Making things with my hands
Art & Design · Early Years · The School
Sculpture is art you can walk around
A drawing has a front. A SCULPTURE has a front, a back and two sides, and you have to think about all of them. Make something and then walk around it — if the back is boring, it is not finished.
Three things hands can do
ROLL to make a coil or a ball. PINCH to pull a shape outwards. PRESS to join two pieces — press firmly or they fall apart when the clay dries. Those three actions build almost anything.
Standing up
A tall thin thing falls over. A wide base holds it up. If your model keeps toppling, do not give up on it — make the bottom wider or the top lighter. That is not cheating; it is what sculptors do.
Roll a body and roll a leg separately. Now push the leg on and lift the model: it drops off. Instead, SCORE both surfaces — scratch criss-cross lines on the end of the leg and the spot on the body — dab a little water on, and press firmly with a small twist. Lift again: it holds. Score and slip, every join, every time.