Sculpting Face Mask Helmets

[SvenIronhand]

Couldn't find a topic in the tutorials section, so here it is. One of the projects I've in mind is a Squat Hearthguard Command Squad for my Rymr 1st. My thinking is that I'd sculpt a Romanesque face mask like the following images onto Einherjar heads.

 


How would you sculptors go about this? 

[apologist]

This looks like a nice project to start with sculpting, as the style is clean, sharp lines with little relief. I'd suggest that you start by gathering source material – find as many artworks or examples of norse/saxon-style masks that you like the look of. Look for simple, iconic shapes and marks; don't go for very elaborate knotwork at this stage.

 

With the source material close to hand, I'd lay a small ball of ProCreate or Brownstuff (less elastic than Greenstuff, they'll hold lines better and distort less) on the face, and gradually flatten it out into a shield shape on the face. If you only have Greenstuff, leave it to cure for a little while longer.

 

After a few minutes to allow the putty to cure a little, I'd carefully use the the blade of a sculpting tool (you could use hte tip of a fine screwdriver) to indent the surface. Work slowly, and a little at a time to reproduce a specific example from your source artwork.

 

Once you build up your confidence, move on to more complex shapes. Rinse, repeat and practise – that's really the key.

[space wolf]

Apologist is right. Additionally, if you're going to do more than one sculpting project, I suggest clay shapers or color shapers. They are generally the same thing, get a size 0 set. You can get them in hard and soft. I use both, it just depends on what you're trying to do.

[Theweewhitewolf]

I don’t know about sculpting but I bought these from Liber Daemonica.  They’ve just arrived and look awesome: