Eyeball, tri-ball

After seeing two blog posts in two days, I had the sudden urge to immediately go make some new eyeballs.

And you know what? I think eyeballs aren't so scary after all! Kinda fun, really. Especially in sets of 3.

The one-eyed cherub

Some works in progress before I head to bed:

This first one has been pulled apart and restarted about three times already, I have been measuring off the reference (illustration shown in the background of the photo) and I probably should be doubling the size. Just looking at this picture now makes all the obvious structural changes stand out to me like a sore thumb (another very good reason to post often, it forces me to take a more critical look at what I'm doing).

And this, well, I'm putting this one up cause I started it sometime in June, and wanted to give myself a little bit of motivation to finish it up. It is life size, which makes me really excited to see how it will turn out (I'm using a live model, so comparing it against the real thing should be fun).

Hand, hand, fingers, thumb

Hands...

are a difficult subject. But well worth the effort.

The armature (aluminum and galvanized steel wire) :

About 1/2 way through the process:

More pictures to come tomorrow when I can shoot under some real sunshine.

The Clay: Chavant, NSP Soft "(Non Sulfurated Plasteline) ... sulfur free sculpting clay ... minimizes difficulties associated to mold making ... can be melted and poured at approximately 185°F."

This stuff is much harder than the Chavant Davinci Soft (shown in earlier posts). Still, it is very soft for modeling clay, sticky when warmed up (I heat it up in a clay oven to make it more pliable). Not great for super realistic detail, but I suspect that it will hold detail well enough when cooled below room temperature. I like this stuff because it is soft enough that my hands don't get tired, and it seems to stick well to an armature.

The Star

Just a little update. I think this is basically ready to be fired, and then maybe stained/painted or something (to help some of the edges pop out a little more, especially the stars in the background).

A little relief

In an attempt not to start any big projects, I began this little piece in pottery class tonight. Too small for any real detail, it is mostly just an opportunity to practice a little relief sculpture. I don't have any plans to glaze it, maybe a little paint would help some of the edges to pop out a bit after it is fired. Ray let me take some extra clay home, maybe after completing this one I will make another to keep it company.

Cardinal Richelieu

The lighting here isn't so hot, I might try to take some more photos later tonight after the sun has gone down. I think this guy is finished. It would be nice to get a plaster cast of him, but the clay is so soft that I wonder if it is even possible. I might use the backside of this piece as a base to start another, just to save time preparing.