Grand Warseer Sculpting Challenge

[Goblinho]

Again just a really quick update, Donald, Student, really liking what you've done so far setting the bar a bit high for me but hopefully I'll pick up a few things from your work. Just ordered a pack of sculpting tools and a pack of files too. Gonna be another steep learning curve trying to get the best out of them I think.

done some work on the back plate and tried to do a chain vest for under the front plate. Thinned out the arms and finished joining the head/neck. Been really busy with the new job but I hope to make some progress this weekend.

[Duke Donald]

@Goblinho
Thanks for the nice comments. A whole mini sculpted form scratch is a tough start. I've been converting minis for a little while now and it is only since very recently that I feel confident enough to try to sculpt things like hands or faces (sometimes with mixed results).

That said, I quite like what you've done so far. One obvious weakness is that the finish doesn't look smooth, and even an average sculpt looks far better when the finish is smooth. There are different ways to get a smoother result and you'll have to find out what works best for you. I personally dip my tools in olive oil, but other people will use water, Vaseline or silicone tools.

There's also a little slightly dirty trick I've discovered. if you want to fix something which is a bit rough, mix liquid greenstuff and Ard Coat (or any similar water based varnish) in equal proportion and add some water. You can then paint this mixture over a rough surface. Keep it thin and paint many layers. At some point you'll get a smooth surface. It's not perfect as you'll lose any details but it can be a very effective and quick way to fix some sculpting mistakes.

[Student]

@Goblinho: I like your miniature. I agree with Duke Donald that getting things smooth is the fastest way of improving sculpting. I know that I have managed to get much smoother results since I've started using a silicone tipped shaper like this one, http://www.amazon.co.uk/Colour-Shape...3070332&sr=8-7. Also this is a personal challenge to improve our sculpting and not a competition to see who is best. If Duke Donald and I have set the bar high we've only set it for ourselves and you'll catch us up in no time.

Here's my finished miniature. Since I last posted I've added the spear tip, a bag, a ribbon around the top of his left calf and some buckles on the side of his armour. I also added a little bit to his brow, as Duke Donald suggested, so that his nose doesn't go as high.





I've enjoyed making this and I'm looking forward to next months challenge.

[Duke Donald]

@Student
The style of your spearman is very GW with the heroic proportions but he looks really good. I'm impressed by the general quality of the sculpting and the cleanliness of the various details you've added. The only bit I'm not too fond of are the boots even if they're well done. I also enjoyed the challenge and I'm looking forward to the next round.

@everyone
Come on guys (and girls). you've still got three days to submit your entry fro July.

[EmperorNorton]

My supplies came in later than expected and then life got a bit hectic, so I did not dare attempt the challenge this month.
Since I'm far more of a Fantasy fan I will sit out the next one, too.
It would be really helpful to know what the challenge will be in September, though. Maybe an early start will help me in doing something productive.

[Verm1s]

Yeah, that. Other things have come up so the state trooper's on the back burner. I figured that might be a problem with the first month - good thing you're allowing two-month schedules after.
I'll get my trooper finished sometime, but it definitely won't be in time for the deadline tonight.

[Appophis]

What's Augusts mini going to be? Or is the state trooper open another month?

[Solun Decius]

What's Augusts mini going to be?

Eldar Howling Banshee seems to be this month's challenge.

If I have the time I will try to sculpt a HB helmet and if I feel that's within my capability I might post it here and continue with the challenge. Maybe!

I really like the idea and format you have on this log and there are already some impressive results.

[Student]

Yes the challenge for August is a Howling Banshee. Duke Donald, do you want to nominate someone to pick the theme for September?

[Verm1s]

Is September's theme going to be the first announced a month in advance, to allow two month's work?

[Duke Donald]

Hi All,

Agreed, it is time to select the September theme. The initial concept was for the participant entering the best entry to be allowed to decide on the next theme. As we had only two finished entries this month, and that both Student and I already decided on a previous theme, we need to improvise.

Following up on Students invitation to nominate someone, I suggest we ask Verms1 to decide on the September theme. While he didn't manage to finish his mini on time, it showed great potential and Verms1 also wrote several long posts packed with sculpting tips and tricks.

Concerning the August challenge, I've started working on my sculpt. There's nothing to write home about. So far I took a paper clip, bent it into a running pose and added the first layer of greenstuff. I didn't try to get a particularly smooth finish and I filed the greenstuff energetically when it was dry to help the next layer to attach to it.

[Duke Donald]

@Verms1
Please suggest a theme ASAP. We should avoid delaying the announcement of the September challenge any further.

Sorry for the double post but I made some progress on my sculpt and thought I could show it as I was writing to Verms1 anyway. So here it is. I have a general tendency to sculpt minis that are too skinny. As a result, they tend to look frail and sickly compared to GW ones. This time I decided to go for a more solid body, but may have overdone it a bit. I couldn't resist adding nipples, even if they will be covered by the armour.

[Verm1s]

Oh, ta.

I've got a few ideas running through my head, but I don't know how easy or popular they'd be. Ogre mercs based on different cultures, countries or smaller regions. Non-goat beastmen. Alternate Cold Ones. But I've been reading the recent nooby questions thread in the Warhammer Background board, with all it's discussion about how magic works (or doesn't work) in the Warhammer World.
So right now, I'd like to see takes on old world wizards at some point on the gradual path to corruption. That is, not a full-blown Chaos sorceror with two-foot horns and a big icon of Tzeentch on his back, or a necromancer with a serious bat motif!
Although mutation could certainly play a part. I can see a lot of possible variety, including that. College wizard or hedge wizard? Mixed the winds of magic wrongly; exposed to warpstone; read the wrong book; ensared by a cult? Horrified or pleased by the realisation? Trying to hold it back in some way, maybe while still taking part in whatever caused it? Little mutations like a patch of scaly skin, or big 'uns like limbs replaced with tentacles? Or no mutation - just slowly and steadily going off their nut?

[Solun Decius]

I really like that wizard in corruption idea. It offers a lot of creativity in feel and emotion.
I doubt I could sculpt to portray that but it's really interesting.

Sent from my HTC Desire HD using Tapatalk 2

[Duke Donald]

Tainted wizard sounds like a great theme; good choice!

[Solun Decius]

The armature/layer of flesh looks good Duke Donald! I don't think it loks too bulky yet, but it might once you start adding armor onto it. Pose is dynamic.

I've done what I said I would. I sculpted a helmet (of sorts).



I started by taking a bit of resin sprue and carving it into a roughly eldar helmet shaped piece, just so that I had something sturdy to put the GS on.
When I started putting a bit of surface on it I carved away the mouthpiece part as it was getting in the way of the GS itself.
First I sculpted the forehead and tried to get a fairly feminine shape on the "eyebrows".
Next I did the mouthpiece and again tried to get a fairly feminine feel to the "cheekbones" and chin. This was ridiculously hard for me, especially when I finally had one side looking OK and couldn't for the life of me get the other side symmetrical to it.
The collar/jaw was just as hard, if not harder, both keeping the sleek/feminine feel to it and the virtually impossible task of getting both sides to look roughly the same.
After that I started the hair by adding a rough ponytail to serve as a rigid center to sculpt the hair around.
After that had set a bit I added strands of hair around it. Symmetry wasn't a problem here, but it doesn't really look as lively and dynamic as I'd have hoped for.

Details aren't very sharp but i think I managed to keep it pretty smooth throughout. I'm also happy that I managed to keep it fairly sleek and feminine, but it's also a bit too "alien" for my taste.

Here are clearer photos of the current state:



Now I just have to decide whether to continue with it or cut my losses

Brutally honest C&C very much welcome and appreciated.

[eldargal]

The eyes are a bit too large giving it a bit of a bug-eye effect and helmet is a tad too wide and short and the top is swept back a bit too far, thus giving it the 'alien' look rather than 'elegant Eldar conehead' look. The hair is also less abundant and voluminous than that found on official GW sculpts so it looks a bit lacking in that area. Whether or not this is an issue depends on how closely you want it to match the official aesthetic. Perhaps the hair strands could be better defined too, they sort of look like feathers or leaves. Still a very good attempt.

[Solun Decius]

Thank you very much for the scrutinous critique eldargal!
I agree wholeheartedly on all points, and I'd go so far as to say the hair just looks plain clumsy. The "strands" are just too big and adding lines to define smaller strands is just a save. I might be able to paint that to look much better, but I'd rather do it properly from the start.

I'm going to go with that "very good attempt" though
Now I've started a body, and if that goes well I might make a new helmet to match that. If the body ends up similar to the head then they'll fit each other nicely and I'll just write it off as a nice first try.

Here's where I'm at now:



My goal was just not to put too much on anywhere, and to keep the form feminine enough.

[Verm1s]

Nice starts, guys! Solun: adding a bit of a different putty to the greenstuff would make it a bit softer and workable for longer, for sweeping hair around. Pretty much any putty would make it softer, but I'd suggest something like apoxie sculpt or magic sculp.

This might be a bit intimidating* and it's a different scale anyway, but take a look at how Joaquin Palacios sculpts long hair here. I think it's the same method you tried, although he used straight milliput.

*I have trouble figuring out how he did it, myself; let alone hoping to reach that level of skill someday. But it looks like his trick is lots of small tendrils stuck together.

About the next challenge: I scribbled out some of my ideas before they go cold and I lose some interest. Hope no-one minds if I post them up here, to better illustrate what I mean, and to see if they could spark other ideas. Click the thumbnail:

[Duke Donald]

@Solun Decius
Nice head! And I'm thrilled you're going for a complete mini. The pose looks interesting and I'm looking forward to seeing your progress on it. I was just wondering, will you cut the wire at the top and use it for the arms.

@Verms1
Nice sketches; you really seem inspired by the September theme.

I made some progress on my sculpt, but the more I look at it the more I realise how uneldarish she looks; I'm tempted to start anew but I may recycle the head.