Sculpting Sacagawea

I've been posting to my webpage blog and forgetting to post here too. So I'll combine a few of my web posts for you here.

Started sculpting Native American Sacagawea in Clayette Soft. This is a really creamy and buttery clay that I would recommend for larger and looser works. I didn't intend to finish this and thought it would be a quick study but I ended up liking it so continued. I feel the clay is far too soft for detailed work this small. In fact I ended up switching to Jmac medium and hard for the dress and purse details because Clayette soft was simply too soft for this.

That said, I really do like the clay a lot. Perhaps medium would have been a better choice for me but I now have a lot of soft on hand. So my next sculpt will be large so I can use it as it was intended.

I really wanted this sculpture to be about putting myself in Sacagawea's place and feeling what she may have felt. If you remember your history, she was abducted from her Northwest Coastal tribe when a young girl by the Sioux and taken east as a captive. She was eventually married to a French Trapper and just before beginning her adventures with her husband and Lewis and Clark, she had her baby, Pompy.

So I wanted to capture her expression as she came to realize she was finally home. Surely she felt apprehension, anxiety, hopefulness and happiness all at once. She did, indeed meet with her brother and by accounts it was a joyful reunion.

The working title for this piece is "Do you know me still?"

Starting a horse sculpture

Because I won First Place and Purchase Award with "Eleanor" at the Scottsdale Artists' School Best & Brightest Show this year, I received a scholarship to the school for a workshop.

This year I had decided that I wanted to branch out from purely portrait and figurative works to include animals and wildlife. It's always a good idea to try to learn and be exposed to new techniques and styles whenever possible too.

With that in mind, I chose a horse sculpting workshop by Rod Zullo. It featured new techniques in armature building, making a portable sculpting stand to take on location and sculpting using silhouette.

He recommends Jmac Clay in brown but as I had a lot of Jmac Tan in stock, I chose to use that instead. The bonus was that the cream color of the tan didn't absorb the Arizona heat like the dark brown clay does, so my work didn't melt and sag in the heat like the other clay. Happy accident. I simply like the lighter clay because it is easier on my eyes.

We started by building a simple but sturdy armature and then went on location for observing and sculpting horses from life. We were very fortunate to go to a lovely estate with some world-class horses to sculpt from.

After blocking in a simple straight silhouette form of the horse we selected a pose of our choosing and went to work fleshing out the work. While the photos may make the work look larger, this piece is about 22" long, I think. It is currently being crated and shipped from Scottsdale to my studio in Fort Collins so I can continue working on it soon.

Starting Bas Relief Medallion Commission

I received a commission to sculpt a bas relief medallion about 24" x 24". This sculpture will be cast in Forton or Aqua Resin.

To start, I scaled up my drawing and laid it out on a piece of hard foam.

Then I traced the shape out onto the foam board using a marker.
Next I used my hot wire tools to cut the foam away. This stuff is toxic so I was careful to work in the garage and wear a mask!

Once everything was cut out, I drew in some guidelines for the shapes and began carving away using a serrated knife.

When I had the basic forms started, I refined them using files, rasps and sandpaper to further define the medallion.

Finally I put on a coat of primer to seal it. This serves two purposes: to keep the crumbly bits out of the clay and to give an even 'tooth' for the clay to adhere.

I'll let this dry overnight and then I'll come back with some warm oil-based clay and begin sculpting over this armature foam.

Portrait commission

Since my return from the sculpture class in Scottsdale, I've been working on a portrait bust commission. Can't post many photos now, was commission is a surprise gift for my client's wife.

Once they have the completed bust I will be able to post full photos showing the process.

Life sized clay study of Least Bittern Bird

This is a life-sized clay study that I started at Sandy Scott's bird workshop at the Scottdale Artists School.

Sandy and the rest of the class were workin on an Arctic Tern but I chose to go with a closed-wing sculpture as I was going to be taking this back to my studio for further work and needed to be able to easily dismantle from the board and armature and box up as carry-on for my flight back to Colorado. Working with a pose like this made it possible to transport rather easily with minimal damage.

I also chose this bird as it is a wader and I had some ideas for placing it within reeds and wanted to work out my own ideas for casting and basing.

This sculpture measures about 12.5" tip to tail and 5.5 wide and is sculpted in Chavant's Le Beau Touche oil based clay.

Making a rubber mold for high bas relief tutorial

The sculpture is complete and ready for the mold. I am using Polytek's Poly 74-20 to make the mold. The sculpture is a high relief measuring 18"x 24" x 3" and took nearly all of the small 6lb kit of rubber. Since this is a fairly large and high relief I opted not to do a poured block mold. The block mold would have been easier and faster to make would would wasted a lot of mold rubber. A blanket mold would have worked too but I opted for a brush-on mold with a mother-mold shell instead.
This kit contains one container of A and two containers of B. You must stir B very well prior to mixing and directions state that use of a gram scale is recommended. You can get away with volume measurements if very precise but weight measuring is more reliable. In my case, I didn't have a gram scale so I used a postal meter scale which is good enough.
Be I measured the weight of the empty cup and deducted it from the weights of the rubber when measuring.
Here is a breakdown of steps by photos. Note that I have a few larger detail photos at the bottom:
A) Cover your work area. This is messy and does have an odor. I set things up on a covered table and assembled necessary items - the sculpt is under plastic.
B) Spray two light coats of Release Agent over the sculpt and the support board.
C) Set up supplies: scale, rubber, plastic cups, chip brushe, stirring sticks - newspaper to catch drips.
D) Stir part B well.
E) I marked two cups with A and B and resued them when measuring out the two ingredients.
F) Weighing out Part A
G) Weighing out Part B - I was sure to wipe any drips off scale.
H) Pour 1 part A and 2 parts B into larger cup
I) With clean stick mix and stir mixture well.
J) Using disposable chip brush, begin brushing light print coat onto the sculpture. I will be working in sections - mixing new batches as I go. Brush carefully and try not to make any air bubbles. This is a very thin mixture that isn't prone to bubbling, making a good print coat to catch all the details. Don't worry that it is thin and running off the high points - you will ad more later. Most important is a thin layer all over.
K) Continue mixing up more rubber and cover entire sculpt including a minimum 2" flange around the sculpture on the board.
L) Once the first coat of rubber is on, test with your gloved finger to see when it is ready for the next coat. If the rubber stick to your glove and pulls up it not ready and you would ruin the print coat if you tried to apply more rubber - wait a bit more and test again - the rubber should be tacky and leave a light imprint but should NOT pull up with your glove (detailed photos at bottom)
M) Continue to meaure out 1 Part A to 2 Parts B and mixing in a fresh larger container with a fresh stick and apply additional coats of rubber to the sculpt. The tendency will be for the rubber to slip off high points and pool in lower areas so the low areas will build up quickly. Contentrate on the high areas now.
N) As this rubber is meant more for poured bock molds, it stays quite thin. You can thicken the mixure using cabosil or short stuff. This rubber can be poured as supplied or thickened with Poly Fiber II or Fumed Silica for brushing.
N) I had short stuff on hand so this is what I used.
O) I pour small amounts of short stuff into my mixed rubber and stir well. I'm looking to make a stiffer consistency to build up the higher areas and begin to fill in any undercuts.
P) The mold rubber needs to build up to 1/4" to 3/8" to be sturdy enough for repeated use.
Q) I continue make the each batch of rubber thicker with more short stuff and use a mixing stick instead of brush to build up and fill in all undercuts.


R) I fill a plastic key molding tray with additional rubber and let it set up. With another coat of rubber, I demold the keys from the try and imbed them in fresh rubber on the flange to help key the rubber mold into the mother mold later.
S) From set up to final coat of rubber is about 6 hours with curing between coats. I've used about 12 stirring sticks, 10 disposable brushes, and 12-15 cups. I used 90% of the rubber in the kit. After letting the rubber cure overnight I come back and cut the excess off the flange.
T) Peeling back the rubber allows me to check that it is releasing well and that the print coat picked up all the detail.
The mold is complete but I must leave it intact with the clay sculpture still inside becuase I will now need to make a rigid mother mold to nestle the rubber into. The rubber is floppy and pliable - you need a firm shell to hold the shape when casting. The reason that I needed to build up those undercuts is so that the mold will pull out of the rigid shell.
Next up will be the Mother Mold tutorial.

 

  

 

Ecorche' - Sculpting the muscles of the face

écor·ché

ey-kawr-shey  - noun

an anatomical model of part or all of the human body with the skin removed, to allow study of the underlying musculature.

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 Anatomy....If you plan on sculpting the human figure then make no bones about it (....*groan*...pun intended ;-) you really need to know and understand anatomy.

It's a good idea to to try your hand at sculpting individual muscles in order to truly gain an understanding of what is happening under the skin. This exercise pays huge dividends when you sculpt because as you make the forms, you'll begin to understand how these bones, muscles and tendons give life, emotion and expression to your art.

This will infuse your work with greater authority and sculpting from life, or your imagination will become easier.

You can take workshops or classes if you have the time and availability, but if that isn't feasible, roll up your sleeves and get to work on your own.

Some books that I find useful for anatomy:

The Human Figure (David K. Rubins)
Classic Human Anatomy* (Valerie Winslow)
Anatomy for the Artist (Sarah Simblet)

*I especially like how this book is broken down and the phonetic help.

How to make a cheap hot box

Oil based clay comes in differing degrees of firmness. If you live in Colorado have your studio located in the basement, you'll find that even extremely soft clay will be very hard when cold. You could warm the clay in the microwave, as I've done in in the past, but inevitably you will end up getting burned when you squeeze a block of microwaved clay that seems firm on the outside but is a pool of molten lava on the inside. Enter the hot box.

There are a lot of different ways to make a hot box to warm your oil based clay. Tuck Langland has a very nice one that he makes from an old fridge. But you can also go very low tech, as I did here. I simply went to the dollar store and purchased a styrofoam cooler for $1. I also got 3 aluminum disposable pans for $1.

 I turned the cooler on its side and traced around the dome of a cheap shop light. Next I cut out the circle I traced using a sharp knife - being sure to cut 1/2" INSIDE the circle. I placed a 40watt bulb in the lamp and place it on top of the cooler. Since the circle that I cut out is a bit smaller than the lap - I sits just on top of the cooler.

Finally I took some cold, hard chunks of jmac classic clay and tossed them into one of the pans and slid it into the cooler and closed the door (which is really the top of the cooler). Within 10-15 minutes I have warmed clay.

This isn't perfect - it's kind of small and the center chunks of clay get melted while the outer chunks warm less - but for $2 and a lamp I already had, it sure beat sore hands from trying to use cold, hard clay or burned hands from lava-melted clay.

Yes - I know that the old, hot lightbulbs may be be a thing of the past and hard to find soon - but I imagine that I can get creative and find another heat source in the future - for now, this is great for smaller budgets, smaller space and smaller amount of working clay fast.

The page-turner - maquette (clay sketch)

I created a new maquette, or clay sketch, today. This little bust has been quickly fleshed out in Jmac Classic Clay and measures about 6" from top of head to bent elbow.

The general inspiration was my daughter, a confirmed bookworm and talented writer. She often looses herself for hours at a time in her books, sometimes absently fiddling with her necklace while absorbed in the story.

The sketch is a quick gesture and I'm in love with pose already. I'll refine this a tad more just because I really want to - I may even take the sketch to bronze in this state before working on it again in a larger size for a more finished version.

The working title for this new sculpture is "The page-turner".

Re-sculpting the figure

 Well, I had my time to pout, eat chocolate and have a glass of wine. Then it was off to the hardware store for supplies and home to start re-sculpting the smashed figure.

First I had to fix the armature base and reassemble the rod. Next I cut the clay off her legs from the knee down where I found that the wire was badly bent and rounded. Then I took pliers and straightened out the legs.

Then I cut her head off at the clavicle. The entire neck region had smashed and reworked the armature there before putting her head back on and lengthening her neck back into proportion.

Overall the entire figure rolled around in the box, so everything was a bit compressed, so I spent some time getting her stretched back out a bit.

Finally, I put her back onto the armature stand and started to put the clay back on her and begin the process of resculpting the figure. I started with giving her new feet and legs, then pulling out her right arm and working it and finally, starting to give her a face again. I'll try and get a little more done today and tomorrow but then will be out of my office for the holiday.

I'm still very unhappy about the shipping accident, but it feels good to start making the repairs - I was very excited about this sculpt and am looking forward to continuing the work.

Refining clay sketch maquette

I got a little more work in on the clay sketch - refining shapes and forms a bit. This is Chavant's LeBeau Touche' HM (High Melt) plastelina oil based clay. As it's softer than my J-Mac Extra Firm, it's proving to be much easier to work quickly and the softness of the clay (when warmed under a light) makes it much more malleable. I originally started working with Chavant High Melt nearly 20 years ago when we lived in Sarasota and Placida Florida. At that time I was doing a lot of bas relief sculptures for Image Creations of Florida and found that the HM was the safest clay for me to use in my studio and then transport in the high Florida heat to my client's offices nearly 2 hours hot drive from my studio. Other clays would sometimes literally melt in my car during the commute.

So if you work in a high temperature climate I would highly recommend Chavant's HM (High Melt) clays for your use.

Maquette - clay sketch for next scuplture

While I have my 18" Truform armature set up and ready to go, I'm still working out the pose in my head. I decided that some sketching was in order but instead of breaking out the sketchbook, this time I decided to sketch in clay to work out some of the mechanics before I go to finish.


Anyone who know me know that I am an unlikely mix of spontaneous impatience (I want to get started NOW!) and relentless perfectionism (it must be as good as in my mind - no better, Better, BETTER!)


That can make for some frustrating work habits. So I'm killing two birds with one stone - starting work NOW and accepting that it can't be perfect because it's only the maquette (small clay sketch).


I am using an inexpensive 12" wire armature and some old Chavant LeBeauTouche HM plasteline. While this plasteline is perfectly fine, I do like Jmac quite a bit too. Since the LeBeau is softer than my extra firm Jmac, I though it was a good choice for clay sketching - it is quicker to warm up to workable consistency and softer/easier for my hands to manipulate, facilitating a faster, looser approach. Hopefully that will lend more life movement to the sketch and yet make it easier for me to stop at a less-than-finished state and then move on to my 18" final model, using the sketch as my reference.

Preparing board and Truform armature

 Time to get my new armature ready. I went to the hardware store and got my flange screws. After deciding the placement for the armature, I marked the board, pre-dilled the four holes, then screwed the metal flange in place.

Next I attached the metal armature rod from my 18"Truform armature. I bought this a while back, but have been busy working on other projects and haven't had the chance to try this.  The head is removable but the rest of the armature is not. In the larger sizes, you can take off the arms and legs, allowing you easier access to work on the sculpt - a real plus in certain poses.

I do know it was very tricky trying to get to certain areas with my "Ascension" so it would be beneficial to be able to take the arms and legs off of this armature. Since that isn't an option on this size of armature, I've been experimenting with creating my own system for making the extremities removable. So far 3 of my four designs failed, but the 4th is showing some promise, so I will do further experiments before starting this sculpt.

This will be a new experience for me, as I made my own armature using multiple aluminum wire for "Ascension".

Also, as I had some difficulties with the hands getting bumped, I'm building some wire armature hands to put on this piece, which may be very helpful or just a big pain in the butt - time will tell.