Andrew Joseph Keith
Proko sculpting instructor from Logan Utah. Sculpting takes drawing to a whole new dimension.
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added comment inStudy Boards
3d
Asked for help
Study Boards Assignment/Notes
Board 1: Direct clay onto board.
This one got pretty funky, and I pulled the ripcord and bailed on it. Either it was because this was my first attempt, applying the clay and having the proportions grow, or some combination of both that created the perfect storm. All good. First Steps.
Board 2 : Laying down Clay First
This was great because it was more familiar to figure drawing and allowed me to really figure out the proportions of the figure before carving away and adding clay. I think these boards are probably a bit small. I may need to work larger so I don't feel cramped.
Board 3 : David's Lips
I picked up a set of cast facial features of David, and started with the lips. It's decent, but I kinda rushed it and ignored doing some direct measuring. Just eyeballed it.
Overall: I definitely approached these as sketchbook pieces, and made enough panels that I have a bunch on hand when needed. I definitely see the benefit of having them to help work through some skill building without getting too precious
17h
Hey great job!
Yeah having larger study boards is helpful depending on what you're working on so moving to a larger board might be a good idea.
Keep up the good work!
Andrew Joseph Keith
6d
Andrew Joseph Keith
13d
14d
These are looking great! I'm loving the line work. Keep it up!
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15d
Hi Andrew, I’ve got another question. I’ve tried to get into figure drawing in the past and it’s never stuck with me. I just don’t like the act of drawing like I do sculpting. I read somewhere that you need drawing skills to succeed as a sculptor and the very thought of having to dedicate a lot of time to a medium that I don’t really enjoy fills me with dread. Is there a way to achieve the same type quick and iterative practice in sculpting that you can get by sketching? Thank you
14d
Well there are quick gesture studies with small wire armatures but even those usually take a little while. Sculpting just takes more time generally because you're moving around mass in space instead of lines on a paper. but removing the armature and using water based clay that's soft can speed things up quite a bit.
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Hi, what would be the best wire size for a 6 inch armature? I just did a 14 gauge, 11.5 inch armature as you can see here, but I think sculpting on a 6 inch one would be far better for a beginner
14d
yeah the smaller you go the thinner the wire. Also depends on the type of clay as some types of clay need more support than others because they are softer. 18 gauge is probably what I'd go for for smaller armatures.
17d
My first ever sculpture! Thanks Andrew, really enjoying the course and looking forward to progressing! Used a nail file as my tool.
14d
Awesome! I look forward to seeing your progress as well!
20d
Hi Andrew, I have no experience in drawing or sculpting at all. I am very curious and interested to learn face sculpting. Can you please suggest me if I can join this or any other course that suits a beginner like me? Thanks in advance.
18d
Yeah this course is good for anyone and I try to build it in such a way that someone can go form never having touched clay before to being able to sculpt a self portrait and portraits of others by breaking it down into smaller steps that are easier to follow. Obviously sculpting is a challenge and there is a lot to learn but if you're willing to do the assignments and practice regularly you'd be surprised how fast you can improve.
19d
Asked for help
Hi Andrew, I have no experience in drawing or sculpting at all. I am very curious and interested to learn face sculpting. Can you please suggest me if I can join this or any other course that suits a beginner like me? Thanks in advance.
18d
Yeah I definitely recommend the Portrait Sculpting Course because I try to approach it as if students are beginners but then also provide tips for sculptors at any level. We all were beginners at some point but the faster you get into actual sculpting and practice the fundamentals the faster you'll move on from the beginner stage. Even just starting with the free content should help you get started!
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Andrew Joseph Keith
20d
21d
hi, is this course friendly for people who are sculpting digitally? I don't really have a place in my living space that I can use clay on, but I do have a zbrush license. Also how in-depth do you go into anatomy in this course? thanks
21d
Yeah this course can absolutely be applied to digital. You would just do the assignments in zbrush. In this course it's primarily an overview of figure sculpting in general and I will go more in depth on anatomy in upcoming courses. All of the anatomy principles from Stan's anatomy course can be applied to sculpting as well.
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How do these look? I'm having issues with the frontview, especially in Loomis and Bodem. What am I doing wrong?
26d
Remember to keep everything thin. Something Robert Bodem told me after was to think of the Bodem method more as an Axe blade or wedge shape that tapers towards the front of the face. (so without the lines for the back of the head, the cheekbones and the chin. I've found this to be a simpler approach and very useful.
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26d
These are looking good! Great references too! Keep it up!
7mo
Finally, my version of the Bodem head! I know I am a little behind schedule, but retirement just keeps getting in the way!🙃😶
26d
Looking good! Remember that at this point you want it to be a thin version of the head. This is looking a little too rounded like a ball. Consider lengthening it and make sure that from side to side it's thin all the way around because its easy to add width with clay later on.
26d
Looking good! One thing Robert Bodem told me after I made this lesson was to make the front plane of the face more of a wedge shape (like an ax blade) that widens towards the back of the head. You could implement some of that in this one but really I think it's definitely good enough to use as a base to start adding the forms of the head.
1mo
This is also a master class in art terminology for discussing sculpture ... AMAZING!
26d
Thanks! I'm glad you've found it helpful!
28d
Build Up Sculpture #2 : Part 2
I took my time on this one, focusing on adding snakes of clay in flow with the anatomy to build the sculpture up more evenly and proportionally. The stability of the stand made more of a difference than what I thought it would.
Definitely improvement from the 1st build up sculpture, but still a long way from great.
I'm looking forward to the Bas Relief assignment and seeing how that helps.
26d
hey looking great! yes the stability definitely helps. Something I might try to implement is more softness and subtlety to the forms. Something that may help with that is running a tool or your finger over the forms (like the leg for example) against the direction of the forms. Think of wrapping around the cylinder of the leg. I'm really impressed how consistent you've been with posting! There will be a sculpture competition coming up (once the course is finished) So I hope you'll participate in that!
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Andrew Joseph Keith
27d
Andrew Joseph Keith
27d
1mo
Hello!Thanks for your advice. These are my assignments, I am your new student your critique are welcome! Thanks in advance 🙏
1mo
Looking good! great gesture studies! keep going!
