Midztoyz: Let's make TOYz!

Workshop Recast dan sculpting

noreply@blogger.com (MidZ) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 05:33:00 PST

I will be doing a workshop on mold making, casting and probably a little sculpting this weekend. If you're interested and are in the area, please drop by. Also this is the last regular English post for this blog. I will post in Bahasa Indonesia from the next post onwards. Thank you for all my international readers. I will do a dual language post for special occasion, the upcoming and updated "Let's make an anime figure" for example.

So, stay tuned dan Selamat berkarya!

Sculpting Geometric

noreply@blogger.com (MidZ) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 21:41:00 PST

One of my favourite sculptor, Philippe Faraut, show how he uses geometric shapes to sculpt a myriad of faces. A must watch indeed!

Oil Clay Hot Box Tutorial for Sculpting

noreply@blogger.com (MidZ) — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 23:28:00 PDT

Working with wax and oil clay can be tricky if you don't know the method. The key here is by controlling temperature as in keeping the clay or wax warm. This video from youtube user stopmotion magazine show how to make a simple (and cheap) hot box to warm your clay and waxes. Basically all you need is a box, aluminium foil, some adhesive and of course the heat source which in this case is a 60 watt incandescent bulb.
Checkafter the jump for another simple hot box build by Mr. David Lemon (clayguy1).

Happy sculpting guys!

SCULPTING THE FEMALE TORSO by PETER RUBINO

noreply@blogger.com (MidZ) — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 18:43:00 PDT

A slideshow video from Peter Rubino's book, Sculpting the figure in clay. I'm very interested in the method he's using for making this torso. Reminds me of Burne Hogart's approach on drawing the human anatomy but in sculpture form. Good stuff!

You might want to also check other books these author wrote below

model Build "Kyubei-kun" illustration by aoi yuuki(悠木碧さんのイラストを立体化)

noreply@blogger.com (MidZ) — Sat, 28 May 2011 06:59:00 PDT

Remeber the Kyubi figure build video from a couple of post back? Well Youtube user Kakuzai2010 is at it again. This time his making Kyubei-kun, based on the illustration by Aoi Yuuki.
You can check his other builds at http://www.nicovideo.jp/mylist/3945321

Thanks to Masa from GKJapan.com for the heads up!

Takayuki Takeya Studio Visit | CollectionDX

noreply@blogger.com (MidZ) — Thu, 26 May 2011 04:48:00 PDT

Takayuki Takeya Studio Visit | CollectionDX

I've been a fan of Takayuki Takeya's work for a long time. This article on collection DX is like a mini tour of his studio. Just look at the pictures. LOOK AT IT!!!
Enough said.

Commission Started-Clayguy1's sculpting videos

noreply@blogger.com (MidZ) — Wed, 11 May 2011 19:18:00 PDT

Another great videos by Mr. Lemon (clayguy1). This time you get to see and learn how he start sculpting a woman bust. Armature, measurments, scales and such. Be sure to visit and subscribe to his channel (and while your at it, mine too. [/shameless plug]) watch his other videos too for more goodness and wish him well (he just been on an accident recently).

More of his videos after the break. Enjoy!

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Part 2 of this awesome series.

model Build "Kyubei"（キュゥべえさんを作ってみた）

noreply@blogger.com (MidZ) — Sat, 07 May 2011 06:43:00 PDT

A very interesting video on making a Kyubi figure (Mahou Shoujo Modoka) from scratch.
The material used by the author is polyester putty, commonly known as auto body filler.
I'm curious on what material the eyes are made of since I can't read Japanese. A great video on the process on making a figure from scratch.

Let's Make an Anime Figure!: The Torso

noreply@blogger.com (MidZ) — Wed, 04 May 2011 01:07:00 PDT

Finally! A new video is up on my "Let's sculpt an Anime Figure" series.
The topic this time is sculpting the torso. This is a general form of the torso so it can be made to be either male or female, although in this video I was aiming for an athletic female physique. The material used in this video was MwaxZ-E, the softest of the modeling waxes.
So enjoy and stay tuned for more videos from Midztoyz.

working with wax

noreply@blogger.com (MidZ) — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 01:13:00 PDT

Many people are not familiar with working with wax as a sculpting material. The only thing to keep in mind while working with wax is temperature management. Wax will soften and melt at high temperature and will stiffen and solidify when cooled. I get asked a lot on how to warm my waxes, especially the harder waxes, and make it pliable. Hopefully this video will answer some of those questions.

My warming station consist of a 15 watt, 220 volt mug warmer and a tin bowl with water in it. Also a rag for wiping excess water. The warm water will make the wax pliable and workable. Depending on the ambient temperature of the room you work in, that could mean from 30-90 seconds work time. I'll post more on my wax warmer set up in the next post (still need to record the voice over for that one).

Nagja the snake lady WIP

noreply@blogger.com (MidZ) — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 21:47:00 PDT

Started this sculpt to participate in The Clubhouse sculpting jam.
I've started several sculpture like this in the past but haven't finished even one. So this is the one that WILL be finished, with paint and all that jazz. Took my inspiration from FFXI lamia. Will probably change the head design. Sculpted in MwaxZ E, the soft type. The torso is about 10 cm. Since it is sculpted in soft wax, I will need to transfer it to a harder wax soon, or perhaps straight to resin for detailing and finishing. Shouldn't be too much of a hassle :)
More pictures after the break.
Also, stay tuned for more updates from my older projects. Toph included!

New mini compressor! and some rant about material and tools

noreply@blogger.com (MidZ) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 20:39:00 PST

Sorry, no sculpting related post this time.
Just want to share my new mini compressor kit, pictured above. I got it from perkakasku.com. It cost me around US$80 but in the long run it'll double my work efficiency. Here's why.

You might have heard that most professional people tell you that if it comes to tools, get the best. Which mean almost always getting the most expensive ones. I on the other hand always have the notion that the wielder is the most important factor and not the tool. This leads me to purchase the so-so quality tools and materials. Most of the time I found that an alternative material is just as good as the branded ones. For example, I could pay through my nose if I were to purchase Mori-mori. Instead a trip to the local builder store net me SanPolac, a polyester putty with the same qualities to Mori-Mori at a fraction of the price. I'm content. This also works with other materials in the hobby modeling, sculpting world. Take paint for example. I could just buy a bottle of 10ml Mr.Hobby paint or buy some 250ml good quality automotive paint at half the price. Again I opted for the later option. The only hassle is I need to mix and prep the paint before using it, but I always thought of it as honing my skill on paint mixing alchemy. Lately, I've been experimenting on making my own paints. I even formulated a base primer as an alternative for Mr. Surfacer. Really interesting stuff, maybe I'll share it sometimes.

But sometimes that though of spending less get the best of me. A prime example was with acrylic paints. Again I don't want to buy four 10ml bottle of acrylic model paint when I could buy a set of 12 colors artist acrylic for the same price. That logic is sound, but the mistake I did was buying a cheap set of acrylic paints. I was struggling more with thinning and have coverage problem and it was stressing me out. At the end, the paint job suffers. The paints was also notoriously quick to set, which means at the end of that project I got several dried up, rock hard tubes of paint. Some of them were more than half full. Later I learn that most cheap acrylic paints have more filler and solvents than pigments and these are the culprit for my earlier woes. I now buy the more expensive brand of acrylic paints (Reeves, I love that brand). Still can't get myself to buy those high end brand though. So here's a tip for buying an acrylic paint set for modeling and hobby, If the lid of the tubes have those pointy things that you need to puncture the tube with, DON'T BUY THEM!

And we arrive at my new mini compressor kit. This is another case that my thriftiness gets the best of me. My first compressor was a 1/4 hp with a 6 gallon reservoir tank. And it was LOUD. I opted out in getting a quieter compressor because of the price and at that time I only do a couple of jobs and commission that can be finished at the day time. My workshop are in a residential neighborhood. I don't have a problem when making noise in the day time but doing painting and other compressor related stuff at night is a no-no. Lately with more commission and projects coming in, I find myself overwhelmed. But since I can't use my compressor at night, most of the job must be postponed until daybreak.
That's when my new compressor comes in. This mini compressor is way quieter than my regular compressor so I can get my paint on at night, doubling my efficiency. Plus I always feels more relax at night, so it helps when painting (and getting those deadlines). So in conclusion, If you want to invest in a tool do think about in the long run. You can skimp out when you're short on cash but make sure to upgrade when the time comes, and don't be stingy!

Watch the Sasano-Bori Carving Technique Live!

noreply@blogger.com (MidZ) — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 02:17:00 PST

It might not be anime sculpting, but this video is interesting in so many ways. Creation of a sculpture, check. The person doing it have madz skillz, check. Big ass knife, check!

While we're on the subject of carving, check the video after the jump for something even more interesting!
The video title said it all. Watch it till the end to be amazed. And yes, at the first minutes I guess he's making a dildo too. What? You didn't think so?

And here's a slideshow from Peter Rubino's Sculpting the Figure in Clay

Sculpting the Figure in Clay: An Artistic and Technical Journey to Understanding the Creative and Dynamic Forces in Figurative Sculpture

homemade sculpting tool

noreply@blogger.com (MidZ) — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 07:47:00 PST

This is the tool seen in the anime face making video. It's made from a used wooden chopstick that I shape and sanded to make it smooth. After sanding I coat the thing with some laquer to keep it shiny, smooth and easy to clean. Sometimes the best tools are the ones you craft yourself, because who's better to know what you need and want but yourself?

Here's a couple of detail shot of the tool.

Happy sculpting everyone!

Making /Co/lette part 1

noreply@blogger.com (MidZ) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 20:02:00 PST

This post is long overdue. It was supposed to be up Tuesday, but better late than never.

These are WIPs pics of a side project I'm working on. She's Colette, a character created by the denizen of 4chan's /Co/ board.
I'll try to document the process of making this figure from sculpting, molding, casting, painting and finishing.
So let's do this!

The material I used is MwaxZ E, my softest modeling wax. I'm not going to make an armature out of wire. I'm going at it straight to wax, with wax 'armature'. I just cut a long strip of wax and divide it into 8 parts. Why 8? for proportion of course. The concept is the same as in figure drawing. I then start to flesh out the major parts of the body, mainly the rib cage and pelvis and continue fleshing out the base form for the figure.

I continue to flesh out the torso and adding the major muscle groups. The way I almost do all my figures are torso > legs > arms > head. Learned that from Burne Hogarth's excellent how to draw books. Here I've finished fleshing out both legs. Look at them thighs!

After finally deciding on a pose, the looking-back pose, I continue to tune the shape and start adding arms. Making sure to make the muscles believable (to a degree), it's best to keep lots of reference.If you haven't done so, check out Matt's Comic tools blog. It really helped me in sculpting the leg and back muscles.

And this is the result of about 2 hours of work. BOOBIES! I'm sorry I skip taking photos while sculpting the head, but it's essentially the same as in the video I post earlier. I've adjusted the pose a bit since it was skewed.

That's it for part 1. In the next part I'll be making some waste moulds and get into detailing the costume and probably other stuff I don't know yet. So be sure to stay tuned next week (hopefully sooner though)!

Until then, happy sculpting everyone!

Head batches!

noreply@blogger.com (MidZ) — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 06:20:00 PST

These were the test heads I made for last week's 'Let's Sculpt an Anime-ish face' video.
They're good as a warm up exercise and serve as a quick sketch to get the my mood going. See the last piece there? Yep, she's on the way, sadly not as an action figure though. Probably a small 6" figurines.

More tomorrow! Stay tuned!

comic tools

noreply@blogger.com (MidZ) — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 16:50:00 PST

comic tools

This week 'Let's make an anime figure' post is a bit late. In the mean time, scoot on over to Matt Bernier's Comic tools blog. What is a blog about comic got to do with sculpting anime figurines? A lot actually.

The key for making a good and believable figure, drawing or sculpture, is an understanding of anatomy. Sure you can learn all the names of the bones and muscles but sometimes you just need a quick reference point. Matt's tutorial on drawing the human figure is great for this. Go to his tutorial and read up on the skeletal system. You can adapt this when you're making your armature. After that go on and read about the muscles. It helped me quite a lot, especially the leg and back muscles. As a starting point, just clik on the link above. It'll bring you his post about constructing the torso part of the skeletal system and then read on from there. Really really good stuff.

So in short, go there and learn some basic anatomy, and I'll post the first part of 'Let's make an anime figure' soon.

Sculpting open eyes in clay. Sculpting tutorial.

noreply@blogger.com (MidZ) — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 19:12:00 PST

Having trouble sculpting eyes? I do. Then watch this video by JoannnaModzdzen about sculpting the eyes. She does great masks too.

let's sculpt an anime-ish face!

noreply@blogger.com (MidZ) — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 04:22:00 PST

Finally! The first video of Midz's workbench is live!
This will hopefully be a series of video tutorial on making an anime figure.
I will try and upload a new video every week. So stay tuned!

This is my method on sculpting an anime-ish face for my figures. The material used in this video is my own wax blend, MwaxZ type E. The tool is made using a discarded wooden chopstick from a noodle takeout. Perhaps it would be better if I made a picture gallery accompanying this video with some desctiption text. Maybe next time.
The smooth easy listening music is "Uonin's Piece" by Manu Cornet. I really like this song very much.

Enjoy!

ポケットの中のアトリエ Pocketable atelier　女性の顔　1　Woman's face

noreply@blogger.com (MidZ) — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 00:37:00 PST

A very nice video series by Youtube user Nakanokay. it's Poketable Atelier!
Check the channel for more of this little treasures. There's even Woody and Thomas too!

Simon 'Spiderzero' lee sculpting demo

noreply@blogger.com (MidZ) — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 07:56:00 PST

Not long ago I was called up by a friend to join a live streamcast. He just said that it will be awesome. And it was. Below is the video from that live stream.

Simon Lee is a sculptor and designer with a real knack in creature designs. You can find more of his work through his site at www.bigbluetree.com. In the video he guides us in his sculpting process, from making an armature, fleshing the musculature, dynamic posing, and much more. There are a brief Q&A section at the beginning and near the end. It's quite long though, so you might want to skip ahead (but I recommend not to).
Be sure to visit his youtube channel at http://www.youtube.com/SimonLeeSpiderzero
Enjoy!

*Here's the link f you have trouble seeing the embedded video http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/11591107

In other news,The warm up project is almost ready. I know I said it will be ready in 48 hours but something come up. My HDD is dying and giving me very VERY bad access time/ transfer rate (384.7 kb/s on ultra dma 5! FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF~). So I spend most of the day reinstalling and setting up my Ubuntu box on a new drive. Still need to sort some stuff for the post, hopefully it'll be up by tomorrow evening.

See you tomorrow!

Midztoyz in changing....

noreply@blogger.com (MidZ) — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 20:02:00 PST

It's a new year and with it come new resolutions!
As you might notice, I've change the layout of the page a bit. Hopefully for the better. For me, the colors are more pleasant for those midnight browser.
This year will be the return of the "Let's make an Anime figure" tutorial series. And this time it will be done to completion. The first project of the year will be a little warm up. The first post will be due in 48 hours.
This project will at least get updated twice weekly, hopefully thrice weekly.
We will also be doing a comeback on the action-figure part that has been so long overdue like the Fire nation girls *cough* ..toph.. *cough*. Oh and I finally able to take international orders for the waxes I'm making. YAY!

So check back in 2 days to see the first step of this transformation.
It the mean time, browse the old archive, see some videos, buy some stuff (or at least click the links) and enjoy!

This year is going to be awesome!

How to Sculpt Wolverine : Part 2 - Roughing out Forms

noreply@blogger.com (MidZ) — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 19:46:00 PST

A great tutorial video by artist Julian Khor. For those of you that follows Conceptart's Comiquette Challenge 2010 (CC2010), this piece will be very familiar. Go to his channel and browse the videos thare. You'll find a treasure trove of sculpting goodness.

Claudio Setti: female maquette sculpting in oil clay...

noreply@blogger.com (MidZ) — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 19:11:00 PST

Claudio Setti, is one of my heroes in sculpting.
I can't believe I missed this video the first time around. You can always learn something by just watching a pro at work. Here he used Chavant NSP medium for the sculpt.

Humble Indie Bundle 2

noreply@blogger.com (MidZ) — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 17:09:00 PST

Other than sculpting, my other hobby is playing video games. Preferably at bargain prices.
This is an awesome bundle of indie games and you can name your price too. Get the games and give some charity while you're at it. I've already got Machinarium and it is a beautiful piece of indie gaming development with great soundtrack. I highly recommend it if you like old school point and click adventure.

You can see all the games lined up in the video. And get this, if you pay more than $7.51, you'll get the last year's Humble Indie Bundle too. The world of Goo is reason enough for a definite purchase. You'll also get Samorost 2, a point and click adventure game from the same developer as Machinarium. WIN!

So pay up (what you want, preferably more than $8) and game on!

There will be some major changes to be conducted in the blog next week. For all of you who waited for the Fire Nation Girls... well, at least you'll be seeing one of them.