Sculpting and Clay Types

Clay Types

Water-Based or Buff Clay - This water-based clay is easy to cut and trim. This type also grips surfaces well making it great for flat moulds. Pros include being cost-effective and easy to cut. Cons include drying out which means you have to cast quickly before it does so.

Polymer Clay - Can be baked to create breakable props. It also has a soft texture and can take detail but it crumbles very easily when blending the edges making it less suitable for flat mould prosthetics,

Plastiline - Amulti-purpose modelling wax that is available in 5 different grades varying in toughness. Compatible with all silicone rubbers (Packaging 5 kg tubes). Plastiline is measured in numbers 40 very soft, 50 soft, 55 standard, 60 hard  and 70 very hard. It is also generally preferred for its less sticky and harder texture.

Chavant - Oil based so doesn't dry out. Comes in 3 different grades from soft to hard. Pourable Liquid once heated. Doesn't contain sulphur so it doesn't inhibit the curing process of silicone.

Sculpting

Although no other images can be found during the process as they have been lost during a switchover of mobile device and multiple absences my finished sculpted flat mould can be seen in the image above.

To start the process of sculpting, the first step is to block the area. This is done by creating small balls. These are placed on a plastic sheet and squashed down. This is repeated until the desired area is covered.

After that, you continue by blending the clay together to create a smooth area ready for carving or building up additional height,

The next step for creating this particular appliance is to carve out the initial injury making sure not to entirely go through the wax.

Part of the inner wax is then carved out to create an undercut within the skin and straight edges are changed into more jagged, realistic edges.

Once the desired size and shape are created the wax around the edges is slowly carved away to create a nearly imperceivable seem. This will allow for easier application.

As the type of wax used doesn't dry out there is plenty of time to adjust and change the sculpt into your desired shape.

The injury that has been created for the appliance is based on the lacerations a weapon like the one above could cause.

This is repeated on a much smaller scale to create the bondo that will be used within the final application.

Industry References

The Image above shows a near-complete prosthetic appliance created by legacy effects. This particular appliance was created from a life cast of Chris Hemsworth which in turn was used to a fat suit for his character Thor Odinson.

All the information came from knowledge gained during lectures and demonstrations by Natasha Jordan and Cristina Romano

Image References

Legacy Effects Marvels Endgame Thors Fat Suit (2023)[Online]. Available at: https://www.legacyefx.com/avengersendgame (Accessed: 20 January 2023).