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Clay, Paint, Tools, and other Supplies
US and NA - Amazon Affiliate Shop
Below are some of the materials and paints (Vallejo Airbrush paints) I use to create my sculptures, as well as additional clay types and tools that may be helpful. I am an Amazon Affiliate, and I purchase quite a bit of my supplies from there, so below are all my personal Amazon Affiliate links. If you're a firt time buyer or simply want to stock back up, you've come to the right place! Purchasing through these links will not charge you an increased rate, but a small portion of the purchase price will be sent over to help fund LoreCraft. So fill your Amazon cart through these links and Happy Shopping!
CLAY
Water Based Clays
Primary Clays I use:
The primary clay type I use in my sculptures is called "NewClay", but it is not available in North America (unless you want to pay a lot for shipping). However, there are other Air drying, nylon reinforced clays available, and 1 of which I have used that is available in the us, called Scola. Scola, a water based, nylon reinforced clay, has a good consistency and good workability. However, I did have some difficulties with cracking when it dries (the Demogorgon is primarily built out of Scola). Still useable and useful, as cracks can always be repaired. There are a few other types, and I will list them, but scola is the one I have used and I've made successfully work for me. The others I will list below for you to play with, and if any of you buys it, you can let me know how it worked for you.
Polymer based Clays
Additional clays I often use for various tasks (teeth, eyes, more delicate parts), I typically use polymer type clays. These are commonly referred to as "Sculpey", a popular brand that's been selling or many years. It comes in a variety of colours, but can still be painted. It is baked at 120 degrees C for 20-25 minutes, depending on size and thickness, to a hard semi flexible finish. It's very useful for making separate features, and parts that need a little more stability - but you can't typically make "large" sculptures with it, so for me, I can't use it to make an entire head. Best to be worked with, I find, using metal sculpting tools.
Oil Based Clays
For many artists and sculptors, Oil based clay is both the beginning and the end. Meaning, it's great clay to start out with to develop your skills - primarily because it doesn't dry out and is reusable. It comes in multiple grades, from soft to extra firm. It can be melted and poured, or sculpted to the highest levels of detail. This makes it ideal for advanced sculptors who, at advanced stages, use it to make highly detailed sculptures intended to have moulds built over them, and ultimately cast duplicates in resin, or other materials, such as bronze.
I personally do not use it (right now) because my current workspace and finances don't allow for me to expand much more than I already have. I also like making 1 of a kind originals, and I've also grown quite fond of the Claydium/Newclay I've been playing with this last year. However, I will most certainly begin using more Oil Based clays in the future as I start to further develop my skills and Lorecraft as a whole. Of what I know, MonsterClay is one of the best to work with.
Paints
Primary Paints I use:
I never painted anything prior to May 2017, but I learned quickly that airbrushing is a lot of fun, and Vallejo was the right way to go. Typically used for models, I grabbed these convenient little ink bottles off Amazon after doing a search for "Airbrush paints". They've never let me down. You'll want to grab a starter pack, and be sure to get the "Thinner" and the "Cleaner". The "Flow Improver" can also be helpful. Vallejo has an endless supply of colours, impossible to list them all, but I will put down some of the basics and kits below, as well as a few entry level Airbrushes for those looking to try this out.
Sculpting Tools
Sculpting tools I use:
There are a lot of sculptors that use different tools, tool types, for different tasks and clay types. I say, use what works best for you - how you 'feel' the clay, what gets you the best results, is how you should proceed. That said, there is significant overlap. Below are some of the basic tools I use, and some others. For the air drying clays, I typically use wooden tools to start with, then move to silicone tipped ones for detail work. For polymer clays (sculpey, fimo, premo, etc), I find metal sculpting tools work best for me.