l_batista_in3 (Go Figure! Booklet)

Go Figure!

A guide to sculpting figures and dollsd

Go Figure!

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Lauryn Batista

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Go Figure!

Introduction Making my own clay figures became a fun little hobby I started after I wanted to try to translate my drawings and characters into 3D forms!

With this guide, you will be able to create your own poseable characters out of sculpey and whatever arts and crafts supplies you may have on hand.

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Supplies Some more experienced figure and doll creators will buy specific supplies and decorative objects for a single project, but if you want to try this as a casual, inexpensive hobby too, you can gather any bits and pieces to decorate your character that you have around the house.

There are just a couple supplies you must have to follow along with this tutorial:

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Block of sculpey (tan or white preferred, but can be any color) Sculpting tools (Exacto knife, toothpick, anything sharp) Wire Paint or Markers Spray Finish

Sketching Using the supplies you’ve gathered for inspiration, you’re going to want

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to sketch out a basic idea of the figure you want to make. The sketch should focus on two important things- the individual pieces you’ll have to make to put together the form, and then the decorative pieces you’ll add on after the clay has hardened. Based on my supplies, I’m going to create a greek goddess-like figure, using the fabric to create a toga and the gold garlands as a laurel.

Shaping Looking at the sketch of your figure, twist your wire into the basic stick-figure shape of the character you want to create. Make sure the arms and legs are long enough, this will serve as the skeleton of your sculpture.

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Once you’ve worked the wire into

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the right shape, build up the form of the individual body parts by wrapping sculpey around the wire. You can smooth the sculpey over after the pieces are the right size, however, do NOT cover the sections of wire where the joints of the figure are, such as the elbows, knees, or shoulders. This will allow your figure

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to be posed even after the sculpey has solidified. Check to make sure all the joints are clear of sculpey before putting the figure in the oven.

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Baking Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.

You’ll want to bake the figure for at least twenty minutes, although it may take longer if it’s bigger than

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what I created here. Check it with a toothpick to see if it’s solidified.

You don’t need to put anything under it other than a metal tray, it won’t stick and you should be able to take it off easily after it has cooled. Make sure you check on it while it’s baking, sometimes if you’re using wire coated in plastic it can cause the sculpey to burn.

Painting You can use paint to add facial features or small details, or even paint

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over the entire figure to achieve a different skin color. Since I used white sculpey, I’m going to be mixing a peach skin color. Depending on the quality of the paint you’re using, you may need to use multiple layers to achieve the right color. Wait until each individual color has dried before applying more paint to avoid

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smudging.

Spray Finish Once all the paint has dried completely, take your figure outside and spray the figure completely with the spray figure as directed on the can. Set this to dry again. This will prevent the paint from chipping or smudging off as easily.

Outfit For clothes, I’m going to be using fabric and paint a tree pattern onto it. However, you do not need to use fabric for this step and can instead simply paint the clothing directly on to the figure. Use a glue gun to hold the fabric in place if you don’t want it to get messed up.

Hair Hair, like clothes, can be

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sculpted and painted as well, but for this project I’m going to be using dyed doll hair. Shape the hair into individual parts and use a glue gun to connect one end of it to the scalp.

Hold it in place for a few seconds then let it dry.

Finish!

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pieces, you can finish here or add some extra small details. I’m going to use some craft pieces and decals to add some more color. Once this is done, you should have a finished, articulated figure! Pieces of sculpey may have broken off in the process if they weren’t connected correctly, but they can be easily glued back on.

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The figures are meant more for display than play, but if you create a figure without the articulation, it should be able to be used as a toy for younger kids without breaking as easily!

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About the Author Lauryn Batista is currently a student at Southern Utah University, and although she is studying Illustration, she likes to waste most of her time on things she’s not very good at.

(Making figures, writing, and playing video games) Occasionally she will actually draw things though, which you can find on her Instagram at @lolomacdraws She lives with two cats who hate her.

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