Matsumura Katsuya presents

How to make a figure

demonstrated in making of 1/8 Ceira Lapana

Matsumura Katsuya's HP KAT'S LAND

SAE HOMEPAGE

Making of the core 1

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1 Grasp the planned size of figure by comparing with the 1/8 anatomical drawing (shrink-xeroxed by myself). Make the cores for breast, pelvis, legs and arms by Sculpey. No wires inside. If you want the hardness necessary for one piece model or mold-original, use epoxy-putty or something to that effect.

2 Bake it in the oven. Woodchips put inside. I wrapped the lower metal palate and upper heat device with aluminum foil.

3 Bake at aproximately 180 Celsius degree, about 20 minutes.

4 Baking finished. Not thoroughly baked for the later modification.

Making of the core 2

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1 I use a fixed type rooter.

2 Drill holes for the wire that joints the parts.

3 Diameter of holes is aproximately 1mm. Naked wire zone will become joints.

4 Joint each parts with wire. Consult anatomical drawing carefully.

5 Cores finished. You need some "deforming" because anatomical human proportion will not do in figure-making. Anatomy is just useful for size scaling.

Modelling

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1 See the size and balance. Note that the position of waist is higher than anatomical one.

2 Put Sculpey on the finished cores.

3 Make figure pose as planned while putting Sculpey on.

4 Rough modelling finished. Bake once at this stage with rough posing.

Forming and balancing at early stage

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1 Form a rough human shape.

2 Back appearance. Looks womanlike?

3 Somehow feeling wrong with the balance that I cut the figure half, and off the leg at knee. Often I would mutilate figures. You must decide the balance and posing of the figure at this stage; if not, later modification would be much troublesome.

4 A tip for cutting. Heat the figure in the oven awhile. You can cut softened material more easily with cutter-knife.

Adjustment of the balance

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1 Fix the upper half and lower half with Liquid Sculpey.

2 Having painted Liquid Sculpey with brush, stuff Sculpey into the space. It is rather difficult to glue hardened Sculpeys each other: a baking with Liquid Sculpey as an adhesive would produce good glue-effect.

3 After the balance adjustment. I'm afraid I have to cut it several times more, for it's not perfect yet.

4 One leg still kept apart: this makes modelling much easier.

Forming of the legs

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1 Having proceeded the forming, the leg is fixed again. A little working on the bosom.

2 Looking from back. I wonder if my intension to make soft line goes well.

Preparing of the hands and the head

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1 Prepare for the forming of arms. Sculpey put arms, and the base core for the fingers. Fingers are made from thread solder (diametre 0.6mm) spiral-strapped with Sclupey.There are many ways to make fingers so that one must find his own method by trial and error.

2 Make a base for the head as well.

3 Rough making of the face: a pinch of Sculpey upon a toothpick.

Ankles

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1 To find the proper positions for arms, one has to see the total length of the figure. For that purpose ankles are tentatively made and attached.

2 Some modificaions on the waist line.

Making of the hands and fingers

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1 Take a pinch of Sculpey. Make five holes in it with pin-vise and insert the cores of finger made of thread-solders. After cutting in apropriate length, bend the fingers carefully by making small cuts at the finger-joints. Connect hand and arm: make

fingers pose. Always consider the total balance.

2 Connect arms and body. Decide the positioning and balance.

3 Disconnect again and go on forming.

4 Forming almost finished.

5 Connect again and confirm the positioning and total balance.

Preparing of the dress and skirt.

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1 Make preparation for the dress and skirt the figure is going to wear. First wrap the legs with plastic film for protective purpose.

2 Put Sculpey on the wrapping film. Bake it in the oven.

3 Cut the hot Sculpey into halves, front and back.

4 I tried to curve the Sculpey into thin drapes, but broke it into fragments, as you see. A failure. Hardened Sculpey loses flexibility and tend to break. Thoroughly baked Super Suculpey is pretty hard like "plastics", and can be curved into thin sheet. But I see no point in insisting on Super Sculpey.

Preparing of the dress and skirk 2

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1 So I gave up Super Sculpey and tried Sculpey Primo. Primo retains certain flexibility after hardening process, so can be used in making delicate parts. You can mix Super Sculpey and Primo. But Primo is so sticky in its clay condition and can be difficult to handle. I don't use it in delicate modelling. Recently released Gray Sculpey is much improved in this point. Gray has both merits of Super and Primo; I personally feel Super is the most versatile. Of course it is a matter of familiarity, I suppose.

2 Cut in halves, front and back.

3 Curved into thin drapes. Primo's flexibility prevents them from tearing apart.

4 Primo-made leg cover. I'm going to put Sculpey on it and form skirt. Still I'm not sure it will make.

So much for today. The making will continue.

produced by Matsumura Katsuya (S.A.E.)

katsuya@js8.so-net.ne.jp http://www011.upp.so-net.ne.jp/kat/