Sculpting Questions from a Newbie

[Nebula Light]

I'm brain storming ideas for my first ever brushable sized custom. While I was in the shower, it occurred to me: do you sculpt before rehairing, or after? What about painting? I've seen people do it different ways, but I want to go the route with the least chance of messing up a sculpt or paint job. Styling the hair seems like a tedious process if done after the sculpting and painting, to try to not get things wet, etc.

So how do ya'll approach the process?

Also, do you prefer apoxie to air-dry clay or vice versa?

[Nimrodel]

I'm not a professional customizer, more of a dabbler, but I can answer from my limited experience. 


Do you sculpt before rehairing, or after?
I've done it both ways.  Mainly depends on how extensive and where I'm sculpting.  If you sculpt after rehairing, make sure the hair is wrapped and covered, so that your sculpting medium doesn't get on it.


What about painting?
If you're doing a whole body paint, I always rehair after painting. 


Also, do you prefer apoxie to air-dry clay or vice versa?
Definitely apoxie sculpt.  I've tried fimo, air dry clay, fantastic plastic, etc. and apoxie sculpt has worked the best for me so far.

[Nebula Light]

Wow, thanks for all the info! Apoxie seems to be really popular around these parts. I've tried air dry, and it can be tricky, so I'm hoping Apoxie will be better.

Do you use the two part Apoxie or the one part?

[Jennifer2004]

Do you sculpt before rehairing, or after?
I usually do the sculpting first, but I have done it the other way too. It really just depends on the custom. If you do rehair first just be careful not to get any of your sculpting clay in the pony's hair.

What about painting?
If it's a full body repaint then I paint first and rehair after. But if you're just painting eyes and symbols, then either way would work. If you rehair before you paint just be careful not to get any paint on the hair.

Also, do you prefer apoxie to air-dry clay or vice versa?
I have used air-dry clay, apoxie sculpt, and scupley oven bake clay. The apoxie sculpt is my favorite hands down. I think it is much easier to work with. I feel like it gives me so much more control while sculpting it and holds the details so much better. I love the way it dries and the way it takes the paint. Also, the final result seems much stronger in my experience, much less susceptible to breaks/cracks/etc.

Do you use the two part Apoxie or the one part?
I use the two part apoxie sculpt. I really like the way it works. It's very simple to use. You just mix equal parts of the two clays together and let it rest for about 5 minutes. After that you have a few hours (usually 1-3 hours) to work with it before it starts to harden. You can use a bit of water to smooth it and remove fingerprints or other lines. This gives it a really smooth finish and greatly reduces the amount of time you have to spend sanding. Once you're done sculpting it takes about 24 hours to completely harden.

Hope that helps!

~Jennifer

[Nimrodel]

Do you use the two part Apoxie or the one part?

I use the two-part apoxie, usually Magic Sculpt.    It's super easy to use, and you don't have to be exact, as in weighing out each ball of apoxie to make sure it's equal.  I just decide how much I think I'll need for the next hour or so, and grab a half ball from each pail. 

Post Merge: April 24, 2015, 01:14:44 AM

This is something I recently made with Magic Scupt.  Monster High base, sculpted wings, hair, base and mirror. 

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