Super Sculpey | Making Sculptures with Model Dough

Since my childhood, I enjoy the benefits of having many siblings in my life. When you are the eldest of siblings, it becomes easier for you to manage them, somehow find games, hobbies, new sports areas, share them with them, and tell stories. This is how all our pastimes were born, from collecting stamps when we were little, to making our own toys, from storytelling to a thousand kinds of hobbies we find on the streets. When people reach middle age, they look for new hobbies. I got into photography ten years ago. What I have found now is to make trinkets and sculptures with model dough.

This time it was Atilla that caught my attention! He is an artist who produces digital products, and he is also my childhood friend. It is very good with 3D modeling.
(Here are a couple of examples from his online works: www.instagram.com/atilla3d

He bought a dough to improve himself. At first I thought it was the dough the kids played with. But what piqued my interest were the wood-shaping tools he took with him. When I looked carefully, I noticed that the dough had a elasticity far beyond that of play dough. With the tools in hand, he quickly formed a human head. I really like the idea. So why not? I’m not usually someone who finds a teacher and goes to a course and has a hobby. I go to work. I read like crazy about the subject, I watch as many youtube videos as there are. I try, I try, I try. I meet the experts. I ask my key questions. I show people the work that comes out of the hobby and ask about the shortcomings. I find methods, I tell them so that others can feel the same excitement.

This time it was like 🙂that. First I learned the brand. Now, I am not a person who promotes many branded products. I have written many articles on this blog. About why I hate when people praise or advertise an undeserved product they don’t believe in. For this reason, I would like to say that I do not give the brand of the dough 🙂, but it is not that easy. The product is the best malleable product of the century and is named after major animation studios, trinket makers, the film industry, sculptors, and its name is no longer a brand and has become the definition of this type of dough. just like saying selpak handkerchief. Now the name of the product has become synonymous with the brand. Yes, this dough is Super Sculpey.

Image: A Bruce Lee figurine by artist Arnie Kim. I really think he is a very successful artist.

When we look at the general characteristics of the dough:

It doesn’t need to be wet like clay.
It doesn’t dry out like play dough outdoors.
When you knead a little by hand, it becomes soft immediately.
It doesn’t break when pulled, it doesn’t fall apart, it has a great flexibility.
When you complete the shaping of the figurine or model you have made and you like it, when you heat it in an oven at 130 ° C for 15 – 30 minutes, it turns into stone and does not disperse anymore.
It has a ceramic-like clay structure.
When you buy the skin-colored box, you can make very realistic human sculptures.
If you want your trinket to be durable, you can prepare its skeleton using a double layer of soft wire.
It gives a translucent appearance, which is wonderful that it resembles the light-transmitting skin texture.
Due to its structure, it can be carved, sanded, drilled after baking. Caution: Do not use a microwave oven. Do not bake a sculpture you have baked once again.

How to Work with Super Sculpey

First of all, in order to keep your dough clean, do not work on carpets, fluffy cloth covers, and prefer a flat and hard floor such as a table.

May your hands be clean. And when you’re done, wash your hands, even if you play a little. I am not saying that the product is poisonous, do not be alarmed, but it still leaves a layer on the hand, after all, it should be washed.

When you start work, knead the dough a lot, let it become soft. Give it the general shape.

Remove parts, add and shape with various tools. You can make the basic skeleton with crumpled compressed aluminum foil. Putting dough on it makes your job easier. You can use soft wire instead of foil when making a horse sculpture. It makes your job easier to bend the wire in two layers, not just one. For this, there is an easy way that I have seen in youtube videos, the wire attached to the drill bit is slowly rotated and doubled.

It’s really exciting to use the above stylers. Mine is not exactly this set. I bought multiple sets. When necessary, I use everything I find to shape it.

However, there is a bit of a “tool works, hand is proud” situation in such works.

The following site explains the steps you can follow while working:
http://emisfard.com/sculpture/how-to-clone-yourself-in-polymer-clay/

IMPORTANT NOTES:

This is not play dough. Not recommended for those under 8 years old. I think it may have been thought that they might accidentally put it in their mouths. Play dough will come in handy for most kids anyway. The dough mentioned in this article should be considered as a material that adults will use for hobby purposes.

PRICES:

However, many tiny trinkets can be made with about half a kilo of dough. And since you break it down and redo it over and over during the learning process, it seems to be one of the least within your budget for any hobby.

Second, there are wood and metal forming tools. It’s not easy to explain. But the more you try the place where you will use each tool, the better you will grasp it. Although shaping by hand is the basis of the work here, as I said, the tool is working and the hand is proud.🙂

Image: http://cammiupton.weebly.com/sculpture.html

WHAT TO DO IF Dough DRY?

The dough is very compatible with daily use and does not dry easily. But the dough should not be left in the sun for a long time, in extreme heat, it is best to store it in a dry, sun-free place and if possible in a refrigerator bag. However, I have heard from my readers that when it is taken from some places, it comes dried in a cardboard.

If we forget the dough outside for months, it is possible to soften it by hand with a lot of effort. But there are two easy ways. The manufacturer’s recommendation is to buy “Sculpey Clay Softener”, I think the price is not cheap. I haven’t tried it, adding a few drops to the dough is enough.

The cheap solution found by amateurs like us is baby oil. 🙂
The following site explains how to soften dry sculpy dough with baby oil.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Renew-Dried-Out-Sculpey/

VIDEOS:

Now even though some people don’t like having youtube videos in the text, it seems silly to me to say to you “Go look for it”. Below I am adding the sculpting methods that I like, the methods used for the model, the inspiring approaches and the video list I prepared. You can select it from the Playlist below the video image. May the force be with you, my friends. 🙂From now on, Star Wars Jedi – whether you build planes, models, whether you sculpt celebrities or make tiny statues of your loved ones is your business.

Image: http://alenawooten.blogspot.com/2010/08/gray-super-sculpey-about-9-inches-long.html

Image: http://revenant-99.deviantart.com/art/T-Rex-sculpt-in-super-sculpey-132379314

Image: http://www.sideshowcollectors.com/forums/showthread.php?t=74191

ONE TWO MODELS FROM ME

I’m adding it for your courage. This is my first works. I guess it’s going to be good. In other words, it is not necessary to be a graduate of art school. It’s a hobby. Don’t bore yourself, try it and enjoy.🙂