Oil Based Clay Sculpture - Sculpture Pro - Gudetema Tutorial

We're going to make the character Gudetema in this oil based clay sculpture using Sculpture Pro. This is a really easy character to make to get used to Sculpture Pro and oil based clay because it is made up of a few basic shapes.

Oil Based Clay Sculpture

Here's what you will need to get started:

Step 1 - Get your oil based clay ready

Sculpture Pro is an extremely easy to use oil based clay. In fact, all you need to do is break a chunk of it off the block that it comes in. You don't need to heat the clay up, melt it down, or anything like that.


Additionally, Sculpture Pro never hardens and never dries out. You don't have to bake it when you are done and you don't have to cover it or worry about the oil based clay drying out.

Step 2 - Shape the body

We want this sketch to look like we're holding a Gudetema, up by the arm. So, when I’m done it should look like I’m holding it and gravity is pulling it’s body to the ground. This will help us make a more fun and dynamic oil based clay sculpture.


Oil Based Clay Sculpture Gudetema

 

Take a chunk of Sculpture Pro and turn it into a jelly bean shape. You can bend it in the middle so that it looks like one part of it is drooping down. Then, smooth your jelly bean shape using your finger or a tool. You can use some conditioning oil to help make smoothing even easier.

Smoothed out oil based clay sculpture

 

Step 3 - Make the arms and legs

The next step for our oil based sculpture is to make the arms and legs. We want all the appendages to look like they're being pulled by gravity. The first arm will be the arm that we're holding on to, though. Simply make a small roll or snake of clay and round out the edges. Then cut the ends off ensuring they are the same size to make the arms.

Gudetema arms and legs

Attach the first arm and use your finger or a tool to blend it in and then smooth out the blend of your oil based sculpture. Add the second arm directly below the first arm. The first arm should look like it's point straight up and the second arm should look like it's pointing straight down.

Attaching the arms

To make the legs, make a log just like you did for the arms. The legs should be drooping down because gravity is pulling them. You can bend the legs a bit before you attach them and bend them down a bit more after you've attached them and blended them in.

Gudetema Arms and Legs


Step 4 - Make the eyes

  To make the eyes, make a tiny snake and cut it in half get some even shapes. Keep on making the pieces smaller (or bigger) until they are even and proportionally sized.

Use your fingers to roll and shape the eyes, then lightly press them into the head. You should press firm enough so that they stick to the other clay, but not too hard that they become smashed.

Gudetema eyes

 

Step 5 - Make the mouth

To make the mouth you can make a circle and then cut it in half. Then press the sides in a bit so it has a more rounded look. Then place the mouth on the oil based clay sculpture Gudetema the same way you added the eyes. Gudetema always looks unhappy.

Gudetema Mouth

All Done!

Now you're done with your oil based clay sculpture. When you hold up Gudetema by the arm, it should look like you're holding a real character. You can even paint your character if you want to take your sculpture to the next level. Yes, Sculpture Pro can be painted with acrylic paint.

Complete Oil Based Clay Sculpture

Bonus tip

This is just a character sketch, so you can make your oil based clay sculpture however you want. But, to get a more polished look, the real “secret” is to spend a fair amount of time blending and smoothing. You can use baby oil or other conditioning oil to help with the blending even more. The more time you spend on blending and smoothing, the more polished your sculpture will look.

Check out the video tutorial here:

https://youtu.be/eiq4W3JiZMM

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