Sculpting for Prosthetics
Our first session on sculpting began with a tutorial on creating a relativly basic flatpiece. We were taught the basics of the technique, essential tools and the differing methodologies in which they can be utilised for the sculptures. Our lecturer showed the importance of different tools for the various effects to create within the clay. To begin we looked at the types of tools available for use. I also researched further into the uses for each individual tool and their importance, I found an interesting blog by Stuart Bray, Learn Makeup Effects that detailed this information.
Rake Tools: Rake tools are used to take away material at high points of the sculpt and transfer them to the low points. Once smoothed out with a finger or sponge it gives the overall surface a smooth, flat effect. The tool is made from a loop of wire attached to the handle with a coil then spiraling around the original wire creating a rough yet, even design. These tools are good for making the basic structure of the clay ready for the sculpt to be created afterwards. The size and thickness varies greatly according to the size of the sculpt and the desired finish, if certain areas need a large amount of smoothing a large tool with thick wire may be needed. Whereas if the area is small and delicate it may require and smaller loop with more compact coils.
Loop Tools: Loop tools are essentially rakes without the coil of wire wrapping around the loop itself. The loop uses a circular wire that it bent into various shapes at the end of the handle. It is predominantly used for removing clay from a sculpt, however it can be used for many different effects including, creating a smooth surface, adding texture to a surface, creating unifrom shapes such as for a robotic design.
Ribbon Tools: Ribbon tools are made of flatter wire, one edge of the loop is sharp and smooth and the other is blunt and thicker. This tool is also used for removing clay from a sculpt but also is used for adding texture and cand be used to shape different elements of a sculpture.
Stipple Sponge: A stipple sponge is great for adding texture to a sculpt, it creates a surface effect very similar to flesh, pores and wrinkles. The size of holes in the sponge affect the sculpt and similarly the pressure used to apply the texture. I have watched many tutorials on sculpting, Stuart Bray's Demon Brow Prosthetic Sculpting Tutorial, Part 3: Skin Textues shows that using clingfilm or a plastic sheet can soften the effect creating a more realistic design.
After learning about of the different tools available I decided that I would like to try and create my own tools for personal use, to understand the process an the materials needed I spoke to a tech dem who gave me information on where and what I should purchase. He then aided me in the creation of my own tools. To create these tools I bought hollow metal piping, strong thin wire, hacksaw blades and metal epoxy putty. To create these tools I cut the piping to the desired length inserted the wire/blade into the end and combined the metal epoxy putty and then inserted it into the end to secure the tool head. The various ends that I created were twisted wires made by using a power drill and twisting the two together and then inserting these into the pipes in various shapes. The blade was completed by using a blow torch to bend the metal into a round shape and inserting the two ends into the piping. These were some very simple but effective tools, I plan on using some guitar strings to make some rake tools and strong thin wire for wrinkle tools.
After creating these tools I researched into othere methodologies to create various tools and found that Stuart Bray had written a blog post on Learn Makeup Effects detailing the process of creating wooden tools. Bray uses small pieces of wood and shapes them into his desired fashion, strengthens them using lineseed oil, sands them down and smooths them off to create a simple, cheap tool. I will experiment with this concept to create my own tools for use when creating sculptures. Learn Makeup Effects, Stuart Bray
Tokyo SFX Makeup Workshop, A complete guide to Special Makeup Effects, pg 128 details methodologies for creating your own sculpting tools. The methodology described is similar to that of the one shown by our lecturer. They use brass piping around 4 mm in diameter and guitar strings, the tool needed for creating the culpting tools are a craft saw, pliers and a metal file. The first step is to use the craft saw to cut the piping to the desired length, file the end off the piping, bend the guitar strings into loops no shorter than 1.5cm in length and insert into the brass pipe. The final step is to use the pliers to squeeze the end of the pipe holding the wires in place.
For research into methodologies of sculpting, I watched the Timothy Martin Speed Sculpting inWed Clay DVD. It gave me a great insight into blocking out shapes, creating the intitial shape and structure of the piece, refining the surface and then moving onto the details of the sculpt. Overall this DVD was very helpful to visualise and understand the processes of sculpting for prosthetics.
I have experimented in sculpting various items using the Le Beau Touche plasteline in my spare time. I feel like this experimentation has helped to improve my sculpting skills allowing me to get a better understanding of what works and the anatomy of different body features. Here are some photographs of the creations I have made, all practise in the art of sculpting therefore I have not moulded any for use as prosthetic pieces.
To find out more infomation about the individual photographs click on the photographs.
Materials
The material used for the actual sculpt is very important as there are many different types available, each with the own advantages and disadvantages depending on the intended use for the sculpt. The plasteline that we have used for these flatpiece sculpts is Le Beau Touche. Using this material is good as it is sulfur free and therefore can be used with silicone moulds and will not inhibit the cure. Other benefits of the plasteline is that it is very flexible and soft, it can be easily shapes and sculpted without the need for heat therefore making it a good material to begin practising the art of sculpting. It can be 'melted and poured or brushed' (Debreceni.T, Special Makeup Effect For Stage and Screen; Making and Applying Prosthetics, pg 115) which gives is a diverse range of uses in sculpting.
I have researched into various types of clay and plasteline in order to get a better understanding to differenciate between them individually and take note of their properties, advantages and disadvantages. A popular type of clay is Monster Clay this clay is also sulfur free, however it requires heating at a low temperature in order to sculpt with. As it is not as soft and pliable as Le Beau Touche it does not stick to every surface allowing it to be a much cleaner material. Advantages of the clay include the varying type of detail and texture which can be designed in the sculpt due to the clay cooling down and toughening up. This also means that there is a shorter working time, however the clay can simply be reheated for a longer period of time. Disadvantages are that it may not hold its shape well enough for use in 'prototypes and models for props: armour and weapons' (Special Makeup Effects, Debreceni.T pg 115).
This photograph is of a pre-existing prosthetic piece created by Stuart Bray in conjunction with Brick in the Yard. I based my boil and pustule filled sculpt around this design. However I wanted to create a greater number of smaller more intense boils. I really like the way the flesh has retracted around the edges and the raw finish to the design which I tried to create in my sculpt.
This is an early stage of the pustule creation, I began by creating the main round shape of the design, smoothing it out to the edges to give a good edge on the final prosthetic. I created the thin receding edge on the sculpt to make a raw, infected design. I then began filling the sculpt with balls of plasteline in varying shapes and sizes to give an interesting effect.
I began sculpting a open bullet wound, that has split from the force of the bullet entering the flesh. I created the rough overall shape making thin edges that will blend into the skin. Once complete I roughed out the shape of the wound itself, making sure to create very thin splits in the skin towards the edges. I was advised by my lecturer that the skin at the edges of a wound fold slightly into the wound as skin is held taught and the excess from the injury would fold inward.
This is the final sculpt for my bullet wound prosthetic piece. I added texture to the whole sculpt using stipple sponge, rake tools to give wrinkles and various loop tools to help create the sculpt inside the wound. I also added a small worm that will add to the infected concept of my sculpts. However I will have to make this with excess silicone as the sculpt will not work with the moulding process. I am mostly happy with the result, the only change would be to make the splits more random.
I am very happy with the final result of my boil and pustule sculpt as it looks very infected and realistic. I added texture to the boils themselves as I felt they would look fake without and need the depth creates more belief in the appliance. I need to work on my creation of pores as they are very sharp and obvious, whereas genuine pores as slightly larger and shallow. Around the edge of the boil area I added rough edging to add more interesting elements to the design.
This is the final design for my infected knife wound, I like the shaping of the wound itself and some of the detailing on the inside, however I think I could have made the small balls of fat tissue much smaller as they would not be this large, similarly the coarse tissue within the sculpt could have been thinner with a slightly greater amount found in the wound itself. I like the different depths of the sculpt, when cast and applied this will create an interesting effect within the wound.
This photograph displays all three of my final sculpts with the walls surrounding to be used when casting. I tried to keep the inner walls thinner and very smooth in order for a more effective final mould. I followed the shape of the sculpts in an attempt to reduce the amount of silicone that will be used in the final mould of the pieces. I successfully managed to enclose the whole sculpt without any issues creating an effective final sculpt.
WED Clay is water based clay it was created 'for Walter Elias Disney' (Special Makeup Effects, Debreceni.Tpg 115). WED Clay dries out and crackes after time as the water eventually evapourates, however if too much water is used the clay will be too runny to use in any sculpting capacity. To prevent either extreme using a small bottle with a nozzle spray will keep the clay lightly damp and useable. 'An advantage of water clay over oil clay is its ability to take texture stmaps more easily with less pressure' (Special Makeup Effects, Debereceni.T pg 115). If the clay is too wet however any detail will simply smudge, the best time to apply texture and detail is when the clay feels leathery. WED clay is easy to use as it is soft and therefore can be roughed out very quickly.
Lighter Fluid is essential when creating a sculpt as it is used to smooth out any imperfections and create a soft finish. It works by dissolving the surface of the clay thus softening your texture and detail to a more realistic finish. Lighter fluid is a lot more aggressive than IPA and will dissolve a lot of clay at once and leave the surface wet and sticky for a long while whereas IPA will dry up quicker and will not dissolve as much clay.
This was one of my first flatpiece sculpts, I tried to create a wound created by an instrument with two sides, thus allowing the skin to pull back and create the flap at the base. Looking back at this sculpt I can see that there are a lot of elements missing, such as any kind of texture, wrinkles of detail in the wound itself. Similarly the skin would fold in on itself and not have a straight edge. However I think I completed the basic shaping and edges well in order to create an effective mould
This was a simple bullet wound sculpt, I tried to make it perfectly round as a wound that was created from the gun being at point blank range. Although I think the shape is effective, the skin would not be so raised and needs flattening slightly. I added slight texture to this sculpt using a black stipple sponge through clingfilm. I did this so that the texture was not too deep. I needed to add wrinkling and pores to the skin in order for the sculpt to look more realistic.
This was my second bullet wound sculpt, it has a more fragmented surface on the skin, which has split apart from impact. I tried to keep the edges very narrow and fine as this skin would pull apart in this way. I looked at the book Colour Atlas of Forensic Pathology, (Dix.J, 1999, CRC Press)to see a genuine photograph for reference. I also folded the edged inwards slightly showing the shrinkage in the skin.
I created this animal attack sculpt as though a creature with claws has scraped at the skin. I kept the entrance wound ends larger as the claws would puncture the skin and then drag backwards whilst pulling out, therefore leaving the other ends very pointed. I made the lines quite jagged as it would be a rough wound with messy edges. I need to add texture to the surrounding skin and also the wound itself to create a more believable effect.
I created a sculpt of a monster bite for a personal project along with the infection in the sculpts following. My monster was fictional and I decided to give it many differing sized and shaped teeth that had been pierced and due to the different lengths only some have torn the skin in the process. I also gave my monster a long jaw shape as I thought this would add an interesting element to the design. This photograph is before adding texture, simply the teeth piercings and edges.
This is the final sculpt, with added texture and pores, the only texture missing is wrinkles. I like the texture, however the pores were slightly too deep and did not look realistic when I covered the sculpt in talcum powder and saw their depths. To create this sculpt I used a variety of loop tools creating the teeth piercings. On a second attempt I would rake the sculpt first, add different textures and play with the roughness of the teeth impressions.
For this mould of my monster bite I used Platsil Gel 10. I was quite happy with the result of this mould as it picked up all the detail of the wound, with little to no air bubbles in the mixture. If I were to do this again I would make it much smaller as to not waste as much silicone creating the mould.
This is a photograph of the monster bite infection after removal of the mould, therefore it is slightly distorted from the original piece. After receiving advice on sculpting I have realised that I would have done this sculpt very differently to make it realistic. I would add more texture to the boils, give the skin wrinkles and add texture and I would also focus on getting the shaping of the boils more accurate. As a final touch I would also use spirit to smooth the edges with a neater finish.
This photograph displays the third sculpt that I created for my monster infection, it included veining and boils. I created this mould with Platsil Gel 25 which is a runnier material. I found that it picked up the detail very well with no bubbles in the mould. On a second attempt I would change the veining as I created these by removing plasteline, whereas I should have added to give bulk and height.
The first piece of sculpting I created was a reconstruction of a nose onto a polystyrene head. I sculpted this with Le Beau Touche. I found on reflection that I should have used my reference photograph more in order to get an accurate shaping. Similarly I did not add texture to the nose, which makes it look very flat and false. Adding pores, wrinkles and texture would make the overall finish successful and realistic.
My second sculpt was creating a superhero style mask. Again I used Le Beau Touche as I found it easy to work with and had easy application. I wanted to make this look very smooth and structured as superheroes tend to be very sculpted and angular. To improve this design I would use a rake tool to get a smoother overall shape to the sculpt and loop tools to add a strong line to the shape. I would also like to experiment with detailing more to make the mask unique.
I used the book Special Effects Makeup, 2003 By Japanese Artists, Tokyo SFX Makeup Workshop, London: Titan Books. I based these elongated fingers on the design stated, to make this I first had to mould my hand with Alginate and the cast with plaster of paris. I encountered some problems as I moulded my hand horizontally rather than vertically, therefore there were some air bubbles. To sculpt this hand I placed a piece of wire as a base to hold the fingers in place.
I sculpted this with Le Beau Touche as it is a soft plasteline, however this caused some problems as it broke off easily from the fingers as it was so long. I used broken fragments of seashells to create the extruding fingernails from underneath skin. I wanted the skin to be quite rough so I used a lot of texture and wrinkling as the skin is breaking apart with the fingernails and bone forcing its way out. I would like to work on the wrinkles as they look amateur and rough.
I would practise working on the wrinkles in order to get a successful finish on the sculpt. I like this finger as I have created the idea of the bone protruding from the skin, tearing it apart in the process. For a second attempt I would smooth out the sculpts with lighter fluid in order to get a neater overall finish.
This photograph is my experimentation from Stuart Bray's Youtube sculpting demonstation on creating a demon brow. I first blocked out the shaping and the began by sculpting the various wrinkle lines into the brow line. In this final photograph the texture of the stipple sponge, rake tool and added pores are visible, creating a realistic overall effect. I am very happy with the final result of this sculpt.
This close up of the final sculpt shows all the detailing that I created in the plasteline, I would ideally like to smooth out the pores slightly, to create a genuine and realistic effect, these pores are too large and deep. To make is more effective I would create the pores by sculpting the finer details over thin plastic or layers of cling film as this dulls the effect of the sculpting tools on the plasteline.
In this picture you can see my slight alteration to Stuart Bray's tutorial adding side indents to give the overall finish a strong shape and to make the head more angular and distorted. I am really happy with the strong shape to the brows and the temples as this gives the sculpt a unique design. Overall I think practicing this tutorial has given me greater confidence in the creation of sculptures and will improve any future designs.
I wanted to practise working on anatomically correct body parts, so I thought I would create a zombie foot that has been relatively recently turned. I looked at my own foot as a basis for the sculpt creating a thinned and slightly altered the texture to create a rougher version. I added veining to the feet in order to make a more realistic final effect with more levels in the sculpture.
This is a close up photograph of the toes, I tried to create the a very rough, broken and fragmented texture as the toenails would be old and worn, having being put through a lot of stress. I created small and large cracks in the toes to create the idea that the toes have been wearing
These Sculpts are the flatpiece designs that I created in class in order to begin understanding how to sculpt and mould prosthetic pieces:
These sculpts were some of my firsts, I created these without any guidance, I tried to create what I thought was an accurate wound. They are missing texture and detailing in the inners of the wound which would make them all appear more professional and realistic. The teeth and boil sculpts were more recent, with a small amount of detailing and texture. I created these from my imagination for a monster bite.
To find out more details of the wounds click on the photographs.
To begin the sculpting process I painted a layer of
I initially began sculpting eyebrow pieces and eye bags for my recreation as the portrait has a very pronounced temple features and a strong shape around the eye socket. After sculpting these pieces I floated them off along with the eyebags. However I found that these sculpts were too large and would not work for the subtlety of the portrait. I therefore had to scrap these sculpts and begin again. The final sculpts are shown in the final image with the silicone poured into the mould.
This photograph shows the floating off methodology, I submerged the cast in a bucket of water and allowed to soak for 30 mins, I was then able to use a spatula and carefully lift the pieces off the cast to place of a flat surface.
These pieces were the sculpts before flattening from the floating off. I placed them on a smooth board in order to allow me to create a series of flat pieces. I found the floating off methodology very successful allowing me to create flat pieces that will directly fit my model.
This is a close up image of the eye bags before refining the sculptures and detailing. I placed these on a board as it would be simpler to create flatpieces for these areas rather than a closed mould.
I finished a mould of the eye bags, however I realised that the bag was not successfully blended to give smooth edges and it was too prominent therefore it would not create a good piece. I began these sculpts again in order to get a more effective final piece for the makeup.
This photograph shows the pieces after pouring the silicone into the sculpt. The two larger pieces at the top are the brow pieces and the smaller pieces are the two eye bags. I made sure to sculpt the different sides on the lifecast in order to get a sucessful final result that worked well on my model. Although they look mismatched in the mould the pieces create a cohesive design for the historical portrait recreation.
As further research into sculpting for my old age sculpt I watched a DVD by Neil Gorton. The DVD was called The Art of Ageing with Prosthetics'. It included details on the techniques and process of creating a successfuly old age sculpt on a lifecast. I took the techniques and applied these to my work in the old age sculpt. I had to alter some of the techniques as I was not creating the piece for moulding and did not have to complete a neck an full head design. There was also a brief section on lifecasting and the elements involved in that process.
Some other DVDs that I watched for information of creating a successfuly sculpture was Stan Winston's 'Character Makeup; Sculpture Breakdown and Mould Making' 'Speed Sculpting in WED clay' and 'Portrait Sculpture'. These were very helpful in finding information to improve my sculpting skills and gain a better understanding of the elements involved. I also found that watching the DVDs was much more helpful than detailing in a book or written format as I could see the alterations and processes involved. The second DVD mentions 'Portrait Sculpture' involved Davis Fandino creating a miniture of Stan Winston, he detailed facial geometry, refining a sculpture, creating realistic hair (which I utilised for the eyebrows on my sculpt) and the various tools to use among other subjects.
(Winston, S. and Martin, T., Stan Winston: Speed Sculpting in WED Clay)
(Winston, S. and Fandino, D.Stan Winston: Portrait Sculpture)
(Gorton, N. The Art of Ageing with Prosthetics: Part 1)
(Winston, S. and Fuller, B.S. Stan Winston: Character Makeup: Sculpture Breakdown and Mold-Making - Part One)
Sculpting Techniques
To understand the techniques needed to create a realistic sculpt with fine details that represent the object you are trying to create I researched into the various stages of sculpting. After blocking out and creating the basic shape of the sculpt with the clay the next stage is to refine the details. To begin the process of refining a sculpt it is necessary to change the tools being used so that the effect can be manipulated in the desired fashion. T. Debreceni suggests in his book Special Makeup Effects for Stage an Screen: Making and applying prosthetics, that using a medium rake tool to loop tool to go over the surface, will create areas of slightly more definition. The next stage is to take a plasic wire brush and lightly brush over the surface to remove tool marks left by the previous tools. This process will 'create lines, but remove bumps and lumps and unwanted tool marks', this process will leave small balls of clay, however these can be brushed away with a chip brush.
To create a successful skin texture it should be understood that skin is multifaceted and multilayered. There is variation in everything, for example, some wrinkles are sharp some are soft, some deep some shallow. To continue the process of sculpting solvent should be used to brush over any blemishes, it will also make the clay softer and slurry. If the detail already created become too soft it will be necessary to go over the areas of detail with a small loop tool and recarve the detail. Debreceni suggests that when using lighter fluid the sculpt should be left until all the fluid has evapourated and the clay is hardened again before adding more detail. He suggests covering the sculpt in talcum powder so that when the sculpture is brushed with a tough brush the small balls of clay left behind can be easily removed. use a variety of brushes to create the textures onthe skin, use chip brushes, toothbrushes, plastic bristle brushes, anything that can be used to add detail to the sculpt. Debreceni mentions using reference when creating a sculpt, everything must be based in reality in order for it to look believeable. To create the desired texture carve the detail desired, powder, use another tool brush away and keep repeating until the desired result is acheieved. At this stage in the sculpt it will be almost complete and the next step is to add pores to the sculpt. To create pores it can be done in different ways, using a texture stamp which is made by layering latex or pouring silicone over a surface with the desired texture. A good example of this is an orange as it has a random, pore like texture. Pores come in many different shapes and sizes, the pores on the face are often oval, pores will follow the direction of the skin. Pores must be random as they are not uniform on the skin. To create pores, use a variety of tools, beign with a small loop tool pressing into the clay, then use a toothpick through thick layers of plastic, always brushing them back to create a softer look on the sculpt. Pores fall in the direction of the skin, thereforeneed to be vertical not horizontal. Add pores until it is no longer necessary then use a chip brush to brush away imprefections.
A final touch to creating a sculpt is to mix the clay and the solvent that has been used into a mixture, then apply this to the sculpt to add detail, aswell as indented skin their is also raised skin. The solvent will evapourate and leave a small deposit of clay, it may be necessary to go over this again but it will complete the look.
A helpful tip for sculpting is to constantly turn the sculpt around in order to see it from all sides and angles, this will allow you to see any imprefections of shapings that need to be changed.
Stuart Bray has a series of Youtube videos which detail various techniques and helpful tiops for sculpting. Two videos that I found show the creation of skin textures and refining the surfaces I found this enormously helpful as it detailed the elements involved that I have previously mentioned from Debreceni.T, 'Special Makeup Effects for Stage and Screen' in a visual format. These videos, both by Stuart Bray gave me a great insight into the process I will undergo to create the old age sculpt and similarly any future prosthetic pieces or sculpts. I have inserted the videos below to ensure that I have constant reference to them in orde to allow me to develop my skills by continual reference.
Stuart Bray (2014) Sculpting Prosthetics: Skin Textures [Online] Available From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IAc2hDCHlQ Accessed Date: 20/11/2014
Stuart Bray (2011) Prosthetic Sculpting Tutorial Video Part 2: Refining the Surface [Online] Available From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNUf8FIVcMg Accessed Date: 20/11/2014
These photographs display the creation of my flatpieces for the historical portrait recreation. I initially sculpted the basic shaping on the lifecast to make sure that they fit my model perfectly, I then floated them off to make a flat mould on a tile. When clicked on the photographs detail the process.
 Speed Sculpting in WED Clay |  Speed Sculpting in WED Clay |  Speed Sculpting in WED Clay |
|---|---|---|
 Speed Sculpting in WED Clay |  Speed Sculpting in WED Clay |  The Art of Ageing With Prosthetics |
Artist Research
Jamie Salmon
Jamie Salmon is a sculpter that creates hyper realistic creations. I wanted to research these artists as they provide inspiration for the style of work that I will be try to create in both elements of this project. I will need to create a nose of high detial for the portrait and my old age face sculpt to a good level. Jamie Salmon says that he wants to convey emotion through his work and surprise the spectator with their own emotions.
Kazuhiro Tsuji
Kazuhiro Tsuji is another hyper realistic artist who has created sculpture portraits of famous people in history. One of his best is of Abraham Lincoln. The level of detail in the sculpt is incredible. He has sculpted all of the detail into the face to an extreme level and then cast the face and painted it.
I have placed photographs of their work below to show the extreme detail created to inspire me in the creation of my prosthetic work and the old age sculpt. These photographs also have taught me of the importance of colouration to create the most realistic effect.
Jamie Salmon (2005) Available From: http://avatarsculptureworks.com/jamiesubgall(The%20Director).htm Accessed Date:12/11/2014
Jamie Salmon (2007) Available From: http://avatarsculptureworks.com/jamiesubgall(Chris).htm Accessed Date:12/11/2014
Jamie Salmon, Fragment #3 (2008) Available From: http://avatarsculptureworks.com/jamiesubgallfrag3.htm Accessed Date:12/11/2014
Abraham Lincoln (2013) Available From: http://kazustudios.com/lincoln/ Accessed Date: 12/11/2014