[Dracon Bob]

I've just spent several hours 'experimenting' with Green Stuff. I've barely touched the stuff, so i thought I might try and sculpt something. Anything. It was a horrible experience. It stretched when I tried to add detail to a cloak I made, and my attempt at sculpting an Eldar face ended up looking more like a nurgling. I've read tons of tutorials online but nothing seems to translate from the screen to my hands very well:/

Any tips, advice or ridicule for a total GS newbie?
Cheers, Bob.

 

[danjones87]

1. Practice.
2. Experiment.

If you have read the guides and didnt just look at the pictures then im sure you should have a basic know how on how to use green stuff.

Sculpting faces is really hard so dont even think about that for a long time.

Try somthing simple, like a smooth cable. a bag on the models thigh.

Then build up your confidence onto the bigger stuff.

I find it funny how everyone expects to pick up some greenstuff and then suddenly become a sculpting genius! I thought oh, first things first, i better try sculpting a skull before that brand new space marine commander! Oh what a fool i am! i have practised the sculpting skills and i now belive im about acceptable!

Dan

 

[Phoenix Lazarus]

Keep your hands, tools, work subjects damp at all times. It can be very frustrating if your piece of beautiful work gets ruined and stretched because you wanted to make that 'tiny' adjustment. A good alternative to water is vaseline or petroleum jelly as the lubrication lasts longer(I'm not sayin' anything...)

hope that helped! :happy:

 

[Jaffar_Hasad]

You made the same mistake I did. You pulled out the GS, and instantly assumed you could sculpt something. Sorry but unless you have Jesus Fingers (or other deity/prophet/figure you choose or wish not to chose) you are not going to be able to do sculpts for quite some time.

Start small by making basic shapes (I still can't make a cube to save my life), then give someone hair or add fur lining to something.

After that you should do things like fill in major gaps on models, for example:A model that you like, but the arm positioning was off, so you need to remove it entirely and re-make it.

Then you should move up to having a model that is at least 50% model, the rest as GS sculpt.

Finally after you can make shapes/details/limbs you should make an attempt at fully sculpting something. You'll probably fail, but that's natural. Your faces will look ugly, one arm will be longer than the other, and clothes just won't look right. The more you do it, the less noticeable these flaws will be. This whole process will take a long time (buy another 2 ribbons of GS now so you'll never run out when you need it most. You should go through it pretty quickly when learning).


Oh and 1 obvious thing: You rushed it. You need to do things in more than just 1 sitting. Cloaks are difficult, and it took me at least 4 days to make it (lots of waiting for it to dry). You need to make a foundation on the first day. This may be GS over a wire frame for a body, a flat triangular piece for the cloak, or a ball for the head. Second day you add basic shapes and features. So for the cloak a few rolls to get initial creases, for the body thicken out the limbs and body proportionally, and for the head give it a tiny horizontal roll for the brow, vertical roll for the nose, and even less GS horizontally for the lips. Just make sure these are small and coverable. 3rd day is for touching up and making it look like a face, and the 4th day to perfect it.

---side note---
3 posts to 1k, I'm dreading it already.

 

[CBrate]

Start by copying parts of already existing models. Dark Angel robes and SM shoulder pads are good examples.
Just some small modifications for you to get the feel of how GS behaves when pushed or prodded.
If you don't have any sculpting tools get some. The GW sculpting tool is fine for now but you will probably want a few more tools as you become more experienced.

 

[Dracon Bob]

Ok thanks for the reply's guys. I think the general concensus is that I should 'start small' so I guess I should get to making puches and hair. Problem is, i dont really have any 'spare' models to practise on. How hard is greenstuff to remove once it's set?
Bob

Ps. A link to any particularly helpful tutorials you know of would be awesome!!

 

[Phoenix Lazarus]

GW Online : News : Convershun Klinic : Working With Green Stuff
This will help you out to begin with. In fact, this is kinda ideal for you, no offence

:happy:

 

[Andusciassus]

It's quite easy to pry from flat areas, but the more texture the area underneath has, the worse it is.

When it comes to the sculpting it self all you need is patience and a good knife.
Build to little, then cut some of it away once it cured completely.
Then add more, sculpt some, let cure and cut.
Repeat.

EDIT: Like this...

 

[Walex]

Starting small is for the best, I've still only done two heads from scratch and a few facial tweaks- faces are hard. I found that getting proper tools really helped, gaps between components is a good place to practise too.
That was horribly muddled, sorry.

 

[Phoenix Lazarus]

Duuude your artistic skills are most immense!

But yeah, Andusciassus has got the right idea.

:happy:

 

[Pickle]

MMm mustn't of replied to this,
Andy has the right idea. If you want a explaination check the guides in my sig. They may help a bit.

 

[Walex]

the head give it a tiny horizontal roll for the brow, vertical roll for the nose, and even less GS horizontally for the lips. Just make sure these are small and coverable. 3rd day is for touching up and making it look like a face, and the 4th day to perfect it.

To be fair it is not nesiscary to do faces in so many stages, I knocked this one together in an evening. Judging by a studio sculpt that is floating around the citadel sculptors do it all in one go too. Whatever works best for somone is best though.

It's not a great picture and it would benefit from more than a dusting of skull white to bring it all out but I can't see it getting painted really, you get the general idea though right?

 

[just_will]

I've always wanted to start a thread called "how green stuff is like my crazy ex-girlfriend"

Greenstuff is easiest to work with when wet
My crazy ex was easiest to work with when she was drunk (aka "wet")

Greenstuff is insanely clingy
My crazy ex was insanely clingy

Greenstuff never does what you want it to
My crazy ex always did the opposite of what I said

and so on, and so forth.

As for the original poster... as was said before, keep your tools and fingers damp. Keep the Greenstuff damp too though. Constantly wet your fingers and kneed the water into the GS

Keep in mind the affects of gravity. Greenstuff will bend and fall if you have an unsupported area hanging off a model.

after you sculpt something how you like it, put it down and let it dry before sculpting anything else anywhere else on the model! And make sure you lay the model down to dry in such a way that it won't roll and squish the GS already on the model.

Hmm... not much else I can think of. Get good tools, but they don't have to be very expensive. Toothpicks can be a great tool and are disposable.

Oh, and always make less GS than you think you need. I can't tell you how many times I had to throw away perfectly good GS because I had used all I needed and had a ton left over.

 

[jak3_dude]

Rules of greenstuff:

1. Start small

2. It takes most people 1 to 2 packs of greenstuff to gain respectable skills.

3. Greenstuff is aquatic by nature.

4. Be nice to greenstuff and greenstuff will be nice to you (read: Don't force it and give it plenty of water)

5. In Soviet Russia greenstuff sculpts YOU!

 

[Dracon Bob]

Now I'm not that terrible with sculpting basic things like cloths and capes and stuff, my main issue is dealing with how the stuff acts. ie. The cape I made the other night is almost twice as long as I intended it to be, because it stretched everytime I tried to add some detail. Also, the hood I was trying to make keps wrapping itself around the models face when I tried to smooth out the back of it. Is there a way I can mix it to make it less, for lack of a better word, squishy? Should I let it set a little so that it's firmer?

Anyway, heres a pic of one of my very first GS 'projects'

And heres the last thing I did

As always, advice and comments most welcome.
Thanks guys, bob.

Andusciassus, nice drawings!!!!

 

[Andusciassus]

Cheers
The more of the yellow stuff you have, the softer it'll be. But I seriously don't think that's your problem mate, it shouldn't matter if... (tension...drums...oh, oh, what...tell) you just waited a bit longer.
My guess is that you mix the GS, shape it, apply it and then try to add details to it before it has cured.
Waiting is to GS like the Warp is to Chaos. Essential.

Try to do like this.
Mix it and put it on a flat surface, could be plastic or whatever. Make sure the area is either a bit damp or have been treated with vaseline or something similar. Make it flat using something...could be a fingertip (not really good) the handle of your scalpel (roll it over like when baking stuff...biscuits and such)
Wait

Wait

take a cup of coffe

wait some more

draw a deep breath

finish your waiting

Gently pry the cloak (it should by now be semi-cured) from the base-thingie and apply it to the model. Make the basic shape, shape as in movement, nothing fancy like..well fancy stuff, details and such.

Make sure the model rests in such a manner the cloak can neither move nor get pressed out of shape.

Go to bed.

Sleep.

Wake up and do day-like things (work, study..you know)

When evening comes pick you cloaked model up and add details such as detailed stuff (rims, jewels) and add some GS-sausages to create foldings and wear.

I know it takes a lot of patience, and I've heard about people building GS-ovens (basically a coffecup (this should be empty) and a light (lamp, not a candle) of some sort. They then put the model in the cup and put the light just at the opening. This will make the GS cure faster, but I think it also adds some of that much hated bulging and less is in this case far better IMHO.)

Oh, and finally cut the edges sharp with a sharp knife.

 

[Dracon Bob]

So I should make the basic shape first, and add the folds and stuff later? Thats..... just crazy enough to work! But seriously, from what I've seen I thought all the folds in the cloth were best done straight onto the GS. Maybe tomorrow I'll defrost the GS and try this... waiting is it?? thing that you're suggesting.

Also, I really want to do this to my Salamanders, any more godly advice on how to sculpt the symbol?

 

[Walex]

When adding details it is usially better to lift, and fold the GS than to press on it.
Smoothing requires almost no pressure, take a damp tool and gently stroke the area.
If it is pulling then it is too fluid, let it cure for a bit. Also if you add the detail in an upwards direction then it will pull out less as ther is nowhere for it to pull except into itself, that can be pushed and folded back.

Icon sculpting: if you first put pressure wher you want the edges to be and then pull on the area outside of what you want to keep then the GS should tear to leave what you want to stay, often gracefully fading out. or you could just cut it. Another or: pick it out with a point.

 

[Andusciassus]

So I should make the basic shape first, and add the folds and stuff later?

Yes, make the basic shape first, then while aplying it to the model you can make the major folds, the big wavy things. But the fine detail folds, like around the neck and such you'll be better of making once it has cured.

The most important thing to get to grips with when GS-ing is the layering technique. One little layer at a time. I don't know how many minis I've destroyed when trying to rush things.
Press point A and point B will bulge.

As for the Salamander Icon thing, -t said it all I guess. Can't find anything general to say, maybe if you have a more specific question.

 

[jak3_dude]

Since no one has commented on the pics of the work you posted I will.

Obviousky you know that the first one is...bad...

However the second is actually more than descent. In fact, it's really nice and I'm not just saying that.