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JC Cappelletti 9

+Magik Dust - I was in Vancouver. Now in Toronto area for the past few years. Thank you for appreciating the videos.

armature for this size hand is very difficult because it's a single small wire, and the clay slides off in annoying ways. Bigger scale, for sure use armature.

Grazie mille. Sono molto felice di essere al servizio.

These are recordings of live classes, and not originally designed to be concise tutorials. And it's free.

Yeah well what I mean is when it translates to a youtube tutorial it can appear to be long to the viewer I would say, but not something I personally have any issue with, its a really good tutorial. as in recording a class session translates still to a really good youtube tutorial. not to mention its free. I learned quite a bit from it. sorry if that came off like I was complaining, It wasnt meant to

well then in that case, thank you

+Jodian McGhie Thanks for the kind words of appreciation. This size character uses about 1/2 box (pound). If the character was male and bulky at the same scale it could easily use twice the amount of clay. I would build up the core with foil so that there would never be more than 1 inch of clay, but at this scale most things are thinner than 1 inch and don't need padding. If you plan to make something larger, this is not the clay to use. A wax/oil clay would be much better for 1:6 scale or larger.

Thank you very much.

Sculpture Class - Comments about clay and tools

Mary Freeman, that's a great question. I can't remember if I mentioned in the video, but for this small scale, I've found it much more practical for sculpting heads and hands off the body and adding them after. Armature would interfere with that

I am so used to the old lingo about making a body 8 ish head lengths tall. You have such great proportions without the head.

I borrowed the overall proportions from the comic drawing. I'm sure they used head heights and measured properly. The rest I try to do by eye and feel. I seem to get a little better at it each time, which helps me feel like I'm doing something right.

yes, I still do this method..., also do this when making digital characters in 3D. It's the same skill and it always helps to make them look more alive and realistic, even for cartoon or stylized characters.

BrightmatterSeraph The short answer is no. Usually i don't bake until I am very sure that I won't be making changes. Maybe after the skin is done and before adding clothing, but even then, you will not be able to change pose if you bake too soon. The only advantage is to save the detail exactly where it is and to allow experimentation. You always have to be careful not to burn the clay when baking. I always use a lower temp than the box says (225-250 instead of 275) and bake for a longer time if needed. Usually 10 min at 250 is more than enough, unless you have a really thick ball of clay. You also risk some cracking after the clay cools if you don't bake it enough. Cracks are easy to fix though, and burning is not. Hope that helps.

JC Cappelletti Along similar lines, how long do you let the sculpt 'sit' between stages? Since these videos were for classes...I had a head sculpture I was working on that, after a few months of not touching it (haha, my bad) it got pretty hard and dried. Obviously I wouldn't wait that long in the future but...just curious...

yes, after months the oil in the clay does something. It can crack even though it's not baked. I have lots of half finished things that have sat for years sometimes. It will still bake. Obviously it's better to finish faster. To answer your question, this class was done once per week over two-three months.

i used small screws to join it to the base. It holds well, but is hard to remove later. Best suggestion is to find a wooden base that you want to keep. I only used those chunks of plywood for classes that I was teaching because it was cost-effective. Dollar stores have much better beveled round and square bases now. Craft stores always have them near the birdhouses. Then you wont have to worry about removing it later. This whole method is meant for a one-off maquette, not a final product. They are always fragile.

thank you!

?

Grey is more firm

+Art Lopez Not "armature wire". it's too soft for it's size. I prefer the rigidity of this Galvanized Steel Wire. It's available at most hardware stores. The clay does not stick to it at all unless you wrap the thick wire with a thinner gauge. Even then it's not easy, which is why I do a thin layer of clay first to get all the air out. also using Aluminum foil to fill in huge masses. Once you have the wire covered mostly, the clay will stick very well.

+Art Lopez Galvanized Steel Wire is also very easy to find on Amazon. you want two different gauges. I usually find 10 gauge and 18 or 20. It takes some practice and time to wrap it tightly. Hope that helps

jasonthomas_art some are hand made and some are dental tools. See the tools video in this set for more info

earlier video shows the process. Short screws through a simple loop in the foot of the armature, works perfectly

hello ...can you tell me how thick is the wire

14 and 20 gauge

bscully bought a bunch of those bases at a Michaels Crafts store

Sometimes you can find similar at a dollar store

This is Polymer yes. Any "mixture" of chemical and oil is technically polymer. Usually it refers to this type which bakes at low temp to cure. There are lots of types. Super Sculpey is the best for pro and hobby work. Some professionals use oil clay mixed with waxes and plastics to make a clay that is very hard at room temp but you can warm up to form with heated tools. Very expensive though. Check my video links for tools and other details.

No plan for Van any time soon. I'm very busy with my farm at home and 3D apps at work. I'm glad to offer bonafide teacher type comments on anyone's work if they ask. I've had people from all over send me links to their progress as they follow along the classes.

It is baked with the wood. As long and you place the wood on some aluminum foil and follow the baking instructions on the box, it will not burn. I use 250 degrees (instead of the 275 suggested) just in case. It also depends on the oven type. If it's electric, be sure to preheat and never use the top coils. Bake setting. Never Broil or you will burn the clay

thanks

Sculpey makes exactly what you are looking for. I've gotten a bottle from a crafts store and used it. It works very well to restore very dry and crumbled clay, even after 10 years. It's very concentrated. You only need a couple drops for a handful of clay. www.sculpey.com/product/sculpey-clay-softener-0/

Thanks so much for your help.

Blake Marsee, it depends on the size. I prefer to build the muscles more naturally. Foil is good for filling large areas only, IMO. Small size like this, where the Clay is less than 1 inch thick, becomes more trouble than the tiny bit of Clay savings. I am aware some people teach a similar course and require everyone to sculpt out of foil and then cover with a thin layer of Clay. Hopefully the disadvantage of that method is obvious. I find that method extremely limiting and just not as fun. By all means, if you are making a giant muscle man, fill the bulk with foil to save weight and Clay.

Interesting. I didn't know that you could sculpt without using foil. I'll definitely have to try it.

imad khan , I’m sure I show and explain the wire in the video. It’s just a matter of finding any wire that is the right thickness and stiffness for the size and clay. It varies too much to answer just one type.

who ever you really are, you're a douche

Madison Napp Okay....why?

dexter morgan I must be a douche too, as I had the same question. In ImageFX a few months ago they showed how some people boil the clay to give it a more marble/smooth look. Boiling can be hard as the clay gets softer before it sets, so if it bumps the pot it can really mess it up. I have used tongs to hold the armature until it sets with some success. PS. If you find out why asking a question makes you a "douche" let me know. :)

haha, i'll try work it out. but yeah, I'm not really sure what to do with my sculpture since I didn't block out the middle with foil or foam, and the outside has small pieces which would bake in minutes, whereas the inside would still be raw. not really sure what to do.

This clay bakes at a relatively low temp. I've accidentally baked a sculpture before leaving it in a car on a hot sunny day. Lower temp = longer bake time. I've also used a halogen desk lamp to bake small parts, but that does not help if your piece is thick. Is your sculpture too big for a regular oven?

+ranjitkumar Time. Lots of time. There is no shortcut or trick to replace the hours it takes to do the finishing work.

Back? If you mean in regards to support its important to use very stiff wire. Wire hangers are good for extra strength but are very hard to bend.

+JC Cappelletti sorry, I meant bake

+resilientsam no worries. I take the top tray out of a regular oven. The temp is so low to bake you can even do it with heat lamps or interior of a car in summer. Baked one by mistake that way. Worked really well.

If you you look up in the left corner of the frame you'll see that he has a picture of a female in the very same pose his sculpture is set in.

It looks like the male reference pictures are likely for the musculature references, which, for the most part, are basically the same. Adding the mammary glands and widening the hips along with a deeper curvature in the spine are what differentiate the genders, among other smaller nuances.

+Daniel Barfield pretty sure it was a book with a male and female on the same page. I used female reference for sure.

+JC Cappelletti -- Right. My comment was in reply to Ivana's comment. The diagram on open book page appears to be a male, though. My first reply to her points out your picture of the female just to the left of the open book. Your work is amazing, though. And I know what you mean about eyeballing it, too. Over time with practice, form and proportions tend to come naturally.