Green Stuff Sculpting

---


Recently due to work and other commitments posts have have a bit slow in the last week or so, however I've managed to find a little bit of time to write this post.

I'm sure there are many of you that have looked at either the Dark Angel veterans or some of the Space Wolves models and thought it'd be great if you could create your own version, bit without buying the box, I know I have.

For those of you that are Space Wolves fans then this is one for you, over at B&C there is a member by the name of Stinkenheim, and he's done a wonderful tutorial on how to recreate a wolf cloak. The fur effect is done in a very similar way to a previous fur tutorial shown on here a few weeks ago, which works perfectly. So far this is the best tutorial I've seen for making your own wolf cloak.

The next two are geared more towards your Dark Angel veteran looking models, however I'm sure these techniques can be used on a number of different figure types from Sci-fi to Fantasy.

The first of the two tutorials is a tabard authored by Madscuzzy of B&C, which looks a lot easier than it actually is, finding the right placement of the creases is not as easy as it looks if you're trying to make the tabard appear to flow.

The second tutorial incorporates a different method of making a robes for your Dark Angel models, however, there is also a different method to making a tabard, and also a good tutorial on creating hoods. This tutorial is my favourite, and have had it bookmarked for some time. I'd definitely advise a look over it.

---
 

At the back end of last year I decided that in my Chaos Space Marine Army I would use the good old favourite Daemon Prince of Tzeentch with wings. As many of you know the Daemon Prince model doesn't come with wings so I had to purchase some separate, which I did and with a bit of assistance from Col Corbane I managed to fix them with Green Stuff and Pinning.

Since then I have found two tutorials on how to create your own wings from Green Stuff, one of which I could have used and the other, less so, but would still work along the Tzeentch theme.

The first is from a member of Bolter and Chainsword called Caroline, the wings she has created are of the feather variety and look stunning. The detail put into the wings really sets them off and I could really see these being incorporated into a Blood Angel list, especially with the revamp of the new codex.

There is a step by step guide that seems quite easy to follow, and I believe with a bit of practice a brilliant result can be achieved, just like Caroline's.

The other wings are from a sculptor by the name of Gael Goumon of Mandragore Miniatures. In this tutorials (which is in PDF) Gael goes through the process of how to create dragon and daemonic wings, firstly by showing pictures of how the wing armature should look, and then going through the process of creating the wings.

The result is amazing and although the tutorial verbally isn't the lengthiest, you get a good idea from the photos how to create each stage, and what has been wrote down is of good enough quality to follow and get to good grasp of the concept. I will definitely be trying this one out on future Daemon Princes.

-Green Stuff Sculpting

“Miniature Mentors for those of you that do not know is a company that specialises in producing tutorial videos for those that wish to learn how to paint and sculpt to a higher standard. The artists that are doing the teaching are without a doubt some of the most talented people in their field, with experience that is second to none.

All of the video tutorials that I have watched so far are probably the best quality tutorial videos I have seen on the market. They're captured in Hi Definition that not only gives you an up close view of the artists’ creations, but also brings the figures to life, whether they're being painted or sculpted.”

Sculpting like any art form has an endless number of ways to be done, with each sculptor preferring to use one medium over another. Although the main focus of Green Stuff Sculpting is to guide and help those that wish to increase their skill and knowledge of using Green Stuff, I am also aware that there are other mediums out there worth using. One of those is Fimo.

In this review we will be looking at a video tutorial produced by Miniature Mentors, using the sculptor Aragorn Marks.  Found within the tutorial is a guide to creating your own armatures for sculpting, whether you use Green Stuff or Fimo, there are tips on how to use Green Stuff along with clay based mediums, and a full sculpt of a Barbarian with Fimo. You’ll also get some great ideas on how to cure your sculpts with halogen heating rather than a conventional oven.

Aragorn Marks is an expert sculptor, with over ten years experience to his name. He has worked for Rackham miniatures as their head sculptor, creating some of their most icon figures, namely the barbarians. Aragorn now works as a freelance sculptor for a number of different companies from his home is France.

The tutorial set is split up into 7 sections, the first one being an Interview with Aragorn Marks, where he talks a little bit about himself and some of the tools he uses; the best part of this section is his use of a curing cooker. We then go onto 6 more sections that take you through the process of sculpting with fimo, starting with creating an armature, to using Green Stuff and them going into the sculpt itself.

The figure was in fact commissioned by Miniature Mentors for the video tutorial, and there may be plans to bring it into production for purchase.

The only downside I have to this tutorial and some of the others by Miniature Mentors are the file size of the sections. They run from anywhere between 800mb and 1.2 GB for a 40 minute section. If this doesn’t bother you, then you’re fine.

All-in-all this is a fantastic set, and one I thoroughly enjoyed watching, and have since re-watched it to pick up bits I missed the first time round as the content found within these tutorials is great and numerous, you can’t possibly remember them all from one viewing. If you’re interested in trying Fimo as a sculpting medium then I would highly recommend getting your hands on this tutorial.

-Green Stuff Sculpting

 ---
(Original Work of Dverning) 



Dverning of Maunderings of a 40k Gamer - Some miniatures we look at by members of the blogging and forum community have had slight alterations to make them more individual to their owner, and give the army a personalised feel on the tabletop. The conversion could be anything from a few more purity seals to an altered power weapon. There are some modifications out there that just make you go wow, that is pure brilliance not just because it looks fantastic, but due to it really fitting in with the army it's been created for. It is one thing to make a model stand out, it is another to make it stand out in a way that still keeps with the theme, Dverning has gone just that.

His Farseer jetbike is fantastic, from the conversion on the jetbike to the colours used once it had been built. I'm not normally an Eldar fan, mostly because of their affiliation with elves and such; it's really not my cup of tea. However, Dverning has made me want to create my own jetbike squad; I can't say I want an army, but definitely a display squad. I believe anyone that comes up with an idea that inspires you to go off and create your own twist on it, especially if you don't like the army the idea is based off deserves some kudos.

Contained within his article is a step-by-step photo guide on how the bike in question was assembled with the conversion work, there is also a link to a Sculpting Tools 101. I'll also link the guide on how he sculpts the fine lines on the bike.

Other interesting articles on Dverning's blog are:

Sculpting 102: Putty
Sculpting 103: Simple Fills, Forms & Repairs
Sculpting 104: Silicon Shaping Tools
Sculpting 201: Pinning, Armature & Large Shapes

Go over to his blog and have a look, you won't be dissapointed and I'm sure you'll get your own ideas for your own Eldar if that's what you play, or you'll be able to use the technique for your own army in some way.