sculpture technique -- YIKES! need suggestions from artists?

Question

I'm trying my hand at sculpture, after having spent the last several years working primarily in paint, and collage. I'm embarking on this effort in clay, the type that doesn't dry out until you want it to. I am really wanting to bring some of the images I've paintd to life in a 3rd dimensional way. I find though, that I get so distracted, and one brilliant idea turns into another, and, ultimately, after hours of work, I still have a blank blob of clay, though exceedingly intriguing adventures while ending up back where I started. With that said, I'm wondering -- fellow artists -- did you have a hard time focusing? Is there something you might recommend as a starting point? With painting and sketching, it's all a rather quick start to finish process. Not this though, and I really, truly want to be able to have a finished product. I feel like I'm doing a disservice to the face, the form, with my humble attempts at realism. Any ideas? thanks so much!

Candi -- ha! I love it -- i needed that kick in the pants

Answer 1

Sounds like your stalling. Maybe a bit apprehencive to try something new perhaps? Stick with the original idea and go from there. You can make changes to it later after you get it roughed out if you want. You gotta start someplace and roughing out the whole thing I think is the best way to go. There is a big difference between 2d and 3d. After all painting you're tryind to make a flat surface look like it has depth. When your skulpting it really does and sometimes it's tough to translate when you first start. I used to suck at skulpting. I'm not saying I'm great now but I'm way better than I was. It took time and patience. (Not to mention a bit of humor on my part.) What I mean by humor is I couldn't take some of the things I was doing that seriously. Until I got used to the idea and a better understanding of the mechanics involved I did some funny looking stuff. So having a sence of humor may help. It's not that your not taking it seriously, you just won't get as frustrated.

For me taking something I drew and makeing it 3d was tough. The only skulpting I did was in junior high and I took it up again a few years ago. Let use a head as an example. The way I got around the problem was measureing everything to get the proportions correct as I was roughing it in. It still looked like a blob but a blob with features. You really won't start seeing anything of interest until you start adding detail. I usually add the detail to one side and see where I'm at. If I like what I see then I'll either make changes to the other or duplicate what's there to the other side.

You have to consider not only the front of the head but the proportions of the profile as well. If not everything will be out of wack.

as far as what to use as tools to use I've used normal skulpting tools, automotive seal picks, rocks (to add certain textures.) different materials, whatever I could think of to get the look I wanted.

There are others that I'm sure can answer this better than me. But for someone that's basically self taught I think I do ok.

Hope this helps some.

Answer 2

maybe you need to change your attitude towards the art making process?
I don't think it is normal to have a presentable result after just a few hours of work. It can happen but isn't the norm. For some things it may (and should) take you weeks or even months until you are truly happy with it. It doesn't mean that you didn't make several "pieces" along the way, but most of them were just practice and didn't quite make it there.
The difference between drawing and using clay or plasticine is that when you practice drawing, you probably use a new sheet of paper for each new attempt so you leave some evidence of your efforts. With clay you use the same material over and over. Taking pics as somebody else recommended may work to show you that you've been doing something.
Just keep practicing and don't expect the instant masterpiece. If it were that easy, would it be worth while the effort to learn? Real art takes a long time to grow and usually you see very clearly in a finished piece how much effort and experience somebody put in.

Answer 3

Here's an idea, I don't know if it will work for you, but it gives me a sense of some success. I keep my camera nearby. Every time I get something that I like (maybe an eye, or a petal - not the whole thing) I take a picture. I take several pictures throughout the process. Sometimes I still end up with a lump of clay, then I go back and do a photodocumentary of my project to see when and where I went astray.

I found that it is usually around the same place that I get distracted. So, now I get to that place, taking my pictures, and then I simply stop and take a break. I leave the sculpture like it is, covered, then download my pics. Sometimes I spend time sketching over the pics on paper which helps me move forward. It gives me a plan to follow. Then I start back the next day.

You may think that it is more time consuming, but it isn't. When I take appropriate breaks and all I actually do finish my projects, but when I try to fight through all the creativity, it never gets done and nothing turns out right.

Good Luck.

Answer 4

(1) If you are intimidated by expectations on this new art form, why not get it out of your system. Make the ugliest sculpture or the silliest thing you can think of, make a big mess. I don't care. Play with the clay until you get tired of it, think of the first image you can make, throw it into the oven and bake it. And be done with it. So what. (I used this "reverse psychology" trick in print class, after my teacher complained I was too fussy. I made a huge mix of ink on my plate and even printed the image on the wrong setting. It later won third prize in an art show. Go figure!)

(2) Do you need to start with realism? Can you start with abstract or geometric shapes? Picasso did disservice by disfiguring people's faces and figures, but that was his art.

Can you visit a local campus or museum that has sculptures you can imitate? Take pictures and try to reconstruct a similar shape at home? Sometimes studying different styles will give you new ideas how to simplify your original approach.

(3) Can you look up primitive images of earth or goddess figures from prehistoric times? Start with basic forms and work from there toward more realism? Perhaps if you did a study series, where each sculpture represents a dominant style in time or culture, then you can go back and pick the style that best suits you, whether it is more abstract or more realistic or in between.

Check with a local art school or art department for a reference to an art history books with ancient sculptures you can model. If you play with several styles, maybe you can develop one you like.

Answer 5

he transformation from 2-D to 3-D is not an easy one for most people just starting out. You are taking the same journey that most artists take when they try their hand at 3-D it is easy to get sidetracked for awhile. the best advice that I can give you is for you to just sculpt with out any preconceived idea of what it is that you are going to make. Relax and enjoy the manipulation of the clay for its own sake until you start to develop a "feel" for what it takes to get the intended results. photos of what you are doing help keep a record of the work as well as a working art journey about what you try what you get in the end and what your thoughts are about the end results and the process. you might try to wad up paper into a shape close to what you want, tape it into that shape then cover it with clay medium weight wire also works because you can bend it into a shape that you want as a starting point then cover it with clay and still be able to bend it more. these are called armatures and are used by most sculptors for starting points don't get discouraged because the first few don't look just right just keep at it try using side lighting to look t profiles of what you have done and make your changes small instead of large look at the work more than you sculpt on it about twice as much also look at it from all angles and sketch a little as you work to remind yourself of where to are headed with the piece above all do not get discouraged with your first works good 3-D is not easy or else everyone would be doing it uniqueness with quality take time and effort

Answer 6

I had that same problem too but what I've started doing is drawing out my ideas first and then following through with the plan. If I have some brilliant idea I might add it in but for the most part I try to stick to the plan.

Answer 7

Get one of your other pieces that you want to make 3-D, stop dickin' around and just do that one piece.