BRIGADA 1 SEXTO :: View topic - Sculpting hands

SCULPTING HANDS
BY TONY BARTON

Hands : how I make them
BY TONY BARTON

So many people have inquired about my hands , that I thought I should show how they are made. The technique for the bare forearms and knees is the same , as used by " Nosher and Jim " .
I use a mixture of Fimo and Sculpey “ Bake and Bend “ : this allows the finished article to have enough flexibility to grip weapons : if you use Sculpey or Fimo alone they are rather brittle , and may break if you force a weapon into their grip.You could use regular Sculpey instead of the Fimo , since it's not generally available in the US.

I can show you how I make them : I can’t teach you the anatomical knowledge : that’s something you will have to study for yourself !

Start with the mixing : the proportions of 50:50 do not have to be exact , so long as there is enough Bake and Bend in the mixture to impart the flexibilty ; you can use the B&B on it’s own but it’s very soft and sticky , which makes it rather a trial to sculpt.

I do all my Polymer clay work on a tile : this eliminates the need for an armature , and also means that you can put the finished work straight into the oven without disturbing it. The actual modelling is done roughly with the fingers, then the fine work with the spatula.

Use the blob you are modelling with to support any curvature in the hand : you can cut it away after firing :

The rest should be clear from the pics : fire each stage , allow to cool , prise from the tile , carve any unwanted parts away , and add the next bit : the Sculpey diluent is used both to wet a surface to make the fresh clay stick , and also on the stiff brush to polish away any toolmarks.

You can use DML wrist posts : carve away the old wrist until you have the post as shown. And glue to the finished hand with superglue ( cyano glue ).You then still have rotation in the hand , though of course you have no flexion : it’s best to design the hands carefully for the pose you want .

Paint with thin washes of acrylics , not oils : the oil paint reacts with the Polymer clay and eventually melts it .

And it's done!

The Sculpey diluent is the stuff in the bottle in the first pic, a kind of odourless oil : you buy it wherever you get Sculpey. It's best use if for a polishing lube : a little on a stiff but soft brush will polish out toolmarks.
Normal Sculpey can be succesfully sanded : I haven't tried sanding this mix , because I finish each section with the brush , and they don't need sanding; but I suspect it would be possible, though the more " bounce " in the mix , the less it wants to play ball.
I use normal Sculpey for making hard objects like helmets , because it will sand and polish so well ; Fimo for flesh such as heads , where I'm doing the finish with the brush rather than abrasives : it doesn't work so well with them .
All of them are carveable anyway : you'd best experiment a little to see what suits you .

TONY BARTON

ENJOY

THANK YOU!
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