September 2016 – Sculpture 1 – ARTD150

Artist begins with a small scale maquette. Notice the high level of detail.

The artist builds an armature to help support the weight of the clay

Clay is added

To create a good bond, a great deal of COMPRESSION is needed.

The artist adds a temporary support under the creature’s snout. As the clay dries it will become more rigid and the support will no longer be necessary.

The artist continues to add clay

Notice how the artist works from many points of view. This is important for 3d artists — it enables us to understand the form and make effective improvements.

The rough sculpting of the form is finished. Now the artist allows the clay to dry to the leather hard stage to make it stronger.

The artist cuts the form up into manageable parts.

The artist hollows out the form. Notice the consistent wall thickness. In your own project you should strive for a wall thickness of 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch — about the thickness of your thumb.

Now that all of the parts are hollow, the artist puts everything back together.

To create a good bond it is necessary to slip and score both sides. A great deal of pressure is also required. The artists will squeeze the parts together with a firm grip and a lot of fussing over details. Failing to be thorough with this step could result in a catastrophic collapse of the form later.