Hi all,
am practicing sculpting, and focusing on busts to get head & faces right.

Most sculpts I see on here are closed mouth, unless shouting.

So to practice, I have two sculpts with teeth showing.
(only showing Stacey, who works next door in the menswear store)

I am struggling to get the teeth & gums.

Once I get those done, then I can do cheeks, lips and chin. Then the rest of the face.

Any pointers or ideas?

PS, I'm working in Sculpey

PPS, just noticed the neck is too thick for the head, Stacey has a narrow neck, not a weightlifters neck.....

Jamie, I think it might help if you tackle this differently, firstly work on getting the shape of the face adding the cheeks , nose and chin, it helps if you have side view pictures. Once you're happy with that then I'd mark out where the mouth goes . Hope this helps.

Cheers Ken

Cheers on your endeavors Jamie

The mouth area of the face is one of the most difficult to capture, and Ken's right, it helps to anchor down key reference points.

As you've done with the eyes, on larger pieces it helps to have a top row of teeth and gum, not necessarily fully sculpted but there to serve as a mock up to work around.

The corners of the mouth are tucked deeper on the facial plane than one expects and a stand-in upper mouth will aid in this regard.

The bust has a uncanny resemblance to Mr. Bill.
Great Work Mate!

Chris

Gordy, Ken,
thanks for the insights.

Yep, I'm missing my reference points, so I'll rework over the next day.

Then I can do the gum/teeth from there.

Chris, thanks for the look in, who is Mr Bill?

Cheers

Who is Mr. Bill?

You've gotta be an old-timer like me, to remember Mr. Bill, Mr. Sluggo ("Oh noooooo, he's going to be mean to me"), and Mr. Bill's dog, Spot. "Here/comes/Mr. Bill's doggggggg!" And none of it would have been possible without Mr. Hands.

SNL had a lot of really off-the-wall film shorts back then. Remember the sketch about the trendy club guy who comes home from a night of partying, and he keeps hearing Peaches and Herbs' "Shake Your Groove Thang" and immediately he bursts into wild dancing?

LMFAO!!!, LOL! We must be getting old!
Noooooooooooooo Mr. Bill!
Mrosko

Yeah we are getting old... heck I remmeber when their was no SNL . . . Me and Licnoln use to hang out in the log cabin on Saturday night and hold the candle for each other.

Jamie - you have had some great suggestions. I generally concure with the rest.

Get the basic face shape down first then work to teeth, open mouth Etc. I know of one sculpture/miniaturist who works from the inside out, but he literally makes a skull and then adds on.

Neill

Thanks guys,
yep, by adding in other key facial features, things started to click.

Added the chin, then the cheek muscles, followed by the lips.

still need to rework the teeth.

Think I may redo the lips/ teeth.

Anyway, Stacey with mouth effort 1, then 2.

And to make sure, I added some other other, err, anatomical markers, approx a 1/9 D pair of markers.....

And while I am doing one smiling lady, might as well do the other.....

Kanae, as my effort to reboot an old project.
(the Yukata one from a few years back)

Back then, I did the armature first, then tried the head.

Now I am doing the head, before I do the rest of the figure....

Again, adding in the cheeks, then chin, then the lips/ teeth.

Needs more work, but feels like I am heading in the right direction.....

Cheers

Jamie,
The eyes (eyeballs, socket, lids etc.) are half way down the oval of the complete head. As I look at this head so far, the forehead needs to be much higher to adjust for your eye placement. Even though this pretty subject's hair will come down, you still need the added "height" to the head to make it look correct when you do add the hair. If the proportions are right, then all the secondary details will fall into place.
I would suggest working from a sizing chart for head and body...proportions and proper placement of features, etc. it will take out much of the mystery and save time...as you use the charts on your projects, it will become second nature to you, where everything goes.
Give it a try... I think you'll find it helpful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GH5Eri5pGW0

It is short, but it has all important "steps"

Rotate sculpt all the time and look from all angles,use mirror for simetry.

this also is good from the same user with explanations
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_OcQ19AfMQ&feature=related

May I suggest you get Katherine Dewey's book. It is excellent and has helped me greatly. She will guide you step by step thru this problem. She also is more than willing to answer any questions you have if you hang out on the Shifflet Bros forum.

http://www.amazon.com/Creating-Life...=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1305059157&sr=1-1

Darko, Antonio,Tormag, Phil (and Mr Ray!)

Thanks for the input and leads guys, time for some more homework.

Cheers, and thanks,

Jamie

Well,
homework and practice done,

thanks guys for the pointers.

Although closer to where I want to head with this, not quite there yet....or close.

Still, it is better, however, feedback always welcome

Have reworked this a few times (and fully expect to rework it again), hopefully some different eyes can see what I am missing...

Jawline needs work, nose & ears need work.....suppose I am really after is are the key dimensions (eyes in skull, f.e.) close to the mark?

A thank you to Raymond Lantz, who clued me up on the eyeballs, have ben basing a lot of the dimensions on eyeball distances (ie, where things line up, how far apart)

Cheers

Eyes are positioned in eyesockets-deep skul depressions-I think you missed that...also the front of the face is not flat surface but oval shape-try to work on it more

Thanks Darko!!

Will do,

cheers