Art School after 30: First figure modeling class (sculpting)

Art school is NOT easy! And spending 5-6 or so hours in one studio class alone per week (for mostly 2 weeks per figure in this class), plus homework time still is not enough to complete them...and to get it right (well, for a beginner at least). This was the first time I've ever taken a class remotely close to this. It took some time to just get used to working with clay and the tools. I have found that doing three-dimensional sculpture work is significantly harder then drawing or painting. But, I do really like it! Just need a lot of practice.

The purpose of this foundational class is for techniques and understanding the human figure. We looked at a full length skeleton, how muscles work, directions and tilts of the body, and observed live nude models. Surprisingly, the best I've done in this class so far was in doing a human bust (head and neck). Perhaps because there were more details involved in getting the sculpture to look like the model's head (shape of skull, facial features, the way the skin pulls and hangs, etc.). Doing the whole body in poses was very challenging for me. There's a lot to think about in regards to skeletal and muscular movement and shifting of the weight.

Anyhow, none of the projects photographed below were completely finished (as with other students as well) and both sides of the figure weren't always matching/finished due to time limits. The smaller pieces which are not on the armature were homework assignments/studies of shapes/body parts.

They are in order of when I first started in early February this year (2007).

Geometric demonstration of the form's directions. Didn't have time to get to the bottom half.

This next one took longer than 2 weeks as we studied the figure's parts.

The next project shows a work in progress (end of one session), then after the second session, and the tear down of it down to the armature underneath (which I also assembled in class).

The following photo shows homework studies which have markings over my work from the instructor while he observed them and explained some things (especially the depth and curvature I needed).

My first bust! The man posing often closed his eyes as he was about to snooze, and since I ran out of time for details, I quickly made his eyes closed. A student commented she liked that in the critique. Though I know they and the other details and hair still need work.