CLAY MODELLING
Modelling in clay is one of the most ancient and fundamental techniques of sculpture. Clay can be used as a material in its own right, in the form of fired sculptures, or used to make sculptures that are subsequently cast in metals, such as bronze. There are many different types of clay and each is suitable for particular used.
Clay can be fine grained and smooth, coarse and heavily grogged, and either white, grey, buff or red-brown in colour according to the amount of iron it contains. White clays contain little or no iron, while red clays have a high iron content. Smooth clays show fine detail when modelled but tend to be soft and floopy, while grogged clays will support themselves and are best suited for making large sculptures.
In addition to modelling a solid lump of clay, coils, slabs and pinch pots are extremely useful basic forming methods that can be used to build up clay sculptures. (Karin Hessenberg; Sculpting Basic)
