Sculpting Sweetie Belle, show-accurate and in scale to the PVC figures Options

[Kalidor]

Oh weird.. somehow I missed the first post and only came into the topic in a later post.

[WorkbenchManiac]

At last, I´m done with this part of the process, now it´s time for the putty to cure.
You might notice that I reworked Applebloom´s face, it was too flat before.

(IMG:http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/4133/manedone.jpg)

And another picture with PVC Applejack, for scale reference:

(IMG:http://img803.imageshack.us/img803/6381/dsc01529w.jpg)

Next time: Humongous hair bows.

This post has been edited by WorkbenchManiac: Aug 7 2011, 09:59 PM

[RoboViking]

At last, I´m done with this part of the process, now it´s time for the putty to cure.

I swear, if you were in charge of making the molds for Hasbro, I'd never keep any money in my wallet.

[WorkbenchManiac]

Those hairbows... they just did not want to cooperate. It took what felt like ages to get them in shape and smoothed, because whenever I gently pushed the front, the backside would deform.

I also did some work on Appleblooms face. this time rounding out her cheeks slightly.

And now Applebloom is finally done. The sculpt anyway, next I´ll make a mold and cast some copies of this figure. I can´t wait to break out the paints and brushes to give this figure a proper paintjob.

The finished sculpt:

(IMG:http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/9912/applebloomdone50.jpg)

The cured putty is all uniformly colored and a bit translucent, so it might be hard to see the details. Notice those lightly colored areas around the base the tail and on the sides of the legs? They might look like fractures or stress marks, but those are simply areas where different layers of putty have been put on top of one another. Due to the transluscence of the putty they are visible from under the sculpt´s surface.


Applebloom with PVC Applejack and the greens of Opal and Gummy:

(IMG:http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/903/dsc01544s.jpg)


And finally a scale reference with a can of DrPepper- just to show how miniscule this stuff really is:

(IMG:http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/6783/dsc01545wp.jpg)


So, what do y´all think?

[Cabooceratops]

I want this so bad it isn't funny.

(Of course, I'm broke so I can't afford anything right now. SADFACE.)

This post has been edited by Cabooceratops: Aug 11 2011, 01:30 AM

[RoboViking]

So, what do y´all think?

It's coming along very nicely. And I can certainly understand how the bow could give you a good fight; great work as always.
Also, I approve of your choice in beverages. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/icon-arcee.gif)

[Copper Bezel]

Gorgeous work, man. Like RoboViking, I'm also feeling sorely tempted to try something again myself. Damn, though - I can't believe the scale you're working on. It's incredible.

[BB Shockwave]

Thanks for the tips again, I will try this method with the green stuff!

And Applebloom is looking better and better. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/icon-hotrod.gif)

[WorkbenchManiac]

Cheers guys, I appreciate it!

Gorgeous work, man. Like RoboViking, I'm also feeling sorely tempted to try something again myself. Damn, though - I can't believe the scale you're working on. It's incredible.

Do it, break out the putty! It would be a lot of fun to have more people around here messing about.

As for the scale, this pony-stuff is a welcome break, usually I sculpt in even smaller scales. The face of the dwarf in my avatar is about as large as one of Applebloom´s eyes.


The mold is done, and the first cast made. This is what a raw cast fresh from the mold looks like:

(IMG:http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/9364/rawcast.jpg)

Since I´m casting manually in flexible silicone molds and only with gravity to push the resin into the mold, I have to use very large resin feeds and a high amount of air ducts and reservoirs. Removing those takes a bit of careful work, so as to avoid any blemishes on the cast.
Since the resin I use has a very low viscosity, it can flow in between the two halves of the mold, creating a thin layer of flash. But flash is no problem, it´s easy to remove, since it is so very thin and will often break off on it´s own.
While I´m at it I also remove the mold lines- at this point I have already spend so much time and effort on the clean up, I won´t have that spoiled by ungainly mold lines.

After carefully cleaning the model with a scalpel and then filling in a few holes (resulting from tiny air bubbles in the resin) with putty we are now ready to start painting:

(IMG:http://img844.imageshack.us/img844/7099/castcleaned.jpg)

The light grey color makes it so much easier to see the sculpt, doesn´t it?

Next up: Painting Applebloom.

[RoboViking]

Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous. Just how hard is making your own molds? I've only ever made pieces one at a time, never tried duplicating them...

[WorkbenchManiac]

Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous. Just how hard is making your own molds? I've only ever made pieces one at a time, never tried duplicating them...

It´s not that hard, really.

The basic "recipe" is as follows:

1. Make a frame to pour the molding silicone into. I use Lego bricks, they are sturdy, cheap, reusable and the ABS plastic does not react with the silicone/hardener.

2. Fill the lower half of the frame with non-hardening putty, like plasticine or play-doh.

3. Embed the sculpt into the putty.

4. Pour the silicone for the first half of the mold into the frame and let it harden.

5. Flip over the frame and remove the putty, leaving the sculpt embedded in the silicone.

6. Pour the silicone for the second half into the frame and let it cure.

7. Remove the frame and take the two halves of the mold apart. Remove the sculpt and cut the feeds and air-ducts into the mold.

[WorkbenchManiac]

The figure is now painted.

(IMG:http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/6277/dsc01555zw.jpg)

More images can be found here: http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=81614

[WorkbenchManiac]

I have started my next pony project: A show accurate version of Fluttershy in scale to the PVC figures. And to top it off I have accepted a dare to finish the sculpt this weekend. This means I´ll need every bit of motivation I can get to keep me going for hours on end, so I´ll be counting on you guys.

Alright, let´s kick this off, then:
After a night of sculpting I have now established the rough proportions and started smoothing out the surfaces. There is still a lot to be done of course, but I´m done for today.

(IMG:http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/7113/dsc01614p.jpg)

I went with the prone pose for Fluttershy, because it both fits her character and adds welcome variation to the regular standing ponies.

Tomorrow I´ll finish this stage of the sculpting process by finishing the face, fixing some odds and ends that still bug me and further smoothing out the surfaces and then I´ll start on the mane, tail and wings.

Until then, I´m off to bed.

[RoboViking]

Until then, I´m off to bed.

A nice start. Best of luck with it!

[Copper Bezel]

Yay!

Consider me signed up for the preorder. = D

[McGoerk]

Awesome work so far.
I can't wait until you've sculpted the mane.

She's gonna be soooo awesome! /)^3^(\

This Emoticon should give you enough motivation until i've got enough internets for skype.

Keep up the good work!

[WorkbenchManiac]

Much appreciated, guys!


Sometimes I really hate bilateral symmetry. You think you´re done, and then you notice that the right hind hoof is just a tad smaller than the left one... so you start over with that hoof, rework the surrounding areas accordingly, smooth it all out again... and then you notice another little thing.

Making sure everything is symmetrical took a lot of work, but I think it paid off.

(IMG:http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/843/dsc01615az.jpg)

Now it´s off to the oven, then I´ll get started on the mane, tail and wings.

[RoboViking]

the curves are looking very smooth and matching for the character's model so far. And at least it's not Scootaloo, so you won't have the smell of roasting chicken as it bakes in the oven. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/icon-arcee.gif)

[Copper Bezel]

Yeah, this is looking awesome.

So I take it, then, you got a molding process figured out (without having to use so many sections?) I know that came up in regard to the PVCs, but I thought it was a concern with your resin casting on Fluttershy, too.

[WorkbenchManiac]

And at least it's not Scootaloo, so you won't have the smell of roasting chicken as it bakes in the oven. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/icon-arcee.gif)

Ooh, gotta keep in mind to take a picture of Scootaloo in the oven when I get around to her.

So I take it, then, you got a molding process figured out (without having to use so many sections?) I know that came up in regard to the PVCs, but I thought it was a concern with your resin casting on Fluttershy, too.

The problem lies with undercuts, i.e. sections of the sculpt, that, when molded, hinder release, because molding material has wrapped itself around them. Since silicone is elastic it allows for a certain degree of undercuts, but it will tear when stretched too far. In comparison, steel molds do not allow for even the slightest undercuts, due to their rigidity.

Have a crude drawing to visualize it:
(IMG:http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/92/moldu.jpg)

The legs are the main problem, but the same would be true for most extremities, such as wings. The usual approach is to seperate the figure into individual pieces, but for the pony stuff I´d rather keep them as solid pieces instead of model kits.

With Apple Bloom I got around this issue by not having space in between the legs. Her hair bow made me worry a bit about release, but it worked out fine.

Fluttershy´s pose eliminates the legs as a source of trouble. Mane and tail will be a challenge, but since I´m casting manually anyway, I can work around that in ways that would be impossible with casting machines, which ar nowhere as forgiving of undercuts. I recently had to majorly retool the dwarf lord seen in my avatar, because the company I sculpted it for had issues with his undercuts tearing their molds.