Sculpture — Stan Winston School of Character Arts Forums

Dilophosaurus bust

Yael Alcantara — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 06:04:50 +0000

Hello again! This time I’m here to show my latest sculpture, it took me about two days and 5lbs of clay probably. I did it following the classes on how to sculpt a dinosaur and I think it didn’t turn out bad at all, I’m pretty happy of the result as this my first dinosaur head sculpt. Now time to move onto other classes.

Chavant Y2 Klay

Jeffrey Mahon — Sun, 28 Jun 2026 19:01:53 +0000

Does anyone use the Chavant Industrial design Y2 Klay?

I recently used it and it’s AMAZING. I’ve used WED, Chavant NSP and Monster Clay and even though I love working with those clays, Y2Klay is so much easier. The noticeable difference is its firm but “creamy” in that it doesn’t flake. You can move it around and it blends well into itself. Because it’s used in industrial design, it smooths amazing and takes great detail.

It’s not that expensive either. A two pound round is about $20.00. I live near Las Vegas and I just sit it outside for a little while to soften. Chavant says you can heat it in the oven at 135F for a few minutes also to soften it. I’m sure it can be liquified, but in its softened state, you can build up mass amazingly quick.

My clay keeps cracking and not sticking together, help please

Yael Alcantara — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 05:39:57 +0000

Hi! As the title says, my clay keeps cracking up despite still being soft and un-baked, I’m sculpting a dinosaur head and it was fine for the first 3 hours but after I left for an hour, I came back to a fully broken jaw, it fell off the head in a weird cracked way as if it was already dry but it isn’t. I tried too attach it back but after 20 minutes working on it, it started to crack again and the clay won’t stick together the top of the head, what can I do? I’m using Original Sculpey that I bought from Amazon since it’s a cheaper alternative to Monster Clay.

Baby Spinosaurus sleeping <3

Yael Alcantara — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 05:49:21 +0000

Hey there! I just wanted to share my very first sculpture ever, I wanted to make this as a gift for someone who loves the Jurassic Park 3 Spinosaurus so much and I thought it would be cute to make a juvenile version inspired by the in-game model of Jurassic World Evolution 3.
I know there’s lots of improvement areas to explore, especially in the skin detailing so I’ll get to work more on that by sculpting a dinosaur head next, excited to get started.

I'm just taking notes for pre-making my blueprints, but need some help with Monster Clay

Sydney Curry — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 23:30:16 +0000

I'm only taking some notes for the time of the sculpting phase; I am trying to find a proper DIY Monster Clay recipe that is both non-toxic, cheap and effective. Does anyone have a formula that fits the bill of what I'm going for that I can use toward my blueprinting and notes

How do i smooth this out?

Ndmoy — Sun, 22 Mar 2026 10:41:46 +0000

I used chavant nsp clay for the sculp and i was wondering how do i smooth it out to remove finger marks, this is my first time making a prosthetic so i was wondering also how could i make it better or if i should change something. Thanks in advance!!

Casting WED clay, cracking

Silly Duffer — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 01:21:58 +0000

I recently finished a full-size head and shoulders sculpture out of WED clay. I kept it hydrated while working on it, but once I was happy with it I figured I would let it dry, then make a silicone mold from the dry piece.

Unfortunately I think I am going about this wrong, since the clay has started to crack now that it is drying. When is the appropriate time to make a mold of a WED clay sculpture? Should I have been making a mold while it was still wet? Is it possible to make a mold of a dry WED model? Is my sculpture going to fall apart?

Any help or advice would be much appreciated. Just to be clear, I am aware of how to keep the clay moist while working on it, I thought that once it was finished it would be safe to let it dry.

The two photos are from a couple days of drying.

First attempt at scultping in 30 years!

Joseph Wiginton — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 22:26:40 +0000

Hello! I studied a ton of these courses earlier this year on sculpting, but didnt have any clay or tools. Finally got my tools and some monster clay, and started this afternoon on this. Before this, I havent touched clay in 30 years. I 3D printed a skull and applied the clay ontop of it! I dont have any isopropyl myristate so cant smooth just yet. I dont hate it! 5 hours in. Going to spend the next week on it. Will check in with progress.

Dividing Wall Silicone Mold

EddieBoom — Sat, 17 Jan 2026 01:45:01 +0000

Hi Everybody,

I took my oil based clay sculpture and coated it in silicone. I then built a clay dividing wall around it. I was going to coat the silicone with 2 coats of PVA , a coat of Caranuba wax and then make a fiberglass mother mold. This is my first time doing this so I wanted to ask if this is the proper procedure and if I’m missing anything? Thanks for your help?

Vespout Biker Girl Bust

German Silesky — Sat, 10 Jan 2026 00:38:28 +0000

Hello and Happy New Year to everyone!
I've been missing from this forum for quite a bit of time, however I haven't stopped sculpting.

This is my latest piece, I impulsivelly bought a motorcycle helmet even though I don't own a bike. Because of this, I had to find an excuse for the money spent, so I made one up.

I designed and 3d modeled this cute pouting stilized biker girl, just to make a bust and put the helmet on her head!

Modeled in Zbrush, and 3d printed in PLA, then, sanded, primed, filled, sanded, primed and painted by hand, (no shortcuts there).

The Helmet came with different accesories, so I can choose how to dress it up.

A couple of process pics:

And the full 3d model from where I then printed the head:

Head sculpting pole ?

Christopher — Fri, 26 Dec 2025 14:57:57 +0000

I'm watching the tutorial on human head sculptures. I don't want to sculpt a head as big as in the tutorial rather half the size so what is the pipe and such to which the WED clay is being placed on ?

Also I'm considering starting with WED clay over the common Monster Clay but I live in cold climate (Canada) as in parts of the USA. How can I soften the clay if I should not sculpt for a few days or should I use an alternative clay and what is recommended ?

Wooden Turntable

Christopher — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 23:49:57 +0000

Where can I find the wooden turn table as in the; How to Sculpt a Creature: Maquette Sculpting Techniques ?

Unfortunately I don't have a garage so I'm looking for a effective low cost solution.

Choosing the Right Armature for a Full-Head Silicone Mask: Lifecast vs. Ed Armature

Daniel Schmitt — Sun, 16 Nov 2025 15:12:38 +0000

I would like to make a full-head silicone mask for the first time soon. I'm not quite sure whether it would be better to sculpt it on my own lifecast or on my Monster Makers Ed armature. I've read that masks like this are better made on a tighter armature, but Ed is really very small compared to my head (call me Elephant Man...). Can anyone help me here? Thanks in advance!

Part 7 Jason Voorhees

James Shaver — Tue, 07 Oct 2025 01:59:03 +0000

I have had a number of my customers ask me since i make the body pieces for the Part 7 cosplay why i don;t have a head or hands...well i did sculpt some hands a couple of years ago and when i cast them found that the wrists were too small and as for the head..well I started to do a Part 2 Jason for another silicone mask....and decided to try and convert it to a Part 7...so the following photos are where i am at the moment along with the progression ones..Most of this was done "live" via video or FB lives so the photos only tell a portion of the story..

Karloff's Monster

James Shaver — Sun, 03 Aug 2025 15:06:36 +0000

Been working on both a new sculpture as well as a new venture...making my rendition of Karloff's Frankenstein for a friends Dad and as a silicone mask...Started out with a Neill's armature and the TOTS Frankenstein mask i rehauled for him as a physical reference. Of course a lot of this was done by video and LIVES through Facebook/Instagram Photo progression starts from the bottom of the page ( i do not know how to make the pictures scroll chronologically)

Alien Chest Burster

Daren — Mon, 26 May 2025 22:40:49 +0000

Hello,

I am really new to sculpting with clay. However, I recently purchased some medium Monster Clay to give it a try. Since I was a kid, I have been a huge fan of both Aliens and Predator franchises. With that being said, I am wanting to attempt to sculpt a version of the Alien chest burster from the 1979 film. Since I am a visual learner, I decided to 3D printout a full size Alien chest burster so I have something to reference as I am created this sculpt. I have watched numerous video's on sculpting with clay and know I need to start with a armature made of wire etc. However, with this particular project I really am not sure where to start. Reason is, I want to sculpt the alien with it's tail so I can make a mold to cast the finished piece. Attached is a picture of what I am using for my reference. For my sculpt I am looking at making the tail straight so I can cast a piece in silicone. Ultimately the goal is to make a chest burster like the one scene in AVP where the Scar Predator catches the chest burster mid air and snaps it neck. So what I am in need of help to do is advice on how to start this project via the wire armature.

Thank you in advance for any advice, Daren

Would love some feedback/advice! Sculptor just getting into sfx sculpting

Hannah Mcgrath — Mon, 19 May 2025 02:09:26 +0000

Working on wounds- just started practicing and discovering them a week ago. Would love your feedback on this - I’m not finished/super aware the edges aren’t properly blended which is important. I’ve also attached the grumpysculptor reference I’m working from. Thanks so so much

Final Chapter Jason Voorhees

James Shaver — Fri, 09 May 2025 02:44:05 +0000

Doing up a sculpting of the Final Chapter Jason to make a silicone display bust with a prop machete to the head..This has been by far the MOST challenging sculpting I've done to date as it entails tons of wrinkles and scarring tissues..working from the Ted White in makeup photos rather than the animatronic dummy shots to try and capture the true Ted White look

When do you know it's done

Guy Fitz — Sat, 08 Feb 2025 15:01:06 +0000

I never feel like it's finished. I always think there is more I should do or that it could be better.
I also feel like I'm done. Like that's all I can think of doing.
Anyway if anyone can take a look and let me know what they think I would appreciate it.
One is a Vampire monster brow and cheeks bones.
The other is going to be a tiki torch.

Got a little carried away with a practice sculpt

London Ortega — Wed, 22 Jan 2025 18:20:48 +0000

So, I sculpted an Oc of mine from my own series. I got a little carried away, still have to sculpt the neck, but I’m genuinely considering learning how to make a mask for him. Probably silicone as I don’t have the space or oven to safely cast latex. I’m in a small space with a very tight budget. Also I don’t know where to get materials for silicone mask making. Any suggestions?

Testing Clay for Sulphur?

Cosmognome — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 19:58:03 +0000

I’m new to the site and to sculpting. I have some clay that was given to me by a sculptor at an auto maker back from when they sculpted life sized models of the vehicles. Based on my limited experience, it is some kind of oil-based clay, holds detail great and softens with heat. Is there a way to test to see if it has sulphur in it, since I’d eventually like to make silicone molds and I’d like to avoid heartbreak and tragedy. I am tempted to sculpt something small and see if the silicone hardens… and I’m curious if there’s some obvious, non-destructive test. (Also, I have Monster Clay on back order from Dick Blick)

My second attempt at sculpting with clay

Rottweiler — Wed, 27 Mar 2024 05:22:13 +0000

This is my second go round at sculpting. With this one I wanted to model the design after Kurt Barlow and see where it takes me. I used WED clay again, and again I was unable to keep up with the clay. I move slow due to available time, lack of experience, and "being overly critical" so I'm told to where I'll constantly change things, and it dried out on me again (yes even after spray bottles of water, paper towels and trash bags at the end of each session.) I'm thinking it maybe better to go with the Chavant oil based clay next time.

Looking for some molding suggestions and other considerations

Jason Jacobs — Tue, 22 Oct 2024 03:31:33 +0000

Hello all,

I'm getting close to wrapping up a piece that I want to cast in resin and I'm looking for some insight on molding.

This piece has a lot of fine detail and nooks and crannies and I'm not certain on how to approach the casting process. This is my biomechanical homage to HR Giger - the head, tail, and two smaller heads all detach. Some views for reference are below the text.

My initial thought was to do a brush on mold for the body with Rebound 25 and a support shell using free-form air. My thought was due to the small details and nooks, brushing in the silicone would be best so details were not missed (print layer), and bubbles were avoided, as well as saving a ton of silicone.

The head - was thinking a box mold, or potentially a two piece mold. The two piece mold may be overkill - I'm not certain - but I also wanted to have some practice at doing one. I thought I might be able to run the seam line along the base of the jaw and up along the midline raised rail. The two smaller heads and tail would be box molds.

I have a vacuum chamber and a pressure pot. I was thinking the pressure pot would be perfect for curing the resin in the mold due to all of the detail and potential for bubbles, but I've read you should have your silicone mold made under pressure as well to avoid micro bubbles/impressions on your piece when you get to curing the resin in the pressure pot. If I do a brush on mold, this step doesn't seem possible.

I see this piece as having a hundred different ways to capture bubbles, and have never seen anyone run vents on a brush on mold, so maybe box mold would be best.

My questions:

Would I be better off doing the body in a box mold, allowing for as many vents as needed, as well as putting the silicone under pressure when making the mold?
When putting a sculpt under pressure while making the silicone mold: do I run the risk of the sculpture collapsing under the pressure (this is sculpted in Monster clay medium)? I haven't seen anyone remark on this, and cannot find anything about it.
Would a 2 part mold be a better approach for the body, and just box molds for all of the heads and tail?
the nooks, crannies, etc. - are they going to post significant problems? I thought the brush mold approach might overcome this due to being able to apply thick silicone to any undercuts. I'm hoping to capture the fine details, and after a suggestion, have patched in some of it. But not a whole lot.

Thank you in advance for any insight you may be able to provide!

Ben Gardner from JAWS

James Shaver — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 18:32:26 +0000

I know Greg Nicotero had the original head 3d scanned and printed ..molded and cast BUT thought it might be nice to show that people can STILL sculpt by hand..;)

The THING dog

James Shaver — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 15:16:48 +0000

Working on a life-sized build of the THING dog..molding it and casting it in resin with foam filling to keep it lightweight...only problem is having to cast the legs and head in resin which adds weight to the structure..for the first one it may not be a problem but i am going to try to cast the head in foam as well as the legs..the tentacles will be cast in resin due to the thinnest of them

Monster clay Gorilla Bust

Andrew Tiedje — Tue, 09 Apr 2024 17:44:34 +0000

my first attempt at a Goriila.

Wood nymph sculpted by Frankie Barclay

Frankie — Sat, 31 Aug 2024 12:16:45 +0000

https://youtube.com/shorts/R7Rr2KKsKMk?si=IxWbrQOzTS_g1z5_ https://youtube.com/shorts/pot8QjKmppQ?si=jOlMD4l6cg2mtGgL 7Another head in the fantasy series of clay sculpts I have been exploring recently.

https://youtube.com/shorts/pot8QjKmppQ?si=jOlMD4l6cg2mtGgL

This one has been on a journey , first head blew up in kiln shattering the neck base. Second structure now going through glazing and firing process.

https://youtube.com/shorts/T1pq3DpmH9s?si=NKwT8Ex2WAO3oUhy

You can check outYou can check out how this character gets on over on my instagram. https://www.instagram.com/frankiebarclay18?igsh=cG5ncmE2ZDN5Y3k4
Not for faint hearted though kiln gods can be brutal🫣

PATRIARCH" sculpt byFrankie Barclay

Frankie — Fri, 30 Aug 2024 19:40:55 +0000

Character sculpture for Dungeon and Dragons game in development c

https://youtube.com/shorts/1JUgOPc8UOM?si=OEDh2BYtWoWQ7yWZ
You can check my progress with these guys on my instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/frankiebarclay18?igsh=cG5ncmE2ZDN5Y3k4

PINEAL THIRD EYE PROSTHETIC MAKE-UP APPLIANCE

Tom Luca — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 15:45:28 +0000

The Widow.

Dimafry — Sat, 24 Aug 2024 12:45:38 +0000

I was inspired by the body and the love rites of praying mantises...
So I naturally called her the Widow.