Consequently, there are no photographs of the various stages, just the finished cloaks. This tutorial can probably be summarized as "Keep experimenting until it looks right". If you're looking for a simple step-by-step handholdy sort of guide, then this is not going to be that. Sorry.
This is a tutorial on sculpting scales onto SDCs or similar flattish surfaces. It is not a tutorial on making the cloaks themselves. There are loads of tutorials about making ordinary cloaks out there already. And there are loads of plastic cloaks available in various GW plastic regiment kits. This is about adding scales to them to turn them into Sea Dragon Cloaks suitable for corsairs, fleetmasters, beastmasters, thalassophilic sorceresses, etc.
For the corsairs above, the cloaks are from WE glade guard. I cut off the quivers with clippers, then tidied up the resulting mess with a scalpel. Since the outer surface of the cloak was going to be covered with greenstuff scales, it wasn't necessary to be too neat. Just getting rid of any awkward lumps was sufficient.
OK, let's start with the tools I used:
The first two are proper sculpting tools. The only bits you need for this job are the spatula-shaped ends. Any small, flat piece of smooth metal or plastic would suffice.
The chunky yellow thing is a 1.4mm slot-head screwdriver. This is probably the most important tool for this job.
Next to that is the second most important tool, used for all the really tiny scales. I took a plastic-coated paperclip, cut around it and pulled off a section of the coating, then cut the end off the metal wire inside and pushed the cut section of coating back on. This creates a very narrow hollow tube.
At the bottom is a mounted needle from back when I used to dissect things. Um. When I was a biology student, obviously. Not as a hobby.
I didn't actually use this for sculpting the scales, but it's handy for making the creases where the cloak attaches to the wearer's shoulders, as well as poking tiny holes in the turned back parts of the cloak to give it that leathery "just ripped from a dragon carcass" look.STEP 1
Let's assume you have your cloak, either in greenstuff or plastic, and that it is securely attached to the model. You could actually sculpt the scales before attaching the cloak, but then you have nothing to safely hold it by.
Start by applying a blob of greenstuff to the centre of the cloak. Press it on with your finger, then smooth it out across the surface of the cloak with the spatula end of your modelling tool (or equivalent) until it's a flat, reasonably smooth layer a millimetre or so thick.
Make sure your fingers and tools are wet so that the greenstuff doesn't stick to them. But also make sure you don't get water between the greenstuff and the cloak. I use saliva because its viscosity makes this easier, but I probably shouldn't recommend licking your modelling tools since greenstuff is supposedly slightly toxic. Whatever. I guess you could do what professional art restorers do and bottle your spit rather than licking your tools.
STEP 2
OK, so you should now have a roughly circular patch of greenstuff a millimetre or so thick in the middle of your cloak. A patch 1.5 centimetres in diameter is a good size to start with, but this isn't critical as long as it doesn't get too close (within 3mm) of any of the edges of the cloak.
You now need to divide this up into individual scales, with the largest near the centre and getting smaller towards the edges.
Push the tip of your tiny screwdriver into the greenstuff. Very Important Thing #1: do not move the screwdriver parallel to the surface of the greenstuff. You should be jabbing the putty, not scribing into it. Very Important Thing #2: Make sure the screwdriver is wet at all times, but don't flood the surface of the greenstuff. If the screwdriver sticks, gently wiggle it loose, then smooth the greenstuff back down with a wet spatula/modelling tool and re-wet the screwdriver tip before continuing.
The screwdriver will make short, linear indentations. Connect these up into rough polygons, trying to keep each 'corner' convex. If you end up with concave 'corners' (i.e. a scale that's shaped like a wonky 'T' rather than an angular 'O'), then just divide it into two smaller scales.
It will look fine if the scales don't all graduate equally in terms of size. Actually, some randomness in the pattern looks better than the overly-CAD-looking GW corsair cloaks, IMO. The occasional small scale mixed in with the larger ones is perfectly OK.
When there's no room for more scales of an appropriate size at the edges of the patch of greenstuff you're currently working on, stop and trim away the excess unsculpted greenstuff with a knife or the cutting end of your modelling tool. Or, if you're really close to the edge of the cloak, go straight to Step 5 and ignore the second paragraph.
STEP 3
Let the greenstuff cure while you go do something else (like maybe the first bit of the next cloak if you need SDCs for a whole regiment...)
STEP 4
Apply another patch of greenstuff and repeat Step 2. Keep going until you've covered the entire cloak apart from a strip about 3mm wide along the edges (including the top edge). Don't overlap the greenstuff scales you've already done.
STEP 5
OK, now for the teeny-tiny scales.
Put narrow strips of greenstuff along the edges of the cloak, smooth them onto the surface and then trim the edges flush with a knife or the cutting end of a modelling tool. Re-define the edges of any already-sculpted scales that the new greenstuff is touching, using the screwdriver tip.
You remember that paperclip thing? You'll need that now. Press the hollow-tube end of it into the greenstuff all over, starting at the edges of the cloak and moving towards the already-scupted (and hopefully cured) scales. Keep the resulting tiny scales as closely packed as possible.
If you end up with some little diamond-shaped gaps between these tiny scales, that's fine, but it will look better if you tessellate them properly. Aim for something like a picture of a box of oranges, where each row of scales fits into the gaps in the row next to them.
Optional: Do not do this at the top of the cloak, only at the sides and bottom.
STEP 6
Now for the top of the cloak. This is optional. You can just continue the scales up there. But I think it looks better (and more like the GW corsairs) if you add a 'turnback' of ragged, leathery and non-scaly skin.
You'll need to make a small roll of greenstuff, curve it down slightly in the middle and press it onto the collar area of the cloak, conforming to the shape of the model's shoulders.
Smooth this down with your modelling tool and tidy up the points where it is attached (you can add brooches or something here later if you like).
Now cut V-shapes out of the bottom with the cutting end of your modelling tool. Try to make it look randomly ragged rather than like somebody's gone at it with pinking shears.
Add some small holes with a mounted needle or similar pointy implement if you like. Don't overdo this.
Now press the side of the (wet!) mounted needle or appropriate modelling tool (the leftmost end of the topmost tool in the photo above is ideal) into the greenstuff to create creases running from the model's shoulders down towards the middle of the cloak. These indentations should be wider and shallower towards the bottom/middle and narrower and deeper towards the model's shoulders (hold the tool with the point at the shoulder and the handle pointing down and away from that shoulder). Don't go overboard here. Shallow creases look best. Remember that you're simulating thick, heavy leather, not a silk curtain.
You should end up with something like this:
You'll notice the one on the left doesn't have the turnback. I think you'll agree she'd look better with one. It's well worth the effort.
That's it for now. I have to go make dinner, but when I have time I will add a short section on how to do a spine down the middle of the cloak like the one second from left in the photo. I will also answer any questions people have, since I'm aware my instructions might not be very clear in places due to the lack of stage-by-stage photos.
