Sculpting
 

I bought a box of clay a few years ago and its sat in my closet since. Wanted to have a to at some sculpting! Never done it before though and that probably why it just sat there. I used to sketch a lot and enjoyed that though.

Anyone here sculpt? Any advice on getting started? Waste of my time?

My grandfather does wood carving and wood sculptures. Birds mostly.

Its pretty cool.

With clay, no. But if you want to practice first, I recommend this http://pixologic.com/sculptris/
It's nice to have a wacom tablet, but a mouse pointer will do. For clay, I'm sure there is a ton of youtube vids.

I have zbrush ^^, but haven't been able to use it for a while because I need a new graphic card : /

If you're doing something bigger than the palm of your hand, I recommend getting some wire and foil to make an armature first.

Also, knead thoroughly (ie a few minutes) before doing anything. You need to check if the clay is dried out first since you've had it for a few years.

An art thread? Where's Alawen when you need him? :(

What kind of wire? Any way I can restore my clay if it has dried out? Just add water? Oh makes me wonder, what kind of consistency should it have? Going to dig it out this weekend and YouTube some tuts maybe ^^

14 or 16 gauge wire of any sort (I use steel) should serve most purposes. You can use needle-nose pliers and wire cutters to manipulate it.

Restoring clay may or may not be possible, depending on type. You'd have to look up specifics. Some might stay good forever until baked/cured (like Sculpey), some might never cure (oil-based clays - used in stop-motion or forensic facial reconstruction), and some might air-dry (water-based clays - common in pottery/ceramics).

Consistency-wise, you're looking for something about as easy to squish as silly putty. Most don't start out this way, which is why you have to knead them.

Sculp me up a white dragon idol for my Druid bro.