Everyone needs a hobby, or at least that’s what people tell me. I’ve never been much of a hobby person. I like to read every now and then but books don’t hold my interest for long. TV and movies are great, but sometimes I feel like my brain is being drained of all creativity instead of being inspired. That’s what my problem was: I couldn’t find a hobby that inspired me. Any hobby I attempted felt more like a chore than something I wanted to do during my free time.
It wasn’t until I came across Johanna Drummond’s sculptures that something clicked. Looking at her work inspired me to try and create my own sculptures. This blog is my way of documenting my journey into sculpting. There are so many things to learn about sculpting and techniques to try, so come with me on this journey and learn along with me.
Some techniques we’ll look at include:
- Carving
- Indirect Carving
- Modeling
- Modeling for Casting
- Modeling for Pottery Sculpture
- Constructing
- Assembling
- Casting
- Pointing
- Smoothing
- Polishing
- Painting
- Gilding
- Patination
These techniques can be applied to much more than clay, which is the standard material associated with sculpting. Sculptures can be made out of any material that can be manipulated, so that could include a range of things. Besides clay, there’s metal, wood, and stone. Those are just to name a few.
The techniques listed above also cover several areas of sculpting ranging from the most general of areas to the more specific: reproduction, surface-finishing, modern, representational, and relief. We’ll cover these in a future article.
Because of where I live, Katy, TX in the Cinco Ranch subdivision, I have access to Houston’s incredible art district. There are countless museums, sculptures, paintings, and various other mediums of art to behold. I used to go there pretty frequently for recreational purposes, but now when I go it’s to get inspired and see what I can learn from the art presented.
As we transition from one stage of life to the next, wherever you may be at in your life, I know it becomes easier to fall into a rhythm and feel like you’re just doing things to “get by.” That’s how I felt before I found sculpting. Sculpting was exactly the hobby I needed to fill the hole in my routine. It’s something I look forward to, I plan for, I shop for, and, most importantly, it inspires me and challenges me. That’s what I needed to jumpstart the part of my brain that felt listless and bored.
I encourage anyone who feels the way I felt, tired and uninspired, to find a hobby that you wouldn’t expect to like. Something that challenges you, is new and different, but overall brings you joy and inspiration. No more wasting hours in front of a TV just to feel like you’ve effectively turned off your brain or just doing things on auto-pilot. Life is too short to do unnecessary things that bore you or that feel like a chore.
If sculpting is that hobby for you, like it was for me, stay tuned for informative articles that will help any beginner sculptor on their sculpting journey.