Eyes, Ears, Nose, & Mouth: Sculpture Shortie FRIDAY AFTERNOON begins 6.6

• Teacher: Alena
• Course Length: 4 classes
• Date: Fridays, beginning June 6
• Time: 2:30pm – 5:30pm PST
• Materials Fee: $35 – included in price

Sculpture Shortie: Eyes, Ears, Nose, & Mouth

Overview:

Join our 4-week “Features” sculpture shortie designed for beginning and experienced artists alike. This course focuses on anatomical volumes of facial features, with relief sculptures that feel lifelike and expressive. Faces can be challenging, but this class will provide you with the skills and experience to face them head-on, so to speak.

What You Will Learn:

• Anatomy of the face: eye, ear, nose, mouth broken down into basic forms
• Silly or serious, you’ll learn to sculpt forms and volumes that make features feel alive
• Diversity of race, age, genders, and styles so students can explore and express a variety of features
• How to get a smooth finish
• Additive and subtractive processes with terracotta clay
• Participants will also learn about slips and oxides for adding decorative finishes in or out of class.

Size, Shape, Durability:

Features will be in terra cotta clay, and can be sculpted in various sizes, from individual life size bits on hangable tiles to large stackable cubes (for reference, casts from Michelangelo’s David are about 5″ – 7″, and Javier Marin’s “Cubos” features are 20″ cubes.) Experienced potters: you can leave these as pieces, or add them onto planters, bowls, and cups. After firing, your features will be durable enough to be displayed indoors or outdoors. These pieces can be used as decoration or drawing inspirations for years to come.

Flexible Participation:

We will aim to sculpt a few features each week, but participants will have the freedom to create at their own pace, size, and level of preferred detail. Between classes, you will have the extra option to work more on pieces at home or during open studio hours.

Prerequisite:

Beginning Drawing or equivalent practice suggested.

What to Bring:

If you would like to study a particular face, bring in photo references from front, sides, 1/4 and 3/4 views, as well as views from above, and below. Good shadows are essential for finding form.

Tools & Materials:

Tools, resources, and materials will be provided, and are included in the class price. Additional clay may be purchased if needed. Students who wish to take sculpting further might want to purchase their own personal set of tools.

Join Us:

Enroll in our Features Sculpture Shortie today! Whether you work from course resources such as anatomy, sculpture and portraits, or your own family photos, this workshop will forever change the way you see eyes, noses, ears, and mouths.

Photo: Student Silly Face by Melissa Maxwell

Pottery Classes at the Seattle Artist League

Join us for pottery classes in our 2,700 square foot studio in Seattle’s Georgetown Arts District. We offer classes for beginning ceramics in wheel throwing, hand-building, firing, and glazing. Our pottery classes are open to beginners and intermediate potters.

We have long offered classes in clay sculpting. Our commitment to the medium has expanded with the opening of our south Seattle Ceramics Studio. Join us for classes, workshops, and events in Seattle’s newest ceramics studio.

At the Seattle Artist League, we have a start where you are philosophy. You are welcome in our studio as a beginner or a seasoned pro. Join us!