Sculpture and Model making, (not airfix kits :P ) Options

[DanMaggot]

This has been a long term pastime of mine......which I've not returned to for several years now. Mostly because of space.....in that finished models require more than I've got, but also because I got involved in Photoshop and computer art and simply slid away from materially solid models.

However next week I'm going to take some annual leave and try a new peice, which I'm both looking foward to, and at the same time am quite nervous about - what if I've lost what little ..... skill.... I had from it's lack of use for the past 10 years? It sounds silly,but I know this can happen - I've run into it before.

I like to use both clay (newclay which doesn't require kiln heating to harden being a combo of clay and nylon strands) and modroc which is much the same stuff as you'll have experienced the last time you broke a limb. They're both very easy mediums to use.

Basically you take your idea, plan it out, decide what media will work best, (at this point you can make a skeleton to help support the model (pipe cleaners/wire frame is good). It's a good idea to brace the structure because once you start adding clay or modroc the extra weight will start to effect the structures solidity. It's also a good idea to think about how the model will be displayed before you start the main work (framing is much easier before you've added the media because you can hide the joins with the clay etc.)

Then it's about the build - which is a lot of work and frustration and wondering why you ever took on the project in the first place.

Sometime later the model is finished. Or so you think. The next stage is drying....and repairing the cracks, and more cracks......and a few last ones.
Drying out always involves cracks for me. But finally it's dry. Now you get pre paint work, filing and the like. Then it's painting and all that - which is often as frustrating as the original build. (Good idea to mask the frame first).

Apply paint in layers depending on the medium. I've found you can use pretty much any kind of paint you want on newclay, water, poster, enamel, oil... depends again on what you're trying to achieve. Apply sealents either varnish or similar - this will help the paint to stay put over the years.

Now leave it and come back in a few days and see if you still like it.