Satan Farted
New Member
Heya!
It's ya boy,
SF-FX.
I've finally come around to making this tutorial for my process of making Flood parts.
Blame my laziness for the long wait on makin' this tutorial.
Will be splitting different parts into comments because my insert image feature straight up isn't working correctly, so to keep images relevant to the section, this'll be the compromise. This is definitely going to be refined and changed as time goes, feel free to ask further questions if need be. More media incoming too.
PART 1: SCULPTING:
So, first things first, you need the basics to begin
For my Dirgesinger(Gravemind) helmet I used images of the in-game model for reference. Using the references or the idea you have, start to think about what parts may need to be removed/added from the prop to achieve the look you're going for.
For the Gravemind helmet I needed to cut the jaw off of the MK7 helmet I was using as a base. For Trendlock, I wanted the front to be split open, so cutting down the middle and sides was needed to get that look. A heatgun and scissors or soldering iron helps a lot with cutting 3D prints
Before even touching the foam clay, you'll want to use whatever you can to build up the surface without foam clay.
This is for a couple reasons:
Beginning to Sculpt:
Actually sculpting the part is much easier than you'd probably think! You might look at my sculpts and ask "How did he get this detail in like that?" and honestly, I have no clue! Even when going off of things that are seen in game, like Dirgesinger, I went off of vibes more than sticking to each and every detail in the game model.
One, because I don't hate myself that much to stick to 100% accuracy.
Two, I find it more fun to sculpt my own growths inspired by the reference, this helps with naturally getting the flowing, organic, look the flood is known for
As for tools for sculpting... you don't need any! There's no tool you can control better than your own hands.
Depending on how detailed your prop will be you may need to work in layers, Dirgesinger was sculpted in 3 main layers that each had their own time to dry: Basic mouth shape, detailed mouth, then everything else. This was to help avoid sagging while still being structurally sound.
Something that's going to make everything much easier is getting your foam clay and the surface that is going to be touching the clay is wet, bring out some water and apply as much water as you need, the more water that is added the less the clay wants to stay as one piece. Just a dunk into water is normally all that's needed, if more is needed just add some as your sculpting.
The wonderful thing about sculpting with foam clay is that it's organic by nature, pretty much anything you make will look as if it was always intended to look like that. All over my sculpts there's divots, folds, little lines that I didn't intentionally make, it was just the foam clay doing it's thing.
My best advice when starting a sculpt is to not fight the clay to get exactly what you want, go along with the way it's layering and flowing.
I can not stress enough, there is no doing the Flood wrong, do not worry about it looking 100% right, because nothing about the flood is consistent , from the surface finish, glowy boils, to the very way an infected person is affected.
Some techniques to sculpt
These need to be planned from the start, mostly due to needing to sculpt around them and needing to make holes under them for lighting to be able to shine through.
This section will need to be expanded on in a different part.
LINKS:
It's ya boy,
SF-FX.
I've finally come around to making this tutorial for my process of making Flood parts.
Blame my laziness for the long wait on makin' this tutorial.
Will be splitting different parts into comments because my insert image feature straight up isn't working correctly, so to keep images relevant to the section, this'll be the compromise. This is definitely going to be refined and changed as time goes, feel free to ask further questions if need be. More media incoming too.
PART 1: SCULPTING:
So, first things first, you need the basics to begin
- Foam Clay(any will do, i'll link what i've been using recently though)
- Water
- Aluminum foil (Optional but highly recommended)
- The prop/armor part that is getting the flood treatment
For my Dirgesinger(Gravemind) helmet I used images of the in-game model for reference. Using the references or the idea you have, start to think about what parts may need to be removed/added from the prop to achieve the look you're going for.
For the Gravemind helmet I needed to cut the jaw off of the MK7 helmet I was using as a base. For Trendlock, I wanted the front to be split open, so cutting down the middle and sides was needed to get that look. A heatgun and scissors or soldering iron helps a lot with cutting 3D prints
Before even touching the foam clay, you'll want to use whatever you can to build up the surface without foam clay.
This is for a couple reasons:
- To ensure the foam clay has something to grip to as it's drying
- To use less clay: this helps with some big things:
- Foam clay will sag as it dries, the less that is used, the less the sagging will effect the final sculpt
- To help make sure the structure of the prop is still sturdy, as foam clay can crack/break when dry
- The thicker the layer of foam clay is, the longer it'll take for it to dry, meaning it'll take longer to be able to start the next steps
Beginning to Sculpt:
Actually sculpting the part is much easier than you'd probably think! You might look at my sculpts and ask "How did he get this detail in like that?" and honestly, I have no clue! Even when going off of things that are seen in game, like Dirgesinger, I went off of vibes more than sticking to each and every detail in the game model.
One, because I don't hate myself that much to stick to 100% accuracy.
Two, I find it more fun to sculpt my own growths inspired by the reference, this helps with naturally getting the flowing, organic, look the flood is known for
As for tools for sculpting... you don't need any! There's no tool you can control better than your own hands.
Depending on how detailed your prop will be you may need to work in layers, Dirgesinger was sculpted in 3 main layers that each had their own time to dry: Basic mouth shape, detailed mouth, then everything else. This was to help avoid sagging while still being structurally sound.
Something that's going to make everything much easier is getting your foam clay and the surface that is going to be touching the clay is wet, bring out some water and apply as much water as you need, the more water that is added the less the clay wants to stay as one piece. Just a dunk into water is normally all that's needed, if more is needed just add some as your sculpting.
The wonderful thing about sculpting with foam clay is that it's organic by nature, pretty much anything you make will look as if it was always intended to look like that. All over my sculpts there's divots, folds, little lines that I didn't intentionally make, it was just the foam clay doing it's thing.
My best advice when starting a sculpt is to not fight the clay to get exactly what you want, go along with the way it's layering and flowing.
I can not stress enough, there is no doing the Flood wrong, do not worry about it looking 100% right, because nothing about the flood is consistent , from the surface finish, glowy boils, to the very way an infected person is affected.
Some techniques to sculpt
- When sculpting tendrils or raised parts, first have the surface built up, when adding foam clay roll it into a tube, this will be easier to spread evenly across the surface
- Pinching the clay lightly and moving up gradually from the base of a mound will raise the clay, use this to make veins or tendrils that are across the surface taller/more pronounced
These need to be planned from the start, mostly due to needing to sculpt around them and needing to make holes under them for lighting to be able to shine through.
This section will need to be expanded on in a different part.
LINKS:
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