sculpting models sculpey

8/3/2019 Sculpting Models Sculpey

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culpting tools can be expensive to buy andhard to find (especially if you work in smallerscales). One solution is to make your own

sculpting tools. This does take some initial investment,but the tools you use to make homemade sculptingtools may already be part of your arsenal (I can'timagine any sculptor getting along without a Dremeltool, for instance). But it's worth it because when youare sculpting along and find you suddenly need aspecialized tool, you can just whip one up yourself.I've done this any number of times.Note: The equipment and methods for making yourown tools are not suitable for young children. Dremeltools, propane torches and other items can bedangerous, so exercise appropriate caution andobserve all safety precautions when using these items.Epoxy putty and glues can be hazardous if ingested ormisused--please keep these materials away fromyoung children. Propane torches can cause firesand severe burns if used improperly. Follow allsafety precautions stringently. The brass nozzle of the

torch remains hot after the torch is extinguished, soallow it ample time to cool before disconnection. Use apropane torch in a well-ventilated area as they cangive off carbon monoxide. When working with any kindof power tool, even with a Dremel, always wear eyeprotection (safety goggles). Finally, note that someof the tools created in this tutorial can have very sharpedges and points, so exercise caution when handling

them.As you read, watch for my site mascot

Slimer. He will guide to some special tips andtricks.Now let's get on with the tutorial.Tools and materials neededTo paraphrase an old saying, it takes tools to make
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tools. Your first step will be to gather the tools andmaterials for making sculpting tools. These include:Dremel motor tool (preferably with Flexi-shaftattachment)

Propane torch with adjustable nozzleA small hardware or jewelmaker's anvilBall peen hammerVice grips and pliers (regular and needlenose)Electrical crimper tool (try the dollar store for oneof these)

Tools (from left): Electrical crimper, propane torch andstriker, ball peen hammer and anvil, pliers and visegrips,

Dremel tool with flexi-shaft attachmentYou will also need various raw materials from which toconstuct your sculpting tools. These include:Hardened steel music wireBrass tubing, small gaugeEmery boards, medium metal files, sandingspongesSharpie marker


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Epoxy glueSuper glue (cyanoacrylate)Epoxy putty (plumber's two-part or MagicSculpt/Aves)Wire brush with steel bristles (the longer the

better)Handle materials (wooden doweling, chopsticks,old paintbrush handles, old toothbrushes, etc.)

Materials (clockwise from left): Steel wire brush, hardened

steel music wire, small gauge brass wire, epoxy putty andSharpie pen, Superglue and five minute epoxy glue. Notshown: emery boards, sanding sponges, metal files


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Handle materials (clockwise from left): Chopsticks, old

toothbrush, wooden dowel, epoxy putty and resin handleblanks

Note: choosing materials for handles is a personalchoice and there are lots of choices. I now make myown resin handles after molding some paintbrushhandles I really liked. My second favorite handlematerial would be toothbrushes. You can save up your

old toothbrushes, or buy really cheap new ones (theone in the pic came from Wal-Mart and was only 88cents). In the course of the tutorial I will show how touse some different materials for handles.Getting started"Better to have it and not need it than need it and nothave it." If you have any experience sculpting, you willhave probably bought a number of tools already, andhave begun to figure out which ones serve you best. I

like a big selection of tools on hand, because while Imay only use a certain tool every once in a while, Iwant it there when I do need it. Additionally, youprobably have a small set of tools you could not livewithout, and I am no exception to that. But what if youneed a smaller version of one of your most-usedtools? Or what if you want to make a duplicate set oftools so you can sculpt during your lunch hour at work


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or whatever?The way I've structured this tutorial is to show you howto make a few homemade tools, and once you've donethose, you will have the skills to make other custom

tools as you need them. Updates will add more toolsto the series.Okay, let's make some tools!Micro spatula and spoon toolI've made tools for friends for a while now, and this isthe tool that always proves most popular. One endfeatures a tiny little spatula that is great for very finedetailing and the other end is a miniature version of

the standard smooth spoon tool.

The handle for this particular tool is made from a chopstick.This tool is great for fine detailing like eyes and noses on a

1:6 scale figure.

First, you will need two lengths of fine music wire (theactual gauge is up to you, and you may want to makea couple of different sizes of this tool with different
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gauges of music wire). In any case, I used wire for thistool that is about the diameter of a mechanical pencillead. The two lengths should be 1 inch long. You can find music wire at hardware stores--it's

usually sold in two- or three-foot lengths. I call it musicwire, but you might need to ask for thin steel rod stockor hardened steel rod stock. Buy some differentdiameters so you can make a variety of tools. Somesculptors use softer metals to make tools, like copperand brass, which is fine for larger tools, but you reallyneed the strength and stiffness of steel for the reallysmall tools.You will also need a handle. A handle should becomfortable to hold for however long you will be

sculpting with that tool. Some people like thinnerhandles and some like thicker handles. Think aboutthe handles of some of your favorite tools and choosesimilar handles for your homemade tools. An handleshould be long enough to rest on the bridge of yourindex finger knuckle as you hold it, and still projectenough you can hold it with your fingertips. Thisparticular tool has a handle that is 4.5 inches long. Myhands are medium sized, so you may want to adjustyour length if you have smaller or larger hands. Cut asection of handle material and hold it like a pencil. If it

feels good in your hand, that's a good length.

Step 1: Before cuttingyour music wire, round offthe end ofthe long pieceof wire on the flat side ofthe spinning cut off wheel,using it like a miniaturegrinding table. This is animportant technique that Iuse for a variety of things

in both sculpting andmodeling, but it'sindispensible for making

tools. This rounded-off tip will become the tip of yourtool.Step 2: (see illustration below) Once the tip isrounded, cut off a one inch length of wire. You can grip


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it in a pair of vise grips or a pin vise (see step 16below to see what a pin vise is--they sell these in thehobby knife section of most craft stores) to hold itsecurely while you work the metal.Step 3: Ignite thepropane torch (see safety note at top of article) and

heat the rounded tip until it glows. Step 4:Quicklyplace the glowing tip on the anvil and hammer it flat(note: the metal cools quickly, so you will need to heatit repeatedly between hammer blows. Also flip the tipso you are flattening it from both sides.) You shouldend up with a flattened, slightly flared tip. Now it's timeto begin shaping your spatula. Step 5: Hold the tip asshown and rotate it as you grind (gently--you only wantto round the edge, not grind it down) so you can createa rounded, flattened shape. You will see sparks flyingoff as you grind. These are harmless, but keep them

away from inflammable liquids.

Step 6: The hammering you did above will only get thespatula so flat. Now you are going to hold the flat sidesof the spatula to the spinning cut off wheel to flattenthe spatula even more. See the pretty sparks! Applyeven pressure so you don't end up with a beveledshape instead of a spatula. (see inset for spatula after


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final grinding). Step 7: Now you will be refining andfinishing the spatula. I use a medium sanding spongefrom the beauty supply store. Sand the sharp edge ofthe spatula to get it symmetrical and round (in theillustration, the sanding sponge would be moving

toward the camera and away). Step 8: Now press theflat side of the spatula against the sponge and quicklydraw the sponge away (see inset), sanding the flat ofthe spatula smooth. Do this several times (and on bothsides) until it is nice and smooth. Step 9: Finish the tipby holding it at a 45 degree angle and sweeping it offthe sponge (see inset) to blend the flat and the edgetogether smoothly. Note that the red arrows indicatethe movement of the tip as it slides off the sponge.Repeat with the other side of the spatula. At this poiintthe tip is basically finished, but you might want to do a

bit more sanding/polishing with a very fine grade ofsandpaper.

Here is what the finished spatula tip looks like:


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Now you've got two tips, so it's time to mount them ona handle. You can use any material you like, but I amgoing to use one of my pre-made resin handle blanks.The techniques are the same. In Step 14 below I amsanding down the resin handle (I mold them to hold

one tip, so I need to grind down the round end to holdtwo tools) with the sanding drum on the Dremel. Step15 I've selected a micro drill bit that is the samediameter as the music wire tip (see arrow). Step 16 Ihave inserted the drill bit into a pin vise and am hand-drilling the hole into the handle. Step 17 Now I ammeasuring two part epoxy glue (I prefer the 5-minutesetup time). Notice I have a toothpic handy for mixingthe epoxy components together.


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Step 18 Mixing the epoxy. Step 19 Get a bead ofepoxy on the unfinished end of the tip and push it intothe hole in the handle. Step 20 & 21 Add a little moreepoxy to the joint with a toothpick. Let the epoxyharden. Repeat steps 17 through 21 with the other tip.


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Here is the finished tool!

Now that you know how to make a micro spatula andspoon tool, you can make some in different sizes. Justuse different diameters of music wire.

That's it for this installment!In Part II, we will make a dogleg spatula and point tool.Go to Make Your Own Sculpting Tools Part II
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About Polymer Claysne medium I sculpt in is known as polymerclay. Polymer clay (also called polyclay) isessentially tiny particles of polyvinyl chloride

(PVC) suspended in a petroleum distillate compound.Polymer claycan be baked in your home oven, atwhich time the petroleum distillate evaporates and thePVC particles fuse into a plastic-like compound. It's aterrific material used by many sculptors and

craftspeople nowadays. There are many differentbrands of polymer clay, but the most commonlyavailable is Sculpey, manufactured by PolyformProducts Company, Inc. This article was revised inOctober of 2001.

From left to right: bulk white Sculpey, Super Sculpey andSculpey IIINote that there are three different kinds of Sculpey.There is bulk white Sculpey, a white, doughy polymerclay sold in two-pound boxes, and there is SuperSculpey, a translucent pink, waxy polymer clay sold in1-pound boxes. Super Sculpey is twice as expensive
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as regular Sculpey, but it's pretty much twice as easyto smooth and much less brittle once it's baked.Hereafter, if you see me use the term "Sculpey" youshould consider that to be Super Sculpey unlessotherwise noted. The other brand of polyclay I use is

called Sculpey III (sold in 3-ounce packages similar toFimo). It's essentially Super Sculpey that has beentinted.Other polymer clays include Promat (also byPolyform) and Fimo (manufactured by EberhardFaber GmbH, a German company), both sold in 3-ounce packages, but since I don't use these products,I'll leave them to you to experiment with. I sculpt witha mixture of Super Sculpey and Sculpey III--one 3 oz.package of Sculpey III with one one-pound brick of

Super Sculpey. I used to mix Fimo with my Sculpey,and here's why I switched. The first problem I washaving with the Fimo/Super Sculpey mix was thatwhen it came to smoothing it out, it often "crumbedup" due to the stiffness of the Fimo. The Sculpey IIImixture smooths really well.Anyone who has used Super Sculpey knows that itdoes get steadily firmer when it's exposed to air, i.e.after you've placed it on the armature and begun tosculpt. For some reason, Super Sculpey is sold in

non-airtight boxes, so check yours for softness whenyou get it at the store. If you can't find soft SuperSculpey, there is a method for making it softer. I findthat if my Super Sculpey/Sculpey III mixture is too firmwhen I start sculpting, it can get really stiff andunmanageable as I continue to sculpt. I had someproblems with the baby raptor because of this. If youstart with a Sculpey mix that is a little on the soft side,you'll find that by the time you get well into thesculpting process it will have firmed up to a niceworking consistency.Sculpey III comes in a variety of colors, and you canchoose a color you like to work with. I prefer a graySculpey blend, as it creates a nice neutral color whenblended with Sculpey. Since Polyform doesn't makegray Sculpey III any more, I just combine a 3-ouncepackage of black Sculpey III with a 3-ounce packageof white Sculpey III and add this to a 1-pound box of


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Super Sculpey. The main reason I use Sculpey III isthat Sculpey in its normal state is slightly translucent,which can cause problems when sculpting details.Mixing it with the colored clay eliminates thetranslucence, and makes sculpting easier.Note: fromhere on out, all references to Sculpey refer toSuper Sculpey, and not the bulk white stuff. I don'tuse the latter at all.Purchasing Polymer ClaysAs noted above, Sculpey does stiffen up whenexposed to air for a period of time. The boxes it's soldin are not airtight, so you should open the box andcheck its consistency with your fingers before you buyit. Sculpey that has been sitting on a shelf forever will

be hard and stiff, whereas newer Sculpey will have asoft, pliable consistency. Generally, the softer theSculpey, the better it will perform for you, so checkyour clay before you buy it. Also keep in mind thatyour sculpture will be sitting out in the air for theduration of time that you're working on it, so if theSculpey is a little too soft for your taste in the store,it'll stiffen up while you're sculpting with it (unless youwork a lot faster than me). Sculpey III is sold in airtightpackages, and is much more consistent in itssoftness.Storing Polymer ClaysStore your Sculpey in an airtight container (a Ziplockbag works fine) in the refrigerator. I take my Sculpeyout of the box, wrap it with some cling wrap and thenput it into a Ziplock bag). Let the clay reach roomtemperature before you condition it prior to sculpting.Don't store Sculpey in polystyrene boxes, as it willmelt the polystyrene. Similarly, don't place any rawclay on varnished or lacquered wood surfaces, as the

solvents in the clay will damage the finish. Keep itaway from most plastics too.Conditioning or Softening Your ClayIt's very important, when using polymer clays, to"condition" them prior to sculpting. Conditioning issimply kneading and working the clay with your hands


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for a period of time. Conditioning your clay softens itand makes it stronger once it's baked. The rule ofthumb to use when conditioning is to knead the clayfor the length of time that it take two different colors ofclay to become completely incorporated into a single

color. This is another reason to mix colored SculpeyIII with your Super Sculpey: you'll know yourconditioning is finished once the mixture combinesinto a single, homogenous color. Sculpey comes outof the package in four slabs, so I cut the 3 ouncepackage of Sculpey III into four equal parts and mixone slab of Sculpey with one slab of Sculpey III.Simply knead the two clays together. Once the clay isa uniform color, it's ready.If your clay is stiff and hard, conditioning it can be very

hard on your fingers, so you can remedy this andspeed the conditioning process along by using an oldpasta machine. I actually bought a new pastamachine for this purpose, and it paid for itself byreconditioning a bunch of older Sculpey that was toohard to knead with my fingers (I was ready to throw itout). Once I reconditioned the clay, it was as soft asthe day it was manufactured, and I used it in anumber of sculptures. Sometimes you can't find softSculpey at the store, so you have to buy the old, stiffclay, and reconditioning it with a pasta machine will

make it like new.

My hand-cranked pasta machineThe key to this process is a liquid known as SculpeyDilutent. It's the clear liquid component of Sculpey,


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and it's sold wherever Sculpey is sold in little one-ounce bottles. You can use it to restore Sculpey to asofter, more pliable state.

Sculpey dilutent, a great product for softening stiff SculpeyTo condition or recondition your clay with a pastamachine, set the machine to its "thickest" setting(leaving the widest gap possible between the metalrollers). Then simply roll the clay through it once to

flatten the clay out. If the clay is really stiff, it will comeout in ragged tatters--never fear, it will get better. Addsome drops of Sculpey dilutent to the clay strip, rub itin with your fingers, and then fold the clay over andrun it through again to blend the liquid with the clay.You will need to refold the clay and run it through afew more times to really soften it up.Continue to rollthe clay through, adding more drops of dilutent asneeded to get the clay to the desired softness. Whenthe clay comes out of the machine in a smooth,pliable ribbon, you've reached the right consistency.Note: Never use a pasta machine for making pasta(or any food items) again after using it with polymerclays! This is why I suggest using an old pastamachine. Caution:Polymer clay contains chemicalswhich are harmful if ingested. Always wash yourhands after sculpting with polymer clay and if you useeating utensils for sculpting tools, do not use them for


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eating again afterward. Do not leave polymer claywhere little children can get hold of it, and do not usebaked polymer clay items as food or tobaccocontainers.Baking Polymer ClaysThere are a lot of theories about baking Sculpey. Mostsculptors have their own ideas. The Sculpey packagegives instructions for baking it in your home oven(never use a microwave). According to theinstructions, you bake a sculpture at 275 degreesFahrenheit for 15 minutes per each quarter inch ofthickness. To avoid scorching my sculptures, I preferto bake a lower temperature for a longer period oftime. I bake a sculpture at about 200-225 degrees for

20-30 minutes per quarter inch of thickness, then letthe sculpture cool in the oven and bake it a secondtime (same temperature and time). This gives goodresults, but you might want to experiment todetermine your favored baking method. Don't bakepolyclay at temperatures higher than 275 degreesFahrenheit, however. If it's turning black around theedges, your temperature is too high. Baked Sculpey isstill quite soft while hot, so don't touch it until it's had achance to cool off, or you may cause cracking tooccur.If cracks do form in your sculpture, they're usuallyeasy to fix. Use gap-filling superglue (cyanoacrylate)to fill smaller cracks. Wipe excess glue from thesculpture with little "twists" of paper toweling. Largercracks can be filled in with two-part epoxy putty. It's agood idea to feed a little superglue into large cracksbefore filling them with putty.Painting Your PieceYou can paint your sculpture with just about anyhobby paints. Acrylic paints work really well. I suggestpriming it with light coats of lacquer-based automotiveprimer prior to painting.


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The Basicsere is how the sculptures at Dan Perez Studios are produced. If you areinterested in learning to sculpt, this article will introduce you to the basic

materials and techniques involved. Since I sculpt primarily figures in 1/6 scale,the tools and techniques I use are adapted for that purpose. This article was revised inNovember 2001.CAUTION:: Polymer clay contains chemicals which are harmful if ingested. Alwayswash your hands after sculpting with polymer clay and if you use eating utensils forsculpting tools, do not use them for eating again afterward. If you use a pasta machineto condition your clay, don't use it to make pasta again afterwards. Do not leavepolymer clay where little children can get hold of it. In fact, keep all sculptingtools, materials and solvents away from children. Do not use baked polymer clayitems as food or tobacco containers. When using lighter fluid as a smoothing agent,

remember that it is highly inflammable. Keep it away from heat sources and openflames.Getting StartedThis article assume that you've already conditioned your clay. To condition your clay,refer to theAbout Polymer Clayarticle. Also, all references to Sculpey refer to myfavored mixture of Super Sculpey and Sculpey III discussed in the polymer clay articleabove.Sculpting ToolsThere are lots of different sculpting tools on the market. You can see the selection atyour local art supply store. Craft stores may carry some tools, but their selection will bemore limited. As it was for me, choosing the tools that work best for you is probablygoing to be a process of trial and error. Many sculptors are fond of a certain set of tools,and this will vary from sculptor to sculptor. Still, there are some basic tools you'llprobably find useful. Frequently a store-bought sculpting tool with have a different toolon either end of the handle, which is like getting two tools in one. Note that if you can'tafford professional sculpting tools, you can often make similar tools from materialsfound at home. Some homemade sculpting tools include spoons, toothpicks, butterknives, nut pickers, old paintbrush handles, chopsticks and sewing needles. Carved and

sanded wooden sticks (like old artist's paintbrush handles) can yield some really usefulshapes for sculpting.I make a lot of my own tools by shaping hardened steel "music wire" (from the hardwarestore) with a propane torch and then polishing the tips with a Dremel tool. Then I mountthem on chopsticks (with epoxy glue) or into old toothbrush handles.
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Homemade tools (top to bottom): music wire dogleg shaper, needle tool, specialty needle tool,

homemade wire loop tool, music wire hook toolWhen thinking about what tools you need, keep in mind the three basic techniques ofsculpting: 1) Adding clay; 2) Removing clay; and 3) Shaping and refining clay. Here's a

selection of tools for each process. Adding clay: generally you'll be adding clay with yourfingers, but some metal, wooden or plastic shaping tools of various shapes will help youblend the clay you add into your sculpture, particularly in tight spots. One of the moreimportant tools here is a spatula-shaped tool, which is helpful for shaping flat surfaces.Note: many of the tools you will see are dental tools. Dental tools are particularly usefulfor shaping fine details on your sculpture. These can be ordered from specialty sculptingoutlets, or can be procured from dental supply houses. You dentist may even give yousome old or broken dental tools.

Spatula tools (top to bottom): dental wax spatula (one of my most-used tools), steel plasterspatulas, curved dental spatula and painter's pallete knife (good for cutting through clay)

Some of the most important shaping tools are spoon tools. These versatile tools allowyou to create rounded and incised areas, as well as dimples and depressions. A goodall-purpose tool is the Loew Cornell scriber tool (the straight point/curved burnisher


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type). You can get one from theTexas Art Supply online store. You can get a lot donewith this one tool alone. It's pictured below.

Spoon tools (top to bottom): 2 dental wax spoon tools, soft-pointed spoon (one of my most-usedtools), Loew Cornell scriber tool (also much used)

Removing clay is where wire loop tools come in handy. You can use a wire loop toslowly shave down a part of your sculpture, or to carve grooves into the surface. Wireloop tools come in all sizes, but for the sculptures we're talking about, the most useful

ones are the smallest ones, which have an aluminum shank and thin steel wire loops.You can make your own wire loop tools using brass tubing and a wire brush. Cut a wirebristle from the brush, then shape it like you want and crimp the ends in the brass tube.Add a drop of cyanoacrylate glue to the tube to help secure the wire loop.

Wire loop tools (top to bottom): large wire loop tool (too large for fine work), Kemper loop tools,aluminum shank wire loop tool, homemade brass tube wire loop tools
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Shaping and refining clay: here's where your trial and error will really kick in, but thetools I find most useful include ball-point tools, spoon tools, a hook tool, needle tools,and an assortment of dental tools. One very useful tool I made myself by hammeringand filing some steel wire that was just slightly smaller in diameter than a paperclip. Ishaped one end into a tiny flat spatula, and the other end I shaped into a tiny spoon. I

mounted the two ends into a wooden handle made from a chopstick. This tool is veryuseful for fine work, such as on faces.

Assorted tools (top to bottom): Loew Cornell scriber tool (one of my most-used tools), ball-tippedtools, dental probe (commonly called a dental pick)

The most important tool in shaping clay is your fingers. But sometimes you can't get intotight areas with your fingers, and these flexible clay and paint shapers (sold at craft andart supply stores) are very useful--they're like miniature fingers. The round and wedgeshapes are most useful.

Clay shaper (top) and two paint shapers -- invaluable tools for getting where your fingers can'tAnother tool you'll find useful is calipers. You use calipers to measure your sculpture sothat everything is symmetrical, and to measure your reference materials. Most artist'scalipers are too big for smaller scale work like 1/6 scale, so try using a double pointeddrafting compass.


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Double pointed drafting compass used as fine-scale calipers

One of the most difficult aspects of working with Sculpey is getting it smooth. ONe wayto smooth rounded surfaces (such as the top of a bald head) is to use a roller tool. I usesimple brass or aluminum tubing and roll it across the surface of the clay to even it out.You can use the larger gauges of tubing just like a rolling pin to roll out flat sheets ofclay.

Two different gauges of brass rod used for rolling out clay or for smoothing curved surfacesAnother important smoothing tool is a brush. I use both bristle brushes (for coarsershaping) and fine camel-hair or synthetic fiber brushes along with lighter fluid to smooththe contours of the clay.


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Assorted brushes (white brushes are bristle brushes) and lighter fluid used for smoothing

Other smoothing tools will ease your work. Use Q-tips dipped in water tp smooth thesurface of the clay. Cut small squares of Scotchbrite scouring pads and dip them inlighter fluid to smooth larger surfaces. Hemostats are great for holding bits of cotton

wool and other materials to let you get into tight spots.


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Smoothing tools (top to bottom): Q-tips (use with water), Scotchbrite pad (use with lighter fluid)and hemostat

Sculpting ReferencesMany sculptors use reference materials to refer to as they sculpt. If you're sculpting ahuman being or an animal (or a combination of the two, as in a werewolf), you mustfamiliarize yourself with human and/or animal anatomy. There are many good books outthere for anatomical reference, and you should study the way bones and muscles work.You can also examine your own body for reference. Make a tight fist and examine theway certain muscles bulge and stretch, how the skeleton is visible beneath (wrist andknuckles) and how the skin wrinkles and stretches. Then stretch your fingers out wideand look at the differences. These are all things you'll need to be familiar with as yousculpt. Here's a helpful list ofreference booksfor the beginning sculptor.You can also use photographs for reference. Sculpting a musclebound superhero? Cutsome pictures out of bodybuilding magazines. Sculpting a dinosaur? Get some pictures

from natural history magazines or photocopy some from books. Assemble yourreference material where you can refer to it as you sculpt. I keep a Foamcore noteboardhandy on which I can mount photos, illustrations, etc. while I work, so I can glance upfrom my sculpture and study the pose and anatomy of my subject.

A sculptor at Stan Winston Studio sculpts a clay likeness of Franklin Delano Roosevelt--notice theboard full of reference photos he's using

One trick is to enlarge or reduce photos or drawings on a photocopier (or in a programlike Photoshop) until they are the exact size you want your sculpture to be. Then youcan use calipers to measure your reference photo and then your sculpture to make sureyou're getting the proportions correct. Early on, you may feel frustrated that yoursculpture doesn't look like the reference, but if you keep adding, removing and shapingthe clay, it will begin to look right after a while. Keep at it.
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A third source of reference is other model kits and sculptures. These are ideal becausethey can be viewed in all three dimensions, and you can study them to try and figure outhow the sculptor made the sculpture. I think it's easier to study an unpainted kit than it isto study a painted kit, so I keep my reference kits unpainted. Creating an armature

Now that you've got your clay, your reference materials and your tools together, there'sone more step before you can begin to sculpt. You need an armature. Simply put, anarmature is a strong, flexible internal support for your sculpture. The armature acts as askeleton for your sculpture, supporting the weight of the clay and providing the basicpose for your figure. Note that you'll want to make sure that your completed sculpturefits inside your oven. You may actually want to measure the inside of your oven todetermine how big your sculptures can be. Generally, a home-baked Sculpey figureshould not be more than about ten to twelve inches tall.Most armatures for the type of sculptures we're talking about are made of wire. You canuse coat hanger wire, or uncoated copper wire, but I find these too stiff and difficult towork with. Another type of wire is aluminum armature wire, which is available at artsupply stores. This is better, but it's hard to find in a variety of useful sizes and can beexpensive. For my sculptures, I use aluminum bonsai wire. This wire is used by bonsaienthusiasts to help shape their miniature trees. You can find it at some garden supplystores, but the best source is mail-order. There are bonsai websites which do mail-order, and you can order a number of different diameters of wire. Make sure you get thealuminum wire and not the annealed copper wire, which is more expensive. The wirediameters I use the most are 2.5 millimeter and 1.5 millimeter.

Aluminum bonsai wireYou'll need to strengthen the wire before you use it for constructing an armature, and Ido this by braiding it. The basic technique for this is to to take triple the length of wireyou need, then fold it over into three strands (as in the photo above). Clamp one end of


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this triple strand in a vise, and insert the other end into the chuck of a power drill andsecure it.

Wire braid, step oneThen you can use the drill to twist the wire into a uniform, three-strand braid. You canuse this method with two strands of wire to make a smaller diameter double braid. You

can also use the triple braid method with smaller diameter wire.

Wire braid, step two

Various braids of aluminum bonsai wire--note the 28 gauge steel wire being used to wrap thebraid at bottom

This braided wire is both quite strong and still flexible enough to bend with your fingers.You may want to use needle-nose pliers to make sharper bends in the wire (for kneeand elbow joints). Use the braided wire to form a skeleton for your figure. Generally,you'll want to create a spine and attach arms and legs as required. The spine can alsoinclude a tail, as in this photo of my baby raptor armature.


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If you've got a photograph or drawing that you're using as a reference for yoursculpture, make a photocopy enlargement of it until it's the size of the sculpture, then lay

the elements of your armature skeleton against the reference to get the proportionsright. Mark the joints (elbows, knees, etc.) with a permanent marker so you can poseyour armature after it's constructed. Measure carefully, as a well-proportioned armaturewill lead to a well-proportioned sculpture (and vice versa).Note: always leave a 3/4 inch length on the end of the legs of your armature. You will beusing this extra length as pegs with which to secure your armature to a stand. You mayalso want to add a support wire that comes out the back of the sculpture, which will helpit stand upright, and which can be removed later on. [photo ref].Bind the elements of your armature (spine, legs, arms) together with 32 gauge cloth-

covered floral wire, which is available at most large crafts stores. Then use a couple ofdrops of superglue to secure the floral wire. I use a superglue accelerator (knowncommonly as "kicker") to speed the setting of the glue. Then you can further securethese bindings by applying small amounts of epoxy putty (a two part putty which, whenkneaded together, hardens in several hours). I use Milliput Medium grade putty,available at model shops. You can see in the raptor armature above where I coated thepelvis and shoulder bindings with epoxy putty. I created the taper in the tail by binding asingle piece of aluminum wire to the braided wire with cloth-covered floral wire andsuperglue.Finally, to help the Sculpey adhere to the armature, you can wrap the entire armature

with 28 gauge steel floral wire (uncoated). Just cut lengths of the wire (again, availableat crafts stores) and wind them around the larger aluminum braids at about 1/4 inchintervals. You can see in the raptor armature above that it is partially covered with thisfinal coating. The legs and arms have yet to be wrapped. To create small details such as fingers, horns, spines, etc., you can use the wirebraiding method with 28-gauge wire to make thinner wire braids. Attach these elementsto your sculpture with superglue and a bit of epoxy putty.


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Some sculptors also add crumpled aluminum foil (or even crumpled paper) to theirsculpture at this stage to build up the basic body shapes, and apply a layer of Sculpeyover that for final detailing. This makes a sculpture lighter and you use less Sculpey forthe finished product. Others build up the underbody with epoxy putty and/or Sculpey(bake the inner Sculpey layer before adding the outer detail layer) instead of foil. I use

both methods, depending on the effect I want. You should experiment with bothmethods to see which you like best. Two materials you shouldn't use for yoursculpture's underbody are wood and styrofoam. Wood contains moisture, and expandsand contracts too much, both of which can cause your sculpture to crack. Styrofoamreleases dangerous toxic vapors when it melts, so never use styrofoam in yoursculpture.To create a stand for your armature, drill holes (equal to the diameter of the armature'sleg wires) in a piece of 3/4 plywood, and insert the foot pegs into the holes. They willhold the armature securely while you sculpt the figure. Use plywood instead of regularboards, as plywood is more resistant to warping in the oven.Take the time to try several different poses for your armature. Do you want a staticmuseum display pose or a more dynamic action pose? Try a number of different posesand see what you like best.Time to sculptOkay, the time has come to sculpt your figure. If you haven't used aluminum foil to buildup a basic body shape, apply Sculpey to the armature to get a basic shape for yoursculpture. To help your Sculpey adhere to any epoxy putty, brush on a light coat ofVaseline petroleum jelly.I took a sculpting class which was based on the classes taught by Oscar-winningspecial effects whiz Chris Walas (The Fly,Gremlins), and I think the techniques taughtin this class were very sound. It advocated building up the shape of your sculpture withbits of clay, first defining the overall shape and muscle masses of the sculpture beforeworking on any details. Build up the basic muscle shapes with balls and rolled snakes ofSculpey. This roughing in stage allows you to add and subtract clay, measureproportions with your calipers and get the pose just right. Once your rough looks good,you can proceed to the refining stage.This is where you will be using your tools. I strongly recommend playing around with the

tools to see what they do and how you can use them.

Continue to use calipers to get details like eyes and ears symmetrical, and to measureyour references and your sculpture to check the proportions. One trick for eyes is toembed loose plastic pearls (get 4 millimeter ones from the craft store--these are perfectfor 1/6 scale human eyes) or steel ball bearings in your sculpture's eye sockets tocreate perfectly round eyes. I used to do this, and still do it sometimes, but nowadays I


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sculpt the eyes from clay more often than not. Use your tools, brushes and lighter fluidto start smoothing and blending the Sculpey now.

Steel ball bearings were embedded in the eye sockets of this roughed-in baby raptorIf your figure will be wearing clothing, you only need to approximate the anatomyunderneath the clothes (big exception: if the clothing is clingy or skintight, you'll need torefine the anatomy pretty well first). This is called creating an anatomical rough. Onesecret of sculpting more quickly is to try and get the muscle shapes (or hair masses orwhatever) as close to what they're going to look like in finished form before you applythem to the sculpture. This means taking a little extra time shaping and forming thepieces with your fingers prior to applying it, but less time later in reshaping and shavingoff clay (although you'll still have to do some refining). Many books on drawing andanatomy will have diagrams that show basic proportion shortcuts (such as the fact thatthere is one "eye width" distance between the eyes on a face, or that the average malefigure is 7 1/2 heads tall). These are extremely useful, and you should seek them outand study them closely. Getting anatomy and proportions correct is one of the mostcrucial aspects of sculpting well.It's useless to start doing fine detailing and skin texture if your proportions and forms areoff. If you get an area too thick, shave it down with a wire loop tool, and if it's too thin,build it up with clay. If your clay surface is uneven, squeeze out thin, flat bits of sculpeywith your fingers and apply those to the low areas. Use Scotchbrite pads soaked inlighter fluid to wet-sand the clay surface, and then smooth it with your fingers. You'll findthat you can smooth and shape a lot with your fingers alone. Another useful techniqueis to build up raised areas (knuckles, elbows, knees) by adding tiny bits of clay andblending them until the shape is just right.Something you should do fairly frequently is step back from your sculpture and look at it

from a distance to see its overall shape and form. Look at it from various angles.Placing your sculpture on a store-bought turntable really helps. Examine it with a single-source light (such as a desktop lamp), casting shadows here and there, to checksymmetry and shapes. Use the sculpture's reflection in a mirror--sometimes thisreversed image will show up a flaw your eyes have grown accustomed to ignoring.Take the time to get it right


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The finished and baked braid has been cut away to make the collar look right. I willresculpt the bottom part of the braid so that it goes down into the collar the right way.Keep working and reworking an area until it looks really good. It might be frustrating tohave to keep redoing an area, but as your sculpture takes shape and begins to look like

the reference material (or your original idea), you'll see that the extra time was well-spent. For final detailing, skin textures, and finishing out your sculpture see the articleondetailing.
http://www.danperezstudios.com/workshoppages/detail.htmhttp://www.danperezstudios.com/workshoppages/detail.htmhttp://www.danperezstudios.com/workshoppages/detail.htmhttp://www.danperezstudios.com/workshoppages/detail.htm


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Detailing and Skin Textureshis article was revised in October of 2001. Probably the best technique forfiguring out how to finish sculptures is to study model kits and other sculptures

to see if you can figure out how the sculptor achieved that effect. I'll neverforget, after I had been sculpting for a while, studying the head and neck of the HorizonApatosaurus kit (pictured below) and thinking, "Hey! I recognize that. Sculpey beadtexture!"

The scales/bumps underneath the cheekbone were done by applying small flattened beads ofsculpey, then softening and blending them with a solvent

Here's an area where the "Wayne the Dane" videotapes will probably be of most use tothe beginning sculptor. As I've noted, these tapes suffer from poor production valuesand the eccentricities of Wayne Hansen (he's a nice guy, though), but they do contain alot of valuable shortcuts and tricks. Try his two-tape Human anatomy/Predator sculptingvideo for information on a variety of skin textures and for info on sculpting armor anddevices. You can find info on the Wayne the Dane tapes in the terminology list in eitherthe workshop or the model shop pages of this website. I've also got links to Wayne's

web site on the Links page.I also want to pass along a bit of valuable advice I got from the Shiflett Brothers: try tomake your sculpture look as natural as possible. Don't leave anything on the sculpturethat can be clearly identified as a "tool mark." An example of this would be the commonpractice of using a narrow-gauge brass tube (or coffee stirrers) and pressing circles intothe clay to create scales. Unfortunately, this technique often looks too uniform (scaleson any reptilian monster or dinosaur come in varying sizes and shapes) and it's pretty


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clear you were using a tool. One instance where you can get away with this to somedegree is when you're combining a lot of skin textures all at once. Check out the skindetail of the Horizon Jurassic Park Dilophosaurus (Spitter) to see what I mean.

Most of these marks were done with a round tube, but they're small enough (this photo isenlarged) and mixed with other techniques enough to disguise them sufficiently

Use lighter fluid or 90% isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol to soften your tool marks and makethem look more natural. Brush the solvent on lightly with a soft brush, remembering notto overdo it. Lighter fluid is a bit more agressive than alcohol.SmoothingOne of the hardest things I had to learn when I first started sculpting with Super Sculpeywas how to get the surface uniformly smooth. It seemed like no matter what I did, theclay ended up with an uneven surface, filled with dips and bumps. The remedy for this issimply to continually smooth the surface with your fingers. For the depressions, flatten

out a bit of clay between your fingers and apply it to the depression, then smooth it overso it blends with the surrounding clay. If you keep doing this, and on a large piece it willtake a while, the surface will begin to smooth out for you. Use medium- or small-diameter brass or aluminum tubing for smoothing curved areas. Roll the tubing gentlyback and forth across the surface. For smoothing tight areas where your fingers can'treach, I have a couple of suggestions. The first is probably the best: a Q-tip dipped inwater. You can use this to smooth and even shape the clay--it's great for faces. Whenthe Q-tip begins to unravel, just switch to a fresh one (you can also use a soft brush with


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indentantions is your hair. With a steady hand, you can create impressive locks offlowing hair. Remember that hair rests in masses--it's not just one big uniform surfaceso you'll need to sculpt these masses before you start creating indentations to representthe hair. If you're doing a lot of hair, here's a handy tool: take three pins or needles ofthe same size and line them up so that they're parallel to each other. Then embed them

in a blob of epoxy putty and let it cure. You can drag this three-pin tool along your hairmasses to save time.Veins: Roll out thin snakes of clay with tapered ends. Apply these to your sculpture andblend them partway into the surface. Feather the edges with lighter fluid or alcohol.Teeth: Roll out cones of Sculpey, place them onto a piece of crumpled tissue paper andbake them. After they cool, press the baked teeth into the still-soft clay of the mouth ofyour creature. You can use a snake of sculpey for a gumline, and press the teeth intothat, if desired. If you want weathered, cracked teeth like those of the asteroid slug inthe gallery, mount the teeth on a pushpin with a handle and score the teeth with a pin,

X-acto knife or dental tool. Clean up any crumbs of sculpey with lighter fluid or alcoholand then gently ease the finished tooth onto the crumpled tissue paper for baking. Thistechnique is good for making spines and horns, too.For human teeth, simply use spatula and dental tools to sculpt the teeth. Rememberthat human teeth have different shapes, so don't sculpt them all like incisors. It's helpfulto have a human skull model for both general sculpting reference and for sculptingteeth. Or look at your own teeth in the mirror.Another technique for doing teeth is to model them already in the mouth, using an X-Acto knife to carve the excess clay away from the teeth. Wrinkles: Roll out thin snakes of clay and apply these to your sculpture, then blendthem together until they resemble wrinkles. Or use a loop tool to cut grooves in the claysurface. Another technique is to apply a bit of Saran Wrap to the surface and then use adental tool to impress wrinkles into the surface. The plastic wrap lends a smooth textureto the wrinkles. Follow up with alcohol.Muscle tissue: For exposed muscle tissue, like that seen on some horror kits, use yourmulti-needle hair tool or a stiff-bristled flat brush (or an old toothbrush) to create astriated pattern on your muscle masses. Soften this effect with alcohol or lighter fluid.You can also use this technique to make convincing wood/bark textures. Create larger

striations with a dental tool or spatula, then follow up with a toothbrush, drawing it alongthe direction of the grain. Follow up with alcohol.Clothing: Generally you sculpt clothing after you've formed a basic body mass. Thisbody mass doesn't need to be anatomically perfect if the clothing isn't skintight or clingy,but the proportions do need to be there. To sculpt clothing, I highly recommend you lookinto Burne Hogarth's bookDynamic Wrinkles and Drapery, sold at major bookstoresand art supply stores. This book shows how all sorts of clothing bunches up, hangs and


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wrinkles, and if you follow Hogarth's advice you'll be sculpting realistic clothing. Moregood clothing advice (especially on the formation of wrinkles) is Modelling and

Sculpting the Human Figureby Edouard Lanteri.For sculpting armor and weapons,check out any of a number of books on the subject at the bookstore or library. Wings: Here's a cool method to create leathey wings, such as those for a dragon ordemon. Create a wire framework for the wing with stiff, cloth-covered floral wire. Thentake the framework and lay it against a single ply of facial tissue (don't use toilet paper,as it's designed to disintigrate when wet) Using a pencil, carefully draw the outline ofyour wing, and then carefully cut out the wing. Spot weld the wing to the wire frameworkin a couple of places using superglue and zip kicker (a fluid sold in hobby shops thatcauses superglue to harden instantly). Then superglue the rest of the edges of the wingto the framework. Now for the tricky part. Ease a drop or two of superglue (the gel-typesuperglue works best here) onto the tissue and spread it carefully with a toothpick,allowing the tissue to soak up the glue. Once you've applied your zip kicker, the glue willharden and you're ready to work on another patch. If the tissue tears, that's okay you

can repair it a patch of fresh tissue and superglue. When you're done, you should havea membrane-thin wing which is completely impregnated with hardened superglue. Youcan then apply Sculpey to the framework to make it look like part of your sculpture. Ifdesired, you can actually apply thin sheets of rolled out Sculpey over the wings, tooScales: There are lots of methods for sculpting scales, and there are a lot of differenttypes of scale textures. Look at the scale patterns on a horned lizard, a snake, a fishand an alligator to see just how diverse scales types and patterns can be. One simpleway to convey a scaled pattern is with crosshatching. Simply take a spatula tool or X-Acto knife and incise a series of parallel lines into the skin surface. Then draw aperpendicular set of parallel lines, creating a diamond pattern. Soften up the pattern

with alcohol.

I've already groused about using brass tubing to press circles into the clay, but youmight have some success with using different diameters of tubing so that you get amore varied pattern of scales. One effective technique I've seen is to crimp the end of around tube so that it's more squared off, and to use that to create a scale pattern. Another method is to roll up lots of tiny balls of Sculpey, then flatten them out and applythem to the surface, creating a scaly pattern, as with the Horizon Apatosaurus above(you can also use this method for warts and pebbly skin textures, such as those seen inmonsters).One of the best ways to make scales and skin textures are by using texture stamps.You can make a texture stamp by taking a piece of Sculpey and rolling it into a 3/4" ball.Then taper two ends of the ball so that it looks like a football. Pinch the top of thefootball into a grip or handle, and then take a ball-tipped tool and create a pattern ofdepressions in the curved underside of the texture stamp.


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Above, enlarged view of two different texture stamps. Note the varying size of the dimples. Below

left, side view of texture stamp. Below right, texture left by a stamp in soft clay


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For best results, use two or three different sizes of ball-tipped tools to create a variedpattern. Carry the pattern out onto the tapered ends, so you can use those for tightareas. Then gently set your texture stamp onto some crumpled tissue paper and bake it.When it's baked and cooled, spray the textured surface with a couple of protective coatsof Testor's Lusterless Laquer spray, so that clay from your sculpture won't adhere to it.

After it dries, you're ready to use your texture stamp. Simply press it into the clay tocreate a convincing pebbly, scaly pattern. My baby raptor in the gallery was texturedusing a texture stamp.Texture stamps can be made from many different things. Try making texture stampswith impressions of citrus fruit skins, ceramic tile patterns, pine cones, bark, coral,rocks, pumice, etc. Use your imagination and creativity. You can also use different toolsto create textures in your stamps, and actually create stamps that will make featheredpatterns, etc.You can also make single-scale stamps. Roll out a narrow cone of clay and use a ball-

tipped tool to impress one dimple in the tip. Bake it and use it for getting into very tightareas that your texture stamp won't reach. For covering large areas (such as those onmy Empire Strikes Back asteroid slug), you can create a cylindrical texture stamp byinserting a toothpick through a cylinder of clay and creating a texture on the outside ofthe cylinder. After baking, roll it along the surface of your sculpture.One good texture stamp for monster or dinosaur skin is to use gauze bandage. Take asmall length and wad it up, then press into your sculpture's skin for a terrific wrinklytexture. Some loose gauze fibers may come off onto the sculpey, but you can easilyremove them with tweezers.Finally, you can create interesting textures by using objects from your house or the craftstore as texture stamps. Try painting some lighter fluid on the clay and then pressingfoam rubber, household sponge or natural sponge on the surface. Or try dipping asponge into a small pool of superglue and letting it cure. Then use the stiffened spongeas a texture stamp.Well, that's about it. I'd like to re-emphasize that one of the most useful things you cando is experiment with a variety of tools and techniques. I sometimes sit and just do that,trying to come up with a neat pattern or texture. I hope you'll have a lot of fun with thesetechniques, as well as improving the realism and appeal of your sculptures. Good luck!


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Sculpting 101: Useful Reference Booksote: most books on sculpting you'll find are concerned with what is known aswater clay or terra-cotta clay. This is the natural earthen clay that occurs in

riverbanks, etc., which has been used for thousands of years by sculptors. Youmay also see references to plastilina (or plasticine, as it's referred to in the UnitedKingdom and Australia), which is simply an oil-based modeling clay which neverhardens. Most techniques for water clay and/or oil clay can be adapted for sculpting inpolymer clays like Super Sculpey. The primary difference is one of scale. Sculptures inwater or oil clay tend to be much larger than those in polymer clay (mainly because thelatter have to be able to fit in your home oven), and so the tools used to sculpt them arelarger.In addition to the books below, you should collect books on the making of movies (suchas THE MAKING OF JURASSIC PARK), because such books are full of behind the

scenes photos of models, maquettes and sculptures. The quarterlymagazine Cinefex is extremely useful in this area. I also collect art books by artistssuch as Frank Frazetta, Brom, Boris Vallejo, Michael Whelan, Wayne Douglas Barlowe,Don Maitz, Berni Wrightson and others who illustrate science fiction, fantasy and horrorsubjects. I also collect books on dinosaurs and animals with plenty of illustrations. I collect sculpting reference from the web, too. Lots of websites have photos on themthat you can use for sculpting reference. Look at bodybuilding sites, physical fitnesssites, fashion sites (for clothing reference). Sites on movie stars and movies can havelots of useful pictures too.All of the above will provide inspiration and accuracy to your work. Here are somereference books I've found to be useful. You can find them at bookstores and art supplystores.SCULPTURE: PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE by Louis Slobodkin (Dover Publications,1973, ISBN 0-486-22960-2) is a good overall introduction to sculpting in a variety ofmedia, including stone and wood carving.MODELING THE FIGURE IN CLAY: A SCULPTOR'S GUIDE TO ANATOMY by BrunoLucchesi (Watson Gulptill Publications, 1980, ISBN 0-8230-3097-0) is one of the bestguides to sculpting human anatomy. Lucchesi sculpts a skeleton, then adds muscles

and skin to create a finished sculpture. Many photos from different angles illuminate theshapes and composition of the human body.MODELING THE HEAD IN CLAY: CREATIVE TECHNIQUES FOR THESCULPTOR by Bruno Lucchesi (Watson Gulptill Publications, 1996, ISBN 0-8230-3099-7) is an in-depth guide to sculpting the features of the human head.


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MODELING A LIKENESS IN CLAY: STEP-BY-STEP TECHNIQUES FORCAPTURING CHARACTER by Daisy Grubbs (Watson Gulptill Publications, 1982, ISBN0-8230-3094-6) is a guide to sculpting a likeness from photos or life.MODELLING AND SCULPTING THE HUMAN FIGUREand MODELLING AND

SCULPTING ANIMALS by Edouard Lanteri (Dover Publications, 1985, ISBN 0-486-25006-7 and 0-486-25006-5) is a two-volume set packed with useful instruction insculpting and anatomy. These are sculptor Shawn Nagle's favorite books on sculpting.DYNAMIC FIGURE DRAWING, DRAWING THE HUMAN HEAD, DRAWINGDYNAMIC HANDS, and DYNAMIC WRINKLES AND DRAPERY by Burne Hogarth(Watson Gulptill Publications). These books, by comic book artist Burne Hogarth, aregreat anatomy references for sculptors as well as illustrators. The last book is anexcellent reference for sculpting realistic looking clothing.ATLAS OF HUMAN ANATOMY FOR THE ARTIST by Stephen Rogers Peck (Oxford

University Press, 1982, ISBN 0-19-503095-8) is another essential reference forsculpting human anatomy. Packed with terrific, informative illustrations.DRAWING THE HEAD AND FIGURE by Jack Hamm (Perigee Books,1963, ISBN 0-399-50791-4) a classic book on human anatomy that is still in print (and deservedly so.Great information on proportion in this book.HOW TO DRAW THE HUMAN FIGURE by Louise Gordon (Penguin Books, 1980,ISBN 0-14-046477-8) is an anatomy reference for that focuses a bit more on the femalefigure than most anatomy books. Features excellent drawings of musculature in action. AN ATLAS OF ANIMAL ANATOMY FOR ARTISTS by W. Hellenberger, H.Dittrich andH. Baum (Dover Publications, 1956, ISBN 0-486-20082-5) is an essential reference forsculpting animals.ANIMAL PAINTING AND ANATOMY by W. Frank Calderon (Dover Publications, 1975,ISBN 0-486-22523-2) is another excellent reference for animal anatomy. ANIMAL DRAWING: ANATOMY AND ACTION FOR ARTISTS by Charles R. Knight(Dover Publications, 1959, ISBN 0-486-20426-X) is written and illustrated by therenowned illustrator of both prehistoric and modern animals.CARICATURES IN CLAY by Tom Wolfe (Schiffer Publishing, Ltd, 1995, ISBN 0-88740-713-7) is a fun, full-color guide to sculpting small caricature busts in polymer clay. Muchof the information here can be applied to sculpting more realistic busts as well.REVENGE OF THE GARAGE KIT THAT ATE MY WALLET by Terry J. Webb(Webbhead Enterprises/Davidson Printing Co., 1994, no ISBN available) is a nonpareilguide to the garage kit hobby, with hundreds of photos of garage kits, as well asinterviews with major companies like Horizon, Kaiyodo, Geometric and Billiken. Includes


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articles on sculpting and painting, as well. Copies of this are hard to find, but are wellworth the effort. The first two books in the series (even more difficult to find) are THEGARAGE KIT THAT ATE MY WALLET andSON OF THE GARAGE KIT THAT ATEMY WALLET.BUILDING AND PAINTING SCALE FIGURES by Sheperd Paine (Kalmbach Books,1995, ISBN 0-89024-069-8) can be found at model and hobby shops, and is a goodguide for painting figures, as well as giving information on sculpting figures at smallerscales. Also includes a good guide to molding and casting. Check out Paine'sexcellent HOW TO BUILD DIORAMAS, too.HOW TO DRAW COMICS THE MARVEL WAY by Stan Lee and John Buscema(Simon and Schuster, 1978, ISBN 0-671-53077-1) is a good reference for theexaggerated physiques of superheroes, as well as their dynamic poses.HOW TO DRAW COMIC BOOK HEROES AND VILLAINS by Christopher Hart

(Watson Gulptill Publications, 1995, ISBN 0-8230-2245-5) is another good comic bookreference.

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