Sculpting a Zombie from Monster Clay Part 1

In this video I have a go with some monster clay for the first time and cover sculpting up a zombie.
Etsy listing www.etsy.com/u...
Next video in series is available here • Sculpting a Zombie fro...
Link to skull reference video • Weta Workshop Artist's... Artist credit Javier Murcia.

[@tyriqlamont]

Here after watching Jazza’s vid

[@proteinman7800]

Tyriq Lamont same

[@heathermurphy1265]

Me to 😀

[@averygarner68]

Tyriq Lamont same I got hooked and it has something to do with the zombie part of it 😂

[@meech6494]

Same oh yeah yeah

[@aidanvallejo1569]

Ha lol same

[@iamdbatatnight5600]

You should do a series of Sculpting tutorials for beginners ... you’re work is so good ... I could only dream of being that good

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks very much. I have plenty of other sculpting vids on my channel but maybe an intro series would be worth doing :)

[@artsculpture1024]

I bought some samples of all three concictencies, soft, medium and hard. I decided to buy the 5 lb. tub of hard. I bought a used convection oven for $15. that works perfect to soften it. I like that little torch unit. I may have to get me one of those. Thanks for the great video!

[@thedarkpower]

I've only tired medium so far. I do need to get some sort of heating solution to keep the clay soft. I also tried making a little rig to hold some clay above a candle which worked OK.

[@DimensionDevices]

Wait... This zombie head was made from medium Monster Clay?! Impressive...!

[@artsculpture1024]

I thought so too.

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks! :)

[@dme3o]

Superb! Love watching you work!

[@thedarkpower]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@fibit]

That looks awesome! The pose reminds me of Gollum mid "My... precious!!" scream, so the pose is spot on! Also were you tempted to eat some of the gooey clay lol! i had that weird impulse just watching it!

[@thedarkpower]

+fibit Thanks! Yes there is a touch of Gollum in there I think! And yes the melted clay does look abit delicious, but I wouldn't recommend it as you'd probably get some nasty burns!

[@MrKardany]

You are amazing man, cheers. I wish i had the time to obtain this skill, i would love to create sculptures in my free time.

[@thedarkpower]

Cheers dude I appreciate it.

[@leevespa4564]

Absolutely brilliant mate,just trying my hand at sculpting......after seeing this....going to throw me tools in the bin lol, fantastic artist,well done 👍

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks! It's all just practice ;)

[@gazkelhol]

hi there i'm a complete noob to sculpting and recently bought some chavant clay and loving it , having started with air drying clay which i found messy and hard to stop cracking. Loving this video having watched quite a few , nice to see even a pro altering things and trying new things , very talented subscribing now .

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks dude I appreciate it - yeah I used to use air drying clay. Chavant is so much better!

[@Toxy..]

Is it chavant really better than Monster clay? As you can tell I'm noob at this... So far I have only been using ceramic clay.

[@GHMetallica37]

I'm currently in school for art and I've grown to really love working with clay scultping. I aspire to work in model making and character scultping so this was both helpful and awesome to watch. I'm definitely subbing and keeping and eye out for your content. Thanks!!

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks for watching and good luck with the art course ;)

[@GHMetallica37]

The Dark Power thank you!!

[@theundeadsculptor6635]

see i was wondering what that stuff was like. love a good zombie sculpture. i might give that stuff a go

[@thedarkpower]

Yeah I like it - I'll definitely be using it again.

[@Rustbukkit69]

Great sculpt!

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks!

[@darksidegemini9888]

Honey I'm home, I brought you that human skull you asked for! Lol Great tutorial, this is absolutely perfect! You captured the expression SO brilliantly, its incredibly realistic (if zombies exist...they don't exist though, right? RIGHT??!!) I appreciate how you not only show what you are doing, but also explain in detail why you are doing it. Super helpful for beginners like me😁 Thank you!

[@thedarkpower]

Haha, yeah that's not the first skull she's brought home ;) Thanks very much for watching :)

[@ME-ob6cl]

watching this makes me want to try and learn how to do it. looks so fun but realy difficult

[@thedarkpower]

Have a go, it's good fun and you don't need much to start.

[@Typaos]

Me: sees how the zombie looks at the end Also me: why does he have better teeth than me?

[@Mr11Worcester]

Your work has totally blown my mind.....AWESOME

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks Phil, I appreciate it.

[@gungagalunga7761]

You Sir, are an artist! Gruesome, but an artist! Great work. Cheers from across the pond.

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks! And thanks for watching.

[@DavidJelsmaBanjo]

The black tubs can be put in the oven. I just heat it at about 200 degrees Fahrenheit for like 45 minutes. Somewhere i heard not to use the microwave for some reason and not to heat it in metal, i dont know why, i just dont. Great sculpt!

[@thedarkpower]

Ah cool, thanks for confirming. I'd not tried that. The microwave heats from the inside out so the middle tends to liquify. A regular oven might heat things abit more evenly.

[@DonaldDrennan]

Nice sculptures and good videos. Could you do a video where you show different techniques for creating textures in Monster Clay?

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks. These videos cover that kzbin.info/www/bejne/aqGlYqtrgM-aY7M kzbin.info/www/bejne/ql7dfWiAi9mJiLc

[@CharlieStalk]

Amazing work mate. I have started to move on from drawing to sculping. Your videos are a great inspiration.

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks Matt, glad they're proving useful :)

[@vasili1207]

Awsome ....I wouldn't paint it looks awsome like that

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks! I'll see what I reckon when I get round to it ;)

[@chrisivens]

Firstly, nice job. I think skulls have an innate comic grin which I’m sure Skeletor has a right game with when trying to look serious. The 2 things I wanted to mention were clay warming ovens and tools. Often you’ll see Americans referring to a toaster oven which is a table top oven and on low it’ll soften the clay. You could just as easily use a slow cooker or chafing dish which I haven’t used but I hear works well. Adam Beane uses one for his CX5 compound wax/clay (his work is incredible). I personally warm the clay in a standard oven for a few minutes and then transfer to a clay oven which is just a cardboard box, lined with foil and a light bulb shining inside as a heat source. You should check out Chris Viera aka Sculpture Geek’s site for instructions on how to make your own. I was initially prompted to comment to see whether one of the tools you are using is from the Tiranti site. The one with the spatula end which you used on the jaw and when adding tendons to the neck. I’ve been looking to replace one of mine which has a similar end. It sounds like you are a Brit so if you have any recommendations for suppliers please let me know. Cheers Chris

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks Chris. As it happens I was looking for toaster ovens as I'm thinking about making a vacuum forming machine and they're often used to melt the plastic. I thought they were an american thing but you can actually get them from Argos (yes I'm in the UK). I did try to use a crucible made of foil suspended over a candle to keep my clay soft, it got a little too hot though so your suggestion sounds like a good one. Yes I have a number of tools from Tiranti which I use all the time. They're a good place to look. I also make a few of my own with loops of guitar string.

[@chrisivens]

The Dark Power if you could let me know the number on the side of that spatula tool then I’d appreciate it. Here’s the clay oven directions sculpturegeek.wordpress.com/2015/09/03/how-i-built-my-sculpting-stand-and-clay-warming-oven/

[@thedarkpower]

Cool, thanks! It doesn't have a number unfortunately but it might be this one tiranti.co.uk/products/sl-stainless-steel-dental-tool/

[@chrisivens]

The Dark Power cheers chap.

[@chrisivens]

I got that tool the other day. Apart from being pointier that my existing one it looks like it’ll be vying for being that coveted main go-to tool in no time. Thanks.

[@laulou163]

Something that works great to smooth out this clay is bull lighter fluid, dangerous I know but it works and does the job

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks, I've not tried that but I'll have to give it a go.

[@laulou163]

@@thedarkpower awesome! Hope it works well for you :) I really enjoy your content, it’s certainly helping me learn more about sculpting! Much appreciated

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks for watching 😁

[@DRToysCreations]

Great work!

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks!

[@TNTales]

Be careful of clay volcano if you microwave it. It will blop out out from the inside. I find it works best if you put the tub in a crock pot and put water around it then just heat it. Then you can scoop it out.

[@thedarkpower]

Yep that can be dangerous! I've found microwaving on a low power for longer helps with that, a good tip though, thanks :)

[@theantichrist6524]

Please Post some videos on pressure casting and give us a hands on idea as to the quality of the pressure chamber

[@thedarkpower]

No problem - part 3 of this video series covers this here kzbin.info/www/bejne/eabGaYh-dp6tmcU and this video deals with it specifically kzbin.info/www/bejne/iXnMmIJ3qsygmac

[@raymanning9903]

looking forward to your future videos. Thanks for posting

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks! I appreciate it :)

[@rodlrfilmmakercreator1460]

Very nice and descriptive video step by step. You motivate me. I will start sculpting soon

[@thedarkpower]

+ROD Boricua thanks! Glad it's proving useful.

[@clayaliens5088]

Love your work. You are talented.

[@thedarkpower]

+Clay Aliens thanks very much :)

[@MrJacoob406]

It will dry but you can soften it with a heat gun

[@jaystationconsolegaming1578]

Absolutely amazing as always buddy. Love it and inspiring me to get my clay out again

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks for watching, glad it was useful ;)

[@jaystationconsolegaming1578]

Your welcome. Just makes me want to sculpt. Been ages. I’ve just watched your 5 part robot head. Very interesting

[@samblacka8555]

This is such a helpful video man!! Looks incredible :)

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks! Glad it's proving useful.

[@TimberNightSong]

Your zombie ended up looking a lot like a decomposing Smeagol, which is still pretty cool.

[@Myleeteana]

Omg you could totally prank someone with that haha just a zombie in your back yard

[@garageart3548]

Love this clay! Awesome work!

[@thedarkpower]

+Garage Art thanks!

[@rezzzo76]

Very cool! That came out great!

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks! :)

[@easyemu1511]

I really appreciate the step-by-step, carefully explained process. It is a tremendous help. Do you sculpt your polymer clays in a climate controlled environment?

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks, glad it was useful. No, no need for climate control! Polymer clays only set when they're cooked at high temperatures. In fact you can soften them slightly by kneading them with your hands.

[@easyemu1511]

Pardon me, I meant to say Plasticine oil-based clays. I work outdoors and the fluctuations in temperature make it really difficult to model something because the consistency of the clay changes so often.

[@thedarkpower]

Ah I see. Not that I've noticed to be honest, but then the UK is not known for it's extremes of temperature ;)

[@fatih2313]

Great work man! I was wondering how you ended up with the smooth surface and transitions in the wrinkles. Is it just yolo blow torching?

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks! I used a solvent and a paintbrush to smooth out the details too.

[@fatih2313]

@@thedarkpower oh good to know! Thank you for the reply :)

[@rodlrfilmmakercreator1460]

Look great with the eyes. Question, Is the sculpture can be for ever like that and the eyes or we have to make a mold? If we do a mold we have to take it out the eyes before molded? Thank for your videos

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks! The eyes can stay in - I have a video on making the mould here kzbin.info/www/bejne/e6nddJqJiLCGp8k

[@HelloSmileMore]

That looks amazing!! Fantastic skills you have to sculpture this face and the fine details are just fantastic. Thanks for sharing this. I don't know how I came here LOL but it definitely makes fun to watch this!! 😉

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks very much, very kind :)

[@HelloSmileMore]

The Dark Power you very welcome 😀 you really have earned to be noticed with your work of Art!! 👍👍👍👏👏👏

[@WayneTully1]

This is great! I need to have a go at this now!

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks!

[@JulianMakes]

superb expression, brillant job.

[@thedarkpower]

Cheers dude ;)

[@TruthSurge]

1:05 I think he looked at a mirror.

[@interreptor]

0:50 Gollum :D ... but in a far more deadly look :D

[@lumensukatoo7553]

it looks amazing

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks!

[@3dartstudent973]

So beautiful and useful sculpting, i learned new things thanks alot, can we use oven to dry them or it should be seperated from the normal oven we put foods in it? :)

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks very much, glad you found it useful :) Well as this is monster clay it would melt if you stuck it in the oven! Polymer clays harden if you heat them, water based clays would dry out if you heated them. Technically you should have a separate oven I guess but how many of use have access to that?! ;)

[@3dartstudent973]

The Dark Power، yes mine water based clay, when i tried to air dry them the cracks poped out from nowhere:/, thanks again for the new useful info. I'll write them :)

[@AbuGrabIt]

Great work

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks!

[@resin_Hd]

Excellent episode. Any hints on how to pick out the right sized eyes. When I buy, they either look too big or too small. TIA

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks - yep, so if you wanna be totally accurate about it, the human eye is 24mm in diameter approx. So if your sculpture is 1/3 scale, you need 8mm eyes, if it's 1/4 scale you need 6mm etc. So decide on the scale first and pick the eyes appropriately. The other method I use is to have a box full of eyes and ball bearings and beads and things and just try a few different ones til I find some that look OK. That does mean I end up swapping out the eyes a couple of time ;)

[@chrisivens]

You can also get pots of B.B. gun balls in varying sizes that could give you ample eyes for years.

[@alexhidalgo3423]

How heavy is a sculpture when using this monster clay?

[@thedarkpower]

Well it depends on the size, a couple of kg I suppose.

[@alliasneo]

Is there much of a difference between this clay and a chavant clay? I’m just wondering what type of clay to go for to start a sculpture.

[@thedarkpower]

They're very similar. Monster clay has a waxy quality to it which, for me, gives it the edge. Chavant is a great clay too though.

[@alliasneo]

The Dark Power awesome, thanks for the reply. I think I’ll get some monster clay and try it out. It looks good. would you say the medium is a similar density to the grey super sculpy or the pink? I much prefer working with the pink

[@thedarkpower]

I think medium monster might be abit firmer than the grey super sculpey. As it's waxy it's hard initially but swiftly gets very soft if you hold it in your hand.

[@PROGAMING-du6lp]

I liked and subscribed

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks!

[@quentinbryantart5684]

This is so great! I love your work. Did you ever mould it? I'd love to see this painted!

[@thedarkpower]

+Quentin Bryant Art Thanks! I'm halfway through making a mould right now as it happens so expect a new video in a few weeks.

[@philipnightingale6721]

this is fantastic, fascinating watching the video and seeing your processes. I was wondering where you got the eyes from?

[@thedarkpower]

Hi Philip, as discussed I use www.glasseyes.com/

[@sergiopz8542]

Hello! What liquid did you use to soften the monster clay? the result is very professional. I was using fimo and sculpey but recently i bought monster clay medium and i'm desperate with it.

[@thedarkpower]

I melted the surface with a blow torch in some places but I also used white spirit (also known as mineral spirits). I used a paint brush to brush it on.

[@sergiopz8542]

The Dark Power All right. Thank you very much!

[@VinnyDoesLife]

Where did u get the eyeballs from? I can’t find any good ones online.

[@thedarkpower]

I use these guys www.glasseyes.com/ they've always been fantastic quality.

[@alliasneo]

How do you make this clay go hard to form the sculls at the end? I thought this type of clay stayed soft so you had to make a mold of it for a final piece?

[@thedarkpower]

The clay is warm when it's poured into the mould. As it cools it gets harder although you're right that this type of clay never sets.

[@ME-ob6cl]

how long have you been sculpting for?

[@thedarkpower]

About twenty years.

[@artsculpture1024]

Wonderful video! Thanks, I put a link on one of my videos where I refer to Monster Clay, great sculpt!

[@thedarkpower]

Cheers dude, I appreciate it :)

[@earthspeed]

Does this clay dry or harden somehow ?

[@thedarkpower]

No, it's oil/wax based so it doesn't set.

[@malladrums8720]

What size eyes did you use mate? Thanks!

[@thedarkpower]

I think they were about 8mm.

[@aercinskarkauf1909]

where did you buy your stand? i need stands so i can start making my head sculptures but i cant seem to find the right ones, am looking for no more then 15 inches tall, or did you make it?

[@thedarkpower]

Yeah I made it myself - I have a video about it here kzbin.info/www/bejne/mKPPmqdqjNRoa68

[@dabeerygoat]

I'm extremely new to sculpting (started this past weekend). What are you using as a stand for the sculpture (copper metal base)? I something I can buy or did you make it yourself? I've just been holding it in my hands the whole time....

[@thedarkpower]

Yeah the copper stand is something I made myself - I soldered together some copper pieces to make it. I have been thinking about sticking some up on my etsy store actually. Let me know if that'd be useful. If you don't have the tools to do that yourself you could go to the hardware store and get them to cut up some squares of wood as a base. You could then screw a wooden rod onto the base and use that. Alternatively I used to use wooden coasters.

[@dabeerygoat]

The Dark Power thank you so much. Yeah that would be awesome if you post it on Esty. I like the way the copper one looks. How much would you sell it for?

[@thedarkpower]

No probs. Might be a week or so before they're available. I'd say they'd be around £9 + postage, something like that.

[@aidanvallejo1569]

I know I’m a bit late to this video but I just started sculpting about a month ago and I know I’m still young but I can say that I am getting pretty good but this just makes me embarrassed cause you are a Wayy higher level in sculpting than me, just any tips?

[@thedarkpower]

That's very kind of you to say. To be honest it's just practice - I just turned 40 so I've had abit more time to practice at this. I would say watch plenty of tutorials online, get the theory down. Always measure out the proportions of the face or body carefully before beginning (I'm still getting that wrong!) and just keep trying. Each piece teaches you how to do the next one, particularly the ones that go wrong ;)

[@aidanvallejo1569]

Ha Thankyou! Didn’t think you’d respond that quick, I’ll also keep your channel in mind so I can get reference off you, Thanks!

[@meziens15]

Hey excellent video I really enjoyed wacthing this, I always wanted to sculpt in my life... I am completely new to this and I want to start with experimenting and making monsters, but where can you start? And does the clay stay that way or can you paint over it????

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks. Yeah this type of clay stays in the same form - ie it doesn't harden so you need to make moulds which I cover in the later videos in this series. If you're just starting I'd suggest Super Sculpey - once you're done sculpting you put it in oven and cook it to make it go hard. You can then paint it.

[@meziens15]

Hey, thanks so much for responding and the useful information, I will watch your video's. You've got yourself a sub :-) thanks buddy!

[@WoM]

excellent!

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks! :)

[@BlackCat_2]

Looks great and not cartoony at all. :) Would love to know the link to that interview about skulls that you found. :) - Heidi

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks very much! :) It's this one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iYrcY4KsbbR7d7s I did try to add a link in the video, not sure how well youtube's new linking thing works though ;)

[@BlackCat_2]

Well it may have worked but I keep annotations off so I might have missed it. That will teach me. :P Thanks for letting me know. I need to do better with my skulls even though I tend to leave them as skulls most of the time. :D

[@thedarkpower]

No probs - yeah they're trickier to do than they look!

[@3ad3pt3]

U real should buy the softener it's well worth it ...specially on skulls ...

[@thedarkpower]

Is that a softener specifically for monster clay? I didn't know that there was one! Will check it out ;)

[@3ad3pt3]

By the wat like how u added the ribs on the mold ...u get my subscription...

[@rodlrfilmmakercreator1460]

How many lights and how you set up your working area? For example 2 lights on each side of the sculpture....

[@thedarkpower]

Yes that's right - i have two posable lights one on either side.

[@rodlrfilmmakercreator1460]

The Dark Power OK, thanks

[@scifimodelshop]

Super cool at the end you showed some skulls do you sell them? I need a nice looking one to hang around neck of my 1\4 scale predator

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks - I don't sell them I'm afraid - this guy might be able to help you out though www.etsy.com/uk/listing/452965984

[@regannealephotography]

Any tips on how to store Monster Clay once you are done with it for a session? Thanks.

[@thedarkpower]

I keep it in those plastic sealable food containers, or wrap it in foil. You just need to make sure it doesn't get dusty really.

[@ZachDames]

So cool!

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks!

[@hoochhenry]

What type of monster clay and we’re you get the eyes from

[@thedarkpower]

I used medium and the eyes come from here www.glasseyes.com/

[@hoochhenry]

Looks great

[@lilygonzalier4076]

8:54 when you get home and realize that your mom made spaghetti

[@jmh4449]

Excellent sculpt tutorial. Did you ever make the skull molding tutorial? Id love to see it, thanks.

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks - yes I cover it here kzbin.info/www/bejne/e6nddJqJiLCGp8km17s

[@jmh4449]

Thanks but I meant the future video you mentioned at 13:34. Cheers

[@thedarkpower]

Yes - that's a link to the video where I discuss it.

[@jmh4449]

The Dark Power thanks, the first time I clicked on it it sent me back to the original video. Thanks very much

[@thedarkpower]

Weird. No probs, thanks for watching! ;)

[@Zebracat245687]

Where do you buy the eyes from?

[@thedarkpower]

I get them from here www.glasseyes.com/index.html

[@chrisadamson9556]

What type of clay do you use and does it crack?

[@thedarkpower]

+Chris Adamson it's monster clay. And no it doesn't crack.

[@rodlrfilmmakercreator1460]

What size is the Cooper pipe tube?

[@thedarkpower]

It's 15mm

[@rodlrfilmmakercreator1460]

The Dark Power thanks

[@janewayscully6225]

awesome, thanks

[@rodlrfilmmakercreator1460]

Do you have any video about how to paint skin tone?

[@thedarkpower]

Sure, these videos cover skin tones. kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6TWl5uZh9tqbNU kzbin.info/www/bejne/i4nMeJmqgJibp9E kzbin.info/www/bejne/ppzNdaGKrrOCjtU

[@hudsenbryce8157]

8:06 did she cut her wrist

[@thedarkpower]

No, I believe they were sacrificed to cthulhu ;)

[@thedisabledwelshman9266]

ice cream anybody? lol

[@meltingdoggo4647]

Cool.

[@c1nd3r99]

Lets just say you made a goaul from Fallout 4

[@hillbillygibbons7552]

Where can I order castings of your sculptures?

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks - they're available here www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TheDarkPower

[@hillbillygibbons7552]

The Dark Power those are cool! Shipping would be very high to get them to USA. I love painting casts.

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks I appreciate it ;) Shipping's typically been around the £20 mark to the states I think, so $28 approx.

[@art-animals-life7407]

modeling lesson 3 (future sculptor Adam, 2 years)

[@Kenny-gq1hy]

8:53 looks like johnny cage (forgot his name lol) turning into ghost rider

[@thespecter6416]

Top kek, his name is Nicolas Cage

[@chrislee50]

looks like gollum zombified

[@MaxSculpt]

лайк

[@hitthetardisd3357]

8:00. Seems legit.

[@thedarkpower]

+HittheTARDIS d3 no one was actually killed for the video, that is a real skull though.

[@hitthetardisd3357]

The Dark Power That's cool. I'm glad that no one was killed because I would not have liked to call the cops or anything. Fabulous sculpture by the way.

[@thedarkpower]

Haha, cheers I appreciate it :)

[@henlofrens1190]

Who sees golem from lord of da rings 🤣😅