Sculpting is an important skill to improve. I went out of my comfort zone with this piece because I tend to suck at symmetrical things, and now...I suck less haha. This was one of my experiments to create removable armor for figures. The design is from the PC game "Torchlight".

Any time I've looked for a tutorial to do something, either the person explaining skips a bunch of important details, because it's old hat to them, or it simply doesn't exist, so I had to stumble along. I would be a much better sculptor today if I had people to mentor me, to explain techniques and all that jazz. Instead, I was frustrated most of the time, and that put a damper on my enthusiasm for this stuff.

So all you professionals out there, if a kid asks you how to sculpt chains, or ears, or spiky hair or whatever, just fu*king tell them. They can't afford your $200 an hour classes at the community college, so just tell them how you do it and make a positive difference in their lives, so they aren't all bitter and totally broke 10 years later.

Anyway...

•Grab the figure you'll be sculpting the belt for. Wrap a single layer of tape around the waist to act as a barrier between it and the clay. I used green Sculpey or Fimo for this because it stays a little flexible after baking.

•To make chains, break them down into basic shapes. What do the links look like? They're essentially oval donuts. To make the first layer, the links that are lying flat on the figure, make a bunch of little balls of the same size and stick them on in a row, shaping them into ovals as you go. Just swipe at them with your finger and they'll elongate gradually. Now, poke a cavity in the center of each oval so they look like squished donuts. You don't have to go all the way through, just deep enough that it's noticeable.

At this point you can "save your work" by carefully removing the belt from the figure and baking it. Just make sure it's in the same shape as it is when on the figure when it's baking. I didn't do this, but it's an option.

•Now we make the links that connect those. Roll a snake of clay the same thickness as the links you just made, then cut it into sections long enough to reach from the edge of one cavity to the edge of the next. Taper the ends of the sections, then press the tips into the cavities to "link" everything together. I used a combination of my fingernails and a thin flat tool to get the tips in there without mashing the clay around them. It's delicate work, but it's doable. If you mess up, try using a damp brush to gently swipe away any tool marks, and even reshape things back to normal. Don't worry if the links aren't perfect, that actually looks better, I think.

•Congrats, you're done! Now you can peel the belt off the figure and bake it, making sure it's in the same shape it will be when worn. Sculpey is a little flexible even when cured, so it's not too hard to slip the belt on and off a figure as long as you leave an open section in the back.

Depending on the design, you can sculpt the hole belt on a flat surface, as shown in the WIP pic, then shape it like the figure's waist before baking. If you have a complex design, the features may get distorted, but it's no problem for a simple chain belt.

Ideally, you would now make a mold of the belt, so you can then cast it in something flexible, like liquid latex. But if all you have access to is Sculpey, this will do.