1. The process of manipulating a flexible material into sculptural form
Modeling
The process of manipulating a flexible material into sculptural form

2. Modeling is an additive process
Artists squeeze, pinch, pull, and push to shape materials into the desired form.

3. While we add and remove material during the process, modeling is considered to be an additive process.

4. Modeling is the oldest form of sculpting technique

5. Ancient cultures modeled clay into human and animal forms in order to communicate and explain their world.
Venus of Dolní Věstonice
29,000–25,000 BCE
Zoomorphic Double Headed - Rattle Vessel
1000 AD
18cm H x 26.5cm

6. Possible materials that can be used to model:
Air drying clay
Ceramic clay
Oil clay
Polymer clay
Wax
Paper mache
Plaster

7. All modeling materials have the characteristic of plasticity
Plasticity - the quality of a material to be bent, stretched, and hold form without breaking.

8. Oil clays are designed to hold their moisture and remain plastic for continual use or adjustment.

9. For our modeling project, we will be using water-based ceramic clay
Ceramic clays are either naturally occurring materials or combinations of naturally occurring materials. Combinations are known as clay bodies.

10. We must wedge all ceramic clay before we use it
Wedging - a process of improving the workability of clay by reforming the mixture to make it homogenous, even in texture, and free of air pockets.

11. Ceramic clays will dry out and lose plasticity if left exposed to air
Ceramic clays will dry out and lose plasticity if left exposed to air. They are designed to be fired in a kiln in order to undergo transformation into rigid permanent form.

12. Types of Kilns
Wood Fired
Gas Fired
Electric

13. The plasticity of clay allows us to achieve detail and communicate with surface treatment
Texture- The element of art that refers to the quality of a surface, both tactile and visual.

14. When modeling, artists frequently construct work on an armature
Armature- a skeleton-like structure used for support of modeling material.

15. Artist Profile: Alberto Giacometti Began sculpting in 1925
Began sculpting in 1925
Was inspired by art of primitive cultures
Began his trademark “Skinny Figures” in 1939 and showed them publicly in a one-man show in 1948
Not only does he communicate with abstraction of the human form, but also with the surface

19. Giacometti distorted proportion
Proportion- The principle of design that includes the relation of one object to another in size, amount, number, or degree.

20. Artist Profile: Debra Fritts Local Roswell-based artist
Former public school art teacher
Still teaches workshops
Textured surfaces create tension and give static sculptures a sense of energy and movement

22. “Looking at my work, I realize that I am a storyteller, but not in the usual sense. I build my stories in terra cotta clay, layering the surfaces with found object marks and fired colorants.”
-Debra Fritts

24. Video Link