Working with clay can truly connect the artist with his subject. Using your hands to mold and shape a figure or other artifact out of clay can create a compelling sense of intimacy. This is expressed in the emotion and personality of hand-made clay sculptures. Clay can be worked and shaped in many different ways, which is one of the reasons working with clay is so enjoyable.
Using Tools on Clay
There are a variety of tools you can use to work clay. The most basic tools are your hands. You will do most of the preliminary shaping and later will help smooth the clay to a presentable state. The other tools consist of items that help scrape or poke the clay. These can be bought at any art store to improvise. Some artists use knitting needles and even forks as tools.
You can use the poking tools to draw details into the clay. By pressing and pulling the tool across the clay, you can create indention shapes such as eye sockets and mouths. Scraping tools are especially useful to remove a small amount of clay after it has hardened slightly. This looks a bit like shaving the clay with a razor. This is useful when you are carefully honing a particular shape.
Using Armatures
Armatures can be important when constructing figures from clay. Arms and legs made completely from clay cannot support their own weight in certain poses. Armatures, which are small wire skeletons, help to correct this. Creating an armature is not particularly hard. You can create body parts such as torsos and heads by wrapping craft wire into a ball shape. Creating arms and legs can be done by twisting a few lengths of wire together to strengthen them and attaching these to the main body. After you have done this, apply the clay on top of the wire frame.
Creating Textures
You can create texture on clay in a variety of ways. Tools can be used to scrape texture into the clay. When doing something like this, it helps to keep a steady rhythm with your hand. This will create a repetitive pattern in the clay.
You can also press materials directly into the clay itself. Pieces of cloth such as burlap can create an amazing amount of texture in a short period of time. Keep an eye out for household items that would work well to texture your clay sculpture.
