Ceramic Sculpture – Making Faces
A Guide to Modeling the Head and Face with Clay
By Alex Irvine
Sculpting the human face presents a unique artistic challenge—but this richly illustrated guide thoroughly demystifies the process. Instructor Alex Irvine goes step-by-step, explaining everything from creating basic, rough outlines to surface refinements to finely detailed replicas. Photographs of models and sketches appear alongside the actual sculpture, and a gallery of contemporary work inspires.
Beginner’s Guide to Sculpting Characters in Clay
By 3dtotal Publishing
Featuring detailed guides to key tools and techniques from talented expert sculptors, the Beginner’s Guide to Sculpting Characters in Clay is vital reading for anyone wanting to explore clay sculpture.
Learn which tools are best suited to your needs and how to use them effectively, explore diverse materials and pick up helpful tips from leading professional sculptors as you start your journey into clay sculpture. With meticulous tutorials, a handy glossary of sculpting terms, and copious amounts of inspiration, the Beginner’s Guide to Sculpting Characters in Clay is an excellent resource for anyone wanting to try their hand at creating incredible 3D characters.
Portrait Sculpting
Anatomy & Expressions in Clay
By Philippe Faraut and Charisse Faraut
Over 550 photographs of sixty-five different sculptures and thirty-one illustrations are used to show a series of exercises organized in a progressive order. This text offers art students; painters, illustrators, forensic artists and sculptors interested in accurately depicting the human face an invaluable source of knowledge. For the beginner, the step-by-step method provides a means to achieve fast results as well as a solid foundation in the knowledge of anatomy.
For the advanced artist, there is a wealth of information on such topics as, the aging process, mechanics of expression, and advanced mold making. Further features include: illustrations and exercises for modeling bones and muscles of the head and shoulders, techniques for modeling individual features, methods for correcting mistakes and a section demonstrating repairing a shattered sculpture.
Sculpting Basics
By Karin Hessenberg
Art students and ambitious amateur artists who turn to this volume will find detailed training for creating original and distinctive works of sculpture. Karin Hessenberg, an experienced sculptor, opens with extensive advice on setting up the workplace and assembling tools and equipment. She begins instruction with a how-to course on clay modeling that includes five separate projects, four of which culminate with kiln firing. The book’s second major section presents five projects that teach the craft of molding and casting, using a variety of materials that include plaster in combination with modeling clay, wire, and concrete.
A section on direct building presents two projects in which various materials—wood, wire mesh, and other objects—are applied to their frameworks to create finished sculptures. A final section for advanced sculptors offers five projects for carving—in soapstone, alabaster, limestone, lumber, and a log. In total, this volume presents projects for 17 finished pieces. Subjects include a seated Buddha, a female figure, animals, and several fascinating abstract shapes. This handsome book is printed in four-color throughout and features more than 250 instructive illustrations.
Sculpting the Figure in Clay
An Artistic and Technical Journey to Understanding the Creative and Dynamic Forces in Figurative Sculpture
By Peter Rubino
A comprehensive guide for sculptors looking to recreate the human body using clay, from the author of The Portrait in Clay
In Sculpting the Figure in Clay, acclaimed portrait bust sculptor Peter Rubio teaches a master class in the essentials of figurative sculpture. In this intensive, all-inclusive guide, he introduces students to a natural, straightforward geometry that will help them become masters at forming figures of clay. Rubino’s unique approach utilizes a geometric system consisting of blocks, simple shapes, and guidelines that instruct students in a new and instinctive sculptural style, With these easy-to-follow instructions and informative concepts, students will see figures as the basic shapes beneath the form as well as learn vital approaches such as BLT: Bend, Lean, and Turn, to create evocative expression, and the Three Ps: Position, Proportion, and Plans, for accurate representation.
Other topics include:
• The Fundamentals of the Clay Torso
• Observing the Model
• Essential Materials and Tools
• Sculpting the Female Torso from the Live Model
• Sculpting the Reclining Figure from the Live Model
• Sculpting the Hand, Foot, and Lower Arm
• Plus Many Photographic Reference Poses for Continued Study
This unparalleled resource is the definitive guide to figurative sculpture.
A Visual Course of Sculpting Techniques
270 photographs to learn how to model clay busts in the round
By Fabrizio Savi
A visual Course of Sculpting techniques includes 270 photographs to learn how to model clay busts in the round This is the second in a series of thematic visual courses in which I will share with the readers my long sculpting and designing experience. Through 270 commented colour pictures, I will guide curious and passionate readers in the realization of an all-round clay portrait, starting with the pictures of a face. The text provides all the information about the most suitable kind of clay, the tools to work it and the advice to bake it in the oven. It also provides instructions on how to take excellent pictures of the subject, from which we will take inspiration for the portrait. The pictures effectively demonstrate the correct positions and movements of the hands and tools, in order to correctly and profitably model clay. The course is not aimed at expert sculptors but at those who wish to start learning about the art of sculpture.
The techniques shown here are the result of the author’s 40-year-long experience as a sculptor, as well as of his experience as a teacher in the Italian High School and in his private courses. From his life-long experience, the author has learnt that, if you want to teach something, images are much more effective than words. By consequence, this manual is mainly made up of photographs followed by short explanantions. In the e-book edition the pictures are in colour, while in the paper book they are black and white, to reduce printing expenses. All the same, as the colour of clay is grey, this has no negative impact on the effectiveness of the course. I cannot guarantee you will reach perfection at your first attempt, but I can assure that the method shown in this manual is the quickest one to achieve excellent results.
Beginners Guide to ZBrush
By 3dtotal Publishing
The ability to create concepts in 3D is an increasingly valuable skill for many creators, with more and more artists and students picking up Pixologic’s ZBrush software every day. ZBrush’s sculptural approach to 3D modeling almost resembles real clay, making it the first choice for artists seeking an intuitive way to make digital models. Beginner’s Guide to ZBrush is the essential how-to for starting out in this powerful software, with professional artists offering detailed instructions and tutorials that explain ZBrush’s core tools, techniques, and most accessible workflows. This is an ideal resource for anyone who’s picking up ZBrush for the first time.
