Sculpting Comic Book and Game Characters: Materials

MATERIALS 

In order to begin any sculpting endeavor the first thing you will need is space of your own and one that is preferably away from the distractions of everyday life such as the TV or your family. Ideally it is a place where you can just relax and let you be immersed in the work and not be disturbed by outside distractions.

You will need a fairly large surface with an adequate amount of working space, like a table or desk, with enough room to allow you to place your sculpture, a small turntable, tools, clay and reference materials without being too crammed. A nice comfortable chair would be ideal also since you would be sitting for hours at a time. Alternatively, if you prefer standing, there are a number of commercially available sculpting stands out on the market that are great for working standing up and can be adjusted to different heights according to your needs. They can vary in price greatly according to the make and model so a little shopping around may be necessary. Usually when working with sculptures intended to be made into collectables or toys they are fairly small in scale so a desk is quite sufficient.

Inevitably your surface could get damaged while working so it is a good idea not to work on your good dining room table. If that is your only choice then it would be a good idea to protect it in some fashion. A piece of Masonite large enough to cover you working area is ideal as this will prevent and dings dents or scrapes to occur. Make sure it covers the area where you are working. Even small sculpting tools will make little dents in fine furniture when dropped. One other thing to keep in mind is that bits and pieces of clay and wax can get stuck and ruin a carpet so ideally it is best to work on a floor that can be easily cleaned! If you must work on a carpet then take additional care by covering it up with an old area rug or a synthetic plastic sheet.

IKEA Work Light $9.99

Lighting is also extremely important but luckily doesn’t have to be too fancy. Many sculptors use a simple desk lamp with an adjustable arm. These are quite common and can be found at your local furniture store. Some artists like to use two lamps on either side of the working surface to better show the sculpted volumes while not leaving any harsh shadows that can obstruct details. 

The two light set-up allows for a more even distribution similar to natural light. Of course natural light is the best as long as it isn’t direct sunlight but more often then not you will want to have a set of lamps that you can adjust to suit your work.