1. HAND SCULPTURE

Material    — gray stoneware, gray or terra cotta sculpture clay, one handful Tools         — use your hands only

This exercise will help you get the feel of the clay, but you also will produce a piece of ceramic sculpture. Take a mass of clay as large as you can conveniently hold in one hand, wedge it thoroughly (see Introduction, page 12), and shape it into a ball or egg shape (Figure 1). With both hands, squeeze and press it into a simple form which results from the use of the hands only (Figure 2). Don't lay it down or work on it while it rests on the table. Slowly organize it into a simple rhythmic shape, stressing those lines or contours which seem most pleasing (Figure 3). Use only your fingers and hands for tools. The result will be an abstract sculpture. This is an excellent way to learn how to begin sculpture.

If you don't like abstract sculpture, you can con­vert the original hand sculpture described in the above paragraph into a recognizable form. To make an animal or human figure, start as you did above by twisting and pressing the mass and studying it until it suggests a form such as an animal, or an active (dancing), or a passive (reclining) human figure (Figure 4). Then follow out the suggestion by modeling the form further with the fingers first and then with tools if you wish. Other suggestions are heads; figures, seated or lying down; or fantastic animals.

Figure 5—Hand sculptures made by 12-14-year-old students.

Figure 1—Shape as large a piece of clay as you can hold conveniently in one hand into a ball.

Figure 2—Squeeze and press it with both hands.

Figure 3—Slowly organize it into a simple rhythmic shape.

Figure 4—Model the shape into an animal or figure, but retain the original rhythmic design.

Are You Ready To Move Onto The Next Lesson? Click Here...