Some things that helped me not giving up on sculpting: 1. Green stuff tends to be shipped when already hardened (from staying on the shelves too long). You can either buy new one or cut off the hardened Yellow component. I peel my yellow component from in between the hardened bits.. it's a bit of a drag but kneading that hardened component in there will never work. 2. Got some good tools like mini pliers, cutters and most importantly for me: Vaseline! 3. Got some miliput and mixed it with green stuff: Green stuff has the tendency to fall in itself, but while mixed with miliput it stays alot stronger. (4. Next thing i'm gonna buy: some hard plastic tools to squish the putty to get straight shapes: right now I use my ruler but i'd like something that's easier to handle)
Your skills are very accomplished and you are a thorough instructor. The miniature sculpting world owes you a debt of thanks. Great stuff Tom, thank you so much.
This is a fantastic tutorial, and very helpful to me. I'm currently fixing a Bones mini that had a really wonky blade on a sword. Now I have a much better grasp on what I'm doing. Thank you for sharing this.
awesome video, learned a lot. have this idea of og power ranger themed stormcast knights, but wanted to give them the authentic weapons that each ranger weilded (sword, bow, axe, etc.) gonna be referencing your vids for that project
patrick conrad thanks! While I LOVE mecha, it's highly doubtful I will do a video on that topic in the near future. Robots and technical things like mecha are not my forte.
I may not of noticed if mentioned in a previous video, but wasn't aware you mixed your green stuff with Aves apoxie sculpt like myself. I use it mainly when sculpting weapons/armour due to it being able to hold an edge very well.
Sonnyp Jim yes I like that mix a lot. I usually use it mainly in weapons and equipment as well. The under skinning of the armature is always done with a straight mix of GS though.
Ah that is what I have heard you state previously, in respect to using GS as the sticky under layer for your oven baked clay you work with to adhere to. I am generally avoiding using oven baked clays since I have a nasty habit of not finishing any of my sculpts, always tie up around 80% completion and move onto another project. Having a clay mini that will not harden until baked, would make me never have a chance of bringing any of my minis to a finish. lol Good Tutorial as always!
It can be sanded, but not very well. In order to make it work as a sandable material, I mix in Aves Apoxie Sculpt with my greenstuff. Then it sands great!
i am not sure if this has been asked before, and if it is...i am sorry, can you please do a video where you make a miniture fantasy sword, like Links Power sword, the sword of Omens, he-mans powersword?? please?
I love everything I have seen of yours, but a suggestion is to keep your dialogue relevant to what we are seeing at that moment otherwise it becomes a little disjointed when I'm watching something on the screen but you're talking about something else which happened prior. You're a great resource regardless!
Very informative video! Thank you! How did you attach the sword once you're done? Superglue? Looks like there's green stuff behind the handle attached to the body? Also, how would you recommend repairing a sword that's been broken off the hilt?
I do use superglue to attache weapons from time to time. But try to avoid that if possible. Normally I just put a bit of greenstuff on the connecting wires and let it cure. If you have a broken sword on an existing mini, you'll need to pin the blade back onto the hilt/handle. Hopefully the sword isn't too thin to drill a hole for a new wire.
I have had to deal with this myself. To be honest the best option is to make the entire blade from scratch and replace the old blade. However if the blade is thick enough, you can pin in a brass rod and sculpt on the missing part. But be VERY careful. You may end up breaking the part of the sword that is still there.
I have been scouring the internet for someone to do a skull and batwings or something batwing related...any chance you could do one. no love for night lords out there.
+The Game Gladiator I'll be doing skulls soon. Bat/Dragon wings maybe in the future. The best advice I can give is to look at the symbol you want to emulate and try to recreate it.
I mostly use GW acrylic paints, but any hobby paints will do. Sadly, no painting tutorials by me. Painting minis is just a hobby so I'll leave those videos to the professionals.
I am writing a young adult fantasy novel and want to cosplay my characters, but I need to make my weapons durable and realistic. do you think I could make a sword and dagger out of a cardboard base and then coat it in an Apoxie Sculpt?
Hmmm, that might work, but it will take a lot of Apoxie Sculpt. I would also recommend using something more sturdy for the understructure. Like a metal rod or thing sheet of metal cut it form. With all the time and effort involved, it might even be better to purchase one of those premade foam weapons. But that’s hard for creatives like us to do. We want to make everything ourselves :)
Dakota Garcia that is a Cintiq Companion 2 in the background and I LOVE IT! I have sculpted a few things in Zbrush. It's an amazing program and hope to have more digital minis to show in the future. I don't have an artstation, but keep hearing about it so I'll go check it out. Is it the DeviantArt of today?
That really does come down to taste. I generally prefer to use ProCreate for the bulk of my sculpting efforts when using putty. So if you want to be like me, than use ProCreate HAHAH. Thanks for the question!
YourAverageBuilder you add the first layer of FIMO if you want to sculpt a miniature with FIMO or another polyclay. If you are sculpting entirely with putty than you can skip the FIMO.
Hmm, I believe I heated it up for at least 30 minutes, but then I didn't file it until the next day. You don't have to wait that long, but be sure to let it cool completely before filing. If it still doesn't seem hard enough, bake it again until the cooled putty is hard to the touch.
David Taylor I used 24 gauge galvanized steel wire that can be purchased at any hardware store. For weapons I prefer to use the ridged brass rods sold in railroad modeling. The size I usually use for that is K&S 0.032 diameter (.81mm). If the blade needs to be thin that use a smaller rod. Hope that helps!
Hey Tom, very good tutorial! I am learning sculpture but I'm still very lost in proportions. I tried to make a kanana sword but it sucks --" Do you have any tips for me? Thank you! And keep doing that great job!
Weapons and small pieces of equipment are always tough. The reason is that for them to be "realistic" they need to be sculpted so fine that they don't read very well on the miniature (or cast well for that matter). I believe it making weapons and equipment a little more stylized. That means they can be slightly bigger or thicker to allow them to stand out better on the miniature. My advice would be to let the weapons be larger and as you get better at sculpting, challenge yourself to make them smaller and more realistic. But never forget to make sure they look good on the miniature even if they are a little out of realistic proportion.
ok so I have a set of size 0 and size 2 clay shapers which were about 8-10$ for each set. Can someone explain to me why the firm and extra firm options are $40-70?????
These tools can be VERY pricey depending on where you find them. If you want a full set, I'd recommend Dick Blick: www.dickblick.com/items/04935-0000/ They have the set for about $25
Tom Mason thanks Tom! thats much more reasonable. i managed to find a single flat chisel extra firm for a reasonable price but ill definitely have to pick that set up eventually
Valerio Casciola no you do not need to bake greenstuff. However if you expose it to heat higher than room temperature, it will speed up the curing process.
Valerio Casciola no problem. There is actually no clay used in this video. The green is greenstuff putty and the gray is ProCreate putty. Both are self curing. Thanks!
+Kevin Wang to be honest, I have no idea :) I mainly use the large files and smaller needle files that are sold individually at the front counter of RC hobby shops.
Some things that helped me not giving up on sculpting:
1. Green stuff tends to be shipped when already hardened (from staying on the shelves too long). You can either buy new one or cut off the hardened Yellow component. I peel my yellow component from in between the hardened bits.. it's a bit of a drag but kneading that hardened component in there will never work.
2. Got some good tools like mini pliers, cutters and most importantly for me: Vaseline!
3. Got some miliput and mixed it with green stuff: Green stuff has the tendency to fall in itself, but while mixed with miliput it stays alot stronger.
(4. Next thing i'm gonna buy: some hard plastic tools to squish the putty to get straight shapes: right now I use my ruler but i'd like something that's easier to handle)
Great tips Kevin. Thanks for sharing!
Your skills are very accomplished and you are a thorough instructor. The miniature sculpting world owes you a debt of thanks. Great stuff Tom, thank you so much.
Thank you David!
Wow man phenomenal! I’m defiantly going down this rabbit hole!
Please do!
"This sword is thicker than you would normally use"
Here I am trying to make dragonslayer from berserk and that's basically what i'm after lmao
Than this is definitely the size you will want to do!
Looks like we are here for the same reason
This is a fantastic tutorial, and very helpful to me. I'm currently fixing a Bones mini that had a really wonky blade on a sword. Now I have a much better grasp on what I'm doing. Thank you for sharing this.
Michael Harber so glad to hear it!
I just sculpted some Minis for my D&D group and your videos helped me SO much! Absolutely amazing.
You make it look sooo easy 😊 Practice I know but it's a great video, inspiring 👍☺
Thanks so much 😊
The miniature shown here is incredible, and the new sword just adds the icing on the cake! fantastic work!
Kyle H thanks! I LOVE how this mini turned out.
That warrior sculpt is dope!
Thanks. It’s one of my favs.
Incredible work!!!
awesome video, learned a lot. have this idea of og power ranger themed stormcast knights, but wanted to give them the authentic weapons that each ranger weilded (sword, bow, axe, etc.) gonna be referencing your vids for that project
Awesome! So glad to know this is helping.
you have some crazy patience! great work!! just subscribed
Patience is key :)
Amazing tips! Thank you so much!
You're so welcome!
Wow! Just found your channel and I'm amazed. You are doing such a great job here!
Thanks. Appreciate that.
dude! this is seriously cool! really inspiring me to try out craft for myself!
Awesome! You should totally try it.
Also, the result are spectacular!! I need to try this sometime!
THATS AWESOME BRO!!
Amazing!! good job
Probably one of the more satisfying videos to watch. Is there any chance that you will do a mecha tutorial in the future?
patrick conrad thanks! While I LOVE mecha, it's highly doubtful I will do a video on that topic in the near future. Robots and technical things like mecha are not my forte.
I just subscribed. Great work and great tutorial. Thanks.
Welcome and thank you!
Impressive skills!
Thank you!
awesome
Thanks!
Trabalho incrível, obrigado pela aula!
I may not of noticed if mentioned in a previous video, but wasn't aware you mixed your green stuff with Aves apoxie sculpt like myself. I use it mainly when sculpting weapons/armour due to it being able to hold an edge very well.
Sonnyp Jim yes I like that mix a lot. I usually use it mainly in weapons and equipment as well. The under skinning of the armature is always done with a straight mix of GS though.
Ah that is what I have heard you state previously, in respect to using GS as the sticky under layer for your oven baked clay you work with to adhere to.
I am generally avoiding using oven baked clays since I have a nasty habit of not finishing any of my sculpts, always tie up around 80% completion and move onto another project. Having a clay mini that will not harden until baked, would make me never have a chance of bringing any of my minis to a finish. lol
Good Tutorial as always!
curved or multi bend blades would be awesome
+Joe Cruz ooo! Good idea.
I didn't realize green stuff could be sanded, I remember trying and the texture was really gritty.
It can be sanded, but not very well. In order to make it work as a sandable material, I mix in Aves Apoxie Sculpt with my greenstuff. Then it sands great!
awsome job
Thanks!
Awesome
Great video. Sick work... :)
Thanks!
Amazing work! ^_^ Thank you so much!
Currently I am modeling a Viking levy. But when the warriors turn, I try it out.
Can you do a tutorial on mummy wraps and leg and arm wraps?
Great suggestion. I'll add it to my list. Thanks!
i am not sure if this has been asked before, and if it is...i am sorry, can you please do a video where you make a miniture fantasy sword, like Links Power sword, the sword of Omens, he-mans powersword?? please?
I love everything I have seen of yours, but a suggestion is to keep your dialogue relevant to what we are seeing at that moment otherwise it becomes a little disjointed when I'm watching something on the screen but you're talking about something else which happened prior. You're a great resource regardless!
Gabriel Landowski great suggestion. Thanks!
Cheers!
Very informative video! Thank you!
How did you attach the sword once you're done? Superglue? Looks like there's green stuff behind the handle attached to the body? Also, how would you recommend repairing a sword that's been broken off the hilt?
I do use superglue to attache weapons from time to time. But try to avoid that if possible. Normally I just put a bit of greenstuff on the connecting wires and let it cure.
If you have a broken sword on an existing mini, you'll need to pin the blade back onto the hilt/handle. Hopefully the sword isn't too thin to drill a hole for a new wire.
What about patching up a sword? I have a Warhammer quest barbarian that’s missing the top left half of his sword, and the model is hard to find?
I have had to deal with this myself.
To be honest the best option is to make the entire blade from scratch and replace the old blade. However if the blade is thick enough, you can pin in a brass rod and sculpt on the missing part. But be VERY careful. You may end up breaking the part of the sword that is still there.
Youre amazing god damn!
I have been scouring the internet for someone to do a skull and batwings or something batwing related...any chance you could do one. no love for night lords out there.
+The Game Gladiator I'll be doing skulls soon. Bat/Dragon wings maybe in the future. The best advice I can give is to look at the symbol you want to emulate and try to recreate it.
Wow man, amazing job :D May i ask, what kind of paint would you use for these? (acrylic, oil, etc) Oh, will you be doing any painting tutorial videos?
I mostly use GW acrylic paints, but any hobby paints will do. Sadly, no painting tutorials by me. Painting minis is just a hobby so I'll leave those videos to the professionals.
I am writing a young adult fantasy novel and want to cosplay my characters, but I need to make my weapons durable and realistic. do you think I could make a sword and dagger out of a cardboard base and then coat it in an Apoxie Sculpt?
Hmmm, that might work, but it will take a lot of Apoxie Sculpt. I would also recommend using something more sturdy for the understructure. Like a metal rod or thing sheet of metal cut it form.
With all the time and effort involved, it might even be better to purchase one of those premade foam weapons. But that’s hard for creatives like us to do. We want to make everything ourselves :)
thank you :D I know I want to create EVERYTHING myself :D
where's the link?
Tom Mason thank you, annotations dont work on mobiles mate, I've switched to cards because they do, might want to look at it mate
TheTerrainTutor thank you so much for the recommendation. I'll be sure to start using cards.
Amazing sculpting man, you are awesome! Where can I buy that gray clay??
Thanks Llacer. The gray material in this video is ProCreate epoxy putty. You can pick it up at Kraftmark.biz
Is that a Cintiq companion I see? Do you sculpt anything in zbrush? Or have an artstation?
Dakota Garcia that is a Cintiq Companion 2 in the background and I LOVE IT! I have sculpted a few things in Zbrush. It's an amazing program and hope to have more digital minis to show in the future.
I don't have an artstation, but keep hearing about it so I'll go check it out. Is it the DeviantArt of today?
what would be better for the main portion of a miniatures body Green Stuff or ProCreate
That really does come down to taste. I generally prefer to use ProCreate for the bulk of my sculpting efforts when using putty. So if you want to be like me, than use ProCreate HAHAH.
Thanks for the question!
+Tom Mason Ok thanks for the feedback, also, what is the purpose of adding FIMO to the figure? would it be ok if i just skip straight to bulking out?
YourAverageBuilder you add the first layer of FIMO if you want to sculpt a miniature with FIMO or another polyclay. If you are sculpting entirely with putty than you can skip the FIMO.
How long did you let the kneadatite blade blake cure before you started filing in the fuller and edges?
I meant blank, not blake
Hmm, I believe I heated it up for at least 30 minutes, but then I didn't file it until the next day. You don't have to wait that long, but be sure to let it cool completely before filing. If it still doesn't seem hard enough, bake it again until the cooled putty is hard to the touch.
Hey hey, excellent video as always! :D What wire thicknesses do you general use when dealing with a standard 28/35mm miniature for weapon handles?
David Taylor I used 24 gauge galvanized steel wire that can be purchased at any hardware store. For weapons I prefer to use the ridged brass rods sold in railroad modeling. The size I usually use for that is K&S 0.032 diameter (.81mm). If the blade needs to be thin that use a smaller rod. Hope that helps!
Thanks ^^
Where do you get those convenient little containers for green stuff and aves?
Those are bead containers. You can find them at most craft stores.
Is there a website where I can buy all the stuff needed ? :-)
awsome work dude :-)
Hey Tom, very good tutorial!
I am learning sculpture but I'm still very lost in proportions. I tried to make a kanana sword but it sucks --"
Do you have any tips for me?
Thank you!
And keep doing that great job!
Weapons and small pieces of equipment are always tough. The reason is that for them to be "realistic" they need to be sculpted so fine that they don't read very well on the miniature (or cast well for that matter).
I believe it making weapons and equipment a little more stylized. That means they can be slightly bigger or thicker to allow them to stand out better on the miniature. My advice would be to let the weapons be larger and as you get better at sculpting, challenge yourself to make them smaller and more realistic. But never forget to make sure they look good on the miniature even if they are a little out of realistic proportion.
Thank you! I'll try and let you know the result.
;)
ok so I have a set of size 0 and size 2 clay shapers which were about 8-10$ for each set. Can someone explain to me why the firm and extra firm options are $40-70?????
These tools can be VERY pricey depending on where you find them. If you want a full set, I'd recommend Dick Blick: www.dickblick.com/items/04935-0000/
They have the set for about $25
Tom Mason thanks Tom! thats much more reasonable. i managed to find a single flat chisel extra firm for a reasonable price but ill definitely have to pick that set up eventually
This piece is AWESOME! Is it being mass produced?
Thanks Eric. Yes I'll be putting it out with a few others on Kickstarter this coming March.
Excellent! Looking forward to it! Will you have an announcement here on YT when it goes live?
I'll definitely post a video here. Thank you so much for asking!
Great work as ever. What line is this mini for?
Mate Lavotha thanks! It's for my new line that will be released early next year.
What are you using for the handle? Paperclip?
A paperclip would work. But I'm actually using brass modeling wire. It's usually sold in packs of 12" long straight rods at most hobby stores.
@@TomMasonSculptor cool. What was the diameter? So far the smallest I've found is 3/64"
You use this mixture because clay is too fragile ?
It’s more preference. You can file on clay as well but it is softer so is more difficult to use these techniques on.
Do i have to use putty or can i use fimo for this?
+Fabio Mendes Majczak Majczak you can use FIMO but it won't file down as well. I'd suggest sculpting the sword while the FIMO is unbaked.
Tom Mason thanks! i'm new to your videos but i'm loving them!
It kinda looks like ice pop
hey Tom do you bake greenstuff? cheers
Valerio Casciola no you do not need to bake greenstuff. However if you expose it to heat higher than room temperature, it will speed up the curing process.
sorry for my ignorance... but the grey clay in the video needs to be baked?
Valerio Casciola no problem. There is actually no clay used in this video. The green is greenstuff putty and the gray is ProCreate putty. Both are self curing. Thanks!
what grit files do you use?
+Kevin Wang to be honest, I have no idea :)
I mainly use the large files and smaller needle files that are sold individually at the front counter of RC hobby shops.
what gram is your procreat?
I have the standard 90 gram amount that can be found at most suppliers.