World of WarCrafts: Sculptural delights

Sculpture is one of those things that sounds like it ought to be easier than just drawing, when you think about it -- after all, you don't have to make a two-dimensional object look three-dimensional, do you? My sister used to mess around with modeling clay and Sculpey when we were both young, and I was continually amazed by the teeny tiny details she managed to eke out of a lump of clay. However, in all her repertoire of sculpture I'm pretty sure she never attempted anything like what we've got featured for you guys today. From an incredibly detailed troll shaman to an adorable moonkin hatchling, today's various submissions are a testament to what a lot of work and even more patience can produce out of a lifeless lump of clay. Check out the gallery for a look at today's sculptural submissions, and follow us after the break to see what can be done with a bit of Sculpey and the imagination to turn it into something more! Our first submission comes from Cassandra Martin, who created a replica of her troll shaman, Heari'taj. This sculpture may be large, but it's full of tiny, realistic details that breathe life into the piece. "I'm from an RP server and I love playing with the designs of my characters, and my shaman seemed like a fun subject to practice a new technique in sculpting I am studying," Cassandra explains. "He's made from an aluminum armature, Sculpey III clay and acrylic paint. His hair is embroidery yarn, and his trinkets are mostly found objects with a few Sculpey additions like the red dragon scale, little skull, and fulgurite (the little pointed stone hanging off his kilt, it's what happens when lightning hits sand!). The totems are real sticks and Sculpey masks." impressions and thoughts, Vidyala is posting various art projects, including the druid pictured above. "Shaedre is my druid, once a main, now an alt -– once a character I roleplayed, now one I just think of fondly. The Shae sculpture is about 2" tall. She sits underneath my monitor and cheers me up when a raid night includes an indecent amount of wipes!" Vidyala says. But this isn't the first piece Vidyala has done. "She's actually not the first one I did, if it helps to see others for comparison, I did a plain colored Sculpey one first that you can also see at my blog . The small Vidyala is also about 2" tall if you measure from the top of her horns. Millya (in the red dress) is 2". Clearly I need a more standardized production system!

Fimo Sculpey | Home Arts & Crafts

Picking the Right Modeling Clay

A few of you have heard of the term modeling clay. It normally refers to the malleable clay-sculpting products as a group. The term broadly describes the products for sculpting experts, hobbyists, students, kids or even potters. The modeling clays come in a range. Even so, each type of clay you select is easy to shape, and alter using the available modeling devices. This is why you have to choose the clay type and the tool type, at the same time. Generally, you must have tools for mixing, sculpting, narrowing, cutting, rolling, piercing, scraping, and finishing. This clay is flexible enough to allow molding it on a ready framework or on its own. You should know the 3 types of clay for modeling:

 

• Polymer – This is one of the best clays for modeling available. It is normally man-made; making it, the easiest to alter into anything you want. As the main product, polymer clay comes as Premo, Sculpey and Fimo. You can decide to buy only one form, two or three of them. Mixing any of the three clays to reap the benefits of each is okay as well. Each type of polymer clay has a given level of softness at room temperature. This means that you can simply make your sculpture firmer or softer by mixing the clays. One of the advantages that polymer clay has is that it requires slightly lower temperatures. Therefore, you can use your oven if it has a maximum temperature range of 270 degrees Fahrenheit. If you do not want to mix clay molding and kitchen matters, then buy a special kiln. The second advantage you have is that polymer is available in a range of beautiful colors. All you have to do to create an interesting piece of art is choosing the clay colors perfectly. In addition, you could freely choose among the metallic, vivid colors, translucent and fluorescent colors. Some clay types will even glow in the dark. Simply explore the available clay choices well.

 

• Oil based clays – The other type of modeling clay to select is oil-based plastilina. This is an old form of clay, which emerged in Germany, in the 19the century. This type is malleable and easy to work with. Its reliability does not compare to that of wax clay or even the pottery clay. This product is special in a way because it does not harden or dry up unexpectedly. The clay does not stick on your hands as you work with it too. Thus, this clay does not need toasting in the oven at all. Just like polymer clay, this one is available in many colors. This is why you can easily use the oil-based clay to make the prettiest items.

Cool Clay Projects

This affects how much conditioning the clay will need. Fimo® Soft, Premo! Sculpey®, and Sculpey III® are the three clays best suited for the projects in ...

Creative Ways with Polymer Clay

Many artists use several brands and types of clay, depending upon the projects they are working on. Below are some of the ones available. •J* Sculpey III® ...

Polymer Clay Inspirations

As my clay of choice, Premo! was used for all the projects in this book. Like Sculpey lll, Premo! is available in many colors, including pearls and ...

Artful Ways with Polymer Clay

Many artists use several brands and types of clay, depending upon the projects. Here are some of the ones available. ♦ Sculpey IIITM (by Polyform Products ...

Polymer clay, 20 weekend projects using new and exciting techniques

Because of this a polymer clay called Fimo Soft has been developed. Like Premo! Sculpey, Fimo Soft is easily conditioned, yet strong after baking. ...