Sapphire Fantasy Arts

Better late than never !!!

2012-02-08T09:39:00.000-08:00

I have finally woken up from my hibernation period ;)

Here's the first from the promised tutorials in the give away.
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.320389024673375.74628.173808785998067&type=3

Between moving, setting new studio space, hijacking of my studio space by folks, getting it back and re-setting it (ugghhh!) and mostly being a lazy &&& I finally got around to it.

Hope you find some tips helpful :)

Update!! Final Give away announcement!!

2011-08-03T02:22:00.000-07:00

I have finally posted the official announcement of my give away on my Facebook page. Here is a chance to win great tutorials for FREE and the even sweeter part is that you can select your prize from the given options!! Please go here to see the announcement:

http://www.facebook.com/notes/sapphire-fantasy-arts-ooak-art-dolls-and-figurative-sculpture/official-give-away-announcement/221427647902847

You will need to like my face book page to be able to post your comment there. best of luck to all those who participate :)

You really don't have to do much, just follow my blog, 'like' my facebook page and help me achieve 200 followers (fans on facebook) within next month by promoting my facebook page and spreading the word about it. the final step is to comment below the announcement on facebook page stating your blogger id and choice of prize :)

Happy News!!

2011-07-21T22:43:00.001-07:00

There will be a giveaway soon!!! Yup I am excited as it is my first give away!! for details go here:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sapphire-Fantasy-Arts-OOAK-art-dolls-and-figurative-sculpture/173808785998067

Make Over!!!

2011-07-03T12:34:00.000-07:00

I hauled up my blog for a makeover. Let me know if you like it or not by commenting here :)

After a tiring month full of exams I am all geared up for finishing old projects and starting new ones. Will try my best to update here regularly.

A Conceptual piece-Incomplete/Adhurey

2011-02-20T04:11:00.000-08:00

Portrait sculpt of SRK :)

2011-02-20T04:09:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately I was not required to paint it! Hope you like him :)

Alisha-Now on Ebay!!!

2011-02-19T13:07:00.000-08:00

Equivalent to around 6.5 inches standing sculpt. Hand painted tattoo in miniature :) I hope you like her. Wish me luck!!

Link to her auction

Suhani

2011-01-26T22:55:00.000-08:00

Sculpt #30

2010-03-06T07:29:00.000-08:00

I am going to make a WIP entry for this lady. This is an Indian themed sculpt. Hope you enjoy the process of her creation :) Above is the rough sketch of her basic concept.

Base is light weight and done in air dry clay. It is made so to mimic stone effect and needs to painted and edited a bit.

Armature is made from a very strong wire, which takes massive effort from my side to bend it even with the pliers takes my brother to cut it (lol). She is made removable from the base.

Beginnings of her jewelry. Tons of work required still :)

Lip tutorial

2010-03-04T10:00:00.000-08:00

.

.

Strawberry Fairy #29

2010-02-25T05:02:00.000-08:00

Clay tests-1

2010-02-23T07:11:00.000-08:00

I thought I would share some clay tests I did.
Basically these were not pancake tests (i.e. when you press a ball of clay flat and bake to see if it moonies/color changes etc.) But mostly i dont get moonies with pancake tests but after sculpting i do get them on the same batch of clay mix.

These tests i did on quickly sculpted faces, as i wanted to see the effect after clay has been through some pushing and pulling. Through this test I wanted to establish
1)Final color -effect on the character of face.
2)Does it moonie after baking.
3) Sculptability of clay, or how clay reacts to pushing, pulling and nudging by various tools.
4) After blushing/painting what kind of look is achieved (not done yet)

Done on five clays:
1) Prosculpt Fairy light
2) Prosculpt original/flesh or beige color
3) Prosculpt baby
4) Puppen fimo
5) Cernit

These faces were done pretty quick, just a little poke here and there and smoothing finally with a brush and some oil. they were allowed to rest overnight and baked in morning on a glass tile. I started with a cold oven, set at 130 celsius and baked for 15 minutes.

Here are my test results:

What i concluded from this test:
all five clays blended easily for me

1) Prosculpt Fairy light- I found this clay terrible
a) it is a dirt magnet
b) it dosen't have much structure or is very soft for me. Mushy and if you add oil...gooey
c) it has chalky white appearance after bake. No translucency.
d) good to add to other clay. Like to a hard clay..this will soften it up. Or to a clay which moonies a lot..this will wok same as white opaque clay.
e) this clay has too much memory, picks up every little touch, fingerprint etc.
f) as this is a very opaque clay(by comparison) it doesnt gets moonies
g) Prosculpt on its own can be weak-specially for fingers, ears etc.

2) Prosculpt original/flesh or beige color
a) Excellent to sculpt with-waxy texture which i like
b) easy to see what you are doing
c) good memory, but not too much
d) does not attract dirt very much
e) easy to smooth with brush and oil or by fingers-does not pick up fingerprints too much
f) After bake color is bit dark- good for guys or character sculpts. But if you want to sculpt a fair maiden you might need to add some opaque white/light color clay to this clay. Pinkish undertone.
g) good realistic translucency, believable skin effect
h) no moonie in my test face, but probability of moonie is there though not much.
i) from my previous experience i know that it darkens with every bake, so be careful for series bake-try to keep no. of bakes minimum.
j) requires little amount of sanding afterwards to smooth surface
k) Prosculpt on its own can be weak-specially for fingers, ears etc.

3) Prosculpt baby
a) same texture is prosculpt flesh-waxy and sturdy(not mushy) likeable and easy texture to sculpt with
b) easy to see what you are doing
d) does not attract dirt very much
e) easy to smooth with brush and oil or by fingers-does not pick up fingerprints too much
f) After bake color is light- good for most type of sculpts-babies, fair ladies, guys, characters...etc. has pinkish undertone.
g) good realistic translucency, believable skin effect
h) no moonie in my test face, probability of moonie is very low. I never experienced moonie in this clay even in my previous tests.
i) can't say about series bake-as i have not tried any full fledged sculpt yet with only this clay.
j) requires little amount of sanding afterwards to smooth surface.
k) Prosculpt on its own can be weak-specially for fingers, ears etc.

4) Puppen fimo-Rose
a) texture is firm yet soft i.e. its not mushy or gooey but if you apply pressure for example to indent the space for eyes...a lot of clay in near by area will also get affected or will be pushed back. So need for good armature to support sculpting process.
you can see in my test face, it is more lopsided as the initial shape of clay ball wont hold to the pressure.
b) easy to see what you are doing
d) attracts dirt though not too much.
e) easy to smooth with brush and oil or by fingers-does not pick up fingerprints.
f) After bake color is light- good for fair skin based sculpts... has light pink undertone. Smooth finish.
g) Excellent realistic translucency, delicate procelain like effect.
h) no moonie in my test face, probability of moonie is very low.
i) Good for series bake.
j) requires very little amount of sanding afterwards to smooth surface.
k) Puppen Fimo is reported to be one of the strongest 'fairy' clay (maybe Bozzi turns out to be better but most of us haven't got our hands on it yet). Use it to put your shipping nightmares to a rest. By fairy clay I mean...clay straight out of package that is suitable for usual pretty fairy like sculptures. Other wise from what I have heard Kato and Fimo (classic and soft both) are quite strong too. It can be mixed with other clays to make them more strong, it is good if they are of same brand...I can't hundred percent vouch for mixing clays of different brands specially if baking temperatures differ.

The effect achieved with this clay is totally worth it though it is not a very easy clay to sculpt with specially if you like to achieve realistic details in your sculpt.

5) Cernit
a) texture is firm though not waxy. this clay has certain amount of bounce to it.
b) Difficult to see what you are doing as this is very translucent.
d) does not attracts dirt.
e) Very very easy to smooth with brush and oil or by fingers-does not pick up fingerprints at all (relative and not absolute).
f) After bake color is light- good for fair skin based sculpts... has yellow undertone. Very smooth finish.
g) Excellent translucency though a little toy/doll like, delicate procelain like effect.
h) no moonie in my test face, probability of moonies is there though.
i) no idea about series bake.
j) requires very minimum amount of sanding afterwards to smooth surface- even acetone will do.
k) Strong clay compared to Prosculpt.

For me winners are prosculpt baby and puppen fimo.

* note: --you might notice i use- 'too much', 'less' etc. type of words used a lot...they are all relative to the clays i used here and to my personal preference ;)
Strength wise Super sculpey is worse than Prosculpt thats why i ddn't include it in my tests. Also for me it moonies like hell...specially if i sculpt pretty faces in it. (hasn't moonied on monster type sculpts...go figure...lol)

I hope this helps you decide which clay to use depending on the project you have in mind.

Bella #28

2009-09-01T12:05:00.000-07:00

Fairy dancer.....#27

2009-08-01T07:51:00.000-07:00

New girl...#26

2009-08-01T07:47:00.000-07:00

She is quite not finished... I need to make her wings...

And my AOTM award :D :D :D

2009-04-30T23:05:00.000-07:00

Its party time :D :D :D...so many goodies...yeyy!!!

My first blog award!!! :D

2009-04-30T22:57:00.000-07:00

Thankyou dear Carota for this award!! :D you are fabulous!!
Please go and check Carota's blog for her amazing art-http://patriziacozzo.blogspot.com/

Check this out!!

2009-01-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

My few moments to internet fame:

http://www.ooakdollart.com

Heartfelt thanks to all ODA members!! You are the best !!! :) Love you all!! :)

Character sculpt #29

2008-11-09T02:41:00.000-08:00

Now I got to figure how to make mold of this guy :)

Wish me luck :)

Finished head sculpt #28

2008-11-09T02:33:00.000-08:00

I know it has deviated a lot from last update...but I still like it :)

Few murmurings....

2008-10-29T10:00:00.000-07:00

Why? Coz I wanted to post something new..and since this is not really a WIP blog...I didnt wanted to post WIP pics...
So some thoughts I would like to share :)

First of all, the content warning on this blog...well I guess I can only take it as compliment that someone found these works of mine so realistic that they felt offended by it....
Had they been mere paintings maybe I wouldnt have got that status...anyways it is for better only.
I considered checking box of adult content myself to keep away kids..but than thought better of it. It was only going to attract pervert minds to this blog....and I have a strong suspicion that kids are going to now make sure they check it thoroughly given the status to it.
Not all my work is nude..some pieces I might do which are suitable for view for kids also. And even when nude..they are not sexual/vulgar in any way....well I hope people had better minds and could differentiate between nudity/naturalism and offending material.
Enough said, I see them as beautiful delicate and non-offending...if you see them so....better not check my blog again...coz I cant promise there will not be anymore nudity here...there will be as I love my work that way most. I sweat hard to sculpt their bodies and hate to cover them up, regardless of whatever anyone feels about my work.

About my muse and work already started-status-:

Head/bust- Giving me hard time..with each sitting I feel I am going nowhere..refined more..smoothed more...checked symmetry..still not satisfied..no bake yet..and that's bad.

Sitting fae (smaller one)- She needs feet, hands and ears and than she will b done :)
Swan fae-She needs another leg, arm, feet, hands.

Another character sculpt I am doing:- almost done.. YEY!!! maybe final bake is only left than ready for further experimentation..will post pics soon :)

Supply Dreams!! Please share yours! ^___^

2008-10-12T06:47:00.000-07:00

Last night I dreamt about Grey Firm grade super Sculpey ...lol... :D reason? I dont have it and want it desperately... :)
In the dream I was trying grabbing all the fast depleting stock in a departmental store in India (There arent any stocking sculpey here)...even to the extent of bribing the salesman on duty...hehehee :D He did try and help me dig out more packs...what a nice guy ;)

Do you dream about the supplies too in your dreams? like you want to buy something and you see yourself getting it in your dreams? I think this is the proof of our madness, love and greed for supplies :D

I dream about them every time...sometime it was iridescent bubbles displayed and up for sale in the lobby of my previous school, than different grades of polymer clay, than microbeads in some flea market or fair in India itself, than moss....the list is endless...always finding them in some non-existent stores or most impossible settings...and grabbing the last minute supplies.
I once fought with a lion to get to my moss stock...Ha!!!
And the best thing I do get them after the 'dreams' :)

Tell me about your "Supply dreams"

Bust/Head Sculpt for colg...

2008-10-12T06:30:00.000-07:00

I am doing this for a prototyping class in college, so far have roughened out the features...refining will take some time...might alter her look too...but I like what I have so far will try and preserve.
This is Super Sculpey mixed with bit of black Fimo coz I dont have grey sculpey and they say it is easier to see detail in grey color...so thought will give it a try and yes grey color helps a lot in visibility. I must say 'hats off' to all ooak doll artists who make amazing sculpts in flesh colored clay (including me....evil grin ^___^ )

#26 and #27

2008-10-10T05:07:00.000-07:00

I have mixed up new batch of clay...I actually prepared too much...it made my palms ache for days :(
any ways hopefully this clay will be put to some gud work soon...

Here is what I did with prosculpt mix:-

#26 will be a 7" sculpt and #27 will be 8" sculpt, both are larger than my previous ones which are 6 to 6.5"...
here are some pics for size comparison...even a inch makes whole lot of difference.

Mermaid#2 Sculpt#25 6"

2008-10-04T09:37:00.000-07:00

Pics dont do her much justice, very beautiful in person!!

Love her :D

Quite happy with this one. Puppen is God send clay I must say :)

Baby Ray #4 Sculpt#24 2+"

2008-10-04T09:29:00.000-07:00

After all the trials and agony, a baby is here ;)
I am joyous, finally a baby sculpt that dsnt look alien :D

Belly dancer#2 sculpt#23 6.5"

2008-10-04T09:06:00.000-07:00

The long awaited photo shoot finally happened. After shifting home yet to find a comfortable corner for taking pics, still no studio box :( need to find a carton of that size. But somehow got over some inertia. Though the pics are not fabulous but I guess they will do. Not very happy with how this one turned out though, something bothers me. Symmetry is one, I guess costume also I am not very happy with. Still she is finished!! :D

Makeover!!!!

2008-09-28T00:41:00.000-07:00

Finally it got a makeover, I hope it looks more professional and more interesting.
Wat u think?
Let me know :)

New Sculpt- Natural Clay

2008-04-04T09:36:00.000-07:00

Sculpt #22 "Blueberry fairy"

2008-03-05T00:18:00.000-08:00

Ok here is the sweet little darling..first teen fairy in my realm..

Sculpt #21 "Sweet Ruby"

2008-03-05T00:10:00.000-08:00

She is my BEST yet :)...

Sculpt #20 "Amethyst"

2008-03-04T23:48:00.000-08:00

My first official mermaid..took me a hell lot ov time..but she was most fun :D

3) Finally she got there..:) and got a nice tan too :D

2) She got a makeover..New hair color and new painting job..
I liked this one much better..but still something was missing..

1) This is when she was a redhead..
The color got too bright..took away to much attention from her true beauty..

Sculpt #19 "Mia"

2008-03-04T23:37:00.000-08:00

First one I fell was terribly proud of.. :D I know I know there are faults.. But i LOVE her :D..lol..

Please click on pics to view larger pic.. :)

sculpt#18

2007-07-16T02:05:00.000-07:00

This was the initial sketch of what I had in mind...

sculpt#17

2007-07-16T01:54:00.000-07:00

pic will come soon....

Ok here they are....

From the Depth of Seas..i hear..i see...Sculpt#16

2007-06-17T02:16:00.000-07:00

Hina-Sculpt#15

2007-06-06T18:26:00.000-07:00

Dyrad WIP #14

2007-06-02T23:13:00.000-07:00

WIP #14

2007-05-15T21:40:00.000-07:00

pushing myself hard on the anatomy front..lets see how much success....

sculpt #8..she still needs wings!!!! lol m lazy... :D

2007-05-04T11:33:00.000-07:00

Sculpt #9 yet to complete...

2007-05-04T11:28:00.000-07:00

Mermaid Princess... sculpt #10

2007-05-04T11:25:00.000-07:00

Sparrow fairy..sculpt #11

2007-05-04T11:18:00.000-07:00

face tries :)

2007-05-04T11:15:00.000-07:00

Belly dancer....sculpt #12

2007-05-04T11:02:00.000-07:00

Baba Yaga-The old hag....sculpt#13

2007-05-02T06:03:00.000-07:00