Prepping Armatures - Adding the first layer of putty

In this video I cover the next step to prepare an armature for actual sculpting.
Tools:
Posed Armature
Needle File
Greenstuff (Kneadatite)
Colour Shaper Size 0

[@stephenyoung5409]

Thank you so much Tom for creating these videos! The few and far between miniatures sculpting community salutes you sir :)

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Haha no problem. It's always great to read your comments. Thanks for watching and there is much more in the pipeline.

[@rhag1394]

I'm trying to sculpt my first miniature from ground up using your guides. I don't think I'd ever gotten to trying it without you great guides. Thank you Tom, I've learnt most everything of my putty based conversions from your clips. I really appreciate these and rewatch them regularly!

[@TomMasonSculptor]

You're welcome! I'm so glad they help.

[@stompysaurus2967]

I'm just getting started with miniature sculpting. These videos are fantastic :)

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Thank you Stompy. There will be another one next Tuesday.

[@stompysaurus2967]

Tom Mason Oh awesome. With a bit of luck, the various pieces of kit I've ordered will have arrived in time

[@pirjsuka]

Tom, thanks for this fantastic series. So detailed, and so reasonably explained. It helps me a lot to get into sculpting miniatures.

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Great to hear. Keep sculpting!

[@diegom5221]

You are the best! I really like your videos. Congratulations!

[@Theicemonkeyjr]

Ive always wanted to try mini sculpting and this series is fantastic, i love that because of the care you put into the armature, the anatomy landmarks are already showing before you even start addressing the muscles with form. Amazing stuff!

[@TomMasonSculptor]

EXACTLY! Thank you so much and I look forward to seeing what you sculpt.

[@Snaptocovers2c]

Great lighting on the video. Easy to see and follow

[@kkarumo9194]

Great X-mas Gift Tom! Happy Holliday

[@paulhowes1396]

Thank you, this is the kind of helpful basic information that I needed in order to try doing my own things. Whatever they might end up being. Beano Boy

[@TomMasonSculptor]

+Paul Howes no problem! Glad to hear it helped.

[@jotadg]

very simple and fun, thank you for this. finally started my idea of goblin sculpts thanks to you

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Awesome! How are they coming along?

[@jotadg]

@@TomMasonSculptor thank you again, very happy, did an orkette and everything lol

[@HeresyProducktionz]

Great video series this is really helpful.

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Thanks Heresy. You have quite the library of videos yourself. Look forward to checking some out.

[@tomatoes3]

Great tutorial, thanks

[@TomMasonSculptor]

You're welcome!

[@WillieBeard]

Thanks for this method, the voice over versus live commentary. Voice sounds much better this way.

[@TomMasonSculptor]

+PC Betts thanks! Agreed. I also feel it's easier to focus on sculpting when I don't have to talk while doing it.

[@toequantumspace]

Hi! I've just made my first armature. Thanks for excellent lessons. I plan to make Cretan snake goddess, seems easy and there is a lot of references :)

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Awesome! Glad to hear the lessons are helping.

[@ferdmanromero2053]

It's amazing how you made it !!! I want to try it too.

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Go for it!

[@theproject4937]

@@TomMasonSculptor please come back to KZbin! I love your videos and I love how you teach things. Please the miniature sculpting community needs people like you. You are extremely clear and a great teacher. I am getting into the hobby after watching your videos and I would love to see more of your content. Do not deprive all of us of your abilities to make great content for the community!

[@tarasbulba7114]

when i watch you working it seems easy... i will try

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Thank you Francesco. Keep sculpting!

[@Effacez]

Amazing videos, really glad I found your channel! Question, I see can't seem to find a video where you described the wooden block you are using to hold your miniature seen in this video. Is there a notch in it that holds the figure armature and does the bolt tighten it? Looking forward to starting my sculpts as soon as my ordered materials arrive. Keep up the fantastic work! +++EDIT+++ Nevermind, I found the video on how you made it! Great stuff!

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Yeah, that vid is sort of buried a little deep.

[@TrueOniCio]

I will try this thanks!!!!

[@TomMasonSculptor]

You’re welcome! Hope it helps.

[@alanloke1748]

Awesome video! Now you have me all fired up to try my hand at sculpting! Quick question - the colour shaper - should I go with Firm or Extra Firm? In your video for Essential tools, you recommended using the black tip (Extra Firm) but herer I see its white tipped (just regular Firm). Thanks!

[@earthspeed]

I really liked that you explain your thoughts of approach to sculpting. One question though,. Why, do younspejd so much time on the leg after you have already applied the putty?

[@molassesninja]

thank you so much for making these videos. I just got into wargaming but have been an artist all my life, so naturally I scoured the internets for tutorials. Yours are by far the most detailed and professional. And the only ones advanced enough to be helpful. One question... have you ever tried soldering the arms to the body before you put greenstuff on? I was thinking about trying that. I am looking forward to the next part of your tutorials and intend to start sculpting as soon as I have some sketches I like.

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Thanks Monique. Yes I have soldered armatures before. Soldering isn't my strongest skill and since the armatures hold up well without it I chose not to pursue it. However many sculptors use this technique and it's the best way to get a solid join with minimal bulk.

[@molassesninja]

Tom Mason awesome. I have a solderer laying around I think i will bust out.

[@lindawilks8722]

so helpful

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Glad to hear it!

[@danmondy]

Tom, thanks for videos! I am totally new to miniatures and after failing pretty hard with procreate I found your videos! I am wondering if you use water on your hands or tools when working with the green stuff or procreate and if so how often?

[@TomMasonSculptor]

I tried water when I first started... with disastrous results! Water is totally cool to use, but you need to make sure there is very little or it will get caught underneath the putty and it won't stick. I prefer to use petroleum jelly (again very sparingly). Good luck!

[@myblacktube1]

Well I've started out on my sculpting little people hobby thanks to your inspiration...now I hate you!!...you make it look so bloody easy and it is anything but...my first one the cat stole??(don't know why she likes metal) the second one I put way too much putty on my first application and i have something called milliput grey and I've just ordered some white but it's so sticky the only thing it seems to stick to is my fingers and my clothes...ggrrr...I wont give up though, I will just keep re-watching your videos till I get it right...thanks Tom...

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Welcome to my world! You will feel SO good once you figure out how to manage the sticky materials. Keep at it and you'll get there.

[@SlotCarDojo]

Great videos, I was wondering where do you get your Miniature tools? especially the one used to smooth the putty.

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Most of my tools are hand made, but you can get some great pre-made ones from these places. Widget Supply has lots of great metal tools and blades. Check out their Hobby Tools > Dental Tools section www.widgetsupply.com The tool I'm using to smooth the putty is a Colour Shaper. You can pick those up at either of these places: www.dickblick.com www.misterart.com

[@NordboDK]

+Tom Mason try sanding the wire for grip before making the armature? I think it will save you some time :)

[@TomMasonSculptor]

+NordboDK yes. I do that sometimes. Great tip.

[@dragonlady4909]

Hey! I’m looking to make some figures for a D&D campaign called Lost Mines Of Phandelver. In it there are quite a few goblins. They are short monstrous looking creatures with long ears. Do you have any tips for how I should make that armature?

[@TomMasonSculptor]

I'm actually working on a video that shows exactly how I'm sculpting my goblins which happen to be short with long ears :)

[@TheGamerZapocalypse]

Knead-A-Tight is the tackiest of the putties. According to the manufacturer, it's actually an adhesive, so that explains the bubblegum-like qualities of it. That's good advice using it first on the armature. The Clay Shapers are the greatest invention ...E...V...E...R. I use them more than any other tool in the arsenal. Nothing sticks to them and they move over the putty like you used a lubricant like water or petroleum Jelly. I actually cut the handles off at the ferrules because I found them getting in the way a lot. It allows more freedom of hand motion when sculpting. www.flickr.com/photos/128248274@N05/22829705894/in/album-72157659572681564/

[@TomMasonSculptor]

+GamerZapocalypse cutting down the clay shapers is another good suggestion. I prefer my tools shorter and frequently find myself bumping the lights while I filming :)

[@SanjiSasuke]

Hey Tom, don't know if you still reply to old videos, but a big thanks, hoping to catch you if you do a live QA. On the subject of this vid, I don't have ProCreate (a little broke) but I'm trying out using BluTack (the stuff for putting up posters) to be the initial sticky layer. I haven't actually applied any P Clay to it yet, but is there any reason this would be a problem? It seems to stick well and be much more adhesive than the clay.

[@TomMasonSculptor]

SanjiSasuke that is some creative problem solving. However I would advise against using poster take. The reason I use ProCreate or Greenstuff for the initial layer is that it starts sticky, but will self cure, making a rigid understructure. Since the poster tack won't ever harden, it will always be moving and flexing around the armature. This will make sculpting difficult at best. At worst it will create cavities under the Pclay and could compromise the sculpt. I'd suggest practicing sculpting only on polyclay until you can afford some ProCreate or Greenstuff. Just make a ball of clay and shape it into something. Faces are great to practice on because they can be so difficult to master. Good luck!

[@SanjiSasuke]

Tom Mason Thanks for the help and tips! I'll hopefully be able to get some soon. So far it works better than pure p clay which I was using prior. That was pretty frustrating. Practicing faces is certainly in my future. Looking forward to future tutorials!

[@VileAce]

The video is standing up to the test of time very well, particularly as the video is 6 years old. I there anything major that you would do differently?

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Nope, still using the same process. In fact you can see a figure I sculpted just a few month ago to compare. Let me know if you notice that I did anything differently. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hGiuoopmq953d6s

[@lorenzobonaretti2887]

what meterial are you using as sculpt materials? sometimes i saw you using greenstuff, sometimes fimo, other times apoxi composts from aves.. i'd like to appreciate when you choose one over another

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Lorenzo, you are correct. I do use several different materials. I mainly use Kneadatite aka Greenstuff (the green putty) as a base for my FIMO Professional (the gray clay). I also use Greenstuff for extra bits to add on after the clay has been baked. The majority of my sculpting is done with FIMO Professional though.

[@myblacktube1]

Hi Tom...may I ask you a question please?...a bit of a newbie question...after making my armature and roughing it up with a file I get my grey/yellow milliput and start applying it to the frame...my problem is when I'm rolling a small thin bit like a calf muscle etc sometimes the putty crumbles...is that because the putty is crap or is it maybe because I haven't mixed it well enough? or do you know of any other reason it crumbles sometimes?...cheers mate...all the best Dave...

[@TomMasonSculptor]

The putty isn't crap, but it sounds like the white/yellow Milliput isn't the right material for this stage. It's best to us a sticky putty with good surface tension like greenstuff or ProCreate. I'm not sure if there is a different version of Milliput that would work better. Do you have access to greenstuff or ProCreate?

[@myblacktube1]

I've just looked on Amazon UK and found some kneedable green stuff...I hope that's what you mean because I just bought 12" of it...I'll let you know how I get on with it and the white milliput Tom...thanks mate

[@TomMasonSculptor]

That sounds like the right stuff. If you like the milliput, but want to play with the properties, try mixing some greenstuff in with the miliput.

[@myblacktube1]

I like the green stuff it goes onto the frame so much easier but it's so bloody expensive...I will try the milliput on top of the greenstuff layer and see how that goes...

[@myblacktube1]

The greenstuff comes in a strip with yellow and blue next to each other but I noticed the blue strip is not as wide as the yellow strip so I'm guessing they are not a 50 50 mix more of a 60 40...

[@callindrill]

It looks like you're using a mini colour shaper, firm. Can you confirm this? Do you ever use the soft or extra firm ones (I'm still making my way through this series)? Also, I really like this format over the talking while sculpting one. Thanks for the great videos!

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Confirmed, that's the gray tipped Firm. I use those and the black Extra Firm. Not a big fan of the soft since it's is, well, soft :). But that's just a matter of taste. All the Colour Shapers are great.

[@rameneater1690]

Do you need to bake the kneadatite?

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Nope. That will cure all by itself over a few hours. You only need to bake polyclays.

[@pmh6719]

Hellooo community. Does anyone know the name of that nice segmented container used to separate the blue stuff from the yellow stuff?

[@TomMasonSculptor]

They are stackable beading containers. You should be able to find them in any beading section of a craft store.

[@belverkungol]

Hi. I have only just got into sculpting and these videos are immensely helpful. I am working with Procreate and I was wondering if you had any tips on smoothing surfaces for painting. I tried the Milliput juice technique, except using Procreate, but it doesn't seem to be working and would probably require 20+ layers to have a noticeable affect.

[@TomMasonSculptor]

That's a great idea for a topic. I am unfamiliar with the Milliput juice technique, but I can certainly go over how to get nice smooth surfaces with putty. Thanks for watching.

[@belverkungol]

Thanks that would be incredible and much appreciated. It is a technique I learnt from Jeremie Bonamant's miniature painting DVD. Basically you take a small ball of putty, put a small indentation in the middle of it into which you place a small amount of water, which you then move around with an old brush to create a milk like consistency 'milliput juice.' This is used for smoothing the surfaces of metal miniatures so you get a very smooth surface to paint on. I figured it might also work over epoxy putty, but very little putty becomes suspended in the water when I used Procreate rather than Milliput, so I don't even know if it would be a useful technique for sculpting minis

[@NiklasHk]

I could not see other ask this. Why do you start with a layer of gs. Because of mold heat?

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Greenstuff is added because the polyclay (FIMO) won't stick to the wire. It's a good idea to start with this layer even if you're doing the whole mini out of putty. Thanks!

[@NiklasHk]

Thanks for a great show. Love the internet

[@stevechristidesphoto]

Tom Mason is Greenstuff the only thing you can layer on first or would a substitute work. Say milliput or apoxie sculpt etc.

[@aiwatch2000]

I found the green stuff to be very sticky. The silicon carver tool was really sticking to the putty.

[@aiwatch2000]

maybe i put too much on the armature

[@TomMasonSculptor]

You still have to be careful with how hard you push on it.

[@nsrstudio7301]

What the metarial..?

[@TomMasonSculptor]

The first layer is greenstuff (kneadatite).