Just getting started.

[kilimangnome]

Hi guys, I'm really new at all of this, and sculpting is something I really want to get into. Ive done some sculpting with wire, but not really any clay. I have made my own set of tools, and now I'm trying decide on my clay. I really prefer the color of the Firm Super Sculpey, but I've heard people say its near impossible to sculpt with, I hate the color of regular Super Sculpey. Could I hear some experiences with them, and perhaps the formula to change the pink color to grey? Thanks in advance!

[hugeanticpeanut]

Hi! XD the Firm issnt that bloody hard to sculpt with, it's actually perfect for sharp edges and non organic stuff.

Mixing the Regular Super Sculpey with some sulpey III (black and white) will make it grey plus firm it up just a wee bit. experiment with how many parts black resp white you use to get the right tone of grey for you. I use one pack of SS3 black one SS3 white and one pack of SS regular. and some times 2 packs of SS3 of each.

[KingUnicorn]

Hey, Kilimangnome. Welcome to the board!

You know, clay choice really comes down to a number of decisions. Are you making one-of-a-kind pieces? Are you going to make reproductions? Do you want something solid you can build a foundation on or something you can get very detailed with? Super Sculpey is a great "gateway drug" into the world of clay sculpting.

As hugeanticpeanut pointed out, you can blend SS and SIII to create colors that will help you pick out inconsistencies in the clay/sculpture design. For ease of use, my Sculpey recipe is 1 block of SS and 1 block of Elephant Gray SSIII.

Whatever blend you choose to mix up, you'll want to pick up a pasta maker/machine to help with the blending process. Mixing by hand is just a nightmare.

I've also been enjoying Chavant's products. They can be heated to make them softer to work with and hold a terrific amount of detail. Of course, you'll need to cast these into a second material for posterity.

Can't wait to see what you come up with.

~KU

[kilimangnome]

I havent decided on what my first project is going to be, its either between just a simply model of the human form, or an alligator snapping turtle. I think the firm would do better for the turtle. I also considered maybe using Chavant? Im just going to be leaving the sculpture on a stand so I thought this might be better considering i could get two lbs. of Chavant for one lb of SS.

[TitusCrow]

I use 1pound of sclulpy premo mixed with 1 pound of sculpey firm. I find its working well, but even so i have a wish for more strength and detail to be taken.

Next thing I do im thinking of just working in sculpey firm. Personally i find that when sculpey firm is heated up its very easy to work with, still a little soft for my taste. And as someone said get a pasta roller thingy, it is really worth the money and saves much grief.

[ManthingVT]

Sculpey products (a polymer clay) are a great medium to sculpt with , especially if you don't want to go through the process of molding and casting your sculpture since it can be baked to full hardness in your home oven.

As with any medium, you need to learn how best to work with it then decide if it's for you. It's a great material to start a sculpture with, but takes a little experience to finish off sometimes. But it's not impossible- nor even that difficult really. A lot of statue and toy sculptors create really fine work with it.

If you want to try something different from the Firm Gray, try mixing as others have said. After a long time and trial and error, I prefer 1 lb of SS pink mixed with two 2 oz. blocks of white Premo and one 2 oz. block of black. This is almost exactly the color of the firm and is a nice consistency. Buy a bottle of Sculpey Softener if it's too firm, or leetch a flattened bit between pieces of typing or copy paper if it's too soft.

Hope this helps.

MVT