ART 338 / Seated Figure Sculpture

Due Tuesday, Dec. 16

Assignment: Create a seated figure sculpture working from life in five class sessions.

Our last sculpture of the semester will be a multi-session nude seated pose. It must be seated because we will use a simple pole armature so we can remove it later for firing.

We will again focus on correct proportions and rendering from life but this time I urge those that opt to, to develop a goal for an expressive content that goes beyond a direct realism and develop the sculpture along those lines be it by your rendering style or contextual decisions (you must still sculpt the figure from observation, no made up poses please.)

Submitting the Work: Complete the sculpture, photograph it as required and email jpegs by class time, bring it to class on the 5^th for a short critique after which we will allow the figure to get leather hard for hollowing the following week.

Evaluation: This sculpture will be evaluated on two counts:

#1 Good observation methods:

The use of physical notations (marks, lines, coils of clay) that aid observation including:

1. Quadrant marks as a way to judge symmetry

2. Alignment lines to judge relative positions of features

3. Proportion marks that divide up the total object into correct ratios

Employing good vantage point practices including:

1. Moving around the model at a steady, constant pace to create a work that unifies all points of view into a coherent object.

2. Always positioning your sculpture and the model in the same visual relationship to your eye (both level and angle).

3. Standing back far enough from your sculpture so you can see it as a whole.

Developing your sculpture in a consistent progressive manner including:

1. Beginning with overall observations by roughing out basic forms (i.e.-seeing and modeling forms in terms of their underlying geometry).

2. Developing all parts of the sculpture equally (not leaving certain views or parts of the figure less attended to).

3. Only moving on to more detail when underlying topology is well established.

# 2. Creating a compelling figure sculpture by achieving an appropriate balance between observation (correct proportions, pose structure, and anatomical detail and expressive intentions (via decisions of rendering style, contextual elements such as drapery and pedestal, and controlling visual emphasis of sculptural forms.)