How to Start Sculpting on a Budget

Lesson by

81K

Mark as Completed

Assignments 75Lesson NotesDownloads 3

How to Start Sculpting on a Budget

Lesson by

Andrew Joseph Keith

in Figure Sculpting Fundamentals

81K

Mark as Completed

Assignments 75Lesson NotesDownloads 3

Assignment

Create a figure sculpture on a budget!

Don’t break the bank. You should be able to get all the materials you need for $5-10.
Don’t use any tools intended specifically for sculpture. Be creative and try to use materials you already have laying around.
Use the reference photos provided in the downloads tab. Unlike a drawing, we’ll want photos from multiple angles. The more visual information the better.

These photos were provided by PoseSpace which has the full HD uncensored versions of these and other poses on their website. (reference photos or video that show the model turning 360 degrees, possibly a head reference, a full figure standing, sitting, and lying down)

You are able to use these reference photos in any way you like. You can do a bust of the head, a close up of the facial features, a torso study or the full figure, low or high relief, realistic or abstract, whatever you want!

Share your work with the community here!

Jose Velazquez

•

3mo

Hello everyone, Here are the photos for the assignment Create a figure sculpture on a budget! I used Van Aken Plastalina, a paper clip, bobby pins, knitting needles and my hands. Had a lot of fun with this project looking forward for the next project.

Andrew Joseph Keith

•

3mo

Great job documenting this first sculpt and I hope you can keep it up and keep posting progress!

@lssantunes

•

11mo

First attempt sculpting a torso, used my hands as a tool and Sculpey polymer clay

Andrew Joseph Keith

•

11mo

Way to do the assignment! There may be some structural issues but those will continue to improve as you keep practicing and applying the tips and techniques from the lessons. I look forward to seeing more!

carla toms

•

11mo

Stop laughing! It’s a torso. A torso. I had a very nice time making it and i think the proportions are okay. I used the little stick to make the belly button.

Andrew Joseph Keith

•

11mo

Hey it's great to see you're practicing and producing! that's the only way to improve. Keep going and you'll get better and better.

@vlk

•

1yr

My first attempt to sculpt a torso, I used a pen as a tool.

Andrew Joseph Keith

•

11mo

Super fun! keep it up!

@mvrek

•

1yr

Hello. Looking forward to participate and learn in this course. Here are some photos of the first 5$ assigment. I used Chavant NSP medium, a butterknife and my fingers.

Andrew Joseph Keith

•

1yr

nicely done! especially from he front view. Keep going! I look forward to seeing more.

Javier Alfonzo

•

1yr

Hi Andrew, glad to have found this course online! Here are the images for this assignment. Thank you in advance.

Andrew Joseph Keith

•

1yr

Looking good a great place to start! Now just keep going with the lessons and assignments! If you can stick to it you'd be surprised how fast you'll improve!

@unclesasquatch

•

2yr

Hello everyone! This is my $5 assignment. I used a paperclip and a plastic knife as tools. It was definitely awkward to use but not as bad as I feared. As for the clay, I used some cheap hulk-green plastiline. I found that it was very easy to soften and apply, but that also meant when I held an area too long it got just soft enough that it deformed and I had to avoid tools until it cooled a bit. I'll most likely switch to some monster clay I have for future assignments. All in all, I'm pretty pleased with this. Proportions are wrong and some spots are too pronounced while others are too subtle, but one of my better attempts. Looking forward to learning!

Andrew Joseph Keith

•

2yr

Nicely done! I'm looking forward to seeing more of your work and progress! keep going!

John Sumner

•

2yr

$5 dollar assignment. I used some old Sculpey that my buddy gave me for helping him move. It looks pretty old, but it's super smooth. I kinda imagine it's like trying to sculpt with Bree Cheese. As for a sculpting tool, I used a binder clip. The height of this sculpture is 4inches tall. There's some parts in the anatomy where I had trouble seeing vs translating - Shoulders and clavicle mostly, but some of that might be on the size of the sculpture and the odd tool I was trying to use to sculpt with. Regardless, I think this is something that will get solved by studying more anatomy while simultaneously sculpting... However, any advice anyone has is greatly appreciated.

Don Welbourne

•

3yr

Excited to learn, Xmas wiped me out getting full course next month ... can't wait!

Adam Lambert

•

4yr

Hi I'm new. Andrew I about died laughing when I saw that you where from USU im there right now getting my BFA in Sculpture as well. Rio sill mentions you from time to time but when I joined up I didn't know it was you lol.

Andrew Joseph Keith

•

4yr

Haha classic Ryoichi. He’s good at teaching you to be very detail oriented and “refine and define” abstract works but he didn’t focus on figurative sculpture as much as I would have liked. If you’re interested we might be doing a student figure sculpting competition next year that you might like to participate in. Send me a message on instagram if you think you’re interested.

Dennis Ladick

•

4yr

Assignment 1 submission. Looking forward to learning more.

@kobile

•

4yr

Hi, was able to "finish" it on time, thank you very much Andrew! Crits are welcome :) kobi

Charles Tryon

•

4yr

Not much surface finish, but it looks to me like you have captured it well... especially in the movement and weight.

Tania Carmichael

•

4yr

Hello Andrew and new friends!! I've finally joined the course and am very excited! Also, happy to upload my first work done mostly with a wooden skewer, two other tools and monster clay that I already purchased some time ago. I found this oil based clay product very difficult to work with and smooth out, particularly when trying to refine the figure with details. I did try and use methylated spirits but it wasn't that helpful.. It is a copy of Rodin's 'The thinker' and it got me thinking a lot about how I really want to work hard at becoming a good female sculptor and so am looking forward to learning from you and being inspired by you all.

Andrew Joseph Keith

•

4yr

Great job! It might be the tools you’re using. Sometimes metal tools stick to the clay less than wood or plastic tools. If you like sculpting the female figure you might try sculpting from the references for the “cheap sculpture challenge” lesson. (“How to start sculpting on a budget”) I look forward to seeing your progress and more of your assignments!

Erin :-)

•

4yr

I just ordered oil base clay of of amazon, but what do we use for wiring? Can we use a mix of paperclips and foil? Does it have to be 18" tall? Can it be just a head or does it have to be a full figure? Thank you!😏

Cynthia Hickson

•

4yr

Anubhav Saini

•

4yr

For wiring you can use alminium wire like in the picture I am not sure about paperclip and foil and good luck with your success

Andrew Joseph Keith

•

4yr

It can be any part of the body or the whole figure and any size but I recommend starting small as that will be easier to finish.

Moyra Le Blanc Smith

•

4yr

Hi Andrew. I can’t work out how to get the ref photos. I’m on an I pad.

Andrew Joseph Keith

•

4yr

You pressed the “downloads” button and went to the “photo references” download icon? It should work fine but you might check the connection.

Shelley

•

4yr

Is this where we post for challenge assignments and regular assignments? I do not see cheap sculpture challenge with sculpture 3-D under it to post as you described in an earlier question I had. I'm not finding that wording anywhere. In addition to which where it says full course above this area I'm wondering if I'm not getting the full picture of everything to offer on this sculpture class site.

Andrew Joseph Keith

•

4yr

https://www.proko.com/community/topics/cheap-sculpture-challenge

Shelley

•

4yr

Is this where we post the challenge assignments and regular assignments? You told me to post in the cheap sculpture challenge section under sculpture 3-D but I do not see that wording anywhere. I wonder if my premium is Properly opened from your side.

Andrew Joseph Keith

•

4yr

This location is better I think though I’ll try my best to find assignments wherever they are posted.

Shelley

•

4yr

Thank you Andrew for all the answers you've given me to my questions. Yes it's a good point... when things are new we're all trying to figure them out. I'm sure it will run smoothly soon. Thanks again for your attention to these details as they come up. I look forward to the same video for the cheap-sculpture-challenge for premium members.

Andrew Joseph Keith

•

4yr

Here works fine!

@aristotle

•

4yr

Is this limited to one entry per person, or if I do multiples based on these photos, can I enter them all?

Andrew Joseph Keith

•

4yr

Enter them all! We’ll only select a few winners so you won’t be able to win twice but the more practice the better and I’d love to see more work!

Ferzan Süngütay

•

4yr

I can't see the translated text of the lesson.

Andrew Joseph Keith

•

4yr

It looks like we haven’t gotten the transcripts out yet but what you might try is to go to the Proko 3D YouTube channel and see if the automated closed captioning they have is able to translate to your language. Stan is looking into translations so hopefully in the near future that will be available.

Christopher Harris

•

4yr

If we have other references that we would like to use, would that be allowed or do we have to work from the provided references?

Andrew Joseph Keith

•

4yr

If you want it to be entered for a chance to win the prizes it hast to use these references. If you’re just doing it for fun you’re welcome to use other references and post it in the “sculpture 3D” section under a new topic!

Full course

You will be given unexpiring access to watch the videos online .

View course details

Give a gift

Give a gift card for art students to use on anything in the Proko store.

Or gift this course:

About instructor

go to profile

Andrew Joseph Keith

Proko sculpting instructor. Sculpting takes drawing to a whole new dimension.