I never commented back when you first did this project, but I have to tell you after all these years how beautiful this piece is and I'm glad to see you're still at it. Blessings sir.
Thank you so much for this series. I am just delving into the sculpting thing and so far I have loved it. This series was incredibly helpful and taught me huge amounts. I can't wait to use the things I learned. Thank you again!
this is really awesome!!! not only is this fun to watch but very inspiring, your voice sounds great describing everything too very smooth and calm and I love everything!
I dropped on one of your videos of the dragon quiet by chance. it looked fantastic so I decided I am going to watch all the series. so far part one alone has been a great help in understanding sculpting in clay. time lapse is a great way to learn but what I really like about your videos is that you comment on them as we watch. it is so much better for the viewer. thanks for taking the time to make these videos for our benefit. best wishes, hawkeye1535
Thanks for the great video. Just starting out myself and really like that your videos are broken down in short easy to follow tutorials. Well done, look forward to seeing your progress.
wow. I would really like to see you make a dragon. You are of to a great start so many possible outcomes from the starting building. Look forward to seeing part 2
I have just started learning to sculpt. I'm into the greenman and have been making mobile wind chimes. I used flex wire and then covered a 6" brass circle to make a disk then covered it in foil. I used liquid clay to cover the foil and then added the cover onto the disk. Which worked well, but your tape idea is better.. I used glue to glue down the foil, but it didn't work so well. So your taping idea is much better. Thanks for sharing
:D I appreciate the confidence!! What I am trying to figure out is what kind of clay will I use... I have almost 5 pounds of super sculpey, but if I use that it will need painting. I could mix a few blocks of color clay into the super... hmmmm. I will figure out something.
My dream is to be an artist... And u r my new role model! I love your art and please keep posting videos and it might help me learn more about art because I am only 12... So I have a lot to learn!
Dude you are so great! Thanks for sharing this with us I'm so glad I found this video I will see them all to get an idea on how to make a sculpture! Thanks
Its tempting!! But I have been wanting to do a dragon FOREVER!! A lot of requests for that as well.. No worries, I will be doing this for the rest of my life! And I'll get better as I go, should at least lol. So I can do many things.. I agree, dinosaurs are cool!
Could be a horse, or a unicorn? Or some sort of fairy tale animal you could even make up as you go along. Amazing, looking forward to seeing what you create from this!
Glad that your puter is feeling better :) This looks amazing so far and can't wait to see the creation...Thanks for showing us how you create the armature. p.s. would love to see how you marble clay to simulate marble. I have wanted to learn how to create a turquoise effect with polymer clay too.
Hello, glad your giving it a try! If your having trouble connecting the two pieces of wire, try hold them together with some regular pliers, or needle nose. This will free up your other hand.. And don't worry about making the first few wraps so tight, as long as they hold it in place you can begin tweaking it with more wire afterwords.. Hope that help! =D
Yes sir !! A big thumbs up !! A perfect armature. definitely the channel goes for a subscription. Just like other viewers, i too am stuck like... where to start ?? and thanks for that kick start .. great video. awaiting more to come.
I got these wires at wall-mart actually... They are in the hardware section and are galvanized. I saw 2 different sized of wire, so I got both... WAAAAAY cheaper then true armature wire, trust me! You can also buy service wire from Lowes, both copper and aluminum by the foot. Then I take it home a strip it myself with a knife... not as easy but a cheep source compared to actual armature wire.. hope that helps!
that looks like a very stable armature! :D and if you wanna try out some wings that good thing to do would be to just add them to the armature ;) I learnd that the hard way lol
It does... And now that you mentioned it, I want to do a piece of modern art... It would be fun! Just a bunch of shapes and angles, then spray paint it black, or white.... or cover it with cane work.
Looks great so far. Can't wait to see the finished result. I subbed to your channel. I'd love to try this out sometime. I have a bunch of model horses and I've always wanted to make wings for one of them and have a dragon horse.
Thank you so much! I love dragons and serpents and you've helped me so much. You are doing amazing work [here and there] and you can tell by the Dragons you create. Much love and Life! CorysS
that would be awesome if you could solder the galvanized wire, but I have tried and it doesn't want to solder no matter what I have done. I'm still trying to find a way to get my wire to stick together without having to wire them together. there's a lot of tiny pieces in my work that make up a larger piece.
VERY TRUE!!! I was also thinking the same thing!! lol I will have to look at the body once its done (doing the wings last) and if it looks like it needs it I will cut them a bit.. But I completely agree with you. Technically speaking, a dragon wings would have to be monstrous to support its own weight.. Good point!
I don't recommend using scissors to cut any kind of wires, as it can permanently damage the scissors.. But there are plenty of other tools that can do the job..
I have three on my list that i fund out about from other artists. Galvanized wire, Brass wire, and Gage wire. Each has its own strengths and sizes depending on your sculptor.
This is truly amazing. You have a real talent, my friend. Can anyone do this with enough practice and patience? I absolutely adore dragons and would love to make one.
Thanks for sharing this! I'm an illustrator and I'd like to start sculpting some of my references. I didn't know where to start, other than a 3d design class from several years ago. Your dragon armature was the first thing I watched. Now I know how to go about it. Thanks again, you have a new fan!
The pleasures mine, feel free to follow whatever I have as closely as you like. I hope it helps! This is only a single approach to doing this, I sort of fumbled my way through things as I'm self taught. You'll pick up new ideas and techniques along the way. For most people seeing is learning (for me at least it is) So watch as many different artists as possible. Have fun and thanks!!
Well i haven't tried it myself thats why wanted to hear your opinion :) as far as I read you can do sculpting as with polymer clay, but there are differences - no armature is needed, its great for making molds, as you can cut it easily, and reuse wax for another peace, but it cannot be baked (obviously lol) and requires heat for sculpting.
Hi, I make edible sculptures out of fondant and modeling chocolate, I'm learning how to do a dragon now so I'm excited to watch your videos and see if I can do something similar, great work.
Penny Hall Thank you for taking the time to watch, I hope it helps a little... Wishing you the best of luck on creating a dragon, feel free to follow this series as closely as you want when sculpting. And thanks I appreciate it!
Hey buddy, sorry I've only just discovered you're video, and it's really inspired me to have a go and sculpt my own dragons, as I draw a lot of dragons, but sometimes trying to draw a dragon in a different and dynamic pose can be difficult, so hopefully it will help me create better drawings. Thankyou for sharing you're techniques, and I just wanna say...YOU'RE AWESOME (and real handsome too) and that's another talent to add to your resume. Great work buddy, thankyou for inspiring me, love and best wishes from the UK. Definitely a sub and a like from me!!!
Mouth will be open, but I am going to form it over balled up foil, after baking I will cut it in half. That will basically give me a skill, made of sculpey. I can then add super sculpey around both pieces for details. Most likely will use epoxy for all the teeth. Yes I will do muscle structure as best as I can. Not sure if I'll do environment stuff. It is going to be tricky trying to film all this LOL And sculpting is a way to relax, shouldn't be worrying about it.. Even if I fail, I learn. =D
It does feel stable.. I will consider what you say about the wings too. I was thinking of putting two pieces of metal pipe into the body, sticking out just a little.. then epoxy the wing in them when ready.. Its either that or just work around them the whole time. =/ I'll figure it out somewhere along the way LOL! :D
awesome video. I'm attempting a dragon topper for a very special little boys birthday cake soon. could you tell me what gauge wire you tend to use for these sculptures please?
What do you mean by pinwheeling? If you mean by chance that the armature is moving around in ways you do not wish, you have to reinforce the armature with more wire. For example, you could reinforce a backbone and tale with a thicker wire bent to match the same shape as your armature, then use smaller wire to attach it by just wrapping it around both the new piece and the armature. You can also use a 2-part epoxy to reinforce your armature. Just mix some up a little at a time and add it wherever you need more strength. Let me know if this helps
I think that the wire is a great idea ,once covered with foil,it can be shaped into the shape of the wire frame of the sculpture in question, the hydra dragon,3 headed mythical creature,,, it will be beautiful,when finished,
Good question... Do everything you see me do for the 3 heads, but only do it for one head? I was originally set up for a one headed dragon but I got a cool idea from a viewer to do a 3 headed one. I only added 2 extra wires to do that, so just skip that part I suppose.. I'll try to do another dragon soon and this one will have only one head. (really excited to try that new mixture of clay for it too)
So far it looks awesome! it reminds me of a rapter. I know for sure this will turn out great. also having more videos of every process i think will be a great idea.
I actually have a question. I keep getting cracks in my polymer clay. I do large bust sculptures and I was wondering if I should bulk it up first. What would you recommend? I love your work :)
Ummm.. needle nose pliers usually have a section to cut wire, diagonal cutters are made for that.. They come in many different styles, the bigger the easier the cut :D
I like your video and am trying to do this but am having trouble getting everything to come together..everything is going every which way and i cant get him to stand...should i add more wire??..thanks
Hi Tom I made a dogs head out of colored sculpey and I baked it but when it came out it was all bompey because I didn't smoothedn it a nofe is there any way to fix that ? Ps that's amazing
dude this gave me so much info about galvanized wire I was wondering which was the best to use for a model i'm making dragons and snakes for my group at school I like to make normal models without armature but now I have decided I want to make it pose-able.
Well this method of use involves minimal heating (the part where the sculpture gets baked) and is at a very low temperature. Thanks for the warning on soldering, but the baking part is just fine. I finished this weeks ago and I'm still alive haha!
This UA-cam series is one of my earliest UA-cam memories. Can't believe the video is 11 years old
Yeah me too! The work this man put into his creation is mind blowing!
I never commented back when you first did this project, but I have to tell you after all these years how beautiful this piece is and I'm glad to see you're still at it. Blessings sir.
Thank you so much for this series. I am just delving into the sculpting thing and so far I have loved it. This series was incredibly helpful and taught me huge amounts. I can't wait to use the things I learned. Thank you again!
this is really awesome!!! not only is this fun to watch but very inspiring, your voice sounds great describing everything too very smooth and calm and I love everything!
I just wanna say..WOW!
You covered so many aspects of armature..sculpting..and painting. Thankyou!
I dropped on one of your videos of the dragon quiet by chance. it looked fantastic so I decided I am going to watch all the series. so far part one alone has been a great help in understanding sculpting in clay. time lapse is a great way to learn but what I really like about your videos is that you comment on them as we watch. it is so much better for the viewer. thanks for taking the time to make these videos for our benefit. best wishes, hawkeye1535
Thanks for the great video. Just starting out myself and really like that your videos are broken down in short easy to follow tutorials. Well done, look forward to seeing your progress.
I love the movement that it is already showing in the wire frame. Beautiful, look forward to seeing more :)
Thanks so much for sharing your process with us...I can't wait to see what you're gonna do next!
wow. I would really like to see you make a dragon. You are of to a great start so many possible outcomes from the starting building. Look forward to seeing part 2
You are not only a wonderful artist, you are a great teacher! :-)
enjoying watching. My grandsons want me to make them a dragon statue.... this helps a lot on how to get going on it.
I have just started learning to sculpt. I'm into the greenman and have been making mobile wind chimes. I used flex wire and then covered a 6" brass circle to make a disk then covered it in foil. I used liquid clay to cover the foil and then added the cover onto the disk. Which worked well, but your tape idea is better.. I used glue to glue down the foil, but it didn't work so well. So your taping idea is much better. Thanks for sharing
I do a craft where I use wire it can be at times a tricky medium to work with. Love your scale, looking forward to watching too completion
:D I appreciate the confidence!! What I am trying to figure out is what kind of clay will I use... I have almost 5 pounds of super sculpey, but if I use that it will need painting. I could mix a few blocks of color clay into the super... hmmmm. I will figure out something.
My dream is to be an artist... And u r my new role model! I love your art and please keep posting videos and it might help me learn more about art because I am only 12... So I have a lot to learn!
Dude you are so great! Thanks for sharing this with us I'm so glad I found this video I will see them all to get an idea on how to make a sculpture! Thanks
In love with your colored pencil storage
I'm excited to see what it is going to be!. I hope it will be a sculpture of your cat.
Can't waite for the next one. Thanks for sharing this.
Its tempting!! But I have been wanting to do a dragon FOREVER!! A lot of requests for that as well.. No worries, I will be doing this for the rest of my life! And I'll get better as I go, should at least lol. So I can do many things.. I agree, dinosaurs are cool!
Awesome! And I'm glad you enjoy this, that makes it all worthwhile! Thanks!!
Could be a horse, or a unicorn? Or some sort of fairy tale animal you could even make up as you go along. Amazing, looking forward to seeing what you create from this!
Before I did these really small dragons that took me like no effort but now imma make these! Thanks for sharing dis
Glad that your puter is feeling better :)
This looks amazing so far and can't wait to see the creation...Thanks for showing us how you create the armature.
p.s. would love to see how you marble clay to simulate marble. I have wanted to learn how to create a turquoise effect with polymer clay too.
Hello, glad your giving it a try! If your having trouble connecting the two pieces of wire, try hold them together with some regular pliers, or needle nose. This will free up your other hand.. And don't worry about making the first few wraps so tight, as long as they hold it in place you can begin tweaking it with more wire afterwords.. Hope that help! =D
Yes sir !! A big thumbs up !! A perfect armature. definitely the channel goes for a subscription. Just like other viewers, i too am stuck like... where to start ?? and thanks for that kick start .. great video. awaiting more to come.
I got these wires at wall-mart actually... They are in the hardware section and are galvanized. I saw 2 different sized of wire, so I got both... WAAAAAY cheaper then true armature wire, trust me! You can also buy service wire from Lowes, both copper and aluminum by the foot. Then I take it home a strip it myself with a knife... not as easy but a cheep source compared to actual armature wire.. hope that helps!
Ahhh so excited to see what it's going to be as a finished product!!!! :D
Oh hell yes, I'm excited to see how this is going to turn out, always wanted to see you try a figure like this! :)
Can't wait!! I know you will make us go WOW!!!!
that looks like a very stable armature! :D and if you wanna try out some wings that good thing to do would be to just add them to the armature ;)
I learnd that the hard way lol
Thank you!! And no, not yet.... Is it fun? That is mostly carving right? And I'm guess you could expose it to heat to take out the roughness...
I never knew you could use wire if you ever want to make a clay creation that is heavy! Thx, You really helped! :D
Really great and helpful tutorial. Well done, you are great at instruction.
It really does have endless possibilities!! Glad you are looking forward to this!! Thank you!
It does... And now that you mentioned it, I want to do a piece of modern art... It would be fun! Just a bunch of shapes and angles, then spray paint it black, or white.... or cover it with cane work.
Nice intro, man. Thanks. En route to Part 2.
Looks great so far. Can't wait to see the finished result. I subbed to your channel. I'd love to try this out sometime. I have a bunch of model horses and I've always wanted to make wings for one of them and have a dragon horse.
Thank you so much! I love dragons and serpents and you've helped me so much. You are doing amazing work [here and there] and you can tell by the Dragons you create. Much love and Life!
CorysS
I have these little bumps that appear
Some of them cracking my sculptures
What should I do
im glad you went with that idea :) im sure it will work out great!
Are you asking how will I turn it around? I have a pretty big turntable (lazy susan), this will fit on it nicely!
that would be awesome if you could solder the galvanized wire, but I have tried and it doesn't want to solder no matter what I have done. I'm still trying to find a way to get my wire to stick together without having to wire them together. there's a lot of tiny pieces in my work that make up a larger piece.
VERY TRUE!!! I was also thinking the same thing!! lol I will have to look at the body once its done (doing the wings last) and if it looks like it needs it I will cut them a bit.. But I completely agree with you. Technically speaking, a dragon wings would have to be monstrous to support its own weight.. Good point!
I don't recommend using scissors to cut any kind of wires, as it can permanently damage the scissors.. But there are plenty of other tools that can do the job..
They make a paste that help you bind your wires and solder together. It should be by the solder wire and iron.
I have three on my list that i fund out about from other artists. Galvanized wire, Brass wire, and Gage wire. Each has its own strengths and sizes depending on your sculptor.
This is truly amazing. You have a real talent, my friend. Can anyone do this with enough practice and patience? I absolutely adore dragons and would love to make one.
wow I watched the entire make. your a great sculptor much better than me but I'm getting beter
Thanks for sharing this! I'm an illustrator and I'd like to start sculpting some of my references. I didn't know where to start, other than a 3d design class from several years ago. Your dragon armature was the first thing I watched. Now I know how to go about it. Thanks again, you have a new fan!
The pleasures mine, feel free to follow whatever I have as closely as you like. I hope it helps! This is only a single approach to doing this, I sort of fumbled my way through things as I'm self taught. You'll pick up new ideas and techniques along the way. For most people seeing is learning (for me at least it is) So watch as many different artists as possible. Have fun and thanks!!
Kyle Wiggins Art ")
So awesome. Thanks for all your tutorials!
Well i haven't tried it myself thats why wanted to hear your opinion :) as far as I read you can do sculpting as with polymer clay, but there are differences - no armature is needed, its great for making molds, as you can cut it easily, and reuse wax for another peace, but it cannot be baked (obviously lol) and requires heat for sculpting.
I am going to be making a figurine of an adventure time figurine and wanted to know what wire that is and where I could get it
great now i can't wait for part 2 lol ooh i hope it's a dragon what ever it will end up i know it will be awesome as usual
Can't wait Tom! Good luck :)
Hi from Romania ! I love your work very much! You are very talented .kisses
hmm, okay I'll try that. what about heating the wire up first, then add the solder? would that work? or would that be a bad idea?
Hi, I make edible sculptures out of fondant and modeling chocolate, I'm learning how to do a dragon now so I'm excited to watch your videos and see if I can do something similar, great work.
Penny Hall Thank you for taking the time to watch, I hope it helps a little... Wishing you the best of luck on creating a dragon, feel free to follow this series as closely as you want when sculpting. And thanks I appreciate it!
Can you use scissors to cut the wires?
Hey buddy, sorry I've only just discovered you're video, and it's really inspired me to have a go and sculpt my own dragons, as I draw a lot of dragons, but sometimes trying to draw a dragon in a different and dynamic pose can be difficult, so hopefully it will help me create better drawings. Thankyou for sharing you're techniques, and I just wanna say...YOU'RE AWESOME (and real handsome too) and that's another talent to add to your resume. Great work buddy, thankyou for inspiring me, love and best wishes from the UK. Definitely a sub and a like from me!!!
I tottaly agree, its so much easier to draw the dragon instead of sculpting one
okay I'm going to attempt this...following along very closely, the only thing is there is no precise measurements, but I'm going to wing it here.
Hey, sir! Thank you for sharing ! Hug from Brazil.
how long did you sculpt this wicked awesome sculpture its so wicked awesome
Very beginner here your videos are very helpful
very cool Tom!
May I ask how would you work with some thing big a round ???
This is awesome!!!! I was just planning on making one.
Mouth will be open, but I am going to form it over balled up foil, after baking I will cut it in half. That will basically give me a skill, made of sculpey. I can then add super sculpey around both pieces for details. Most likely will use epoxy for all the teeth. Yes I will do muscle structure as best as I can. Not sure if I'll do environment stuff. It is going to be tricky trying to film all this LOL And sculpting is a way to relax, shouldn't be worrying about it.. Even if I fail, I learn. =D
I’ve always wanted to try sculpture! But make them from upcycled materials like tires.
I appreciate the feed back! I know.. but doesn't a raptor have shorter front legs? I really want to do one of those too!! =O
IF, I LEFT IT UNBAKED, COULD I USE IT AS A POSE-ABLE ARMATURE SUITABLE FOR STOP MOTION? RSVP??
It does feel stable.. I will consider what you say about the wings too. I was thinking of putting two pieces of metal pipe into the body, sticking out just a little.. then epoxy the wing in them when ready.. Its either that or just work around them the whole time. =/ I'll figure it out somewhere along the way LOL! :D
Wow, that was quick! Thanks for the tip! That trick helped a lot. :)
Awesome! Me too, I ♥ dragons! A LOT! :D
Great video - thanks for not using annoying music!
How do you get inspired? You draw first? See a cool pic somewhere? Or do you see it in your head already?
Cant wait for the next video.
awesome video. I'm attempting a dragon topper for a very special little boys birthday cake soon. could you tell me what gauge wire you tend to use for these sculptures please?
I need help my armature legs keep pinweeling what do I do to stop that?
What do you mean by pinwheeling? If you mean by chance that the armature is moving around in ways you do not wish, you have to reinforce the armature with more wire. For example, you could reinforce a backbone and tale with a thicker wire bent to match the same shape as your armature, then use smaller wire to attach it by just wrapping it around both the new piece and the armature. You can also use a 2-part epoxy to reinforce your armature. Just mix some up a little at a time and add it wherever you need more strength. Let me know if this helps
okay, thank you so much i'll try it :)
OMG I can't wait to see this finished!!!!
how wide are the shoulder and pelvis bends? I am doing needle felting sculptures.
I was wondering the same thing
Nevan Schweitzer I'd guess an inch and a half each shoulder, so in total three inches
I think that the wire is a great idea ,once covered with foil,it can be shaped into the shape of the wire frame of the sculpture in question, the hydra dragon,3 headed mythical creature,,, it will be beautiful,when finished,
would it be ok if i use pipe cleaners instead of armature wire if i wrap them in foil and masking tape
+Sam ewyk That's what i was going to ask... I am pretty sure it would work 0w0
the problem is i cant find any armature wire anywhere all i have is pipe cleaners and beading wire
Me too. I am working on a project for school and i need to make a dragon out of clay. i used pipe cleaners anyway and it seems to work just fine :3
ok cool :)
what stores can you buy the wires?
Good question... Do everything you see me do for the 3 heads, but only do it for one head? I was originally set up for a one headed dragon but I got a cool idea from a viewer to do a 3 headed one. I only added 2 extra wires to do that, so just skip that part I suppose.. I'll try to do another dragon soon and this one will have only one head. (really excited to try that new mixture of clay for it too)
So far it looks awesome! it reminds me of a rapter. I know for sure this will turn out great. also having more videos of every process i think will be a great idea.
I actually have a question. I keep getting cracks in my polymer clay. I do large bust sculptures and I was wondering if I should bulk it up first. What would you recommend? I love your work :)
I wonder what material you used to make this sculpture?
I remember watching this video when I was little and horribly failing at sculpting
Ummm.. needle nose pliers usually have a section to cut wire, diagonal cutters are made for that.. They come in many different styles, the bigger the easier the cut :D
very interesting, looking forward for part 2 :) btw have you ever tried some different materials for sculpting, for example wax?
I like your video and am trying to do this but am having trouble getting everything to come together..everything is going every which way and i cant get him to stand...should i add more wire??..thanks
Hi Tom I made a dogs head out of colored sculpey and I baked it but when it came out it was all bompey because I didn't smoothedn it a nofe is there any way to fix that ? Ps that's amazing
dude this gave me so much info about galvanized wire I was wondering which was the best to use for a model i'm making dragons and snakes for my group at school I like to make normal models without armature but now I have decided I want to make it pose-able.
It sounds like you've been inspired, I'm familiar with the feeling! Glad it happened, and thanks for stopping in it means a lot.
how long is the s part of the armature
Well this method of use involves minimal heating (the part where the sculpture gets baked) and is at a very low temperature. Thanks for the warning on soldering, but the baking part is just fine. I finished this weeks ago and I'm still alive haha!
This video helped me a lot, thank you!
Thank you!!! I am wanting to learn how to do this type of project, so this is very helpful! Thank you!! =)
Galvanized wire, both 14 and 20 Gauge.