Transcripts
1. Introduction: Hi, everyone. I'm so excited to be back with another video. But before I started, I just need to thank everyone So much. For all the amazingly positive feedback on my first video, it was so motivating for me. I was just raring to get started on another one. So I'm so excited to bring this video to you today. For the topic of today's video, I kind of wanted to take a step back and get kind of more to basics of sculpting. So this one is gonna be much simpler than the previous video that you don't need a lot of materials at all. You can really make do with just your fingers and Plato if you want to. It's really getting to the basics of how to translate an image, a flat image of Judy image to a three D sculpture. So I'm really excited to kind of go over some of the tips with you guys that I found helpful, and also we're going to be discussing two main methods for sculpting. I like to call them the pension poke method and the build up method. Both of them are very useful methods toe learn and personally, I use kind of melding both, and some of them are a little easier to use for small projects. Others are better for large products. But like I said, you can learn both. And then you might end up using kind of a meld of both in your own work. So let's get started.
2. Supplies: Now let's consider some tools that will make your sculpting journey a bit easier. If you have a ballpoint pin, I would suggest you use it. It will be your new best friend, but if you don't, a toothpick will work great to personally. I'll be using the needle tool and nail dotting tool that is pictured here, but the ballpoint needle will do the exact same thing. Some other tools that I'll be using are pictured. It's silicone tip blending tool exactly knife and a dental tool as faras sculpting material that I'll be using is primo polymer clay. But you can use really anything that holds it shape, such as Plato air directly, Pottery, clay. Any of those will work great.
3. Reference photo prep: So how do you translate a two D image to three D sculpt? First of all, you need to pick your reference photo. Whatever topic you're going to be sculpting, try to find a very good side view and front view Photo. Personally, I'll be using just the side view to demonstrate how to do it. But ideally, it's good to have both side and front view, because that will really help you grasp the three D image. Now what? You have your images. If you have a tablet, you can usually photo, edit or mark up a photo right within that, which is what I'll be doing. But don't panic. If you don't have a tablet, you can easily just print out your reference photos and mark right on the printout, your basic shapes.
4. How to prep for pinch and poke: this video is to demonstrate how to simplify shapes from a two D image, and this is particularly to work with the pension poke method. This is especially good with working on small sculptures, and the green is to do the main shapes the red. As to where I'll be putting dense toe, add more depth. I personally always don't the eye sockets, um, and use either glass kabash on or a ball of clay. Or be to make a three D I and a little ultimate art hack to help you learn how to simplify shapes. You can take the photo and squint at it, and it will kind of blur out the extra details and help you just see basic shapes.
5. Pinch and poke method: In this video, I'll be demonstrating the pension poke sculpting method based off the previous photo that we edited to get the basic shapes. It was very convenient. The head shape was very similar to a teardrop, especially since lambs noses tend to be smaller than their forehead. So it worked as a teardrop shaped both from the side and the front Very well, So that's what I'm doing here. I'm starting with pinching and poking the basic teardrop shape that I want. Um, I have already referred to a front view as well to help me have a good grasp on how I want it to look from the front as well as the side. The thing with this method is it does involve a lot of moving around. And if you are working with a softer sculpting medium personally, I find it harder because one hand is holding the peace while the other Ryan is trying to coax details into it. And the hand that's holding the peace can sometimes end up squishing and making the peace go out of proportion just because it's so soft. So that's one reason that I I personally prefer using primo polymer Klay. This is a softer polymer clay that I'm using for this demonstration, softer than I usually like to use, and you can kind of see my struggle a little bit. I end up squishing the jawline more narrow than I would have preferred. But if you can learn to do a very gentle, relaxed hold, it's just much easier if you're using a slightly stiffer medium such as primo polymer clay , I find. But for for learning the basics on how to get shapes and translate two d to three D even softer, it will do the trick. You just might find yourself getting a little frustrated for the purpose of this demonstration. I'm just rolling up some fresh clay to put in the eyes personally, if I always. If I used clay for eyes, I roll them and bake them first, because then they won't get squished in the process of adding islands etcetera. But for this one, I just went with a quick, soft, fresh clay, which you'll see a bit later that they get scratched. So in this pope pension poke method, really, the only clay that I add to it is three islands so quick review. Usually I start with a simple bowl and then coax it into the basic shape that I want. Then I use rolling, denting, poking methods to add depth and detail. And then I finish it off with the detail of adding just a little role of clay to the top and bottom of the I to give a nice depth to the island. I hope you found this demonstration helpful. If you have any questions, I'd love to help. And I hope you enjoy just a smidge of music while watching you finish up the sculpt.
6. How to prep for build up: This next demo is how to break it down for a buildup method. I find this method works the best with larger projects. As you can see, you break up the shapes more than the pension poke method. Instead of a teardrop shape, I've made a circle in a triangle, build up little blobs for eyebrow in lit areas, and then the red again is for dense toe. Add depth and detail.
7. Build up method: the buildup method. As you can see, I've sped up this video. If you want to, you can always slow it down to see more in detail how I go about sculpting this. It is very similar to the pension poke method, and as you can see, I still use my fingers quite a bit to kind of coax it into shape. The main differences is there's more adding pieces onto it, which does require more smoothing something I appreciate that these two demonstrations show is, even though they're different methods, you can get very similar results. So as with most things with art, it really is up to your personal preference. What you enjoy doing the most. What fits your style the most. I have found that the method you use Congrats Lee influence the style of your work as well . So that's why I'm a firm believer that this is an important part of your artistic journey. I feel like you owe it to yourself to explore, try new methods, tweak old methods, make a hybrid. It's how you can become and more unique artist
8. Review the method's main differences: The main difference between these two methods between pension poke and build up method is with pension poke method. You can actually start with the clay being a snitch bigger than the then what you want in the end, because you'll be compressing, pinching, poking, moving it so it will get a smidge smaller at the end. Whereas with the buildup you can start a snitch smaller, then what you want to end, because obviously you'll be adding to it. You'll be building up forehead builders, cheek bulges, lips nose. Depending on how you sculpt it, you will be making it slightly larger at the end. Another thing that's different between the two methods is with the buildup method. Because you're adding chunks and sections, there's a lot more seems to smooth out, fill out. It's a lot easier to have an overall smooth look with the pinch and poke, because there's a lot fewer seems to smooth out. So that's why I personally prefer using a mix for the overall base. Usually do the pension poke and then just adding little details with the buildup like islands, or if the lips over a little tooth ball or just little details. It's a lot less seems to smooth out at the end, and it's easier to attain an overall, smoother look for your piece.
9. Conclusion: so I hope you'll find some of these steps and tips that I've shared to help you on your sculpting journey. As with everything, the more you practice, the easier it will get, especially in this case, training your brain to grasp how to translate two D images 23 D and getting the proportions correctly. It will just get easier with time. So I hope you have fun. Get out there sculpting and I'll see you next time.
Ashley Hills, Polymer clay sculptor and painter
