Approval of the sculpture.

I have not posted anything in the last couple of weeks and have done so on purpose. I wanted my client to come by and see the sculpture themselves.  I am happy to report they are very happy with the outcome, which I will post soon.  Just a bit more tweaking and then you will be able to follow the process of going through the foundry. More to come soon.

Compare, compare, compare

This is what I do all day long. I compare one part to another and reference photographs to sculpture. This can be hard because the reference I have is little, both in size and amount.  I mean trying to figure out what someone looks like by using a picture that is less than one inch is, at best, a challenge.

Plus you are looking at a two dimensional element and trying to create something in 3d.  Still, I compare.

My comparisons of late.

• I have been working on the head separate from the body. I put it on and found that I needed to take off about 1 inch of hair and lower her hair line for it to fit the body. There is nothing worse than creating a perfect head and a perfect body and put them together to find they are not in proportion. 

Today I get to cut off her head and work on it separately again.  I like the size of the neck, the placement and proportions and I am very tired of sculpting upside down and on the ground. Working on the head at my desk will be a welcome challenge. 

• Legs, shoes, stature.  I look at my own legs often and then at Evelyn's and wonder about her proportions. I have committed to the length of the skirt, just below the knee is perfect. 
• She is sitting back, someone said, is it too much, absolutely not. It is an attitude.  She is confident, she is assured, she has great posture, ( I'm so jealous as I do not).  I love the stance. 
• Sweater-  Folds are everything.  I can't talk about this right now as it is a pain in my side. I'm going to fix this, which may mean, redoing the sweater entirely.  
• Weight on legs.  I like that one heel is up just a bit. She stands back hard on the left leg.  I like this.  

Sometimes it is all about becoming more friendly. I become more friendly with the piece and it becomes more friendly to the viewer.  This is what it means to search for Evelyn. 

MESSY, MESSY, MESSY

I spend a good deal of my time, taking off clay and putting it on.  Because I have the foam armature I am also digging out foam, covering it with wax, then clay and smoothing.

The reference photographs are scattered.

With that said, I spend a good deal of time, scraping the floor, my shoes and having to clean the studio.  It is a mess, but mess, means I have progress.

No comments please, well yes, but no.

I have had several people come to my studio for various reasons and without being asked, have offered their suggestions on Evelyn.  I realize that though I am keeping this blog and have kept others on my process it is really a solitary job. The comments I receive from those who see it on facebook are things like, it is coming along or WOW or things like that.  But having comments on the piece in my studio or about the structure of a piece, before I am really ready to show it is a bit frustrating.  It is kind of like cleaning your closet and taking everything out and organizing it and having someone walk into your room and say, "Wow, this is a disaster."

I think  that the process of creating an entire human form is huge.  I jump around from head to feet, to in between, back to feet and legs and, step back and see so many things, and make a list and then try to focus and them put things together and look and make more lists. My clients may be watching from afar, but it is in no way shape or form ready to review.   I will appreciate the comment from those that I trust, when I'm ready, but until then... My closet is a disaster, but I'm getting there.

Laying down on the job.

So, you could say I have spent the last two days on the floor of the studio.  How else are you going to sculpt ankles and legs? Pillows are thrown about as I try to crawl around and sculpt, then stand up and go to the other side of the room to look, and then back down on the ground.

Working diligently- thumbs up and a comparison smile!

Though Evelyn is not scheduled to be delivered for quite some time, I'm working diligently to get ahead of my deadline and I am making very good progress.

I love stepping back and looking from a distance
Sweater is almost done, shirt is done, skirt is
roughed in and hands are placed. Still working
from the top down. Already see changes that
need to be done to what I have done already. 

Although I have a very good foam armature, there are so
many modifications that are made to it. The placement of the
right thumb baffles me at first. 

Sometimes you must look at the context of something
to see its proper placement. Severe modifications to the
sweater are made.

The head is created seperately. Here I step back and compare
proportions in the face to those of the photograph.  But doing
This from one side can be misleading.
 I need to do this from the side as well. Oh, and I have to keep
putting the head on the body. There is nothing more infuriating
than to have a perfect head and perfect body that are not in
proportion to one another.