Creating a Sculpt

Hi Everybody

I want to create my own sculptures of wildlife, and at a scale of papo it would be not too time consuming to sculpt. I know how to sculpt but once hte actual figure is made I am clueless, my last experience was with clay at yr 10 art and playdo.
What material do you recommend, and how do you finish it, i.e is it baked or left to dry, and if baked, can a normal kitchen oven work, how long for and what special stuff needs to be added.

Also does anyone know of fixatives/preservers for air drying clay?

Thanks in Advance for any help, would be much appreciated
My artwork can be seen here

http://nayanarathmalgoda.synthasite.com/art.php

Oh my, your artwork is magnificent!
I love the Sumatran Tiger in "On the Easel", the colours are fabulous.

Thank you, I really appreciate it, that was going to be the finished picture of that tiger, with the background as is to represent the deforestation threatening its home, (the model was a zoo tiger), but now I was considering creating a rainforest backdrop to complement the tiger's colours, your thoughts would be greatly appreciated, do you think a green forest background would be better or not?

Hello, as you can see from my posts, I make a few of my own sculptures and I get a lot from Ana. She is fantastic and I hope she continues to make my figures for a very long time as I have a long list of animals I am hoping to put on my dioramas.

I do some of my own, and I am getting better at the actual figure but the clay is easy. I use Sculpy firm and Sculpy original. The firm is a little hard to work with, being very difficult to nead and soften but it holds it shape really well because it is stiff. The original is very soft and does not do well for me if I have to have things like fingers or horns, anything that is slender and needs to stay in a particular shape. I usually use the firm for the head and small parts, the original for the body and mix the two for everything in between. I also use an aluminum core and wire skeleton to give support and save on clay and weight.

The clay bakes in the oven for no more then 30 minutes, sometimes I bake a figure several times because the head is one part, the legs another and so on until the final figure is baked as a complete figure. Ask Harriet or Ana for any advice, they are much better sculptors then I am but I use the same technique for my tree and rock formations, I so mostly plants and that is where my talant is. I have never had the clay crack or break without a particular cause. I have dropped pieces and they break but just never as one broke or cracked after painting (I use acrylic paints on mine) they are very durable.

Your artwork is fantastic, thanks for the link, the big cat drawings and painting are increadable.

OMG

And your only 22???

Those wild cats, especially the tigers, are the most magnificent work of art I have ever seen

And the sumatran tiger Oh my oh my

donwrath wrote:

Thank you, I really appreciate it, that was going to be the finished picture of that tiger, with the background as is to represent the deforestation threatening its home, (the model was a zoo tiger), but now I was considering creating a rainforest backdrop to complement the tiger's colours, your thoughts would be greatly appreciated, do you think a green forest background would be better or not?

Oh yes - a forest backdrop would be beautiful! It would enhance and compliment the brilliant colour of the tiger.

AWESOME! ***Would like to see figures made of the Bengal tigers fighting!
Keep up the great work! I can see the passion!

I use Sculpey, I´m in love with that clay. It hardens in normal oven and don´t need any special treatment.

I use Sculpey, I´m in love with that clay. It hardens in normal oven and don´t need any special treatment.

SyLoBe wrote:

I use Sculpey, I´m in love with that clay. It hardens in normal oven and don´t need any special treatment.

Super sculpey? I've just bought some for my Asian elephant - which I'm so looking forward to making!!

Elephant? I thought you're making another eland so you could make a mold...

skysthelimit wrote:

Elephant? I thought you're making another eland so you could make a mold...

yes, I will be doing that soon, but I need to get the mould materials first.

Thank you sincerley, it really means a lot coming from such talented people as on this from, really love seeing the sculpts being created, truly amazing.

Once baked and finished, does the sculpts need a preserver/varnish before paint is applied?
also if anyone has any ideas on preservers to air dyring clay that would be greatly appreciated

HKHollinstone wrote:

SyLoBe wrote:

I use Sculpey, I´m in love with that clay. It hardens in normal oven and don´t need any special treatment.

Super sculpey? I've just bought some for my Asian elephant - which I'm so looking forward to making!!

Mine is Sculpey. I´ve never seen Super Sculpey at shops...

SyLoBe wrote:

HKHollinstone wrote:

SyLoBe wrote:

I use Sculpey, I´m in love with that clay. It hardens in normal oven and don´t need any special treatment.

Super sculpey? I've just bought some for my Asian elephant - which I'm so looking forward to making!!

Mine is Sculpey. I´ve never seen Super Sculpey at shops...

Oh right, thanks. No, I haven't seen it in the shops, can only seem to get in online.

WOOW! What a wonderful paints (maybe wonderful don't enough!!)

Congratulations my friend! Like Harriet, i love the tigers fighting too!

WOW. Even your early works are fantastic. I love "His Majesty", "Leopard's Moon", "The Oil Rush" and "Bengal Tigers". They are absolutely amazing. "Sumatran Tiger is awesome as well. I absolutely love the face. Thanks for sharing your beautiful artwork with us and keep up the GREAT work.

When i look at your paintings, i recognize a good talent, and when you use those skills to make sculptures, i am pretty sure, they will come out fabulous to!

As i am a great tiger-fan, i can say, that both paintings of the both tiger-species are great!
I love the Sumatran female tiger from above, nice view!

donwrath wrote:

Thank you sincerley, it really means a lot coming from such talented people as on this from, really love seeing the sculpts being created, truly amazing.

Once baked and finished, does the sculpts need a preserver/varnish before paint is applied?
also if anyone has any ideas on preservers to air dyring clay that would be greatly appreciated

I´m not sure when it comes to air drying clay, since I dont use that, but with sculpey, you can paint it as soon as it gets out of the oven, you dont need to apply anything befor.

Of course, you dont have to paint it at once if you dont want to, you can wait a day, week, year if you like and it still is just as easy to put pain on