This summer I had the pleasure of seeing a local artisan (Phillippe Faraut) work clay in his studios, he is an amazing artist and most happily shared some of his techniques. So the wife and I trekked to the local Ceramics supplier and picked up some tools and 100 lbs. of clay. I spent some of my most recent free time building two sculpting stands and with the recent holiday stretch I have been able to take some vacation and got around to creating this gentlemen on the left. I am by no means an expert when it comes to working in clay and would only rate myself as a rookie. Using the knowledge gained from my studio visit and employ some of the recent knowledge I gained by studying anatomy I was able to create him quite simply and yes I now know what a "Zygomatic arch" is and it's location.
The clay being utilized is VERY pliable and easy to mold without having some of the 'memory' and stiffness found in other clays. It is true though that if I would like this to be permanent I would have to have it fired (unlike some other products that can be baked). Since clay is not the final medium but rather wood then permanence is not a factor. You may have noticed that the piece is not completely finished but can be easily completed in a matter of about an hour. The progress shown in the picture took about 3 hours of fun time.
As far as the design goes I did nothing special to prepare but knew the headshape and basic essence of the face. I let caricature and anatomy steer me the rest of the way. Once completed I will transfer a side profile to a block of my finest basswood and let the chips fly...I'll try and post pictures as progress is made.
