I've been looking at improving my sculpting skills lately and been drawing up a few ideas to work from. Below are a few A5 biro sketches I've done based on birds, skulls, bats and various ideas I wanted to have a play around with and then develop. From these I began to consider what I could adapt to work in a clay sculpture.
After a few quick bat sketches I decided to develop something based on the sketch above. I wanted to sculpt something that was a fairly solid form. The design above is a simple shape with detail carved into the surface. I was looking to work on something basic that I could use to try out different techniques and refresh my memory of working in clay.
To begin with I started out with a simple pillar of buff clay which I then carved back into a rough but more accurate shape for the bat. Outlining where the wings would fold around and crease, I then began to add more surface detail into the form. I outlined where the eye would be and began to distinguish where the head would meet the wings and the shape of the half exposed face.
For the ears I used a simple leaf-shape which I carefully curled at the top and bottom. Fixing these to the top of the head I then gently worked in the surface texture I had been trying out on the rest of the head.
Using my initial sketch as a guide I began to add in the detail of the wings and the membrane running through each one. I also continued trying out textured details on the surface of the head to give an impression of the dense fur on the surface of the face. I tried to create a very rough surface that while heavily textured still didn't obscure the shape of the head. I also added broad strokes to the wing surface to give the impression of the leathery folds working their way around the body.
Ultimately I got to a certain stage with this piece where I felt I had tried out a number of techniques and surface details that satisfied me, refreshing my knowledge of working with clay. It still felt as though more time could be spent refining the detail and creating a more striking, accurate piece, but in the end it had served well as a quick, small case study in clay and set me up well for my next sculpting project.
