Ellen Dreksler on sun 24 aug 03
I got myself involved in a project that is turning out bigger than I anticipated. An M.D. friend of mine came over to play with clay. Our intent was to sculpt a body while he teaches me about muscles, tendons, bones and the like.. I needed a lesson on that. So, as we started to build, we realized that this most likely will turn out to be close to a 6' life size person... eeek! We are doing it in sections. This is virgin territory for me and I have no clue how to make this stand once we complete all the sections. or how to connect the sections,etc. Can anyone, please give me some insight, pointers, and materials to use, etc. to make this a success. We are having a blast doing this and it would be fun for it to actually stand. Another question is I found out that certain wires can be left in the clay body while firing,is there any other material that we can leave in that would work in firing...as well. We are using a ^06 white clay for sculpting. please your suggestions are m
ore than appreciated. My very best to you all..
Ellen
in Santa Monica
Tony Ferguson on sun 24 aug 03
Ellen,
You would want to a use a raku or heavily grogged stoneware body--what you
are using will work but it will require you to be very on top of making sure
it dries slowly and evenly--you can alter any clay body for sculpture. Keep
in mind a grogged body will allow a more even homogenious transference of
moisture = less chance of tension and subsequent cracking. So use a spray
bottle to keep parts leather hard/even as you see if.
If you haven't got that far into it, I would start over and wedge nylon
fiber into the claybody--now you've got insurance and the ability to really
move the clay around and do things you otherwise couldn't do with regular
clay.
Is your sculpture solid? Life size as you say? You will have to make
decisions as to where you want to cut it into sections--you can plot this
out tennetively via a drawing--look to work along nature contours of the
body as to minimize any offensive cuts/joining and make the separate
sections appear to form better together as one.
Is is lying down, or standing? Did you start at the feet? If you sent me
some pics, I could better assess how I think you should proceed and what
safeguards to put in place if possible. As far as making it stand--it has
much to do with how you are building it--but you can certainly, after
firing, put it together, and shim it level on a base of your choosing and
epoxy it. Email me off list/send pics and I will try to help.
If you are showing cut away viewing of in the interior of the body--how cool
would that be if you could incorporate some lighting from within the body?
Thank you.
Tony Ferguson
On Lake Superior, where the sky meets the Lake
Stoneware, Porcelain, Raku and more
by Coleman, Ferguson, Winchester...
www.aquariusartgallery.com
218-727-6339
315 N. Lake Ave
Apt 312
Duluth, MN 55806
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ellen Dreksler"
To:
Sent: Sunday, August 24, 2003 12:04 PM
Subject: Life-size sculptures
> I got myself involved in a project that is turning out bigger than I
anticipated. An M.D. friend of mine came over to play with clay. Our intent
was to sculpt a body while he teaches me about muscles, tendons, bones and
the like.. I needed a lesson on that. So, as we started to build, we
realized that this most likely will turn out to be close to a 6' life size
person... eeek! We are doing it in sections. This is virgin territory for
me and I have no clue how to make this stand once we complete all the
sections. or how to connect the sections,etc. Can anyone, please give me
some insight, pointers, and materials to use, etc. to make this a success.
We are having a blast doing this and it would be fun for it to actually
stand. Another question is I found out that certain wires can be left in
the clay body while firing,is there any other material that we can leave in
that would work in firing...as well. We are using a ^06 white clay for
sculpting. please your suggestions are m
> ore than appreciated. My very best to you all..
>
> Ellen
> in Santa Monica
>
>
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wayneinkeywest on mon 25 aug 03
The head bone's connected to the
neck bone.
the neck bones connected to the
shoulder bones.
the shoulder bones connected to the
rib bone.
Sorry, couldn't resist :>)
Have you considered a matching "pin and socket" assembly
technique to join the sections? Then a similar technique to
anchor the feet to a suitable base?
(Make a "pin" on the bottom of the top section, and a
matching hole into which the pin is inserted in the
adjoining section. You can epoxy it together if
needed afterward.
Hope that helps,
Wayne in Key West
>This is virgin territory for me and I have no clue how to make this stand
once we complete all the sections. or how to connect the sections,etc. Can
anyone, please give me some >insight, pointers, and materials to use, etc.
to make this a success.
PERRY STEARNS on mon 25 aug 03
If your clay is paper clay, your weight problem is significantly reduced.
In making replicas of large figures of Buddha, I have made the head
detachable, extending the neck as a tube wh inserts
into the chest. If you are working from the concept of 'encorche' or
'flayed man', as in Houdon's well-known work of the mid 1700's, you'll note
that he has his 6' figure supported by a tree trunk. Spreading the legs
adds stability as does keeping the arms close to the body.
An important part is to use the same clay throughout, to dry the pieces
attached together and under the same conditions, to fire them together
whenever possible. In joining pieces, fiberglass fabric inside smeared with
epoxy works but you must think through your insertion so the parts sit well
first. I hope you get LOTS of responses because one's practice can only
improve!
Fran Stearns
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