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Author Topic: Quick 'n' Dirty Palmette Sculpting Tutorial  (Read 1856 times)

Offline Karak Norn Clansman

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Quick 'n' Dirty Palmette Sculpting Tutorial
« on: September 12, 2017, 03:16:05 PM »



The ancient Mesopotamian dispute fable between the palm and the tamarisk trees, written 2000 BC (more here on the importance of gardens in ancient Mesopotamia):

Quote
The king plants a date-palm in his palace and fills up the space beside her with a tamarisk. Meals are enjoyed in the shade of the tamarisk, skilled men gather in the shade of the date-palm, the drum is beaten, men give praise, and the king rejoices in his palace. The two trees, brother and sister, are quite different; the tamarisk and the palm-tree compete with each other. They argue and quarrel together.

The tamarisk says: 'I am much bigger!'

And the date-palm argues back, saying: 'I am much better than you! You, O tamarisk, are a useless tree. What good are your branches? There's no such thing as a tamarisk fruit! Now, my fruits grace the king's table; the king himself eats them, and people say nice things about me. I make a surplus for the gardener, and he gives it to the queen; she, being a mother, nourishes her child upon the gifts of my strength, and the adults eat them too. My fruits are always in the presence of royalty.'

The tamarisk makes his voice heard; his speech is even more boastful. 'My body is superior to yours! It's much more beautiful than anything of yours. You are like a slave girl who fetches and carries daily needs for her mistress.' He goes on to point out the king's table, couch, and eating bowl are made from tamarisk wood, that the king's clothes are made using tools of tamarisk wood; likewise the temples of the gods are full of objects made from tamarisk.

The date-palm counters by pointing out that her fruits are the central offering in the cult; once they have been taken from the tamarisk dish, the bowl is used to collect up the garbage.

The date palm stood for roughly half of southern Mesopotamia's food intake during the Neo-Babylonian empire (grain the other half, more or less), with ill effects for dental health. Dates were a staple food, and destroying your enemies' orchards was a common and heinous way to damage their agricultural economy (Greeks did the same with olive trees, which were sacred to them):
« Last Edit: September 12, 2017, 04:04:06 PM by Karak Norn Clansman »

Offline Karak Norn Clansman

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Re: Quick 'n' Dirty Palmette Sculpting Tutorial
« Reply #1 on: June 08, 2018, 07:40:46 AM »
Hi, is there anything specific you would like to find out more about? Is it perhaps some sculpting basics?

In that case, there are a few things that are good to know: Knead the green stuff (or whatever two-component sculpting putty you use) for as long as it take to have it become an even mass without lumps or strings of one component. Rolling it out into a thin string and then whirling it into a spiral around itself and then kneading again often helps.

Then, water is essential. Green stuff does not fasten on water, meaning a surface you apply it to must be dry, and the green stuff should be thoroughly pressed down onto said surface without crags at its base letting water in. Dip your sculpting tool in water frequently to stop the sticky putty sticking to the tool.

Green stuff is great in that you can always regret and go back one or more steps to start over on the sculpting, as long as it hasn't dried too much.

Cold makes green stuff dry slower. If you need to take a break from sculpting, but isn't finished yet, then put the miniature in the fridge and return to it later in the day. If you need it to dry quickly, then put it under a strong lamp and perhaps make a little "oven" out of aluminium foil.

Oh, and always attach the green stuff directly to where it should be. It's usually easier than sculpting on another surface and then remove it when dry (although that, too, can work).

And remember that everyone is a clumsy amateur in the beginning, but by using small step-by-step tricks like those described in tutorials, it is possible to speed up the learning curve and get better quicker by not having to figure out every technique for oneself. :)