Sculptural clay - how to work with the material, differences from the usual, an overview of manufacturers and prices. Sculptures from plasticine: hobby and earnings

The 1/9 scale is ideal for busts. Firstly, it is standard, and secondly, a larger scale would require a different approach to the eyes, hair, eyelashes - they would have to be imitated with puppet elements. Smaller scales 1/20 and 1/16 are already for figures.

Prototype selection.

It is important to choose an interesting prototype for the bust. Photos can be recommended. Portraits have always been popular with front-line photographers. The photograph must be of sufficient quality to be visible. individual elements and facial details. You can, of course, not look for photographs, but sculpt your character, relying on imagination, but there is a high probability of getting an “inanimate” sculpture with anatomical flaws as a result. Moreover, the imagination and observation skills of most people are not as developed as those of professional artists and sculptors (alas!) and the image in the imagination can be frankly faded and not clear. So I strongly recommend high-quality photographs, especially since a lot of them have been taken during the wars of the last hundred and more years, and it is relatively easy to find a photo of an interesting soldier or officer among them. In extreme cases, you can use a photo of a modern person and “dress” him during modeling in the desired military uniform.

Still, it’s not worth achieving a complete portrait resemblance to a photograph - it’s quite difficult task, requiring a separate article and great skill.

I will also say how you can simplify your work and not choose too complicated a prototype. Firstly, sadly, I advise you to start by choosing characters with a minimum of all sorts of awards, badges and insignia - all these are quite complex elements that require a different, more thorough approach. Their manufacture sometimes takes most time of work on the bust, so we will limit ourselves here to the most interesting part - sculpting the head and clothes. Caps have always been a complex element because of the visor, the severity of the forms and the cockade. Winter clothes, unlike summer clothes, also make work much easier. If your character's ears are covered with a tank or flight helmet, or the flaps of the headgear are lowered, this also greatly facilitates the work. A calm facial expression also facilitates the work - all emotions and grimaces introduce additional difficulties.

I note that when choosing a character, you should pay attention to the very type of your hero. People with unpleasant faces or with some obvious defects, and, accordingly, a sculpture made from their photo, make a somewhat depressing impression.

Our hero will be this smiling Russian guy, filmed on February 15, 1945 on the streets of Budapest (). The photograph is of sufficient quality and is taken from O. M. Baronov’s book “The Balaton Defensive Operation”. The task is of medium difficulty: the face is pleasant, smiling, the ears are open, but the clothes and headgear are simple.

Materials and tools. Preparatory part.

To sculpt a bust, you need the following minimum set materials and tools (). All of them are cheap and available, so the modeling of busts and figurines is quite a democratic activity (unlike many types of poster modeling), where everything depends only on your skill.

Thermoset plastic. I will advise the domestic plastic brands Ladoga or Artifact. It is cheap (about 100 rubles worth of packaging, which is enough for several busts), has enough good performance, available - sold in all art stores and even in some stationery stores. You can take any color, but white is preferable - in my opinion, it is slightly better in its properties. Plastic can be slightly tinted with thick gouache. I can’t advise other numerous plastic brands, since I haven’t worked with them and they, especially foreign ones, often have (according to colleagues) rather unexpected characteristics. Among them, perhaps, only Scalpy and Super Scalpy have a recognized authority.

Thick copper, aluminum or safety wire for the skeleton frame.

Various stacks and masters. I use (in order of popularity): crochet hooks different size- from the smallest to the largest, sewing needles (it is better to buy a set right away), special stacks for modeling (sold in art supply stores). They say it's good to have some dental instruments, but I don't have them.

A pack of regular razors.

A pair of brushes, No. 1 and 4. A small one with long bristles and a larger one with short bristles. Brushes are best kolinsky, maybe not the most expensive. You will also need a glass or glass of water.

Electric oven with temperature controller. The recommended baking temperature is 130 degrees Celsius. However, many ovens have a rather coarse regulator, so the temperature should be determined experimentally by baking a small piece of mashed plastic.

For lighting, you can use the usual table lamp, although sometimes during finishing it is useful to look at the work under a bright point source light - all surface defects will be better visible.

Before sculpting, I print out a human figure of ideal proportions on the printer in the right scale. You can print not the whole figure, but somewhere up to solar plexus. It is also worth stocking up on a few books on drawing and anatomy for artists and good photos(possibly modern) people similar to your character, with facial expressions and where head elements are clearly visible (this is especially true about ears and eyes).

It is important to have a cardboard box with a piece of plasticine on it on the desktop. It is convenient to stick a skeleton into plasticine, and the work that has not yet been baked will not be damaged. In addition, it is so convenient to photograph the model.

So let's get started!

I make a “skeleton” () from thick copper, aluminum or safety wire. Next comes the main stage - sculpting the head.

Plastic must be thoroughly kneaded before sculpting. Another seemingly unimportant point: if the temperature in the room is somewhat lower (for example, in winter), then this will significantly complicate modeling - the plastic will become much harder and tighter in modeling.

A couple more strategic modeling tips: first, everything should be symmetrical. Of course, real people they almost always have deviations from symmetry in their structure, but this should not be imitated - errors in modeling and eye measurement will add this "realism" anyway. Symmetry must be controlled constantly and at every stage, it should become a rule to such an extent that we will no longer repeat about it. Another tip would be to work on the elements of the face on the left and right at the same time. That is, we do not work on one eye, and then the second, but do everything at the same time both on the right and on the left. For example, they marked the eye socket on the right and left, marked the eyelids on the right and left, marked the eyeball on the right and left, and so on. This will make the face and its elements mirror the same, it is much more difficult to make one element first, and then the second in the same way.

At the beginning, the main volume of the head is formed in primitives (): a ball (the head itself) and a prism (face and jaws). Depending on the shape of the head, the primitives may be different: a prism, just a ball, a cube, their combinations. At this stage, it is important to correctly choose and make the shape of the head and keep the size, using proportions. The shape of the head determines a lot in the image of the character. It is important to make the temporal cavities and the narrowing of the skull from behind from below.

We make the neck and, roughly and in a smaller volume, the shoulders and chest. On the neck, it is important to indicate the muscles and folds. Turning the head adds further complexity to these elements. In front and in profile, we check the width of the neck, do not forget about the Adam's apple, if it is visible. At the same stage, we designate sharp joint neck and neck and select the lower jaw.

The face is marked according to proportions () - there will be eyes in the middle of the face, the lower section of the nose will be halfway from the eyes to the chin, and by measuring a third from the bottom of the nose to, again, the chin, we will get the intended position of the mouth. Depending on the individual characteristics the structure of the face of a particular person, these proportions may vary slightly.

Next, I squeeze out the eye sockets, form the nose (from the material below the eyes), cheekbones, draw out the mouth and its expression. At this stage, the type of face and general character traits, even on a very rough draft () you can already see the future face and its expression.

We continue to sculpt, all elements are molded simultaneously ( , . ). We clearly designate the nose, mouth, the shape of the superciliary arches. Here all sorts of advice will be superfluous, here (and further) the free flight of your creativity. It is only worth noting that the corners of the mouth, nasolabial folds (these elements determine a lot in the mood of the character) and the junction of the nostrils with the face require more careful attention.

Teeth, or rather the recesses between them, in an open mouth, it is convenient to make a thin wire bent in a loop. If necessary, you can slightly indicate the wrinkling of the lips and the porosity of the nose.

Eyes should be given Special attention, they attract attention and shape the mood of our character. There is nothing complicated here either. In shallow eye sockets (you can add more plastic there), cut through the surface of the eye itself, designate the eyelids. The eye should be sufficiently spherical and deeply recessed into the orbit, in the corners of the eyes (especially those closer to the nose) there should be significant indentations. Flat, shallow eyes are a fairly common mistake novice sculptors make. It is necessary not to forget about possible wrinkles around the eyes. In general, wrinkles are quite difficult to properly position. We bring the surface of the eyeball to a shine with a wet brush.

Collars for me (I don’t even know why) are always a difficult element. Here I will share the technology for making smooth plastic pancakes, even very thin ones. We take a glass, lightly grease it with a wet brush, put the mashed plastic and roll it out with a metal rod. So the plastic simply rolls out (and, more importantly, easily separates from the glass) even to a translucent film! Cut with a razor blade desired part. It is so convenient to make straps, galloons, shoulder straps and other elements, such as our collar ().

We steal plastic rollers around the neck, and our collar is on them. We sculpt.

We designate the edge of the side of the overcoat on the chest, the obligatory fold at the back and the seams on the clothes (). The seams (it is important to know exactly their location on the clothes) are made simply with a needle, you can additionally walk along the seam of thick fabric with a larger and rounded stack. A slightly open seam can be imitated with a needle.

Shoulder straps are made according to the above technology, you just need to mark the edging with a needle. The entire surface of the clothing is finally finished and leveled with wet brushes. You can imitate the structure of the fabric (for example, the Soviet "diagonal" of tunics) with light shading with a blunt needle.

I perform the lower cut of the bust with a wet (for better glide) razor. The work is finished!

The cut profile is important (when viewed from the front), it brings additional intonation to your bust. A straight horizontal cut will add (due to the volume of the shoulders) heaviness, solidity, strength. The trapezoid gives a lighter and more rapid image. You can make side cuts in the form of arcs. For the sake of experiment, I made an asymmetrical cut to emphasize the rotation and tilt of the head.

Alternatively, you can try the following solutions for the lower cut of the bust, used by "big" professional sculptors: wrap a cloak in rich folds (oh, this is an undoubted pathos and heroism of the image!), smooth transition a carefully finished surface into a deliberately roughly molded (masculinity!) or a bust ingrown into a pedestal or stone. You can make a tanker looking out of the commander's cupola, or a submariner from the hatch of his boat, or a "faustnik" boy from a hatch in the pavement of Berlin. In general, a lot of creative solutions.

Little can be said about the little things. Simple buttons can be cut from a drawn sprue, and stamped buttons can be carefully molded and copied from resin. You can also copy orders and emblems and insignia. But all this is quite complicated.

I photograph my work on a balcony or in a room with sunshine, but it is also possible in the diffused light of incandescent lamps. A tripod is required, I use a sheet of white paper as a background. When photographing a sculpture, it is advisable to take photos immediately in black and white, the color does not bear any useful information. We set the ISO lower, close the aperture more strongly, the macro mode is required, if necessary, then we introduce exposure compensation. More realistic photos are obtained by setting the zoom to the middle position, and not to the maximum wide-angle, however, there may be problems with focusing. The most advantageous angles are not straight in front, but somewhat at an angle and slightly from below.

That's all! Creative success to you. I hope to see your work in this interesting genre.

Recommended Internet resources: http://modelsculpt.ru/ - a site of sculptors with a gallery of excellent works and a forum with friendly and professional participants, http://www.chen-la.com/ - a site with a lot of interesting information on sculpture, articles and a good forum, and, of course, the Diorama.ru forum.

Today I will show you how to make a bust of a horse.

I called it "Melting Youth"

To work, you need to have thermoplastic. I used St. Petersburg plastic. It is convenient to sculpt from thermoplastic periodically baking the work and continue again without fear of lubricating and spoiling the previously molded.

We draw a sketch with a pencil and circle the main lines with a marker.

Then we make a wire frame on which the whole figure will be attached.

We apply plastic to the sketch, trying to display the entire relief as accurately as possible. And we do not go beyond the boundaries marked with a marker.

We put in the oven for 10-15 minutes ... We bake at the temperature indicated on the plastic pack. I recommend setting only the bottom heat for even, smooth baking of the model.

After baking, we separate the workpiece from a sheet of paper. The image that we applied with a marker should be printed on the plastic.

We sculpt the other half of the bust along the outlined lines, exposing the relief.

Bakes again by sticking the base of the wire frame into a wooden stand.

We work slowly, not forgetting to eat. When it starts to triple in the eyes, we interrupt until visual contact with the model is restored.

I didn't like the protruding ears. It doesn't matter, you can cut off and stick new ones on.. plastic allows you to bully yourself. Easy to cut and drill.

We bake the finished model for the last time .. Everything is ready, you can paint it on the shelf. But what if you need several identical figures or paint them in different colors.

This is a copy made of special dental plaster of special strength. "Gilplast" - you can't break it with your hands. However, it will not work to quail with a hacksaw for metal. He is like a stone. But ordinary sculptural plaster is also suitable. It is also strong and gives flat surface if poured under pressure.

Otherwise, air bubbles and, accordingly, shells cannot be avoided.

Instruction

When planning your work, prepare more than is necessary for the sculpture you have in mind. She is easy to prepare. Pour dry clay into a box (or into another container, for example, a pan). It needs to be leveled. Then fill it with water so that individual tubercles protrude from the water. After three to four days, clay can be used for. When removing it, leave an uneven relief - so that water remains in some recesses - then it will have a different consistency, which is necessary for work.

Decide on the size of the sculpture, and the material. For a beginner, plasticine is suitable. Unlike clay, plasticine does not dry out and does not harden, and work can be done for a long time. Height is about 30cm.

Saw off a sheet of plywood 15 by 15 centimeters. This will be the pedestal of your sculpture.

Go around the sculpture around, look from above and below. The sculpture should look from all points. Unlike drawing, sculpture is three-dimensional. Don't forget it. Constantly check the part that you are sculpting from all sides.

Take a close look at the sculpture. Its parts must be balanced. She should not fall forward, not back, or to one side. Follow the anchor points of the sculpture.

Find the axis of symmetry. Check if your sculpture is symmetrical. Trust your eye, but don't forget to check your measurements with a compass or a stack.

Find the compositional center of the sculpture. If you are making a figure, then most likely it will be a face.

Work out the compositional center more carefully. Stick the details. Also, but with smaller details, stick the details in the entire sculpture. These can be folds of clothing, buttons, a belt, or wool.

See if the details have broken the main shape. If somewhere you see that you are too carried away with the details, overdone, generalize them slightly with your finger or a stack.

If the sculpture is a success and you really like it, you might consider immortalizing it. Plasticine is not reliable material. The easiest way is to cast it in plaster or bronze. Well, the most difficult to sculpt in marble.

Good luck and success in your work!

To sculpt a person from plasticine, you need:

two main bars of plasticine for clothes (it can be a black bar for trousers and yellow for a T-shirt);
a little beige or pink plate for the head and hands;
brown for hair and boots (or any other suitable color);
droplets of white, blue and red to decorate the face.

How to mold a person from plasticine

Prepare plasticine blocks for work, guided by our recommendations, or at your discretion. To sculpt the body, take yellow plasticine, knead it and roll up a ball with a diameter of about 2.5 cm. Press down on the ball from all sides, forming a rectangular bar. Squeeze one side of the bar on the sides with your fingers. This way you show wider shoulders.
To sculpt short sleeves of a T-shirt, prepare 2 more balls, each about 1 cm in diameter. Make small cones from the balls. Then move your fingers upper part the resulting sleeves, gluing to the shoulders.
To sculpt trousers, take a soft black ball with a diameter of about 3 cm. Pull the ball into a sausage, pressing from above with your palm and swinging back and forth. You should get a sausage about 11 cm long.
Bend the sausage in the central part - you get trousers. Stand the trousers upright and press down on the structure.
Attach the pants to the T-shirt.
Prepare three beige balls with a diameter of about 1 cm for sculpting the head and two arms.
Pull out the ball intended for the head.
Attach a straight nose, squeeze out the holes in which the eyes will be placed.
Insert white eyeballs with blue irises into the pits. Add eyelashes, but not too long, to the eyebrows.
Attach your mouth. From brown sausages and tortillas freeform shape the hair. It is convenient to put the head on a match in order to easily fasten it to the body in the future. Ears should also be added to the head.
Stick a round cake imitating a collar on the top of the T-shirt, add a beige neck tubercle and insert a match with a head in the center.
Pull the remaining two beige balls into tubes. Cut one side of the tube with a stack and press the tips with a stack to show your fingers.
Complete the outfit with a belt and attach boots to the legs. Glue the arms to the sleeves of the T-shirt.

The plasticine man is ready. Our figure turned out to be proportional, and most importantly - flexible, which children cannot but like.

Shared the master class