Clay Sculpting Tip For Beginners

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andrewjosephke...
In this video I talk about a tip for beginners to "Start thin and simple and then slowly build out mass and complexity" this sounds simple but it's something that a lot of beginners struggle with. If you can master this principle you are well on your way to becoming a good sculptor.
Here's some links to other helpful lessons
10 steps to portrait sculpting
• How to Sculpt a Portra...
How To Build Wire Armatures
• How to Make Wire Armat...
Portrait Sculpting Course
www.proko.com/...
Figure Sculpting Course
www.proko.com/...
Patreon
/ andrewjosephkeith
An Artist’s X-Ray Vision: The Male Figure.
andrewjosephke...
Instagram
/ andrewjosephkeith

[@Rey.89]

Today I started my first ever clay class and I still can't even kneading, and with full confidence I'm here, watching "how to make sculpture" 😅😅

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

Might as well start off on the right foot! 😃

[@Rey.89]

@@AndrewJosephKeith hope I'll come here again one day, and tell you I'm sculpting now 😊

[@ZommsZone]

@@Rey.89I hope you’re sculpting now ❤

[@Rey.89]

@@ZommsZone Haha... not yet. I made two figures with coil technique and now I'm learning glazing. after this, I want to start experiencing and mixing materials and methods.😊

[@01jae]

Useful video to help make large anatomically correct builds in Minecraft

[@baldsloth1327]

just got into sculpting & i adore this channel. i cant wait to be able to produce pieces like yours!!

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

Hey thanks I appreciate that! Keep it up!

[@justaturky2890]

I only do mini food right now. But I wanna start doing this.

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

then start! no time like the present.

[@someuser4166]

I'm not a sculptor but I am an illustrator. Whilst working in my garden I found some clay in the ground. I thought "I know anatomy, I could probably make something out of this" but I couldn't lol. It turned out very weird

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

It is definitely it’s own skill set but a lot of the knowledge from drawing translates to sculpting.

[@user-pm5pu-Gladys]

I came across your channel recently and really enjoying it! You do great work! I have a block of clay from a wheel throwing class that's just sitting there. Is it the type of clay you're using?

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

Thanks! No I prefer oil and wax based clays (non drying modeling clay also called plasteline) it’s great for reusing and mold making. Natural water based clays are great though especially if you have access to a kiln for firing them.

[@Thebie8800]

Is it possible to leave the wired armature in the seculpture while it in the oven .thanks for your beautiful vedios

[@Darklait]

3:30 sus but okey. The sculpture is crazy good

[@annamariavonschalien9346]

Would like to see a video on how to make a mold

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z3mXY3Zpo7ySpNksi=78iqd98RjZUzNiME Here's a video I did on mold making.

[@lourdkristondanleyaragon808]

Thank you for the simple tips, now I love to start sculpting, What type of clay you need when starting sculpting?

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

I like Chavant nsp medium but a cheap non-drying modeling clay works great too. I think reusable clay is good so you can practice with it for many pieces.

[@lourdkristondanleyaragon808]

Awesome, Is shavant nsp can be bake like polymer clay?

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

No It’s oil based and for mold making.

[@Huskybitter10]

Thanks sir😊❤

[@novsmind]

Awesome video!! I've been thinking about getting into sculpting on my own and these are some great tips! Do you think I'd progress a little faster already having an understanding of how proportions work? I've been an artist for almost 7 years but I've never tried sculpting before so I'm a little nervous...

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

Artistic background definitely helps. I’d try it for sure because I had a background in drawing but after trying sculpting I really connected with working in the round and felt I was almost better at that than drawing even though I’d been drawing my whole life.

[@novsmind]

@@AndrewJosephKeith Perfect! Thank you so much, I'll try it right away

[@PablingsMalhacan]

What clay do you use for making figure idol

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

@@PablingsMalhacan Chavant nsp is this one but I’ve used lots of different types of clay at different times.

[@Cosmos---Gaaming]

Which clay u used

[@mizumimi1159]

Good day, I really like your videos and wanted to do the course, but I was working only with air dry clay, so can I ask if I use traditional clay as you do, is it necessary to dry it special oven or it can slowly dry by itself?

[@reginadiez6070]

Once tbhe sculpture is finished, what do you do? Do you bake, do you take out a mold or what?

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

Make a mold and cast it in resin or another material. Polymer clay and aluminum foil can be used instead for baking the sculpture in a normal oven if you want to be able to have a finished sculpture ready to paint or display directly after sculpting without the need to make a mold.

[@HornbyVirgil-m8s]

Arvel Hollow

[@MituMunni-b3f]

Lind Centers

[@zeynepgedikoglu9546]

Hi! How do you take the armature out to put the sculpture in a kiln?

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

This clay is for mold making so it doesn't go in the kiln. If you're wanting to do natural clay and a kiln then you will typically use different armature methods. If you use polymer clay and aluminum foil then the armature can be left inside the sculpture.

helpful video.. thanks

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

Glad to hear it!

[@MontgomeryToby-f2t]

Betty Forks

[@starlsdd6278]

Display need to be flired after your finish

[@TheJowherr]

Hi, do you go through the human anatomy on your course as you did with the portrait sculpting course (types of bones, muscles, fats, etc.)?

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

The figure sculpting course is more general sculpting principles and structure but we don't go over all the bones and muscles specifically its more a general figure sculpting principles course. I may do a scorched course at some point to go over all the bones and muscles of the body but that probably won't be for a while.

[@JasperHaley-g3u]

Gorczany Shoals

[@LindaBeckstead-t1s]

Thomas Pines

[@starlsdd6278]

What kind of clay would I wanna buy if I didn't wanna fire it

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

@@starlsdd6278 I use Chavant nsp which is for mold making and doesn’t dry out. Non drying modeling clay also works. Or polymer clay can be baked in a normal oven.

[@KittoMarner-j8o]

Carlotta Bridge

[@bellthasanon2892]

Once you've finished sculpting, how do you remove the wire that holds the figure?

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

The wire remains and the mold is built around it. These are not for firing in a kiln.

[@belindacurtis48]

Do you fire the sculpture with armature inside

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

No I make a mold and cast it.

[@desimiller8531]

Would this method work with air dry clay? or would you recommend a different product? I want to start working with 3D painting and a combination of painting and sculpting. I'm looking for the material and technique that would be best for something like that. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

I’m not sure if an air dry clay would work because the armature might cause cracking in the clay. Polymer clay or epoxy clay might be a better option. They are more expensive but you can do most of the sculpting with aluminum foil or newspaper and masking tape and just use the clay towards the end once the basic forms are in place.

[@amitspecially]

How are your hand so clean?

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

@@amitspecially this clay is not vary sticky or tacky. It’s not like water based clay.

[@amitspecially]

Okaaaay. Nice. Thanks. Chavant is costly in India. Ordered Nara for now to start with. If i persist to do sculpting I will take your Proko course. Thanks

[@CamillaHumphrey-d1z]

Greenfelder Unions

[@lolno2623]

does this apply to polymer clay?

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

Absolutely! though the primary forms can generally be built with aluminum foil instead of clay to save on clay.

[@lolno2623]

@@AndrewJosephKeith that’s what I do since it’s more expensive 😃. It sometimes becomes bulkier than intended though.

[@lolno2623]

@@AndrewJosephKeith i got another question if you don’t mind. What is the name of the tool you use as a temporary base/holder to the sculpture? The one with the big metal screw that is in the torso of the sculpture? I like to sculpt bases and figures separately but I always struggle with finding the right temporary holder (foam is too brittle and usually collapses under the weight)

[@artsmodelstation9396]

Cranial System: so the size of the head determines the size of the figure ?

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

It's a little different than the head system that most artist's are familiar with. If you search "Cranial Unit System Proko" there's a video that explains the system. or I go over it in the video on "how to make a wire armature" that's on the Proko 3D KZbin channel.

[@artsmodelstation9396]

@@AndrewJosephKeith I watched those. What I meant is, let’s say, the cranial unit measures out 20ft (I’m exaggerating), that would be super big sculpture because I’m using that unit to measure out my armature.

[@ChristineKarr-p3b]

Carroll River

[@JosephineParks-x3r]

Nikki Brook

[@l3nn13]

how long does it take you to build such a figure?

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

@@l3nn13 This one was probably around 25-30 hours of sculpting. It usually depends on the size and level of detail.

[@l3nn13]

@@AndrewJosephKeith KZbin needs a new feature to let people arrange their videos in some more structure than lists. Many thx for the answer! (I already searched for another video but it could be anywhere so try here again) What to do with the figure while not working on it. Is their max amount of time in which the figure should be completed. are you using "self-drying" clay? Any other SUPER important things to consider before starting. Don't want to make unnecessary big mistakes :)

[@PatienceBess]

183 Hahn Pike

[@RobertInge-h1j]

Gaetano Mountains

[@RezaKaviani11]

when I try to sculpt , the clay feels too soft. Is it the clay or is it me not being able to control it? When i try to carve out or cut the clay... it feels kinda weird. should I get a harder kind of clay?

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

your clay may be too soft for what you're sculpting. I like chavant nsp medium and I even mix a little bit of hard clay in so that its just a bit firmer. Soft clay is usually for larger sculptures but it's hard to use it for smaller pieces because it is so easily deformed.

[@mickrozycki451]

@@AndrewJosephKeith Do you warm the clay up when you're starting?

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

@@mickrozycki451 yeah I’ll set it in front of a heater or in the oven at a low heat to warm it up for the beginning stages. Once most of the mass is in place that’s when I like it to be firmer.

[@RezaKaviani11]

@@AndrewJosephKeith Thank you so much!

[@MargaretThompson-l7b]

591 Paucek Stream

[@vstar7196]

You can’t “teach” anyone to sculpt. A person has to have an eye for proportion and detail. These can’t be taught. Some have the gift and can sculpt right away. Others have to practice endlessly before they get it.

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

Anyone who is interested in sculpting can learn. Some learn faster but it always requires time and effort and dedication.

[@Laniya.]

I disagree with this statement. When you put your mind to it, you can learn anything. Yes, some people grasp information faster than others, but that doesn't mean you can't learn it.

[@yvettetrespalacios]

I came across your channel recently and really enjoying it! You do great work! I have a block of clay from a wheel throwing class that's just sitting there. Is it the type of clay you're using?

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

mine is a little different. Its a non-drying clay so that I can sculpt and leave it for a while then come back and finish without worrying about it drying. Then I make a mold and cast it once the sculpture is done.

[@yvettetrespalacios]

Ok, then I better not work with this clay. I appreciate your reply. Have a blessed day.