‘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.
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 wont 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.
I started by making a geometric base to get the basic shape of a bust. This made it a lot easier to begin adding accurate proportions and details instead of attempting to create him from the start.
With a basic facial structure already made, adding facial features and hair was easy.
At the stage for more details, I began to struggle. The nose was the easiest part to sculpt however the hair obstructing the lips, chin, ears and neck made proportions more difficult to do.
Whilst creating this piece, I was simultaneously creating a full body sculpture following my last project ‘Painting’ – ‘What’s it all for?’ I was so moved by the theme and its respective comments during my last exhibition, I wanted to expand on the subject and also include my new found skills and knowledge of portraiture.
Here I wanted to depict a young girl lost and vulnerable dragging a Palestinian flag. The body was a struggle due to how top-heavy she was however by using the flag as a prop up, I was able to have her standing tall with her head held high. Despite how ambitious this sculpture was and my recent attempts at portraiture, her face was still a challenge for me. After a few trial and errors however, I was left with exactly the expression I envisioned.
Thinking back on this project and its struggles, I can say that I took a lot from it such as, Measuring and comparing a face, proportions and the flow of hair. Being pushed to do something I’ve avoided throughout my entire artistic journey was exhilarating and eye opening. With this new found love and knowledge, I don’t think I will as hesitant to try again in future projects.
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