Clay Help

[underachiever]

I'm probably going to search around, but I thought I might as well start a thread and see what I can get. Basically, I have a few issues that I need help with. First off, I'm looking for clay finishes, and kinds of clay suitable for large sculptures, and I also need advice on making large (Around life size) clay sculptures, since I'm about to start on them soon and I've never worked on that scale before.

Thanks. :P

[oddist]

:confused: It's interesting that for someone interested in clay work, which for the most part is a process of "adding what you need", you chose a statement by Rodin for closure to your posts.

Nevertheless, as for large clay pieces, do research on "coil construction" and "slab construction."

You also might look at Mary Frank's slab work here (http://www.artnet.com/artist/6462/FineArtThumbnails.asp?G=0&aid=6462&which=&currpage=4&ViewSize=large), pages 4, 5 and 6.

Good luck.

[underachiever]

Well, in regards to my methods and work. I basically sculpt a block of clay removing what I don't need. :P And adding back on whatever I changed my mind about.

Problem is, my lecturers aren't too crazy about me handing in solid raku clay sculptures, even after firing. So I'm looking into kinds of clay for sculpture use, and alternative clay finishes. I can do casting, but I've never worked on molds past a certain scale before. Also, is there any clay that is for firing as solid sculptures.

As for coil and slab construction, I've got a basic idea of how they work, but my lecturer prefers I don't use them, because they are more of ceramic artist's work.

[oddist]

I'm sorry but I'm having a problem with your teachers.

What school are you attending?

[underachiever]

Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. It's a Singaporean school. :P

And don't take my teacher's views too harshly. ^^;;; It's a simple matter of preferring us to specialize in sculptor techniques before diversifying. :P At least, in regards to the clay. You see, we are basically encouraged to sculpt clay, cast plaster, carve wood/stone, weld metal and make the occasional ready made. And my class is far from mastering these basics. Still, I'm fairly advanced in clay, so I'm looking into ways to continue working on it while satisfying my lecturers.

[oddist]

So, there is nothing wrong with your school!

Maybe you should start by changing your name to "am-an-achiever." :D

As for solid clay work..very heavy..holds air pockets..can explode when fired..

Solid work can be done but is usually cut apart and hollowed out then reassembled with slip bonds and the outer surfaces refinished..So, why not start with coil or slab construction to begin with as armature?

One of the reasons I became interested in paperclay (another post of mine (http://www.sculpture.net/community/showthread.php?t=1235)) was that it is lighter than regular clay and porous so gas is not trapped internally. It also can be carved when dry and built on with wet when dry. This may be what you are looking for since you like to add and subtract.

As for full size pieces...This to would be easier with paperclay...

Take a look at Ian Gregory's (http://www.ian-gregory.co.uk/gallery.html) work and read about his process here (http://www.ian-gregory.co.uk/paperclay.html).

Also, about finishing..Find a clay and glaze supplier where you are and talk with them. Ask about artists that purchase from them, go talk to the artists, do your homework..

Good luck...

[underachiever]

Well, I have half a bucket of pulped paper waiting to dry, which is as far as I've got with paper clay as so far. Still, I'm pretty sure I'll be limiting my use of paper clay to private projects with the relevation that I would have to cast a sculpture around my height in cement, after I sculpted it. Ian Gregory's works and interview is definitely going to be helpful in that direction.

Experimentation proved that I wasn't too good with estimating and designing armatures (first one was a solitary wire bent into shape, where the clay slipped off because the clay was too heavy), and my current work just involved plunging a plank of wood down the middle of the half done sculpture for a armature. Still, while it works quite well, a solitary plank of wood doesn't really work for a sculpture that needs to be near 2 meters tall. I'm interested to see if any ideas turn up, but as so far I'm contemplating an armature with a few planks of wood screwed into the base pointing vertically up.

In regards to the finish, I'm currently speaking to a clay dealer and a few ceramic artists (who all seem to try to convince me to fully explore sculpture techniques before looking to them. :P ), and I've had some info. Still, my sculpture lecturer mentions he uses some kind of clay he refers to as "sculptor's clay". I'm probably going to try that as well.

[Louie Arce]

Armature for clay.....something i learned in school. Build a base board of ply-wood, secure a galvanized plumbing flange in the center and the use galvanized pipe in sections to the correct height. Drill holes at various positions through both sides of pipe. thread galvanized wire through the holes and attach small chips of thin ply-wood though the center of wood. Vary the length of your wires. It will look like a pole with wire hair along the shaft. Slump/add clay over the wire and build up form. The wood disc's and wire will prevent the clay from slididing off the poll. When an area to be sculpted has a wire with wood end sticking out just push it into the center of clay below the surface.This holds the clay very nice....good luck

[Herman]

Beth Cavener Stichter (http://followtheblackrabbit.com/) has successfully achieved large clay sculpture. It appears a daunting process (http://followtheblackrabbit.com/Beast_In_Process.htm), hollowing it out and reassembling. Her work is wicked great and worthy of its own thread! Enjoy the site.

Coil method see Lynne Kelly (http://lynnekelly.com/) she has done large scale (http://lynnekelly.com/tech.htm). Her work is great to!

Good Luck!

[Landseer]

My understanding is that in the 19th century when fired clay was used all over facades of buildings everywhere, that the clay used had a lot of course grog in it and most was pressed into plaster molds rather than direct sculpted.

I am assuming that with course grog this would be difficult to work fine details into with tools because it's chunky or rocky, but maybe my idea of "course" is much larger chunks than what they used.

I have seen and owned a number of VERY large terra cotta pieces, and they all had wall thicknesses of at least 1-1/2" as this was required for structural strength.
Here are three samples from a book by Gladding McBean terra cotta co, they are still in business. The photos show models they sculpted for various buildings. Note the sheer size of the lion head sans the lower jaw in the photo with the two men taken in 1913, the lions were installed on the rooftop cornice of a hotel and I assume the lower jaw was incorporated in a second piece.
There's a traditional styled Eagle that appears to be about 5' tall next to the sculptor who made it, and then a more Art Deco styled Eagle next to the sculptor in a white smock- these were installed on a building facade on a high floor! If you look closely the sculptor is holding a clay modelling tool in his hand

So obviously large scale work CAN be done in clay successfully, and it seems to depend on the clay as well as how it's fired. My understanding is all this stuff was loaded up in huge beehive kilns and fired with wood over a WEEK's time or longer, so that to me suggests a very slow firing process which would make a big difference.

I should add that Gladding McBean apparantly sells raw clay on their web site, I don't know anything about it other than I noted 3 formulas- Lincoln 8, 9 and 60 I think, but it says to email for information. I'm tempted to inquire myself.

That link Herman posted http://followtheblackrabbit.com/ is a good one, I'm impressed with the lady's work, a definite go see.

[Louie Arce]

Gladding McBean.....yes they did and still do wonderfull work.I had seen a tv special on the company years ago and they showed some of the work in progress. They would make the orig. from clay and make a plaster mold of the piece, or multiple part mold. After a short time they take the mold apart and re-assemble it. Then they would press the clay into the mold to about 1/2"-3/4" thick and let set for a period of time if i remeber correct then de-mold the work and repeat as needed.Much of the ceramic work on buildings in the last century came from this company, about 80% of it. They also made dinner ware.

[Landseer]

Gladding McBean....Much of the ceramic work on buildings in the last century came from this company, about 80% of it. They also made dinner ware.
They are a West coast company so most of their products for buildings wound up on the west coast, Gladding McBean was only one of HUNDREDS of such firms in the 19th century, the East coast had the Atlantic Terra Cotta Co, another company based in Brooklyn and one in Philly- those 3 alone probably supplied most of the pieces for NYC, Boston and the East coast.

Of course back in the 19th century these companies tended to sell locally as transportation was slow and transporting heavy blocks of terra cotta long distances was not practical, so for that reason if nothing else- architects in NYC orered terra cotta from nearby sources while architects in San Fran likely ordered from Gladding McBean not Atlantic TC.

Gladding McBean I believe is the LAST one remaining of the bunch- most were killed off by the style changes in the 40's, McBean survived because they branched out into making clay sewer pipes and now they survived long enough there is a demand for restoration REPLACEMENT units.