I decided to make this page to show the stages a piece of sculpture goes through from idea to finished display piece. Permission has been granted by Ian Bicknell to display the video game character Sorrowsmaid created by his friend Helen Exworth. The character was created for World of Warcraft, a game that allows the user to customize playable characters for use in the game.
Ian sent me multiple images of the character at several different angles. This helps greatly when it comes to detailing the sculpt more accurately.
Click on the images to enlarge them.
The next step was deciding the proportions for the statue for the size range that Ian had requested. After doing this I built a wire frame to match the simple sketches I had made of the character. To the wire frame, I added aluminum foil to bulk up the figure without adding extra weight. On top of that I applied the first layer of Sculpey. The first layer is the basic body form. There are no real details added other than the traits of the character's particular anatomy. You'll note that the first layer of Sculpey is bulkier than the final sculpt appears... it's always better to add a little more Sculpey than too little. Dremel tools, knives, and sandpaper will help take that extra bulk off after the first curing.
After that curing I pared away at the body to create the skelton-like structure of the character. Then I sculpted on the rough details with more sculpey. I chose to sculpt the hands separately as they hold the sword and dagger. Sometimes it's easier to work on pieces this way to allow better access to the main figure unrestricted by limbs or accessories. This would be the last actual curing that I would do on the figure, because I decided for stability I would create the weapons and hands out of plastic.
It was at this point that Ian, whom I had been emailing daily with progress reports, noticed that the jawline was a bit masculine on the statue. So the fist thing I did at that point was to trim the jaw line down to better attain the look I was going for. I sculpted a textured base that actually has the toes of the character sculpted right on it! I made the toes in front of recessed slots for the feet to adhere to with glue. The result is a seamless bond that gives the statue added stability and character. I created the sword and dagger by layering plastic strips and Dremeling them down to create severe edges. I Dremeled plastic rods to make the hilts of the swords and attached them to the layered plastic. The tabard and belt are made of a very flexible plastic material to better represent fabric. I primed the statue with acrylic paint both to make sure that the surface was smooth where it was necessary and to give the paint a neutral surface to better adhere and reflect light. After I would sand out rough spots, I would apply another layer of primer until the surface was smooth.
One more jaw trimming later, I wound up with a figure sculpt that both Ian and I found satisfying. After I got the statue finished in terms of sculpting it, the only step left was to paint the statue. I layered several paint applications and used many washes to give the more of a sense of realism. I work with acrylics because they adhere so well with both Sculpey and most plastics. Plus, they are capable of an exceptional range of consistencies all according to how they are mixed. You can see in these images that the sword is not quite complete and is missing the jewel on the hilt.
And that brings us to the final paint application. You can see that the skin has been lightened quite a bit from the last stage and that the gold trim on the tabard has been tarnished. Dry brushing brings out massive amounts of details on objects like the armor, the sword and dagger, and the stand. One final touch was the application of a tiny bit of glow-in-the-dark paint to the eyes to give them a little extra bang for the buck!
And there you have it: a statue from start to finish. I hope this has been at least entertaining and maybe even informative.
Wow... I've entered the world of Infotainment!!!!!
