Sculpting

[Shixel]

I have always wanted to learn how to sculpt, like from a block of clay and sculpt a head or face. I like the idea of carving away the block to discover the hidden creation inside. There's really not much info out there as to how to get started and what to use... Im' a visual learner. Anyone here happen to sculpt in this or a similar fashion who might be able to give me some tips?

I have also looked into woodcarving, but I think that clay would be a much softer and easier to work with medium.

 

[JesusInMyHeart]

Hi..Shixel...

I'm not sure if this is what your looking for, but maybe you can check out these page...I do not know anything about sculpting...but thought maybe these pages might help.....It's Polymer Clay Lessons and Info:

http://www.skygrazer.com/polymerclay/resources/lessonlinks.htm

Here's another page...It's about Polymer Clay, Ceramics, Pottery:
http://www.creativity-portal.com/howto/artscrafts/clay.html

Here's another page with lots of links for Polymer clay creations:
http://melnik.freeservers.com/links7.html

Here's a page that has beginner lessons:
http://www.sculpey.com/projects.htm

Here's another page:
http://www.pcpolyzine.com/tutorials.html

 

[Shixel]

Hmm, well I have seen a lot of neat things with that Polymer clay. I suppose I should get my feet wet by starting on a project like that, but I was talking more like taking a block of clay and carving out a face or a head of a person or animal. Most of the sites you linked are building clay up to become something, I'm looking more for taking clay away to form the object. Self portraits and things like that.

But thank you for the links, I will check them out as I have seen a few things that have sparked my interest.

 

[NeilUnreal]

I'm also a beginning sculptor. I've found the book "Modeling the Head in Clay" by Bruno Lucchesi to be an excellent introduction to portrait sculpture. It is available at Amazon.com and many major bookstores.

-Neil

 

[Shixel]

Excellent book, I will have to do a search for some videos as well. That book has exactly what I am looking to sculpt (at least on the cover). I'm a visual learner, so maybe they have a video that is similar. So have you made any sculptures yet from what you have learned from the book?

 

[NeilUnreal]

Here is the piece I've done which most relies on Lucchesi's books. It is done in "Victory Brown" wax and is about 3 inches tall. The armature is a combination of aluminum wire and aluminum foil. It's also somewhat smoother than it appears, some of the apparent roughness being accumulated lint on the sticky wax, plus the crystaline grain of the translucent wax.

-Neil

p.s. I increased the brightness quite a bit to show more detail on the dark wax.

 

[Shixel]

I don't see anything posted, as far as pictures go. Maybe I am doing something wrong?

*EDIT* Oops, nevermind, I guess you just have to be logged in to view any pictures. That is a very nicely done piece, you say you did it in wax even? Where do you buy wax like that? I have not seen anything bigger than the small blocks of Sculpey clay sold at places like Michael's Crafts.

 

[NeilUnreal]

It's sculptors' wax. It’s designed to be used in lost-wax casting, but it is also a good starting point for other casting methods, making maquettes, learning, etc. Primary sculpture in wax is sometimes sold as well, though it must be stored properly to assure permanence.



The three main grades are white (hard), amber (softer), and brown (softest). “French wax” and pattern-carving waxes are sometimes more popular for lost wax process and jewelry making. Brown is often called “victory brown” and is very popular for general use. It has a distinct advantages for learning and experimentation. It gets quite firm when stored at room temperature, is soft and pliable when handled, yet has a low enough melting point for easy carving with warm sculpture tools. It’s reusable when learning, but cheap enough for large masters when casting.



Dick Blick art supplies (www.dickblick.com) sells a highly refined grade of brown wax which is good for small, fairly detailed pieces and general use. A few years ago I managed to get a good deal on a few larger blocks of a less refined grade, more appropriate for larger work. For extreme detail, white, amber, or pattern-carving wax is better. For some types of mold-making, you can mix the grades as appropriate on a single piece.



Super Sculpy is also a great material, and is used by a lot of professional model makers. It can be difficult to master for large pieces since it is prone to cracking, but the results can be spectacular. For permanence, the Sculpy piece is often used to make a mold from which final replicas are cast in resin, etc. Super Sculpy is available in bulk quantities from some suppliers. Michaels sells one-pound blocks, but it is so popular it is often goes out of stock.



A lot of sculptors use Roma Plastilina and other plastilinas for maquettes. Roma is available in a number of hardness grades, and has great working characteristics. Other plastilinas tend to be a little gooey. Unfortunately even the hardest grades are soft enough to make mold-making tricky, and real Roma smells rather strongly of sulphur!



I’ve always wanted to try terra cotta. Bruno Lucchesi also wrote a book on terra cotta which I’ve got and recommend as well.



-Neil