Apoxie Wings

[Maniah]

So.. I'm trying to work on a bait that I got from Puuush, in between other commissions and trades.. She came prepped for wings, and since I haven't tried wings yet, I figured I would give it a go. I Am following tutorial steps by Trillions, but I am having problems with the feathers.

In trying to get the feather detail into the feathers, either I am bending or breaking the feathers. If I brace them with a finger, then I just mess the lines up with my finger. I asked my husband what he thought about it. He's brutally honest. Brutal. "That looks horrible." was his reply. Im thinking that maybe the feathers are too long for the mesh. So either I need to go back and smash the apoxie off and add new mesh to hold the long feathers I want, or I need to smash the apoxie off and use shorter feathers.

Does anyone have any advice tailored specifically to the feather making process?

I am using lotion to help keep stuff smooth while sculpting, by the way.

This is what I have so far. I just dont know that it will look any better if I add more to it.. I dont want to waste the clay.

So yeah.. Your help and advice is appreciated, and thank you in advance.
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[lilacamy931]

i think they are a really good first attempt and honestly? It takes practise, you have taken on board all the relevant tips, what are you using for mark making?

Working slowly feather by feather is best advice, work one side, support behind with one finger and I with wetted sculpting tool mark delicately (not easy as I am heavy handed). Hopefully someone will give a bit more solid guidance.,,

Here is a close up of my second set of wings:
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Lots of sittings and patience was the key for me.

With your wings you can build up and make them as intricate as want so think still salvagable just if you are happy?


EDIT: here was first attempt- I dont feel either perfect but fun to do and practise is definitely the key
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[DaffyDilly]

Where I would say you went wrong is trying to put both the front and back (or top and bottom layers) on at the same time.


I just recently finished my first set and although the feathers were a lot smaller than yours so probably less inclined to bend, I did about 10-12 sessions in the following kind of way:


Top layer - Bottom Row
Under layer - bottom row
Top layer - middle row
Under layer - middle row
Top layer - top row
Under layer - top row


That way I could use my fingers on the back of the first layer I put on the top, because I would be putting other feathers back to back with them, and I didn't add any other layers until that one had hardened, so it provided the support I needed for the back and subsequently the top layers.


I pulled feathers off quite a few times, because I hadn't gotten the length or position or angle right, but because I was doing only 5/6 feathers at a time, it was easy to undo a mistake.

[naylastar]

Don't be discouraged. My first pair was soo bad, I didn't even take pics lol:) it really is just practise. If you have the patience, you could do one side of the wing first and let that harden before doing the other side. That way, there won't be any squished lines. Takes a while but it does work.

This is the tutorial I learned from.
http://eiriel.deviantart.com/art/Wing-Sculpting-Tutorial-59733330
Hope it helps:)

[lovelauraland]

Are you working on both sides of one wing at the same time? I would recommend working on one side at a time, I also don't work on my wings on the pony, I take my mesh and work on them alone then leave a gap at the bottom to attach back onto the pony.