Step-by-Step sculpting a 90mm figure
The Ronin
First of all, you’ll need to gather some fairly basic tools for the job. You will alreadyhave most of these if you’re a keen modeller. Below you will find a photo of the toolsthat I use to sculpt a figure. Along with these, it would be a good idea to add a fewfiles and perhaps a small motor tool such as a Dremel or Como, for quickly shaping &removing any unwanted cured putty.The tools in the picture are,from the top :- a No. 4 synthetic filbert, No.2 synthetic filbert, size 0 synthetic round,size 0 soft taper point colour shaper, a couple of swann-morton scalpels, with various blades, these are No.10A & No.15, but use whatever you’re used to. If you like thefeel of an X-acto knife, then stick with it. The last few short rods are the mostimportant. They are home-made, with various sharp, rounded, flattened and tapered points which I have made from brazing rod.(* This tip courtesy of Bill Horan. Tooth- picks sanded to shape can also be used to great effect. To make them smooth at thetip, just roll them in super glue which seals the grain for a smooth finish.)They have ahighly polished finish which resists the build-up of putty and are easy to clean with alittle pad of wire wool kept in a small re-sealable zip-lock plastic bag so you don’t getany swarf from the wire wool on your fingers while sculpting. While we’re on thesubject, clean hands are essential for work on miniatures, as is a dust & lint free area. Now we have the tools, we need our subject. I have chosen a 90mm figure of a Ronin,a ‘masterless Samurai’. Research is of the utmost importance with any figure and weare spoilt today with all the resources at our disposal. The best sources that I think wehave are books, the internet and our friends and fellow modellers. If you research your chosen subject well, then it will be a pleasure to have all the information at your disposal at every step which in turn will allow you to work with more fluidity.
The Mannequin
I like to start with a simple wire mannequin so I can get the pose as near to what Ihave in mind as I can. For a 90mm figure, cut about 12inches (300mm) of wire and bend in half then twist to make a flexible spine. The left over ends help to form the position of the arms and legs. Try to find some good wire that won't break easily as you may find you need to bend repeatedly to get the pose just right. Stainlesssteel or copper wire is preferable. The copper being easier to cut and bend and thestainless offers a more rigid support but is a little more difficult to cut. If you look atthe size of the mannequin in the picture you’ll see that he is just a little short of 80mm. As the putty is added, he will soon grow to a respectable 90mm. Remember you are going to add a fair amount of bulk, and the additions to the feet, includingfootwear, along with the bulk and clothing on the shoulder area will add up to asurprising amount. Now we have something to base our figure on, we can start to add putty. I am using Magic-Sculp, but you should use whatever putty you areaccustomed to. I use Magic-Sculp because it suits the way I work. I like to work directly on the soft putty, rather than waiting for it to set-up or cure for a while, whichI know is favoured by some sculptors. If this is the way that you find it easiest towork, don’t change just for the sake of it, it’s just the way I am used to working. WithMagic-Sculp I am able to apply a little heat to the resin to make it extremely soft before mixing with the hardener. This I find useful as it eases application and helpswith fine detailing and the application of soft and subtle folds and creases. Try it andsee how you get on with this method to see if it suits you.
Initial pose
You should have a clear (or at least a fair) idea of the pose that you want to sculptyour figure in. Using the wire mannequin, get the pose as near as you can to the posethat you want.
You’ll need to bear in mind the natural constraints of the human body regarding the positioning of the limbs and the subtle twisting of shoulders and hips and curvature of the spine. If you apply the putty to a similar way to the picture then you will have a better idea as to the above mentioned areas. The putty just has to have theapproximate width of the shoulders and hips at this stage, nothing too complicated.There are a lot of references available to help you with anatomy and I encourage youto use any that you consider useful. At this point, you should be concerned mainlyabout the accuracy of your pose. See the picture below for how I have bent themannequin and applied a little putty to ‘lock-in’ the desired position of the figure.You’ll notice that I have kept the knee and ankle joints free of putty to allow for fineadjustments. Also the majority of the figures spine is left uncovered as I will need tomake some further adjustment here. As this figure is destined for production, I will beremoving the wire for the arms as I’ll sculpt those separately, but if you are doing aone-off figure, they will be fine were they are.
Basic Fleshing-out
The pose I have chosen for this Ronin is to show him taking a brief pause from a longtrek up a slight incline. I thought it would be interesting to have him leaning just alittle of his weight on a staff or maybe a weapon of some description with his rightarm. His right foot will also be elevated to help with the illusion of the incline. Youcan see a little progress in the next couple of pictures.
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Step-By-step Sculpting a 90mm Figure the Ronin
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