Setting up a Peg Armature and Roughing in your Self-Portrait Bust Start with a peg armature. Cut one of the provided plastic bags in half. Save the side with only one opening for later. Cut a length of wire to about 5 feet. Wrap the part of the plastic bag with two openings over the wooden peg, securing it with the wire. Don’t wrap it too tightly. You should be able to move the plastic up and down freely. Set up your visual references. Get out calipers, a wooden paddle, and a cutting wire. Cut chunks out of your clay. Compact the clay around the plastic covered wooden peg. Use a wooden paddle to help compact the clay. Use calipers and a mirror to get a general sense of how big your head is. Compare the proportions of your head to your clay model. Build up your clay model to the general shape and size of your head. Looking closely at your visual references and continually rotating your sculpture, begin roughing in the features of your bust.
