‘Contemporary Portraiture and extended Narrative’
This project was a chance to explore portraiture within clay as well as drawing. Up until project 2, I’ve never really tried to draw faces, let alone attempt to incorporate them within my sculptures. So when asked to push myself with this project, I wanted it to embody someone very close and dear to me. Not only to commemorate them into something that will last a lifetime, but also to ensure I’ll do it justice when its finished.
Before attempting to sculpt, I looked into a few artists who also create portraiture. Ultimately I gravitated towards an artist called Dirk Bal. I love his way of sculpting a face with natural indentations, keeping the clay a part of the piece. I struggle with flow within my work, always trying to make it perfect so the natural marks and grooves he keeps within the clay was something I wanted to incorporate as well. Although I had the intention of doing this, evidently I gravitated towards a more realistic texture similar to Philippe Farauts artworks.
To begin, I asked my friend to send me a video showing a 360 view of his head. This helped me see how different parts of his face fit, as well as how his hair fell onto his shoulders and behind his ears. I won’t include the original reference video, however here you can see my sketches of the different profiles as well as a zoomed in area I felt I would struggle sculpting later on.
To begin, I started by creating a geometric base to establish the basic shape of the bust. This initial step was crucial as it provided me with a solid framework to work from. By using geometric shapes, I could visualize the proportions more accurately, which made me feel confident about my approach. The satisfaction of seeing the basic structure take form was exhilarating and motivated me to continue.
With the geometric base in place, I moved on to adding facial features. This stage was surprisingly enjoyable; I found that having a solid foundation made it easier to define the eyes, nose, and mouth. The nose turned out to be particularly easy to sculpt, as its shape was straightforward and distinct. I also began working on the hair, which added character to my bust. Seeing these features come together gave me a sense of accomplishment and encouraged me to push forward.
As I progressed into adding finer details, I encountered my first significant struggle. While I had successfully shaped the nose and other features, I found that hair obstructed my view of critical areas like the lips, chin, ears, and neck. This obstruction made it challenging to maintain accurate proportions and symmetry across these features. Frustration began to set in as I realized that what seemed easy at first was becoming increasingly complex.
Determined not to let these challenges defeat me, I took a step back and reassessed my approach. Instead of trying to sculpt everything at once, I focused on one feature at a time. By concentrating solely on refining the lips without worrying about how they related to other parts of the face initially, I managed to make progress. This methodical approach helped alleviate some frustration and allowed me to regain confidence in my abilities.
After several days of hard work and learning from my mistakes, it was time for final touches. Although there were still areas where proportions could be improved (especially around the ears) I felt proud of what I’d accomplished overall. The experience taught me valuable lessons about patience and precision in sculpting.
Looking back on this journey of sculpting a bust for the first time, I’ve experienced both highs and lows. The initial excitement quickly turned into frustration when faced with challenges regarding detail work; however, overcoming those obstacles ultimately led to personal growth as an artist. Each step taught me something new about sculpture techniques and reinforced the importance of having a strong foundational structure.
In conclusion, while there were moments of struggle during this process (particularly when dealing with intricate details) the overall experience was rewarding and educational.
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