Back to work now! When last we met, we had completed the child and the bulk of the demon. Let us join our sculpting project already in progress as we create tentacles for our critter.
First we need to find a clay mix which lets the tentacles flex but uses a small amount of Bake and Bend clay (B&B clay is in very small packets so I need more to sculpt all the tentacles) I start with the pure B&B clay; on the left, and mix different ratios of bendable clay and ProSculpt until I have the sample on the right which is a ratio of 12 parts ProSculpt to 1 part bendable.
You can see how flexible the pure B&B clay is.
This is the 12:1 ratio sample which is still very flexible. This is the mix I decide to use for the project so I mix up a big batch and leech some of the oil out by placing it between sheets of printer paper for an hour.
The armature is prepared by adding 18gauge aluminum wire to the support rod for each tentacle.
Cut a few strips of clay off the sheet of leeched clay and roll them into tapered tentacles. The tentacle is a round tube with a flattened bottom which will get suckers attached to the flat area. The tentacle slides onto the wire before attaching the suckers.
Another tube of clay is rolled out in a much smaller size which will become the suckers on the tentacles. Small pieces are cut off the tube for each sucker. the taper on the tube will let you start with small suckers at the tip of the tentacle and work your way to larger tentacles as you move to the thicker section of the tube.
The balls of clay are attached to the tentacle in two rows.
The sides of each sucker are seamed onto the tentacle.
The centers of the suckers need not be seamed to the tentacle. Here are the suckers ready to detail.
A ball stylus is used to indent the center of the sucker.
The left row of suckers has the centers indented. The lower tentacle shows the completed suckers.
Next time we will finish the tentacles and do the final fit to the demon body.
Have a great day!
Mark
Awesome! Great tip with the B & B, Thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeletelove it, Mark
ReplyDeletehugs K
Very Cool! Im gonna have to get some B&B for those tiny fingers that want to break. Thanks Mark!
ReplyDeleteThis is awesome, Mark! Can't wait to see more of the demon!
ReplyDeleteSo the idea is as long as the tentacles contain some flexible clay, the chances of them breaking through handling or transit is much less...? =)
ReplyDeleteAlex, That is correct. They will take the shock of being bumped much better. The next step we will do is to superheat them as well so you can drop them on the floor and they will survive.
ReplyDeleteIncredible work! Very interesting. Can I ask if the tentacles are already cooked before inserting the wire?
ReplyDeleteAlessandra, No, the tentacles are raw clay when placed on the wires. I roll them out then twist them slightly as I slip them onto the wires. This way they hold the tapered shape as they are put on. The rest of the work s done with the tentacle in place on the wire.
ReplyDeleteThank you Madsculptor!
ReplyDelete