The Atomic Terrier

I mostly use Super Sculpey, it's available in most Arts& Crafts stores and it's relatively cheaper than Waxes or Other Clays. Plus I LOVE it, it takes a little while and you can master it.Ok since I put this together for my action figure a few years back I'll use it.

I normally start with a loose sketch of the sculpt. It usually evolves greatly once you have the clay in your hands.

Then you make an armature , basically a skeletal support for the sculpture. I use a copper wire , but you could use a coathanger or any wire without plastic on it. Nothing too flexible though it has to support your sculpture , so the larger the figure the larger the gauge of wire should be.

here i have two wires that i merge on the 'spine' with a thinner wire. You have to think of the structure of your character. If it has 4 legs then design the skeleton to reflect that.

Next i rough in some clay once the armature is together and posed. this would be the same as doing basic shapes in a drawing. This stage can be a bit sloppy so don't worry if it's not coming out exactly as you want it. You can continue to refine as you go along. SS is great in that it does not air dry, it has to be exposed to heat to cure.

You may add details at this point, I like to do a pre-bake at around 250 degrees in my oven on a tin pan for about 15 minutes. Again depending on the thickness of your character, because small stuff will tend to burn of not monitored. Glass is ok too, just make sure it's not something you'll be eating off of in the future! Pre-bakes are good to make sure your sculpt doesn't crack because the center is fully cooked. That is dependant on the thickness of your sculpture. the thicker it is the more prebakes i recommend.
with alot of work and patience you get closer to what you desire your sculpt to look like. More to come!