In this project we were asked to draw from a photo of a maquette. At the outset, we were asked to recall a dream, memory, or create an entirely new situation. From this we were to build a small scale (something like a shoebox) maquette of the situation. From the 3D model we were to examine different perspectives and illumination with a camera, taking pictures from different angles and light sources — after which, we were to pick out five favorite photos. After carefully analyzing each selected image, we were to pick one to make a full tonal drawing of.
I began thinking of what it was I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to work with clay and sculpt something, but the question was what. I thought about what would capture the light in different forms to create a good tonal range, but will still remain interesting as a figure itself. I immediately thought of the human face. However, I thought that would be too boring for such an open project, so somehow I landed on the idea of having a giant circle head with a big mouth with a hand or something of the like coming out. Bellow are my first stenches.
I got some self drying clay at Blick, a big cardboard box, and some black paint for our next class. I tried to find a toy to place in the mouth but couldn’t find anything I liked, so I decided to simply sculpt my I smaller figure. By the end of that class, I had painted the box black and created the large mouth head. I decided the contrast with the black background and white sculpture would create a great contrast between the background and highlights in the final drawing, allowing for great tonal variation. After going home, I also created a smaller screaming figure inside the mouth (the figure has a similar mouth), and decided to surround the original head with another larger mouth. Here is the final sculpture:
(My sculpture actually ended up cracking in the drying process, which gave an interesting graphic contrast in the end). I then shined a bright light at different angles and took a myriad of photos. The best images are bellow, along with my sketch of them.
I was in-between images one and three, however ended up picking one because it had a more interesting view of the subject. However, I decided my final drawing would be done in portrait rather than landscape. This made it so the figure looked like it was alive and standing, literally with a person sticking out of its mouth. Bellow is the final product, which took me many hours. I am very satisfied with the results, the tonal range appears to be large and transitioning between shades smooth. Bellow you can compare the final with the photo.
