The Greek Warrior (<PERSON>)
Introduction: The Greek Warrior (Terracotta)
I have been always in awe of a sculpted physique, but wasn't ever crazy enough to hang a poster of <PERSON> on my wall and daydream of emulating him. Even though I admired his body builder's build, my interest lay in competitive outdoor sports. As a result of this, I had developed an athletic build in high school but achieving a sculpted physique seemed unattainable, as food was too precious a sacrifice for those small gains.
Even more than a bodybuilder's physique, I value a Greek warrior's build because while the former's muscles are for show, the latter's is the reflection of man's potential in the physical realm.
The Greek warrior's body is the epitome of physical potential and all the components of physical fitness are embodied in him as a lethal combination. He is the powerhouse of strength, speed, agility and endurance; ever ready to spring into action.
Therefore I chose The Greek Warrior as the inspiration for my first sculpture in terracotta.
Step 1: Tools You Will Need
* a turn table
* a kiln or an oven ( image 4, 5 and 6) ; only if you want to fire the clay
* wooden modelling tools (image 1-3)
* steel plaster tools (Italian plaster)
* single end wire modelling tools
* double end wire modelling tools
* aluminium shanks
* a flexible steel palette
* a scraper
* a bucket
* a sponge
* a cutting wire
* a waste cloth
* a plastic cover
* a smooth pebble
Step 2: Selection of Statue
I explored the net in the quest for beauty and to draw inspiration from the fountain of chef d’oeuvres that the great sculptors have left behind. During this wandering, I came across a Greek Warrior that was interesting yet relatively easy to make for a novice.
The sculpture was a compact marble character with its limbs close by its side. This was an important feature, while choosing it as an inspiration because limbs extending away from the body would complicate matters. The clay sculpture would need support from within and would threaten to crack and break in the future.
Note: As this was my first sculpture in clay, it took me 25 days of about 4 hours work session per day. 300
Prior to this I had a little experience in terracotta, as I had made a few pots in clay.
So, don't worry about the level of difficulty of this task. Treat it like learning to ride a bicycle; for only after falling several times, do you learn to ride confidently with hands off bars, the headphones on and your head among the clouds.
Do no such tricks by the way! It could make you see stars in broad daylight!
Step 3: Sketches to Make
* It’s a great idea to sketch the statue from different positions, to understand its proportions and volume.
* A front, side, back, front 3/4th and rear 3/4th should give you enough details needed to begin sculpting in clay.
Did you know?
* All the parts of the body can be measured in terms of the length of the head. (image 6)
* 7 and 1/2 heads make a full human figure, while 8 heads are ideal for a classical Greek male. ( image 6)
* The proportion of the face is achieved by using the length of an eye as the reference.
Step 4: Ways to Work on Clay
* You need to knead and mix the clay till there are no air bubbles trapped inside. (image 1-7)
* You need to mix well, till the texture of the clay is the same from inside out. (image 7)
* The clay shrinks and dries quickly, so its best to work fast.
* Always keep dabbing the sculpture with a damp sponge to prevent it from getting dry.
* It also gets difficult to work and grains tend to chip off, if it gets too dry.
* Whenever you join a new part to the body, crisscross with a knife at the site of joint, dab with water then fix the new part. (image 9)
* After each session wrap the sculpture with a wet cloth and keep it covered with a plastic, to keep it damp and workable. (image 10 and 11)
* Keep your tools clean, as dry clay stuck to tools can damage your sculpture.
* Keep your work space clean, so that dirt doesn't mix in your clay.
Step 5: Gaining the Volume
Nailing the proportions
* Draw a human figure to scale, the size of your actual sculpture and hang it against a wall.
* You can use the image of 'Proportions of the human figure' (step 3), as a reference. 987