"How Do You Sculpt Sections When Working With GreenStuff?" Topic

Basically, how do you separate sections as you are sculpting a multi-part figure?

What do you use to keep the uncured putty from sticking to the cured putty?

Thanks.

CC

There are several sculptors including the one I use who post frequently on TMP. Hopefully they will give you some help.

I've tried foil, but the contact surfaces still need smoothing and the foil often sticks quite a bit.

CC

I'm not sure what you mean CC.

CC do you mean you say sculpt a torso and let that cure. You then want to make separate arms but the new putty sticks to the cured torso putty? (if that makes sense?)

For greenstuff, I use a sharp exacto knife, and try to make a clean cut around the joint/area I want to seperate. I then gently twist and wiggle till the armature breaks. If you're careful, you can get a nice clean cut. A lil work with some nippers ( to clean up the wire ) and greenstuff to patch over the wire, and you can have a real clean joint.

IE, I usually sculpt the whole model in one piece first, and then section it later.

I think the traditional thing, for originals of minis and model kits is to build it as one piece, a sculpture, and then cut it up for the molding process.
Although, given the fit of certain Privateer models… I think they have the individual bits made by different sculptors… in locked rooms… without phones… on seperate continents.

"CC do you mean you say sculpt a torso and let that cure. You then want to make separate arms but the new putty sticks to the cured torso putty?"

Germy,

That's exactly it though, in my case, I am making a multi-part green of a creature. The body is nearly done, but I want the head and jaws sections to be separate pieces.

Here is what I'm trying to make:

TMP link

If I were to make the original green in multiple pieces, I might actually have a full body original, as well as a head section protruding from the ground. The multipart jaws would allow me to make one with the mouth fully closed and one with the mouth fully open.

Can you envision what I'm trying to say?

CC

Vaseline. Green stuff won't stick to it or absorb it.

CC I know what you mean. I'll PM you with a suggestion.

Thanks Jeremey!!!

CC

Also if you sculpt say an arm in one piece and attach it to cured putty (fastening at just the shoulder) the join won't become very strong. I do it this way (but I'm inexperienced) since it can be handy to fasten the arm for getting everything right (positioning of the hand relative to the body for instance) but once everything is set the arm will come of at the join even without the use of vaseline by a simple breaking motion.

yup- if you are not going to cut your green then you need to use a vaseline so that when the new section cures you may gently 'pop' it off- it will be shaped perfectly to the original.