Step by Step process of sculpting a bust

I created this tutorial during the lockdown in March/April 2020. It was initially intended to be a teaching aid for my regular students who wished to carry on working from home. I designed the structure of the actual armature to be as simple as possible with materials that would be readily available from any supermarket, as hardware stores were closed at the time.

My style of teaching is a deliberately slow and thorough and step-by-step instruction to help anyone get started in portrait sculpture, without being overwhelmed by technicalities.

I always encourage my students to sculpt someone they know or did know, such as a family member. It is easier to sculpt an older person, especially older male, as they generally have a defined bone structure and enlarged features such as their nose and ears, which gives them character. A young woman is generally the hardest subject to sculpt, but a lovely challenge, nevertheless.

Please note that the skull proportions of anyone under the age of 18 are different from those of an adult.

I do put a lot of emphasis on considering the final composition of the sculpture and this should be considered upfront.

Mounting a sculpture is as important as framing a picture and I recommend a square block of wood or piece of cut stone, no less than 4cm thick that is 2 to 3 cm wider than the widest diameter of the sculpture.

I use a 3-step patina on all my clay sculptures which I will be demonstrating in my next tutorial. I hope that you find the slow, gentle pace of my tutorial soothing and mesmerizing and therefore easy to follow. You are welcome to contact me via email, to be found on my website at the end of the video.

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Marina Walsh is a Johannesburg based, internationally recognised sculptor. She teaches clay and portrait sculpting for beginners, intermediate and advanced artists.

We answer the follow questions:
- How to sculpt a head
- How to sculpt a portrait
- How to sculpt a portrait in clay
- How to sculpt a head in clay
- How to go about sculpting a head in clay
- Helping you with your sculpting of head out of clay

[HappilyEverAfterinFrance]

Such wonderful instruction, thank you! I’m going to go back to your video again and again. It was so much more helpful than most sculpture videos- from building the armature to the caliper measurements to the hollowing-out process. The part at the end when you put your nose against your dad’s is priceless. There is a strong family likeness, for sure. ✨

[banaraskrishna]

First time I see a detailed video with tools. Simple narration. Thank you for avoiding cutting off the continuity of sculpturing.

[kallydou]

What a moving moment to bring your father back to life! How nice of you to do that! You are amazing, I learn from you, thank you very much. Maybe one day I will be able to fix my father too, I lost him countless years ago ...

[cuasilola]

Thank you so much!! your way of explaining is so pedagogical that it inspires to try to do something similar. The best tutorial I've seen

[richardmabe]

Thankyou for a fine tutorial. I'm new to sculpture though not to painting portraits. Your instructions answered many questions I had.

[teresamcclennen]

What a beautiful sculpt of your Father! You are a wonderful instructor. Thank you for sharing!

[FknNefFy]

You could also Take the chair off a rolling office chair for a base!

[TocTocTrax]

This is amazing and beautiful! I really enjoyed watching this creative video. Thanks for sharing!

[cheekyllamacreations]

This was so fascinating to watch. Thank you for sharing your skills. Not sure if it’s my imagination but I’m at time stamp 1:04:57 and I can see Marina herself in the sculpture. Edit: just got to the end of the video and yes it does really resemble Marina

[noshadvahabi]

hi, l saw the video and l enjoyed and learned a lot.got quite emotional when you talked about your father.may he rest in peace and l am sure he is proud of his daughter..thank you again mrs. marina walsh.wish you and your family good luck and long healthy life.take care and thank you again.in our ancient civilization we always respect teachers, just as our own parents.noshad

[AI-xsfp]

Wonderfully animated. Great instruction and commentary. No small feat! Thank you,

[suzannehardingham]

Wow, Such a great video. I too will be going back many times to fully absorb everything you have taught me!! Thank you so much Marina. Your dad would be so proud!

[EasyExplained]

Soo much thanks for making this tutorial free! Amazing work! I will see it many times :-)

[anyab]

Thank you so much for this! Starting out a bust project and will be referencing this video 😄

[shayrforbes]

Love the clay face sculpting you have done, will be trying your method soon as I get the materials, keep up the great work.

[Caroline_]

Thank you for this video! The deep inset of the eyes is so helpful. Please keep making videos!

[giftikumera]

Thank you so much for this great tutorial! Beautifully done, I found so much joy watching this.

[corderoteful]

Gracias por compartir sus conocimientos! Aprendí mucho de su video! Y le felicito por su profesionalismo. Saludos desde Chile! 😊

[annamariavonschalien]

This is the best pedagogical tutorial on how to sculpt I've seen, thank you so much for sharing 💖

[geewirt]

The best instruction so far. Thank you so much.