MegoCon 2004 Custom Sculpting Siminar

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Featuring the making of
Gene Roddenberry!
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Preparation

• Research the Subject

1. Review original media (TV, film, comic
books, etc.)
2. Gather reference images (internet,
magazines, etc. Find various angles to
help give you the full picture.)
3. Draw sketches (This is helpful, but not
necessary. Caricatures can help you to
recognize prominent features.)
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Preparation

• B. Materials

1. Clay of your choice (Sculpey, Fimo,
Premo, etc.)
2. Sculpting finishing tools
(Toothpicks, Pin/Needle, fine grit
sandpaper 100-220 grit, hobby knife)
3. Original Mego body head (Useful as a
reference for scale)
4. Cotton swab Turpenoid (optional)
(Used to remove fingerprints smooth the
surface of your sculpt.)
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Preparation
C. Work Area
1. Identify appropriate lighting (Use a
unidirectional, hard light source to
help cast shadows and bring out facial
features as you sculpt.)
2. Get comfortable (Sculpting is a
painstaking process avoid any
pain-causing postures.)
3. Ensure the area is sculpture-safe (The
most painful situation is one where hours
of work are lost due to carelessness. Make
sure your work area is pet, child, and
spouse-safe!)
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Preparation
Armed with your research knowledge,
materials and a proper work area, you are now
fully prepared to begin
Sculpting
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Sculpting
The sculpting process is divided into the
following sections

• Warming Up

B. Forming Facial Shapes (eyes, nose mouth)
C. Refining Facial Features
D. Adding Ears Hair
E. Adding a Neck Plug
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Sculpting
The following examples are shown using a
bake-to-harden polymer clay (Sculpey).
Whether you prefer an air-dry clay,
oil-based clay or wax/clay hybrid, all the
following sculpting tips apply except baking!
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Sculpting

• A. Warming Up

A. Warming Up
B. Forming Facial Shapes
C. Refining Facial Features
Begin by kneading an amount of clay with your
hands. As heat from your hands transfers, the
clay will become more pliable. Soon you can
begin to form a simple oval head shape with neck.
D. Adding Ears Hair
E. Adding a Neck Plug
As you form this basic shape, compare it to an
original Mego head for scale.
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Sculpting

• A. Warming Up

B. Forming Facial Shapes
B. Forming Facial Shapes
C. Refining Facial Features
D. Adding Ears Hair
Before we begin forming features, lets review
the basics of facial feature placement. You may
recall these guidelines from an introductory art
class...
E. Adding a Neck Plug
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Sculpting

• A. Warming Up

B. Forming Facial Shapes
B. Forming Facial Shapes
C. Refining Facial Features
D. Adding Ears Hair
The most common mistake made when sculpting a
face, is placing the eyes too close to the top of
the head.
E. Adding a Neck Plug
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Sculpting

• A. Warming Up

B. Forming Facial Shapes
B. Forming Facial Shapes
C. Refining Facial Features
D. Adding Ears Hair
For proper placement, imagine two lines one
dissecting the face vertically (for symmetry),
the other dissecting the head horizontally
through the exact center
E. Adding a Neck Plug
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Sculpting

• A. Warming Up

B. Forming Facial Shapes
B. Forming Facial Shapes
C. Refining Facial Features
D. Adding Ears Hair
It is on this horizontal halfway line that the
eyes should lie vertically centered on the
face, and spaced one eye-width apart.
E. Adding a Neck Plug
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Sculpting

• A. Warming Up

B. Forming Facial Shapes
B. Forming Facial Shapes
C. Refining Facial Features
D. Adding Ears Hair
Next well draw a second horizontal line,
directly halfway between the eyeline and the chin
E. Adding a Neck Plug
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Sculpting

• A. Warming Up

B. Forming Facial Shapes
B. Forming Facial Shapes
C. Refining Facial Features
D. Adding Ears Hair
Align the base of the nose here.
E. Adding a Neck Plug
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Sculpting

• A. Warming Up

B. Forming Facial Shapes
B. Forming Facial Shapes
C. Refining Facial Features
D. Adding Ears Hair
Two vertical lines extending from the inside of
both eyes mark the nose width.
E. Adding a Neck Plug
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Sculpting

• A. Warming Up

B. Forming Facial Shapes
B. Forming Facial Shapes
C. Refining Facial Features
D. Adding Ears Hair
Once again, divide the remaining portion of the
face in two with a horizontal line halfway
between the nose line and the chin.
E. Adding a Neck Plug
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Sculpting

• A. Warming Up

B. Forming Facial Shapes
B. Forming Facial Shapes
C. Refining Facial Features
D. Adding Ears Hair
E. Adding a Neck Plug
This is the lip line.
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Sculpting

• A. Warming Up

B. Forming Facial Shapes
B. Forming Facial Shapes
C. Refining Facial Features
D. Adding Ears Hair
E. Adding a Neck Plug
Extend two vertical lines from the center of each
eye. These denote the lip width.
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Sculpting

• A. Warming Up

B. Forming Facial Shapes
B. Forming Facial Shapes
C. Refining Facial Features
D. Adding Ears Hair
E. Adding a Neck Plug
Remove the imaginary lines, and voila! But dont
take the math at its face value
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Sculpting

• A. Warming Up

B. Forming Facial Shapes
B. Forming Facial Shapes
C. Refining Facial Features
D. Adding Ears Hair
E. Adding a Neck Plug
View some examples to test the theory
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Sculpting

• A. Warming Up

B. Forming Facial Shapes
B. Forming Facial Shapes
C. Refining Facial Features
D. Adding Ears Hair
E. Adding a Neck Plug
Pretty convincing, eh?
Right, now on with the sculpting
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Sculpting

• A. Warming Up

B. Forming Facial Shapes
B. Forming Facial Shapes
C. Refining Facial Features
Remembering the basics of positioning, begin
forming the eye sockets by pushing in two
symmetrical depressions. Pinch a raised area
between them for the nose. You can augment the
eye sockets using a toothpick or similar tool.
D. Adding Ears Hair
E. Adding a Neck Plug
Continue emphasizing the nose features using your
sculpting tools. Add clay below the eye sockets
to enhance cheek bone structure.
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Sculpting

• A. Warming Up

B. Forming Facial Shapes
B. Forming Facial Shapes
C. Refining Facial Features
Using a thin tool, place the mouth. Form a
bottom lip by depressing the clay between the
mouth opening and the chin.
D. Adding Ears Hair
E. Adding a Neck Plug
If youre doing things right your sculpt so far
should be looking a lot like this guy!
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Sculpting

• A. Warming Up

B. Forming Facial Shapes
C. Refining Facial Features
C. Refining Facial Features
Its all in the details. Take your time
manipulating the clay. Refer frequently to your
reference materials and work on all areas
multiple times, increasing detail and clarity
with each pass.
D. Adding Ears Hair
E. Adding a Neck Plug
As you refine the facial features, compare your
sculpt to an original head to make sure your
sculpt remains to scale.
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Sculpting

• A. Warming Up

B. Forming Facial Shapes
C. Refining Facial Features
C. Refining Facial Features
Continue enhancing and refining all the detail
areasadding clay where necessary (usually the
chin and cheeks) and removing clay from other
parts (corners of the mouth, around the nose
bridge and nostrils).
D. Adding Ears Hair
E. Adding a Neck Plug
Smooth out all rough areas with your fingers as
much as possible while you sculpt.
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Sculpting

• A. Warming Up

B. Forming Facial Shapes
C. Refining Facial Features
C. Refining Facial Features
When youre just about satisfied with the face,
check scale one last time compared with an
original head. Also, set the sculpt on a body to
see that the neck is a good size and that you are
happy with the tilt and incline of the head.
D. Adding Ears Hair
E. Adding a Neck Plug
Take a look in the mirrorSeeing your sculpt in
reverse can give you the fresh perspective needed
to fix a problem spot with symmetry.
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Sculpting

• A. Warming Up

B. Forming Facial Shapes
Now your polymer clay sculpt is almost ready for
its first round in the oven. OPTIONAL For an
extra smooth finish, moisten a cotton swab with
turpenoid and gently rub the surface of the
sculpt. Be cautioustoo much pressure can remove
desired detail. If you are happy with the finish
as-is, skip this step and proceed to the
kitchen Use turpenoid only with polymer clays.
For oil-based clays use isopropyl alcohol. And
for wax-based clays use mineral spirits.
C. Refining Facial Features
C. Refining Facial Features
D. Adding Ears Hair
E. Adding a Neck Plug
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BAKE 1 8-10 minutes at 275F
Place your sculpt in an oven-safe pan or cookie
sheet. Preheat oven to 275F (130C) and bake for
8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
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Sculpting

• A. Warming Up

B. Forming Facial Shapes
C. Refining Facial Features
Now that your sculpt has been baked and is no
longer pliable, you can add ears without damaging
the eyes, nose or mouth. Begin by adding equal
amounts of clay to either side of the headsoft
clay will stick and blend nicely to its baked
counterpart. If ear detail gives you a headache,
refer to any original Mego head. Mego ears tend
to be simplified versions of the real thing, but
look just as good at this scale.
D. Adding Ears Hair
D. Adding Ears Hair
E. Adding a Neck Plug
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BAKE 2 8-10 minutes at 275F
Place your sculpt in an oven-safe pan or cookie
sheet. Preheat oven to 275F (130C) and bake for
8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
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Sculpting

• A. Warming Up

B. Forming Facial Shapes
C. Refining Facial Features
After baking, hair can now be added without risk
of damaging the ears. Again, soft clay can be
added to the baked head and will blend nicely.
D. Adding Ears Hair
D. Adding Ears Hair
E. Adding a Neck Plug
Use a toothpick or other sharp tool to create
thin hair lines. Remember to keep lines light
and organic for a realistic hair look.
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BAKE 3 8-10 minutes at 275F
Place your sculpt in an oven-safe pan or cookie
sheet. Preheat oven to 275F (130C) and bake for
8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
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Sculpting

• A. Warming Up

B. Forming Facial Shapes
C. Refining Facial Features
Fresh from the oven, your finished masterpiece
cannot be undone! You have only to attach a neck
plug and can call it a day. Nothing special
here simply refer to an original neck plug for
scale, attach it to the base of the neck, and
its off to the oven again Male sculpts only.
Female Mego sculpts require no plug. Instead,
the plug is part of the body, and the head can be
sculpted without a neck entirely. Once the female
sculpt is molded and cast in plastic, a 5/16
hole drilled into the base of the cast will fit
onto the existing neck stem.
D. Adding Ears Hair
E. Adding a Neck Plug
E. Adding a Neck Plug
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BAKE 4 8-10 minutes at 275F
Place your sculpt in an oven-safe pan or cookie
sheet. Preheat oven to 275F (130C) and bake for
8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
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Finishing

• A. Sanding/Smoothing

A. Sanding/Smoothing
B. Sealing/Painting
C. Preparing for Molding
Even fully baked, your sculpt can still be
refined. Fine sanding (100-220 grit sandpaper)
and other minor smoothing can be done to improve
a hardened sculpt.
Similarly, your attached neck plug can be carved
or sanded until just the right fit is achieved.
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Finishing

• A. Sanding/Smoothing

B. Sealing/Painting
B. Sealing/Painting
C. Preparing for Molding
Your sculpt is now finished! If you are using the
clay head as your final product, it can now be
sealed and painted with any variety of acrylic
spray or brush-on applications.
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Finishing

• A. Sanding/Smoothing

B. Sealing/Painting
C. Preparing for Molding
C. Preparing for Molding
Or, if you are planning to mold and make casts of
your sculpt, follow the preparation procedures
recommended by the brand name of your mold-making
materials.
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Finished!
Thank you for viewing Captain Dunsels Custom
Sculpting Seminar! If you have any questions,
feel free to contact the Captain
at james_at_megomadhouse.com
For a continuation into mold-making and plastic
casting, see Captain Dunsels other
tutorials Mold-Making Tutorial Plastic Casting
Tutorial Good luck and have fun!