Starting Mystery Sculpt #3

I just started new Mystery Sculpt #3. This is 1/2 life sized ceramic paperclay. I will be adding Whitestone clay over the paperclay when it is closer to finished.

Due to Spring Break - I won't be posting for a while, so it will take a bit of time before I update this portrait sculpture.

Any guesses who this mystery person is?

The photo below shows the armature that I constructed for this sculpt. I took 1/2" plumbing fittings to create the contours and used t-fittings to form the shoulders. Water based clay is very heavy and prone to slumping and will need a sturdy armature until it is sufficiently hardened enough to support it's own weight.

Once I secured the armature to the wood base using the flange, I wrapped it with some newspaper and covered the newspaper with strapping tape to hold it in place.

The wadded newspaper at the top is for the head. Without a broad enough surface to support the clay - the armature can act like a spear and the clay can slump down the armature.

Mystery Person revealed: Frederick Douglass

Many people on my Facebook Page guessed correctly. The mystery person is Frederick Douglass. The clay sculpture of Frederick Douglass is nearly finished. The clay will continue to firm up to the leather hard state and I'll make a few minor additional touches as this happens. It will need to dry to a firm state to allow me to cut the sculpture in half and begin the hollowing out process that will allow me to fire it in my kiln. This life-sized piece will take a month to dry enough for firing. Once hollowed, I'll slip and score the edges, reassemble and repair the surface.

This clay is slab and sculpture and tile and sculpture cone 10 water-based clay with a heavy grog.