Making things with my hands
Art & Design · Early Years · The School
Sculpture is art you can walk around
A drawing has a front. A SCULPTURE has a front. It has a back. And it has two sides. You have to think about all of them. Make something, then walk around it. If the back is boring, it is not finished.
Three things hands can do
ROLL to make a coil or a ball. PINCH to pull a shape outwards. PRESS to join two pieces. Press firmly, or they fall apart when the clay dries. Those three actions build almost anything.
Standing up
A tall thin thing falls over. A wide base holds it up. If your model keeps toppling, do not give up on it. Make the bottom wider. Or make the top lighter. That is not cheating. It is what sculptors do.
Roll a body. Now roll a leg on its own. Push the leg on and lift the model. It drops off. So try again. SCORE both surfaces first. That means scratching criss-cross lines on the end of the leg. Do the same on the spot on the body. Dab a little water on. Press firmly, with a small twist. Now lift it again. It holds. Score and slip. Every join. Every time.
Joining pieces so they stay joined
Two bits of clay pressed together look joined. Then they come apart as they dry. So potters scratch both surfaces first. They make criss-cross lines with a stick. Then they press them together. The scratches give the two pieces something to grip. Thin sticking-out parts break too. A long thin arm dries faster than the fat body it is attached to. So does a tail. They shrink at a different rate. Then they snap off. Keep them tucked close to the body. Or make them thicker than looks necessary.