I decided to have a go at sculpting and thought the easiest place to start would be an ent. Its a big figure, and pretty much free of any strict anatomical requirements etc. so just about anything goes...
I also had a spare head, hand and dead orc to use up from the plastic GW ent kit, so no point wasting these...
I started off trying to make an armature out of a cut up metal clothes hanger, but it didnt work out, I couldnt get the bits I cut to solder or glue satisfactorily.
So I went and got some wire (about 1mm diameter from hardware store) and looped the wire around so that one length made the whole model.
I used Treebeard and plastic ent model for sources of scale.
I clad the whole armature in a layer of milliput as a foundation.
I then started adding the greenstuff, section by section, first covering the whole thing in a thin layer and scoring vertical lines along the trunk and limbs.
I then added more bits to act as a layer of bark.
I added the plastic ent head and hand by wire pining and filled gaps with putty.
Finally I added more wire to make open hand and branch stumps on back. These were clad with green stuff.
Last of all more greenstuff added as mossy/lichen clumps
I'll post a few more pics once painted.
Not too bad so far?
Finished 12/1/10
Ent is taller than Treebeard, and fractionally taller that GW plastic ent.
I may add a bit more scenic flock and longer grassy stuff to base to give it a more woodland feel. Gildor is there just for scale, and a little "expo" as i just finished him too!
Only thing is I am not sure whether or not to add some sponge type clump foliage to the ent's short stalk branches as others have done?