Sculpting in Clay - Modelling Tools

11:59 a.m. William 4 Comments

 Click on the picture to watch the video
Click on the picture to watch the video

With the release of my first sculpture video I want to show you some of the modelling basic tools, and that is why I wrote this blog. 

I have been acquiring my own tools in different countries, through many years, therefore, now that I looked them up on Amazon, in most cases I couldn't find the exact ones I have, however, I'm including the links to several tools which are equivalent to the ones I use and in my view, the ones that can be the most useful. 

As I mentioned in the video, having the correct tools of course help the process very much, however, you may model even with a wood stick and a paper clip; or you may carve your own tools in wood. But in case you would like to see them, or to order them on-line, I'm attaching the links where you may do so (click on the images). The prices are in USD.

Clay:

For modelling, I normally use oil based clay. Once the model is completed one can make a mold (a cast) of silicon or plaster, to then reproduce the piece in a permanent material, such as resin or bronze.

The oil based clay remains soft and malleable, indefinitely. It does not harden. My favorite color to use is brown as it reminds me of the old earth clays or "terracotta" (burned clay). It has a tone which allows you to see what you are doing well. The green would be my second choice. I would advise to stay away of white clay since, in my opinion, it is harder to see the nuances in it and some times you find them only once you cast your piece!

 


If you would like your sculpture to become hard with the air after you model it, you may use the following type of water based clay. A plus of this, compared to oil based clays, is that as it becomes hard your work is permanent. The downside, or at least something to take into consideration, is that as it dries, it doesn't give you an indefinite time to finish the modelling. A trick to be able to work it for a longer period of time (days), is to keep it moist (spraying a little water on it) and to store it inside a sealed plastic bag in a cool space when you are not working on it.




Sculpey is the brand name of a polymer clay which stays soft indefinitely for the modelling stage. But once you have completed your work you can burn it in a house oven and it hardens. It is available in a wide range of colors.




Modelling Tools

Following are some useful tools to model in clay. The ones that are solid or knife like are made mainly for shaping, while the ones that have a wire or a metal loop at the end are made to take material off:

 


The following tool has a soft and flexible tip. It helps to model and shape small spaces which you can not reach with your fingers, such as the spaces around the eyes, etc.





If you would like to take measurements for sculpting, for example if you are making a life portrait and you need to take measurements of the head or a body part, and to transfer those measurements to your sculpture, this tool is the correct one.




Many times one needs to make a wire armature so it holds the clay in the right position. Many wires will do and the best choice would mainly depend on the size (and weight) of your sculpture. This is generally a good one:




The following is a set which comes with the basics you would need for modelling, including the professional oil based clay, wire for armatures, and tools.

 


If you want to model in water base clay, the following set is the basic one:

   

Aside from Amazon, other stores that I recommend and where you can get the supplies either at the store or by mail are:

The Complete Sculptor, in NY: http://www.sculpt.com/

And of course large art stores such as Blick: http://www.dickblick.com/

I hope this was helpful to you. I wish you a wonderful work of art!

Leonardo

4 comentarios:

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  2. Get the appropriate size - If you are decorating a small room, avoid getting prints that are too large. When decorating a large wall in a big room, then large canvas prints or canvas art sets would be appropriate. For Pascal Robaglia artwork to be appreciated properly, the viewer also needs some space to move back. So, even if you are decorating a long corridor, but if the hallway is narrow, a large canvas cannot be appreciated well enough. Hang large canvas pieces where there is enough space to move back to see the whole artwork.

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  3. Amazing video! I agree with you, having a correct sculpting tools help your art work to be perfect and sculpturing is very exciting to do. Your artwork is very nice and I hope I can do that also. Thank you for sharing this I really appreciate it.

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  4. Great post. I was once checking constantly this weblog and I'm impressed! Extremely useful information specially the closing part. I maintain such information much. I was once seeking this specific information for a very long time. Many thanks and best of luck.


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