I've read some of the guides on this site and others about sculpting and I really want to give it a go. I have a couple of questions though.

How should i start? I have done some very minor sculpts when converting models but this was rarely much more than filling in a gap and just sculpting the gap so the 2 parts join together nicely. What sort of things should I start with, is it too hasty to jump straight in to making a model from scratch? (Nothing complicated, maybe a ringraith as was done in one of the guides).

What putty should I use? I have some greenstuff but apparently a lot of people use milliput as well to form the foundation of the model, then apply greenstuff over it to get the details.

My goal is to sculpt an ent, how long will it take before I have a reasonable chance at it? (I realise this may be like asking how long is a peice of string).

Thank you

Milliput is cheaper than Green Stuff (Kneadatite) or ProCreate which is why it is used to bulk out large minis before adding a skin of the good stuff for the details.
An Ent is a good way to get into sculpting as you cant really go wrong with the twists and knarls of the bark. I think I did an Ent sculpting guide here in the Tomes of Wisdom somewhere. For figures, you may want to get some puppets which already have faces and hands that you clothe yourself before moving on to armatures. A ringwraith might be a good project to start with as it has no face, which a lot of beginners struggle with at first. What tools do you have, as that is often half the battle.

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You don't have to be great to start. But you do have to start to be great.

Thanks

I have a set of sculpting tools with all sorts of wierd shapes, the only 1 I haven't got which I have seen in guides is a needle shaped one, with a rounded edge. Is this important or can I go without it?

EDIT: I just tried adding a cloak to a metal minas tirith warrior, and i failed completely. I followed the guide for sculpting cloth but when I first put the greenstuff on I could not get it into shape, it was just to solid to move about easily. When I finally got a shape that could work, I failed to sculpt in the folds. Everytime I pushed in my tool it made very sharp edges and deformed all the greenstuff around it. I just about maneged 1 fold but the moment I tried to do another it just deformed the one I had already done. In the end I just gave up as the greenstuff was drying.

Am I doing something wrong or does this just come with practice?

For cloth folds, silicone tipped clay shapers are a sculptors best friend. Use the flat tipped one (centre) to create the fine folds at the shoulder, and the cone tipped one (far right) to broaden the folds as they fall to the floor. The natural give in the rubber allows for softer folds to be created.

It is best to try and get the putty into roughly the correct shape before applying it to the mini, rather than sticking a blob on there to try and push around.

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You don't have to be great to start. But you do have to start to be great.

Where can you get those?

Most Art and craft stores. I know Hobbycraft sells them if you live in the UK.
A google search for clay shapers should throw up a few online retailers if you prefer.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Colour-Shaper-Black-Tip-Clay/dp/B0043GWDQ6/ref=pd_cp_office_0
A word of warning though. They come in a variety of sizes just like paintbrushes, so make sure you get size 0, as anything bigger will be no good for sculpting minis an inch high.

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You don't have to be great to start. But you do have to start to be great.