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Step-by-Step Beret Project
by Peter_Nix (Tips, Techniques & Questions)While this step-by-step tutorial is all about creating berets, there's obviously no reason why it can't be adapted to other forms of headgear.
Before getting started I'd like to take a moment to thank Lamanda2 for letting me bother her with my Sculpey questions as well as for sending me her step-by-step instructions which this is based on (see, I do listen to people :D ), Kramer29 for also answering my Sculpey questions, Pharazon for helping me with this article as well as anyone else who I haven't listed (I've read other questions and answers created by other people...).
Different Beret Styles: US Army wear their berets flat across (read: "parallel to") their brows. The Iraqi Army, and a few others tilt it off the left side of the. The way I create the berets is by tilting the front (and back) of the beret so that it is closer to the right eye and higher above the left eye. Anyway for this tutorial, I'll be creating berets my way (hanging off the right side of the head, with the front tilted across the brow higher over the left eye than the right eye).
What you need:
- Sculpey III (I'm sure other Sculpey products would work, but this is what I'm using)
- Either a head or a minifigure that is not necessarily needed anymore (I use the minifigure and have noticed that the hairdrying loosened the limbs)
- A flat metal tool (it doesn't even have to be metal, but it should be strong enough, it could be a sculpting tool, an Xacto knife, or, in my case a metal emory board (I thought that I'd be able to file down sculpey with it if needed, but that didn't work to well when I tried it)
- A hairdryer
- An oven, preheated to 275°F (130ºC) [Instructions from the side of the "box"]
1- Take a small amount of Sculpey (a little bit smaller than pea sized), just enough to create a skull cap for the minifigure, this piece will act as an anchor for the finished headpiece, and mold it around the stud at the top of the head. 2- Using the hairdryer, apply the heat on high for about 3 to 5 minutes (Don’t burn your fingers!) till Sculpey is firm. 3- Let the piece cool only a bit (if it cools too much, it might break) and remove it. Some suggest twisting the piece to remove it, I personally like the idea of taking the flat metal tool and working it around the under-edge of the piece, pushing up gently a bit at a time until the seal is broken and the piece could be roved easily. 4- Take some more Sculpey, just enough to wrap in a thin layer around the head like a head band. (approximately 1-2/16"L x ¼"W x 1/16" D; in reality, I don't measure I just go by what looks right). 5- Once the strip is wrapped around the head and skull piece, mold the strip around the top of the skull piece, it doesn't have to totally cover the skull piece and it shouldn't be too thick at the top but there shouldn't be any seams- it should look like a single, uninterrupted piece (this can also thin out the sides somewhat- you don't the sides too thick either). 6- Once the piece looks right to you (remember, people wear berets in many different ways- so as far as I'm concerned there's no correct way to create the shape- it's all personal aesthetics), take more Sculpey, enough to cover the top of the head and a bit more to hang over the side. Flatten it into an oval-like shape- the part that will be covering the top of the skull piece should be made as thin as possible, while the part that will be hanging over can be a bit thicker. Also, don't worry if it's too long- we'll probably be trimming some Sculpey off to get it approximately the right size. Place the Sculpey on top of the head piece and mold it to the previous piece so that it ends up looking like one solid piece.
7- For the hanging over piece, take the flat tool and use it to shape the Sculpey to give the front and back the appearance of "beret folds" (like the material is hanging over, not just the tilted side but a bit in the front and back as well). If it looks too long (mainly it's a personal preference) "clip" off a bit of Sculpey until you get the desired length (or add and mold a bit more if needed) and shape it to a rounded off design.
8- Once the beret is trimmed and shaped the way you want it to look, apply the blowdryer heat on high for 3 to 5 minutes. 9- Remove the beret from the head, put it into the preheated oven and [I] bake it for 15 minutes. Feel free to ask any questions, and I'll answer them as quickly as I can. If any of this article was difficult to understand, let me know as well, but please be specific. Enjoy. -Alan
Note: I find it easier to use an old style head with the full stud for this step.
EDIT (a note on "heating the Sculpey until firm"): The heating itself won't make the Sculpey firm [at first], when the Sculpey is still hot/warm [after the dryer is turned off] it will remain moldable for a bit longer as it cools and firms up (hardens). Once totally cooled, it will will be hard(er; the "er" is there since you still need the baking, the hairdrying is mainly to keep it from losing shape when you remove it), however, I try to remove the piece while it's firm yet not totally cooled. Of course, trying to take the piece off while still too warm might warp the piece (I've done that and now have one beret that can't be worn), but removing it when its totally cooled might break the piece (I've also heard a story about the piece not coming off- since I've never tried to do that, I could only imagine that the piece was left to cool on the head and became [almost] permanantly attached (I'm sure it could be broken off and retried- but if the piece looks good why do that?).
Take the flat strip of Sculpey and wrap it around the head. It doesn't matter where you start since you'll be flattening it and molding down the seams in the next step. Make sure as you are wrapping it that most of the strip wraps to the skull piece.
Additionally, use the flat tool to push up on the bottom of the beret, not to remove it yet, just to level the brow and make sure the sculpey doesn't cover the eyes.
Once baked, remove from oven, let it cool and then paint it...
"I am the Alpha and the Omega- I am the creator and the destroyer..."