student handbook sculpture
Table of contents Our Philosophy Curriculum Assignment table Sculpture demos material list Reccomended reading list Credits
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Our Mission The London Atelier of Representational Art (LARA), was established in response to the rarity of rigorous representational art education and is unique in the UK in its approach to teaching the most fundamentally important aspects of drawing, painting and sculpture from life. Inspired by the atelier method of instruction, the unique emphasis of the course is given to working directly from the live model in a continuous pose of no less than a week and up to a month under unvarying (natural) north light conditions, giving optimum time to observe the figure and understand how to see. Working with tutors 6 hours a day and using the “sight- size� technique we aim to teach essential concepts of proportion, line, gesture, form and light to best master expression of the human form. The previously lost atelier method of teaching, passed down through generations of artists, provides the ideal environment for students and professional artists to perfect their skill. It is our belief that it is necessary to teach the grammar of drawing, thus giving the student the confidence to execute their ideas, whether they decide to become a representational artist, or pursue any alternative visual medium. To instill this creative confidence we encourage the student to apply their knowledge by exploring further techniques and media through quick drawing.
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Sculpture Curriculum
Studies from Static Forms Copies from antiquity Copies from life casts and skeletons Portrait Studies from the live model Life size head and bust studies Figure Studies from the live model Half-life size figure Life size torso Three quarter life-size figure Life size figure Casting Armature building Figure drawing First Year Exercises: Studies from Static Forms Casts of features from Michelangelo’s David Masks and heads of sculptures the classical era Life cast of hand/foot Life-size skull Portrait Life-size portrait Figure Half life-size figure Figure drawing
Throughout the sculpture curriculum students will be figure drawing 3hrs a day, the emphasis is on form, contour and anatomy. By the end of the first term the student should have passed the “Features” exercises. These tasks are very important for the student’s development later in the program as they lay the foundation s of the student’s working and observational habits relied on throughout the program. These exercises should not be underestimated. In preparation for the student’s studies from life it is easier to learn the fundamentals from more simple, static forms. In the second term of the first year the student becomes acquainted with how to work and think in three dimensions by copying a lifesize skull, followed by a portrait. Throughout the course of these projects the student becomes familiar with working around an armature and recognizing important anatomical landmarks. By the end of the term the student will have completed these studies and made the transition into portraiture. In the last term of the first year depending on their individual progress, the student moves on to a half life-size study of the human body in a standing position. Over the course of four weeks the student can apply all the lessons from the previous two terms and begin to acquire a better understanding of human anatomy, gesture and composition. Please note that the speed at which each student progresses is strictly individual. Each exercise has great significance and must not be overlooked on the grounds of haste. Studies of inanimate objects, for instance, help the student achieve a quicker, more accurate impression of the human form later in the program. 4
Second Year Exercises:
Third Year Exercises:
Portrait Life-size portrait(s)
Portrait Self portrait (optional) Portrait (optional)
Figure Half life-size figure(s) Life-size torso(s) Figure drawing In their second year the student is able to build on their ability to observe and understand form in depth by executing a series of half life-size figures. As well as instilling in the student a strong sense of proportion, these studies provide the opportunity for them to practice their form modelling skills. Each pose typically lasts for four weeks. The year is concluded by a life-size torso, the success of which depends on a strong sense of internal structure, proportion and composition. The student also learns how to make their own armature and tailor it to the requirements of the pose.
Figure Half life-size(optional) Three quarter life-size(obligatory) Life-size full figure (obligatory) Figure drawing The third year program is tailored by the students. At this stage they should be able to set up their own pose and construct their own armatures, with minimal reliance on their teachers. Having become confident with the more formal aspects of figurative sculpture, the student is able to invest more time and energy in exploring the composition of their work, the psychological state and character of their sitter, and solve more complex challenges.
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Sculpture assignment table
Core Assignments
Description
Estimated duration*
1A
Copies of Michelangelo’s David’s features in clay: mouth, nose, eye
Actual size copies introduce students to working in three dimensions.
4 weeks
1B
Masks and heads of sculptures from the classical era in clay
Actual size copies
1-2 weeks
1C
Life-size skull in clay
Students are introduced to working with an armature in the round, and learns to recognize significant anatomical landmarks.
1-2 weeks
2A
Life-size portrait in clay
As above
4 weeks
2B
Half life-size figure in clay
Students develop their understanding of proportion and gesture.
4 Weeks
2C
Life-size torso in clay
Students construct a custom armature and invent their own pose with the guidance of their teachers.
4-9 weeks
2D
Three quarter life-size figure in clay
Students construct a custom armature and invent their own pose with moderate assistance from their teachers.
4 weeks
3A
Life-size figure in clay
Students construct a custom armature and invent their own pose with moderate or no assistance from their teachers.
9-10 weeks
4A
Casting week
At the end of each term students have the option of casting their work from the current trimester, with the guidance of their teacher.
Assignments from 2A-3A are executed from a live model. 2A-2D are repeated with increasing complexity throughout the course.
* Please note that the speed at which each student progresses is strictly individual. Each exercise has great significance and must not be overlooked on the grounds of haste.
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Figure sculpture demo
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Feature sculpture demo
Portrait sculpture demo
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Sculpture materials
Modelling tools
Casting tools
B5 (Tiranti) B10 M6 or/and H7 M8 Set of Kidneys - rubber, wooden [serrate and flat] Plastering spatulas Cooking spatulas [wooden] Wire loop tools Aluminium callipers 30cm [12”] Plumb line Mirror [hand size] Measuring tape
No 77 Plaster tool No 90 Plaster tool No 64 Plaster tool Italian Rifflers - different shapes and sizes 121 122 123 Plastic mixing spatulas - 2
B5 / B10
Mixing sticks Flat kidney
H6
M8
Wire loop tools
Serrated kidney
B8 Vinyl gloves Masks Mixing buckets/pots with lids Rubber mixing bowls - 2 large Scrim Surform shavertool “S” - shape plaster rasp Hammer Srew drivers Pigment for colouring the first plaster layer [optional] Washing-up liquid Exacto knife Piping or wood for waste moulds Armature for the half - life size
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Recommended reading list [sculpture]
Modelling and Sculpting the Human Figure, Edouard Lanteri, Dover Publications, Inc. New York 1965 [Required] The Mouldmaker’s Handbook, Jean-Pierre Delpech and Mark-Andre Figueres, A & C Black, London 2001 Mouldmaking and Casting, Nick Brooks, The Crowood Press Ltd, Ramsbury 2005 Clay Modelling and Plaster Casting with numerous angravings and diagrams by Paul N Hasluck, Cassell and Company Limited, London, 1908 Looking at European Sculpture: A Guide to Technical Terms by Jane Bassett and Peggy Fogelman, Getty Publications, 1997 Modelling and Sculpture by Albert Toft, Dover Publications Inc, 2004 Modelling and Sculpting Animals by Édouard Lantéri, 1986 Modelling for Sculpture - A Book for the Beginner by Gilbert Bayes, Winsor & Newton Ltd, London, 1932 Sculpture since 1945 by Edward Lucie-Smith, Universe Publishing, 1987 The Manual of Sculpting Techniques by John Plowman, A & C Black Publishers Ltd, 2003 The Sculpting Techniques Bible: An Essential Illustrated Reference for Both Beginner and Experienced Sculptors by Claire Waite Brown, Chartwell Books, 2006 The Technique of Sculpture by John W Mills, B T Batsford, 1965
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Credits
‘Cover sculpture’ by Valentina Zlatarova Compiled by: James Napier Valentina Zlatarova Luca Indraccolo
Bibliography: ‘Modeling - A Guide for Teachers and Students’ by Ed. Lanteri, Chapman and Hall Ltd., London
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