Build Your Own Adipose
As some people were interested in how to make those Adipose keychains I showed earlier, this is the comprehensive guide to your own Adipose. Last thing I'm going to spam the f-list with today, I promise.
First, you'll need polymer clay. I'm using FIMO because I've received a lifelong training anyway (ah, the nostalgia…), and it's an awesome material to work with (nowadays). The only other tool I use is a needle from my dissection pack, but a thin knitting needle or a toothpick should do the trick just as well.
Most important thing while working with something so small, smooth and white: Clean your hands and all the surfaces you plan to use very thoroughly before you begin, as any kind of dirt and dust loves to cling to white FIMO.
We'll start with the torso, which will define the size of your Adipose, so experiment a bit until you're happy. I always go with something in a size that fits with the official action figure range, but as long as you can handle it, it can be as big or small as you want it to be. Form a ball by rolling the clay in circles against your palms.
Here's the tricky part: You'll have to form a cube now. This works best if you form a square with your thumbs and index fingers (picture's showing only one hand, as I needed the other for taking the picture obviously, just complete the square with your other hand), and press the clay into the resulting square-like shape. Carefully pressing the sides and the top/bottom should now get you something close to a cube.
If you soften the edges a bit and make the head a bit rounder, you should have the perfect Adipose body now.
Next you need the arms and feet, best way is to only use your thumb and index finger to roll them, hands would flatten the small amounts and make it too warm (FIMO is tricky if too warm as it changes its form a lot easier then). Gently press them against the bottom/sides. The arms should hold on their own (as the work/handling still to come gets them pressed deeper into the torso anyway), to get a smooth bottom, use a needle or something similar to roll the ends of the feet into the body. That way your Adipose will keep standing on its own once you're finished. You can also give him small toes by using the needle to gently press the feet at the front to the ground.
You should end up with something like this now. Well, less dirty ;)
Next: The face. Eyes are pretty easy, use the needle to poke them in, then move it in small circles while still inside to smoothen and enlargen the edges.
The mouth is a bit tricker. Slowly poke the needle in and move it to the right as if cutting through butter. Thanks to the round needle, the edges stay smooth. Stop about halfway, move a bit to the right, poke into the clay again and finish the mouth. That way you'll get the egg tooth smile ;-)
And then you're done!
Quite easy, isn't it? Even the Doctor is impressed!
If you want a keychain, you can either add the loop before or after baking (I add it after baking, as I'm not too sure about the hot metal in my oven, but others claim the FIMO can take it). If you do the latter, don't forget to poke a hole into their head before putting them into the oven, drilling it in after the FIMO is hardened could cause damage.
All you have to do now is bake them (110°C, 30 minutes, but it says so on the FIMO package, too) and handle them carefully until they've been hardened. FIMO is quite soft when it's warm (or the room temperature is), so make sure your fingerprints haven't been pushed into the little fella when you've handled him. You can stroke them off if you're careful, don't use much force (you shouldn't have to if the clay's warm), it'll deform your work!
If you want to take him outside or use him for something that will put him under strain, you should buy special varnish, but I hear transparent nail polish works, too.
Hope that's helping, have fun and I'd love to see your results!
First, you'll need polymer clay. I'm using FIMO because I've received a lifelong training anyway (ah, the nostalgia…), and it's an awesome material to work with (nowadays). The only other tool I use is a needle from my dissection pack, but a thin knitting needle or a toothpick should do the trick just as well.
Most important thing while working with something so small, smooth and white: Clean your hands and all the surfaces you plan to use very thoroughly before you begin, as any kind of dirt and dust loves to cling to white FIMO.
We'll start with the torso, which will define the size of your Adipose, so experiment a bit until you're happy. I always go with something in a size that fits with the official action figure range, but as long as you can handle it, it can be as big or small as you want it to be. Form a ball by rolling the clay in circles against your palms.
Here's the tricky part: You'll have to form a cube now. This works best if you form a square with your thumbs and index fingers (picture's showing only one hand, as I needed the other for taking the picture obviously, just complete the square with your other hand), and press the clay into the resulting square-like shape. Carefully pressing the sides and the top/bottom should now get you something close to a cube.
If you soften the edges a bit and make the head a bit rounder, you should have the perfect Adipose body now.
Next you need the arms and feet, best way is to only use your thumb and index finger to roll them, hands would flatten the small amounts and make it too warm (FIMO is tricky if too warm as it changes its form a lot easier then). Gently press them against the bottom/sides. The arms should hold on their own (as the work/handling still to come gets them pressed deeper into the torso anyway), to get a smooth bottom, use a needle or something similar to roll the ends of the feet into the body. That way your Adipose will keep standing on its own once you're finished. You can also give him small toes by using the needle to gently press the feet at the front to the ground.
You should end up with something like this now. Well, less dirty ;)
Next: The face. Eyes are pretty easy, use the needle to poke them in, then move it in small circles while still inside to smoothen and enlargen the edges.
The mouth is a bit tricker. Slowly poke the needle in and move it to the right as if cutting through butter. Thanks to the round needle, the edges stay smooth. Stop about halfway, move a bit to the right, poke into the clay again and finish the mouth. That way you'll get the egg tooth smile ;-)
And then you're done!
Quite easy, isn't it? Even the Doctor is impressed!
If you want a keychain, you can either add the loop before or after baking (I add it after baking, as I'm not too sure about the hot metal in my oven, but others claim the FIMO can take it). If you do the latter, don't forget to poke a hole into their head before putting them into the oven, drilling it in after the FIMO is hardened could cause damage.
All you have to do now is bake them (110°C, 30 minutes, but it says so on the FIMO package, too) and handle them carefully until they've been hardened. FIMO is quite soft when it's warm (or the room temperature is), so make sure your fingerprints haven't been pushed into the little fella when you've handled him. You can stroke them off if you're careful, don't use much force (you shouldn't have to if the clay's warm), it'll deform your work!
If you want to take him outside or use him for something that will put him under strain, you should buy special varnish, but I hear transparent nail polish works, too.
Hope that's helping, have fun and I'd love to see your results!