Thanks Trev! I've been checking out your work for several years now on this site, and it's excellent stuff! Your new foray into the sculpting realm is extremely impressive! Thanks again, I appreciate the feedback!Trevor G said:Hey again! happy to oblige and help!
projector- These can get pretty expensive. My brother and I share use of a super prism artograph projector. fantastic machine for this stuff! the lightbulbs, however, are an incredibly high wattage, and they cost about 5 dollars a piece to replace. (there are two in the projector) If you would prefer it to be more loose I would suggest getting the artograph tracer. I THINK it's about $60 new though...it's perfect for quick projections, and...probably all you need, really, unless you're doing this professionally or what not.
It has been some time since I've drawn on papers, but I personally love colored paper from Canson. Strathmore makes a great colored paper too. both come in a variety of colors and depending on what you're preference is, they both have different texture. The strahmore stuff is reallly smooth on one side, but still has "tooth" so your pencils and what not will go on nice. the Canson is a bit more rough, but a little thinner too.
I also love this paper called stonehenge. it's for colored pencil drawing, but it can handle acrylic and watercolor and what not. it's just a cool paper, and a heavier stock than some. kind of between bristol board and regular drawing paper. (all of these papers can be purchased at www.dickblick.com)
The watercolors I'm liking are derwent's watercolor pencils. you can draw with them and paint with them. The colors are fairly varied and they are just FUN. Prismacolor makes good ones too. They also make great regular colored pencils, which I'd imagine you're familiar with. They are some of the best!
Hope that helps!
With Sculptures, I got hooked on wax. Some friends that work in the field got me onto it, and I hardly use anything else now. All of my work is very small, so I need crisp detail and smooth finishes. Wax isn't for everyone though. I know a lot of GREAT sculptors in this field that make masterpieces in super sculpey, which is readily available to anyone and easy to learn. Super Sculpey comes in soft and hard grades. you can manipulate it by hand and with small dental tools, and smooth it out with light washes of turpenoid. After you bake it, you can use various sanding sponges to get a really nice finish to your work.
if you want to check out wax, I can give you some tips there too. Here's probably my best portrait in wax that I did for Sideshow's Star Wars figures. Wax is great because you can handle it in your hands easily and never mess up any of the details, since it's very hard.
I hope some of this makes sense! I can clear up anything that doesn't. thanks and I hope you have a lot of fun exploring! always remember to go with what feels right, because there is NO wrong way...it's all about preference and the final result, and there are many ways to get there.
Trev
Deckard24