Making a sculpture is as simple as picking up a piece of clay and giving it a shape. But experienced artists will tell you that experimenting with different methods and techniques will lead to the most rewarding final products.
Working With Clay
Assuming you wish to fire the clay in a kiln (and if you plan to keep your sculpture, you absolutely should fire the clay), you will need to follow a few ground rules.
Never trap air in the clay. Air bubbles will cause the clay to explode in the kiln. You will need to wedge the clay before beginning the sculpture. Wedging is a process similar to kneading dough, and it is meant to squeeze air bubbles out of clay before you sculpt it. Wedge the clay by rotating it on the table and pressing it with your palms into the surface of the table.
Do not allow the walls of the sculpture to be more than 1 1/2 inches thick. Anything thicker will explode in the kiln. If you need to make an object thicker, hollow out the walls of the object. For example, if you want to make a round ball of clay that is 6 inches wide, hollow out the inside of the ball. Because you can't trap air in the clay, create a passage for the air to travel from inside the ball to the outside. You can do this with a tool as small as a needle.
When attaching one piece of clay to another, remember to score and slip the clay. This is done by making hatch marks on both sides of the clay, where the pieces will be touching. This is called "scoring." Drizzle a light layer of water or clay-infused water (called "slip") over the score marks. Think of the score marks as being like the teeth of a zipper that will grip each other and not let go, and the slip is much like glue. This will hold the two pieces of clay together. Clay that is not scored and slipped will often fall apart in the kiln.
Techniques For Building Structures And Objects
Three classic ways to build a structure out of clay are by making coils, slabs and pinch pots. Coil pots are made by rolling long coils of clay and lining them up along a base, scoring each coil as it connects to the coil that follows it. Coil pots may smoothed down to form uniform walls, or they may be left as coils for a decorative touch. Although this is one way of making a pot, this technique may be used to make the walls of any structure made from clay, not just pottery.
Slabs are useful for forming the walls of any clay structure such as a box or a cylinder. Slabs are formed with a rolling pin, much in the same way that dough is rolled flat for cookies or pie crusts.
Pinch pots are the easiest and most basic type of pot to make. A pinch pot is formed out of a ball of clay. The artist sticks his thumb in the center of the ball and pinches the sides of the ball with his free fingers. He rotates the ball of clay about 30 degrees and pinches the other side. Then he rotates the ball again, and pinches again. The hole in the center will begin to widen until a cone-shape is formed. The bottom is flatted, and the walls of the pot are shaped. Pinch pots are easy to make and may seem childish, but they serve a great purpose in sculpture. Two pinch pots of about the same size may be scored together to form a hollow ball, useful for forming larger structures such as the body of an animal or the head of a person.
Creating Your Own Style
An artist's specific style usually has three components: medium, subject matter and portrayal. When you are learning to sculpt with clay, you will explore different subjects and experiment with methods of portrayal. For example, maybe you only work with your hands and use minimal tools. Maybe you like the clay to be heavily textured, or maybe you like the clay to be smooth and elegant. Maybe you prefer to create sculptures of human subjects, or maybe you like to sculpt buildings.
While you are discovering your personal style, sample a variety of subjects and techniques. Make a sculpture of a person; make a self portrait; make a sculpture of a dream; make a sculpture that serves a function; sculpt an inanimate object; sculpt an animal; sculpt a village; sculpt a close-up of a flower. Make a list of different ideas for three-dimensional creations. When you find a subject you passionately enjoy, think of ways you could expand on it.
Experiment with textures and methods for creating textures. For example, try pressing found objects into the wall of the clay like a stamp. Scrape the clay with your fingernails; punch it with your hands; smooth it with water and a sponge.
Try working with different sizes of sculpture. Some artists make sculptures as large as themselves; others make sculptures as tiny as a thimble. Think about the impact the size will have on the viewer, and make the size work with the subject matter you have chosen.
Paint or glaze the sculptures once they have been fired in the kiln. Consider your color choices and your medium carefully. For better control over color, you can paint with acrylic or oil paints. Glaze will give your sculpture a more classic appearance.
Tools
You will need at least a few tools in your studio, including a sponge and a needle tool. Many artists prefer to work with a wide variety of wooden and metal tools found in art supply stores and around the home. Look for different tools--sticks and knives in particular--that will be work well in your personal collection.
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