Lesson video

"Advancing Modeling: Shaping with clay for Art and Design Unit, Foundation Workshops Developing Skills." Hello, my name is Miss Badru.

I hope that you are all doing well.

I'm really looking forward to teaching and learning with you today.

Our learning outcome for this lesson is, I can build, shape and add expressive detail to clay, showing movement and emotion.

Our keywords for this lesson are additive, structure, and gesture.

Let's explore each keyword in turn to find out what they mean.

Additive.

Building up forms gradually using clay, wax or plaster.

Structure.

An object or form constructed from several parts.

Gesture.

Movement and emotion captured through pose and surface.

Our lesson outline, advancing modeling: shaping with clay, has two learning cycles So let's begin with the first one, build and shape.

How do these two surfaces make you feel? What associations do you make? Quickly pause here and jot down some immediate thoughts.

Lucas says, "The pebbles make me feel calm, they would be smooth and heavy in my hand." The rocks look rough and reminds me of a struggle.

I would not want to touch it.

It would be hard and sharp.

Building with clay step by step.

Clay doesn't turn into a sculpture in one go, it grows layer by layer through the additive process.

An additive process means adding and shaping the clay gradually, every layer you add changes the form.

Modeling is not one big move, it's a process of adding, shaping, refining.

Start small.

Add pieces gradually using a score slip and strength method to join.

Keep clay moist but not wet so it stays malleable and does not crack.

Strong structures can be built using the additive process to slowly construct the form.

Clay can be heavy and soft.

It needs structure and support to stand strong and maintain form.

Structure and support can be maintained through creating an armature using wire or sticks.

Reducing weight by avoiding thick layers of clay which can collapse.

Structure and support can be maintained through hollowing out forms to reduce weight.

Don't forget an air hole for closed forms. Layering to strengthen thin forms. Checking the structure from every angle to ensure balance.

Working with clay involves sensitivity to time and moisture.

The drying of clay must be controlled to protect the structure.

When working with clay, wrap unused clay to keep it moist.

Join pieces with slip which is clay and water paste.

Work steadily, if it dries too fast it will crack.

Spray the surface lightly with water to maintain moisture, but don't flood it.

Let's have a check-in here for understanding with this true or false statement.

You can build a strong clay form by adding large lumps all at once.

Is this statement true or false? Pause for a moment here and think about your answer and why, and we'll resume together again shortly.

Okay, let's see what the answer is.

What did you think? The answer is false.

And why might this be? Clay works best when built up gradually.

Small layers that are pressed down carefully will avoid air bubbles and help prevent cracks, lessening the risk of collapse.

Artists use clay and other materials with the additive process to create powerful structures.

Yoon Kwang-cho uses the additive process by building up thick layers of clay to form large dynamic vessels.

He often carves and reshapes these added layers, so the surface keeps the energy of the making process.

Sophie Frost works through the additive process, gradually adding coils, slabs, or fragments of clay to create complex forms. Her lead approach makes each piece feel hand-built, with a surface showing the history of how it was made.

Surface and detail.

The surface of an additive form changes how we feel about its structure Smooth surfaces feel calm.

Rough surface can feel raw or energetic.

Creating impressions, scratching or carving into the surface adds meaning.

Surface details make clay feel alive, becoming the voice of the sculpture.

A strong structure should work from all angles.

When building and shaping, artists turn the work as they construct.

Consider how does it look from above, side or back.

Review balance, movement can be lost if ignored.

Let's have a check-in here for understanding.

Which is true about the additive process? Is it A, clay must always be soaking wet.

Or B, large lumps make form stronger.

Or C, small layers with slit build stable structures.

Pause for a moment here and think about your answer, and we'll resume together again shortly.

Okay, let's see.

What did you think? The correct answer is, small layers with slip build stable structures.

And why might this be? Let's take a look.

Slip acts like glue, and additive building keeps the structure stable.

Let's bring our focus and attention to task A for build and shape.

Number one, plan a clay form using an additive process by creating a sketch with annotation.

You could select a simple form that can express a personal theme.

Select a simple object such as a pine cone that could inspire a clay form.

Create an abstract response considering organic or geometric forms. Use an armature such as newspaper or a cardboard tube to support your structure.

Pause the video here to undertake this task and resume when you are ready.

Once you have completed part one of task A, bring your attention and focus to part two.

Build and shape clay forms using an additive process.

Start with a lump of clay.

Add small pieces one at a time.

Smooth and press with fingers or tools to avoid air bubbles.

If needed, spray lightly to keep the clay moist.

Rotate and check all sides of the structure.

Pause the video here to undertake this practical task, and resume when you are ready.

Okay, let's come together and focus on feedback for task A, part one, in which you are tasked to plan a clay form using an additive process by creating a sketch with annotation.

You may have planned something like this.

So one student says, "I focus on the theme of nurture, so chose two connecting figures.

I plan to pinch the forms and then hollow out the inside using a loop tool to reduce weight." Take a look at the drawing accompanying this explanation to see the stages of that process.

And the annotations clearly indicate this.

So let's now look at part two of task A, in which you are tasked to build and shape clay forms using an additive process.

Your response may have looked like this.

Study each of the images below to see the variety of responses that you could achieve as a starting point.

Let's bring our attention to our second learning cycle, expressing movement and emotion.

Artists use gesture and surface detail to bring movement and emotion into their work.

Basila Noha's clay figures use bold gestures with leaning postures and stretched forms that feel full of energy.

She adds textured surfaces that emphasize emotion and movement in her sculptures.

Simon Griffiths sculpts animals using the additive process, pressing on many small pieces of clay.

This builds up lively textures that suggests fur and muscle while the body positions capture natural gestures like movement, rest or alertness.

Maryam Yousif combines bold color and lively gestures in her ceramic sculptures.

She builds surfaces with painted patterns and textured marks, so the surface detail enhances the playful, expressive movement in her forms. Craig Underhill builds up surface textures in layers, creating rhythmic marks that suggest movement across his forms. In some of his recent work, he even lets the sea act on the clay surface leaving natural textures that add energy and narrative.

Gesture and posture express movement and emotion.

The way a form leans, stretches or stands changes the gesture we see.

Upright and still can make a sculpture feel calm and quiet.

Tilted, curved or stretched can give a sculpture energy and direction.

Gesture is about how the form feels in space.

Artists think beyond realism.

Gesture isn't only human, abstract forms can move too.

You don't need a figure to show energy, abstract forms can show gesture.

Spirals, waves or twists in a form can show movement.

Balance or form can give visual rhythm.

What mood or associations does the surface texture of this clay vessel evoke? So just pause here for a minute and think about how you feel about it.

What's your personal response to it? Texture can speak louder than words.

Surface detail can work with gesture to show emotion.

Smooth surfaces can feel calm and peaceful.

Jagged or rough can make the sculpture show tension and energy.

Marks and patterns can give the viewer clues to story or feeling.

Let's have a check-in here for understanding.

Which is true about gesture and surface? Is it A, gesture and surface don't matter.

B, gesture makes clay feel alive.

C, texture is just decoration.

D, all sculptures should stay smooth.

So think about your answer to this question and resume when you are ready.

Okay, what do you think? Let's find out what the answer is.

Gesture makes clay feel alive.

And why do you think this is? Gesture and surface detail create mood and movement, making clay look alive and dynamic.

Narrative can be created through form.

A sculpture's gesture can tell a story without words.

Movement suggests action or drama.

Posture can hint at struggle, joy, calm, or play.

Detail on a sculpture can give clues to what is happening.

Let's have a check-in here for understanding.

True or false? Only realistic figures can show movement in sculpture True or false? Pause for a moment here and think about your answer and why.

And we'll resume together again shortly.

Okay.

Which one do you think is correct? Let's take a look.

The answer is false.

And why do you think this might be? Abstract forms, curves and textures can show energy, rhythm, gesture and motion too.

Okay, let's bring our focus and attention to task B of expressing movement and emotion.

Number one, explore gesture and surface texture to express movement and emotion.

Begin with a simple form or figure, you could refine your sculpture from task A.

Consider your intention and change the posture of your form, bend, tilt, stretch, and document your exploration.

Add surface textures considering your intention.

Focus on gesture, not detail, considering the emotion that you evoke.

Step back and check your work from all angles.

Pause the video here and focus on this practical task.

Take your time and resume when you are ready.

Okay, let's come together and focus on feedback for task B, part one, explore gesture and surface to express movement and emotion.

Your response may have looked like this.

Your clay experiments may have included smooth surfaces, textured surfaces, movement and dynamic poses.

Okay, let's move on to part two of task B, reflect on your work.

Think about the following questions to help you reflect on your work.

If someone else looked at your piece, what feeling or story would they read from the gesture? How did the texture, smooth, rough or marked, change the mood of your sculpture? Did you exaggerate the pose enough to make the gesture clear? What would you do differently if you made another piece focused only on emotion? So pause the video here to complete this task, and resume when you are ready.

Okay, let's come together and reflect on feedback for part two of task B, reflect on your work.

So Izzy says, "Because the figure is looking down, I think it looks tired or weighted down.

The surface texture adds to this heavy feeling.

I think I could have pushed the tilt further to show a more dramatic pose, but it needed more balance.

If I was to do this again, I would make the structure larger and use a stronger armature inside so I could play with the balance and energy of the finished sculpture." We have now arrived at our summary, Advancing modeling: shaping with clay.

The additive process means gradually building a sculpture by adding, shaping and refining small pieces, not one big lump.

Strong structures need balance, support and moisture control.

Using slip and steady drying prevents cracks or collapse.

Expressive gestures come from posture, tilt and surface detail which show mood, movement and emotion in the form.

Combining additive methods, solid structures and dynamic gestures create sculptures that stand strong and tell a story.

Well, I hope that you have thoroughly enjoyed this lesson as much as I have enjoyed teaching it.

In the meantime, take care and see you soon.

Bye for now.