The Friday sculpting class has been announced.
Garage Kits.US Wonderfest 2014 Sculpting Workshop with Troy McDevitt
Time is money, and having done this as a career for well over a decade now (and getting busier every year), I’ve learned
how to work pretty fast and cheap, without sacrificing quality. I’ve had the pleasure of doing work for companies such as
Sideshow Collectibles, Bowen Designs, ARH Studios, Super 7, and Garage Kits US, to name a few.
I want to share my experience with (a) fellow sculptors who have been at it for a few years, (b) kit-builders or painters who
have dabbled, but want to improve, and (c) newbies that have never picked up a ball of clay in their lives, but desperately
want to sculpt their own 3D creations.
For this workshop, students will be making a bust of everyone’s favorite North American cryptid, Bigfoot!
Students will sculpt a 1:4 scale bust of Sasquatch, as we review materials, tools, and misc. techniques such as sculpting
different types of hair, underlying anatomy, proportions, and bringing life and personality to your sculpt. My goal is that every
student is able to walk out with a finished (or nearly finished) bust that they will be able to bake, mold, and cast for kit purposes,
or for their own personal enjoyment later.
Here are the main topics we’ll be covering as the workshop progresses:
Traditional sculpting tools and materials, and when you should use them
There are a lot of sculpting materials out there that you can work in, and about fifty times as many tools you can use.
I’m going to go over the few materials that will cover virtually all of your sculpting needs, and show you the handful of
tools that are best, so you can get rid of the drawerful of useless ones.
Creating a basic armature
A good sculpt can be made, or broke, by the armature. Once you’ve started slapping on clay, if your armature isn’t just
right, you’re screwed. I’ll go over my basic techniques for keeping your sculpt in an upright position
A few simple rules guaranteed to make you a better sculptor
I’m far from perfect, but I have come up with a few rules over the past decade that have definitely helped me become
faster, more focused and improved my skill level dramatically. Whether you want to do this as a career, or just for yourself,
these basic guidelines will absolutely make you a better sculptor, and business person.
Re-imaging a weak concept into something awesome
Even the lamest concept can be given new life with a few good tweaks and adjustments. There are few things I enjoy
more than taking something that appears to have no potential, and turning it into something that drops jaws. I’ll go over
the ways that I use to focus on the strongest points of a character and de-emphasize the weak so that you end up with
a sculpt far superior to the original concept.
Bringing personality and character to your sculpt
My biggest pet peeve is a statue that technically, is extremely well sculpted, but lacks any emotion or personality. A facial
expression that doesn’t fit the pose. A blank stare while plunging a knife through a zombie’s skull. Stiff limbs. A body-builder
pose while being attacked by a dragon. It’s the easiest way to ruin a potentially great sculpt. I’ll go over some simple guidelines
to help make any sculpt more dynamic and engaging to the viewer.
How to mold and cast your sculpt so you can produce your own kits
This is an art all to itself that requires years and years of practice to master, but I can show you the basic principles that
you’ll be able to take with you after the class, and successfully begin molding and casting your own work. You’ll have a lot
of trial and error ahead of you, before you get really proficient at it, but you’ll absolutely understand the process, and what
you’ll need to do to proceed and improve. We’ll do a simple mold and cast in class so you can see, firsthand, the initial
setup, materials (and where to get them), and procedure so you can become a GK producer yourself.
The class will be held on Friday, May 30th, 2014 from 9am to 5pm, with one lunch break. The cost is $275, which will include
all the materials and tools (yours to keep, of course) that you’ll need to create a 1:4 scale Sasquatch bust. Class is limited
to 10 students, and must be paid in full to secure your spot. The payment is non-refundable, unless the class is cancelled.
Please contact me at
troy@themcdevittstudio.com to sign up, or if you have any other questions.
