This week in life drawing we were recreating the models in front of us out of terracota clay. I was a bit apprehensive about using the clay as I have never attempted so before. However I think I achieved a lot better than I thought I would. First we did a full body piece of the model which I feel did not go as well as the full head sculptor. My full figure was quite small and it was hard to get a lot of detail into the model. I also found the fact that we had to move around the figure every four minutes frustrating as I would be half way through doing a piece of something then have to move. However I understand that this was an essential part of the activity so that we could see the full diametre of the figure. I learnt that to begin making a sculptor of a figure you should start with basic shapes and then worry about the positioning afterwards. Therefore we were taught to create a shape of clay that looks like a torso, a pelvis and a head, with also two smaller balls of clay that can be squashed to create the waist and neck. Next we made four thinner pieces of clay to create arms and legs. When this was all created and together, you then start to look at the shapes and stance of the figure in front of you in relation to the sculptor you are making.
After break we then started to create the sculptor of the model's head and face. We began by crunching up newspaper and applying and covering it with masking tape to create a strengthened surface for the clay when being applied to the wooden block so that the clay would not just slide down the wooden pole. I then made a pinch pot (or a thumb pot as our teacher John calls it) big enough to fit over the top of the newspaper cushion. Next I completely covered the structure with further larger pieces of clay. The next part I found the hardest task, this was because we had to create and mould the clay into a 3D shape that appeared like a head and not just any human head, it had to represent our models head. I then concentrated on getting a basic shape and placement of the eyes, nose and ears and then refined these further as the model continued to rotate every four minutes. I found the technique of moving round to see the whole head a lot more effective than moving round to see the full body as in the previous piece. Next I focused on the placement of the hair and created the eyes out of the eye sockets that were made earlier. I then worked on the creating the lips and chin and getting their placement correct, I found this hard and it took several attempts and help from John. Finally I made markings in the hair to make the head model more realistic.
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