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FAQ: Green Stuff basics


CplHicks

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Ok i'm rather new here and need some help with a conversion i'm doing. I need to know the following:-

 

1. How to sculpt a hand flipping someone the bird.

2. How to sculpt an aquilla (spelling?) that would go on a necklace, but about the size of the books that are on the grey knights shoulder pad.

 

Cheers guys and gals.

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sculpting is all about combining simple shapes to make a complex one..looks at what you are sculpting, and take it apart

 

a hand is just a bunch of cylinders while joints are made by pressing in a bit

 

an aquila is just a bunch of flattened cylinders with straight edges for the wings, and then a simple shape for the eagle or skull or whatever you put in the middle

 

a tutorial will simply show you the way to break down and recreate a complex object with many simple steps

 

always sculpt less than you have to, never more, its always better to go several rounds rather than all at once, this applies to building large shapes like bodies/limbs, or even some smaller detailed stuff like the eagles

 

you may find it easier to sculpt certain parts on top of others, or once other parts have dried so you dont ruin them...for example sculpt the bird before the wings, this way you have something to help you gauge the balance of the wings(are they straight? even? etc) it also makes it easier when sculpting it because you dont have to worry about ruining your aquilas shape by pushing too hard

 

however if you want to do the aquila on many shoudler pads look into GS press moulding, just press GS into the aquila(whether its sculpted or whatever) let dry take the GS off and bam you have a mould, make sure to put some talc or something between so the GS doesnt stick to the piece you are moulding.....or you can simply buy some FW brass etching

 

hope this helps

 

Starks

  • 3 weeks later...

I did the "Bird Flipper" Comversion on one of my marines.

 

What you have to do is get an Xacto knife (Or Stanley Trimmer etc) and cut the LEFT hand that holds the barrel of the bolter in between each finger. You must be careful when doing this. Next, you have to heat the hand up by holding it it warm water or under a hot lamp until the plastic becomes flexible. Bend the fingers down (Except the middle one of course ;) ) and there you have it. A marine who can tell it like it is.

 

Regards,

Cypher

  • 1 month later...

Ive never used GS before except to fill in inseen gaps.

 

Im ok at very simple stuff, but struggle with even basic conversions.

 

I find teh best way to learn is through practice, but i tryed to GS a robe today and lets say it was absoluty terrible. would anyone be so kind as to show me the path to light on learning how to use that green sticky stuff effectivly?

I'm ne to this aswell, but I hv some tips:

 

use wet sculpting tool, fingers even wet the greenstuff (this stops it being sticky, and stops fingerprints)

be patient

work in layers (for example, get the basic shape, wait for it to dry and then do details)

 

also, with robes, have a really good look at other robed models first and see what they look like. I suggest taking thin strips of greenstuff to make the basic shape (including some bigger folds), and then once it is dry, do all the little folds in the fabric. it will be easier to do this once the rest of the greenstuf ist moving around all the time.

 

hope this helps!

Be very careful not to overwet the greenstuff. You want a thin layer or water/spit/or vaseline on it, too much will lead to the greenstuff not behaving at all and not sticking to anything which ive found to be MORE frustrating then anything. If you can find them get color/clay shapers. Theyre basically pencils with differently shaped soft rubber tips, theyre excellent for shaping greenstuff. The biggest thing though (and something i occasionally forget) is to work in layers. Mix up your greenstuff until its the same color throughout. Leave it alone for 15-20 minutes. This lets it harden a little and lose some stickiness both of which make it easier to work with. When you finish making the base structure for whatever youre adding LEAVE IT ALONE. Either go do something else or start working on another model. I promise you if you keep working on that same model you will inadvertently touch your greenstuff work and ruin it. Then youll have to fix it and while doing so ruin another part by touching it. Just save yourself the headache. Once the part you finished has had a couple of hours to set (24 if you really want to be safe) you can go back and either layer new work on the old or start on another part of the model.

 

For robes id recommend adding the base of the robe in several peices so you only have to pay attention to one peice at a time. Measure it out and make your greenstuff to size (after letting it harden), cutting it with a wet exacto blade (cut straight down, dont drag) to the size/shape you desire. For dynamic folds your going to want to create those by literally just bending the greenstuff sheet to match what youre thinking of before attaching the greenstuff to the model. For more mundane folds you can go back later with a snake of greenstuff and smooth either side into the robe to create them. Hope that helped.

  • 2 weeks later...

yup, it is very finnicky. sometimes it brings me to what I call the "white screen of death" that is a blank window, as if the page is still loading. only firefox says "done" at the bottom. :)

 

other times it says no results when I search for very general keywords, like "Raven Guard". oh well. nothing's perfect. :rolleyes:

the best way to improve is buy some colour shapers...they are excellent for use with greenstuff, some dont use them but everyone who does LOVES them

 

next, learn to break down everything in nature to its basic components/shapes, sculpting is all about combining simple shapes to create complex ones

 

then learn how to create textures by doig certain motions

 

and after that(or even during) learn about all the other wonderful sculpting putties better for certain parts

 

milliput, magic sculpt, fimo/sculpey...a mix of them GS and milliput, or GS and magic sculpt, or whatever(fimo sculpey require baking though

so i wouldnt mix)

 

then its practice, you cant improve without doing it, and no tutorial will EVER make you a better sculptor, tutorials give knowledge and ideas, they dont teach you application...video tutorials show movements, but actually doing them yourself is all self taught

 

:P

 

Starks

Hey Starks,

 

i did a searchy on the interwebby, the color shapers look like a good investment. any recommendations on where to order a set of them in Canada. (west coast preferable but the webby is everywhere)

 

thanks for pointing out these tools, should make some conversions much easier. (been stuck using the GW tool and some toothpicks)

I'd stress what was said before... don't just stick to GS. Depending on what you are trying to accomplish, milliput may be MUCH better. For plugging a hole in a tank or gap filling, milliput dries harder and is easier to sand and smooth. Its very frustrating trying to get a smooth flat surface with GS when it keeps acting rubbery and peeling at the edges.

 

I also like how milliput reacts with water, lets you get a nice clean surface before it dries.

  • 4 weeks later...

Well everyone know who is scibor, well in his homepage there is a tutorial about making some details like him (well he use a numeric control cad machine with 3D project but who care about it?) making a small "mould" useful to make a series of details to decor armor and similar... well I've tried somethig similar failing a lot of times because I don't have the right tools and materials... yesterday evening I've made a new try... I've used WAX, warmed it in a glass putted in a pot full of water (something like melting chocolate for cakes :D ), when liquifyed, I've poured the wax in a not too deep rectangular bowl. When becomed hard, I've printed a word mirrored and attached on the wax "plate". With a metal point I've made a track following the word, when finished I've removed the paper and carved the surface following the slight hint traced before, then 've used the good old green stuff.... and this is the result:

 

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a1/RazielLycas/waxwork.jpg?t=1199822350

 

it doesn't look exact the same as the word but is enought similar to be nice.

 

I hope tha this cuold be useful ;)

 

Ps: in the pics of the wax mould the word is upside down <_<

It is very useful.

 

Melting the wax in a double-boiler (bain Marie) makes sense.

 

Are the words carved backwards in the wax using a reflection in a mirror? That seems like the most difficult part.

 

not a reflection in a mirror, I mean that the word I've printed on paper was mirrored with photoshop and then printed, if you carved directly the word, your piece will looks "reflected". To have an idea of what I have to carve I printed on paper the word then put the paper on wax and tracked with a metal tools the word itself, removed the paper and well carved the word on the wax surface.

 

Here the normal word then the "mirrored" word and then the piece out from the wax mold if you correctly carve the mirrored word and then if you carve directly the word.

 

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a1/RazielLycas/waxwork2.jpg

I hope that know is a bit more clear... sorry for my poor english -______-"

Very good idea. I think I am going to put this to some excellent use with my Daemonhunters. Oh, love the good/wrong pics lol. Gave me a good laugh.

I love it that he simple inverted the right/wrong pics.

 

Though I must say that its a cheap and pretty easy way of doing stuff like this.

Probably doesn't work for thing with more depth to it though.

 

E.g. no making angels/skull helmets this way.

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