ЕвгенийРыжков-ь8у]

Какой материал используете для лепки?

[@TomMasonSculptor]

I primarily use Kneadatite (Greenstuff) and FIMO Professional polyclay.

[@nelavable]

Hi! Nice video! I want to ask - how large is tip of your Colour Shaper?

[@TomMasonSculptor]

My Colour/Clay Shapers are size 0 which is about a 4mm diameter at the base of the shaper.

[@mrpacobeto]

Is there any differences one should be aware of when making capes out of Fimo?

[@TomMasonSculptor]

FIMO won't cure until you bake it so you will need to create an understructure using greenstuff similar to what this video shows. After it is set up, you can add a thin layer of GS over the base and then add your FIMO.

[@maverickcorlas]

what was the other clay u were using not the green stuff ?

[@TomMasonSculptor]

That is Aves Apoxie Sculpt. It's another putty I don't like to use by itself. But if you mix with greenstuff the putty cured faster and much harder.

[@sirflowers1222]

Does the vaseline not affect the paint later on?

[@TomMasonSculptor]

It can, especially if there’s a lot on there. I usually mold my sculpts so don’t usually worry about it. If you’re going to paint and you’re worried about it then brush a little rubbing alcohol on the area or you can wash the figure gently in warm soapy water. Enjoy!

[@sirflowers1222]

Thanks dude. I'm just starting a new Warhammer army and they've all got cloaks, so your tutorial has been hugely helpful.

[@lindsaycaughlin3737]

Just curious if I have absolutely no intention of ever casting the miniature, do I still need to do the back fill?

[@TomMasonSculptor]

+Michael Caughlin nope. No need to fill in if you'll never cast.

[@lindsaycaughlin3737]

Thanks!

[@jaylonrobinson7092]

What sci fi poster is that on your right behind you ? Almost looks robotech?

[@TomMasonSculptor]

+dani cool those are two posters from a comic called Warlands. They have a heavy anime influence.

[@jaylonrobinson7092]

What. Razor blade tool is that? Is that a wooden stylus or awl?

[@TomMasonSculptor]

The razor blade is just a scalpel. The wooden tool has a brass rod in it with the tip pounded and filed into a nice little spoon shape.

[@justsomeamerican2301]

How to i make green stuff trench coats for gaurdsmen

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Very similar to what it shown in this video. The big difference is to keep everything smoother since the close wouldn't be flapping around as much.

[@justsomeamerican2301]

@@TomMasonSculptor . Can you do a video on making balaclavas that cover the lower face and goggles for imperial gaurdsmen . I kinda want to put goggles on top of the helmet kinda like current US soilders . Not only to cover up the ugly insignia but also to give a cooler look too . Thank you very much for thw videos . I enjoy them thoroughly

[@aquadonkey.]

Is aves basically same thing as miliput?

[@TomMasonSculptor]

They are very similar in function.

[@scoucesensei]

dear tom can you makr a video how to make fur cloaks

[@TomMasonSculptor]

This is on my list to make. Stay tuned.

[@martinprince7773]

Great video! Thank you