Foundation Final Project: Character Models from War and Peace PART 2

The finished models

This is the second post about my Foundation final project. I'll be talking more about how I sculpted the models - apologies for the bad quality photos, due to how much I ended up rushing at the end of the project much of the modelling process was done late at night when the lighting was not great.


Each model has a metal armature inside - these were sculpted using the designs I developed in my sketchbook using references from life-drawings. These were also useful for keeping the models upright whilst I was sculpting and painting them - once this was completed I cut the external wire off.


In the background of this photo you can see a collection of tester pieces I did using the clay. I tried various types of materials - plasticine, air-drying and Sculpey which I ultimately chose. Of the models, Natasha - the model on right of this photo - is my least favourite. I tried to create a dynamic pose for her but as a result I struggled with weighting - if I ever model again I will definitely spend more attention on this aspect as I would really like to create an effective dynamic pose.



These three photos show some of the stages of modelling and painting for the model of Prince Andrei Bolkonski. Even though he is lying down he has a wire and foil skeleton inside. I began by adding clumps of clay to build up the general shape and then modeled by cutting away the clay using a craft knife. For features such as the hands I modeled them separately and then attached them once the rest had been competed and there was no risk of them being accidentally squished. 


I really enjoyed sculpting details such as his uniform and definitely want to try modelling characters again in the future. I am not sure this was the most effective way of creating the models as it was all very trial and error - there were definitely a lot of issues with this method. Also, I would like to experiment with modeling for animation in a similar way to how Aardman do - i.e. creating a number of different mouth poses, or hand poses.


After nervously baking the models I started the painting process. Due to Super Sculpey's properties I did not have to paint the base skin colour - I liked the texture of the clay and how it had a quality of warmth which was great for flesh. I did add some washes of colour on the skin but tried to keep it subtle.

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