Monday, July 3, 2017

Sculpting with Paper Clay

Every year I spend a week at my Dad's sculpting studio where he is teaching me how to sculpt.  We've done this now for many years and every year is a new adventure.  Last year we decided that I was ready to begin sculpting one of my own designs.  I used a sketch that I had worked up of a winter elf.  We used a wire armature and began developing the character using Paper Clay.  In the past we have used the oil based clay but I wanted something that did not need to be bronzed to make it permanent.  Paper Clay is a self-hardening clay which did not need to be baked.  There was a bit of a learning curve to deal with the clay as it is slightly different from the oil based clay I had always used.  This is how far we got the first year.
 This year my goal was to finish the "gremlin" as I had fondly called him.  I wanted to add boots, hair, a base, and something for him to hold in his hand.
We added a shepherds crook for him to hold onto and attached him to a wood base where I added snow to the ground.  Now it was time to begin the painting process.
So far so good.  Check back later to see how he develops personality as I finish painting him.  

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