Diesel DM

Build up around the shoulder pin

Now that we’ve pinned, bent and glued the arms into their new positions we need to bulk up the area around the pins.  You want to just get the general shape filled in but you don’t need any detail and you want to make sure it’s all below what should be the finished level.  We’ll harden this bulked up layer which will make it easier to add on a thinner muscle layer that we can work on more easily than if the entire joint were soft.

Build up around the elbow pin

Let the bulked up layer cure, either naturally or build one of those little curing ovens from a can and light bulb.  I don’t have one of those, but I may have to construct one if I keep sculpting.

Add a muscle layer to the shoulder.

Now we add a thin layer on top of our bulked out frame that we sculpt the muscle in.  In this case I tried to mirror what his other shoulder muscle looked like.  I may have given him a bit too much muscle, but for a first try I’m pretty happy with it.  The elbow was little tougher, but I think I worked in a reasonable shape.

Add some definition and muscle to the elbow

With the muscle layer completed, it’s time to cure it again.

Add some rocks on the skin to match the opposing shoulder

Now it’s time for the finish touch: add some rocks to the shoulder just on his opposing shoulder. For each rocky outgrowth, take a tiny bit of grey stuff and press it onto the desired location.  Use the sculpting tool to flatten the face of it, then carefully cut off the edges to give it sharp, well-defined edges.  As the muscle layer is already cured, if you mess up just take the piece off and start again.

Astride a slate base to match the other Troll warlocks

Sadly at this point I realized I forgot to but the bar off his feet and the pile of rocks he’s standing on in order to continue my theme of Troll warlocks on slate bases.  While trying to figure out how to cut off the rocks with that big axe in the way I managed to detach the pin and elbow and the whole arm came off cleanly.  Wow, that was lucky.  So then I went to work with the clippers and jeweler’s saw and cut him down to just his feet.  Those were then bent and pinned to attack to the new base.  Then I glued the arm back on.

I like him a lot better even with just this slight repose.  I love how the shoulder turned out and I’m excited to paint him to see how the finished product looks.