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After deciding on a subject for the sculpt I do as much research about the character as possible, and look for as many existing images of the character as I can find. This helps to give me ideas and also to avoid doing something exactly like someone else has already done. After letting the research info sink in I do some brainstorming as to how I'd like to see my version done. I usually do a bunch of little sketches, trying to keep in mind that
the figure I will be doing is something I will want to reproduce, so there are limitations on how the figure will be posed. I try to keep most extremeties close to the body so that there is much less chance of breakage.
Once I've decided how I want the figure to look I begin sculpting using Super Sculpy. It's a clay that doesn't dry out until it is baked, and it can take a lot of fine detail. Sometimes I do small preliminary versions of the figure just to see if it will work out. Once I've finished the sculpting, which can take anywhere from a day to a week or longer I bake it to harden the Sculpy.
The next step is making a silicone rubber mold. This involves making a container to hold the figure and pouring a two part silicone rubber mixture over it. The mold may be made in two separate pours, half at a time, doing one side of the figure and then the next. The mold may be made in one pour, too, but I have to be careful when cutting the mold to make two sides because if the cut is off it might make the figure impossible mold.
The rubber takes about a day to dry.
After the mold is completed I can begin casting the figures. I use a two part resin material that is about as thick as oil when mixed. Because some parts of the mold have recesses that a direct pour will not go into I have to do a little preliminary filling in some areas. When those are about dry I pour a new batch of resin into the mold and in about twenty minutes the figure is cured. I typically make a bit more resin than I need (don't want to pour short) and with that I make little Elder Sign tokens and other small pieces that I usually throw in as extras when I sell my figures. The resin hardens to the consistency of PVC pipe and is very durable. Once the figure cures I remove it from the mold and look it over carefully.
I use a dremel tool to clean off any mold lines and sometimes to add little details. Resin tends to bubble a little and that is acceptable but any larger bubbles or uncast areas get filled with a sculpting epoxy. After the epoxy is dry I wash the figure to remove any residues from the resin or epoxy and it's ready to paint.
The first step in painting is to prime the figure. I usually use ultra flat black, but it depends of the figure. After the figure is primed I can complete whatever paint job I like. I do base coats, washes, dry brush, and sometimes specialty finishes that involve a metal based paint that reacts with a chemical wash giving the figure a nice verdigris (green patina). After the paint is dry I spray the figure with a clear coat to help keep the finish nice.
That's the sculpting process. For most of the figures I do I also like to do a back story that involves documentation to give the product a feeling of verisimilitude. I do news clippings, letters, envelopes, photos, etc. These can be time consuming, but from the response I get from people they're worth the time...
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