Would you like to start making your own sculptures? Making stone sculptures is a process and requires patience to improve and refine the necessary technique. Regardless of the material you want to use, starting with clay modeling will be very useful for your subsequent creations. Do you want to know what steps you should follow to mold clay?
How to model clay
For the vast majority of sculptors, clay is the material they use for their first steps in sculpture. In fact, that's what we told you when we talked about How to make marble sculptures . Clay is a very malleable material, which makes it very easy to create sketches and/or molds of a sculpture before transferring it to another material. Below, we'll walk through the step-by-step process for modeling with clay.
Sketch
The best works are not the result of spontaneity, but rather a well-thought-out and well-developed idea. Therefore, an initial sketch on paper is essential. It's worth mentioning that some more experienced artists are able to create freely in clay (although they usually first make a smaller-scale 3D model). However, for beginners, we recommend first making a sketch on paper, even if it's very simple shapes.
Prepare the structure
If the work is going to be very large or has some very thin or elongated parts, it's best to use wires to support the structure. To achieve this, you don't need to replicate the final result with wire; instead, simply create a simple guide that serves as a skeleton for the sculpture. These wires can be shaped with pliers and joined together with other, thinner wires.
Modeling clay
Finally, the clay is applied to the wire frame and compressed with the hands and other appropriate tools, such as a mallet. From here, the work is given a basic shape, always guided by the initial sketch, applying clay masses and combining them into a single whole. The different contours of the sculpture are developed using both the hands and specific clay modeling tools. If at any point the clay becomes too hard, it can be rehydrated with a little water.
Stone carving tools
Did you find this post useful? At Rock&Tools, we have extensive experience selling stoneworking tools, so if you have any questions, we'd be happy to answer them. In our store, you can find a comprehensive catalog of the best stone carving tools. In fact, you can find a wealth of information on our blog if you're looking to get started in this field. If you have any questions, please contact us for advice. Join our community! You can follow us here and on our social media.
