ClayMates and Dr. D. (who is bcc'd):

This is a Ramble for the new page on the BH4DO web section

When sculpting heads it is right handy to start with a
skull and then work out from there. That way we can
build up the prefrontal lobe on men's foreheads, add
more mass to their jaw. 

How many times have you made effort to sculpt a female
and it always ends up looking male? Or visa versa? 

For me, left to my own devices, all faces are Asian. 
It's what I know best. So all these faces have
foreheads the go straight down to the eyelid, no deep
set eyes, (Hey if I can't wear eye make up none of my
wee faces can either!) no strong prefrontal lobe, high
cheek bones. 

I have to actually stop and think about it, get some
pictures of actual faces to step away from my
automatic  Asian sculpting. 

That's why I have to gather pictures and study skulls,
 to hold back the Mongol Hordes that are waiting on
automatic pilot for my mind to wander. I'm not saying
this is the only way to prep for sculpting. I'm just
saying this is how I've found works for me. 

Now what I'm thinking of doing is to fashion a Male
and Female skull that has some African and
Afro-American skull structures. Cure that. Make molds
of them. Then with the impressions from those molds
start to fashion the characters that Dr.D needs for
the claymation project.  I'll be working in 1/6 scale,
which is twice the size I'm used to working in. One
would think that the bigger the scale the easier it
gets. I don't know. I'm not there yet. 

Another trick for our Barbie Fans... you can dust the
face of a Barbie doll, take raw clay and mash it to
the face, cure that clay. You have a Barbie Face Mold.
Then  make impressions with that mold and the CHANGE
THE FACE. Short-Cut CITY. 

Make the nose more interesting. Futz with the eyes.
Add more cheek. Age it. Add a third eye or a horn
coming from out of its forehead. It's up to you how
you alter that Barbie face. But that's a short cut you
can use instead of making skulls.

Use that trick for sculpting practice. Should you want
to make a nickel out of it, make a skull and flesh it
out. Then we don't have to be afraid about copyright
infringement.  

I make skulls before sculpting for a couple of
reasons. I am a big Day of the Dead fan and skull
molds will come in handy to do some figures like
these...

DOD/Bones-001.htm

I also am still working on this theory of learning how
to sculpt by by embracing physical anthropology. Oh
that's an odd image, doing the slow tango with "them
bones". 

So I'm sticking through the skull exercise towards
these character's heads. Heads on sticks. That's how I
used to make figures just a head on a stick. Then I
realized the aluminum foil armature allowed me to give
flexibility to the poses. The stick that held the head
also held the back like it was in a brace. 

Dig the May Doll, the stick goes all down her spine
and comes out of her naughty bits. Monty Python fans
all spit coffee in unison. 
Sculpt/ May Doll-2002/010-Run.htm

Then I realized I can take that stick out...
Nursing Mom/001.htm


Oh Dr.D, do check Nursing Mom with the before and
after TLS make-up. Scroll down. 
Nursing Mom/006-6.htm 


A preview of stuff to come. But I digress. The point I
was making was I started out with heads on sticks, I'm
back to doing heads on sticks. That's all. 

I'll add this post as a Ramble in the BH4DO web
section. 

xoxo

NJ