beginner sculpting

[ohh]

Hi all! I am new to sculpting..I have finished just 1, it was a start.I did the take away method because I eventually would like to work with stone lol if that makes any sense. I call it Number 1 and it really wasnt too bad. I have a question- I would like to do sculptures that would be around 1-3 ft tall 2-4 ft wide and that can be left outside in the elements and Im not ready for stone, what should I use? Thank You

[Stream13]

Hey there!

Welcome to the forum :)

Hmm now for your question... A few things I can think of….

First off you could sculpt using clay, create a plaster or silicone mold and then cast it in cement. That would allow you to leave it outside and still be relatively cheap to make. Based on the fact you want to do more subtractive sculpting you could always build up a general shape with the clay/armature and then carve it away.

(<G> sorry if this comes out badly or you already know how to do this, I’m assuming the lowest amount of knowledge)

I can't remember the name of the cement you should use but I know it's not Portland cement, this stuff is finer. There is also a process to go through.

1.Create sculpt out of clay on piece of wood – make sure you leave enough wood (3ish inches) around your object so that you can create a 3 inch clay wall around your object for casting the plaster – Insert straws/tooth picks into clay if you wish to have holes to add wire or objects etc (Make sure you have a flat bottom, and while you can have holes doing “down”, often ,unless you’re willing to “cut” up your object and cast the pieces separately and attach them back together with wire or have something to block the holes (ie straws, wood, toothpicks etc) horizontal holes are a pain.)

2.Cast in Silicone (sorry can’t describe this process as I’ve never done it)

OR

3.Cast in plaster – make sure to pat out all the air bubbles and that there is a ½ inch – 1 inch thickness over your tallest part. (Make sure you have enough plaster mixed to work with… once it’s mixed with water it starts to cure, so you don’t have a tone of time.)

To mix always add plaster to water, not the other way around. Put water in a bucket and add the plaster, sifting through fingers to prevent lumps, keep on adding plaster until the entire surface of the water has “islands”. At this point wait until the plaster turns grayish – this means it’s all damp – Please note that while the plaster is in the water, it has not actually mixed yet so don’t worry about it curing . Once it’s all grey reach in there and start mixing, make sure there are no lumps. (you can’t add more plaster powder or water after you’ve started the mixing process, so make sure you have enough of each before you start – in this case more is better)

Start with a small layer on your sculpt, pat out bubbles and make sure it covers everything! The plaster in the bucket should start to get thicker, add this on top of what you already have, keep building until you get the right thickness over the tallest point/ smooth out the plaster until the sculpt looks more “dome” like than the actual shape of your sculpt (to help smooth the plaster on the top, wet your hands and run them over it). At this point you can take away your clay wall from the edges of the plaster, clean up the edges so they aren’t too rough. As the plaster cures it should get very warm. You’ll know when it’s done when it is cool to the touch.

4.Dig out clay/clean plaster – leaving any toothpicks and straws etc

5.Three coats of varnish -sorry again I can't remember the name of the product, let varnish dry between coats. The first coat can be half water half varnish – do not let the varnish pool. Don’t forget to do the bottom flat area so that the cement doesn’t stick to the plaster. Don’t forget to varnish any objects you’ve stuck in – straws, tooth picks etc.

6.Two layers of wax on the varnished areas / buff wax until the varnish looks dull (be forewarned the varnish may leave a pinkish or orangish color on the cement, though this often looks neat.)

7.Start to cover a small portion of the waxed area with a clay "slip"

8.Add cement in hamburger patty sized chunks on top of the slipped area; continue until the object is completely covered with a 1/2 inch thickness. Make sure the cement is pressed into every nook and cranny.

9.Take paper towels and press on cement until you get most of the moisture out (this step also helps to really press the cement into the proper shape).

10.Immerse the plaster/cement under water for 4-7days to let the cement cure.

11.Chisel plaster away from concrete, starting at the edge. Be very, very careful not to chisel your concrete! Once you start to see your concrete chisel gently around it.

12.Scrub off any small bits of plaster under water with a wire brush – If you’re not digging the colored varnished areas, you can spend more time scrubbing and you should be able to get a majority of it off.

13.Drill out/pull out anything you’ve placed into the object (Straws, toothpicks, pieces of wood)

14.If you have air bubbles or break anything off at either the chiseling or drilling stage don’t panic it can be fixed! Take some 5 min epoxy, mix it up and then add powdered cement to it. Make sure it ends up looking like really thick chocolate icing. Fill in the holes/attach the broken pieces and let dry. After it’s dry sand/file the epoxy areas until it’s no longer shiny (adding the cement is like adding wood filler to wooden objects, it helps to match color etc and if you do it properly people wont even notice a break/hole) Repeat the epoxy process until all your holes/breaks are fixed and that the epoxy is at an even height with the rest of your sculpt.

15.Paint/stain/mosaic etc anything you want onto your sculpt or leave it as is! Don’t forget you can polish cement to a nice sheen as an option

Another way might be to sculpt using straight plaster. Sculpting out of plaster is a subtractive type of sculpting (I know you can add plaster onto a dried plaster piece if you make a mistake, but it's generally subtractive – please note, this is different than adding the plaster powder into water, you can’t do that!). From there create a silicone mold and cast it again in cement following a similar process as above.

And finally! The last option I can suggest is good old fashioned wood! Buy a hunk of it and sculpt your object out of that. This would probably give you a good experience with subtractive sculpting. Add a finish to it when you’re complete to protect it or leave it to be weathered by the elements.

Freehand sculpting can be fun, but for something so permanent as rock it might be a good idea to draw out your sculpt or even create a small maquette to help with your general shape. Most marble/stone artisans will do this to help them visualize the piece/if you’re doing a commissioned sculpt it’s an easy way to make multiple sculpts for a client to choose from without spending all your time/money.

Well! Those are my suggestions, I’m sure others will have some for you as well. Good luck and don’t forget to post pictures!

Pheeewww that was a long post!

Hope you all have a great day! Let me know if you have any questions and I’ll attempt to answer them.

Brooke

[ohh]

Wow.... that is alot to take in. I certainly do appreciate the time you took to help, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!! I will let you know if I pull it off. I am sure I will be able to; but sounds like it will take quite a bit of time.

[Eclectix]

Another option to consider is to sculpt using cement as a sculpture medium itself;

http://wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=84498

[ohh]

wow I do have cement.....that was some awesome info there. I am going to try both ways. Thank you very much eclectix