Clay Modelling
Lump of clay are roll to the rope forms of about ¼ to ½ inches of thickness and then coiled layer by layer. They can be tiny or huge as per the portrait to be made, Keep adding the coils with the regular pressing of the sphere of clay with the thumb finger or index finger to the center and with the center to the half way bottom. Dampen the fingers in between and apply little pressure to the inside with fingers to smoothen the surface.
With tools made of wood generally with shapes such as flat, pointed, square, round, semi round etc, are firmed in the moist stage in shaping of the portrait as per the image taken as the reference to be made. If a portrait of the person has to be made, the neck part is stiffened at the bottom part and further chin, nose, ear, head part are scraped out and pasted as per the reference image given. In the making stage, if the clay material is not damp it will lose the properties of clay therefore it is covered with damp cloth in between to keep it moist that helps in the easy modelling.
Clay Modelling helps in understanding the protruding and curved parts which can be taken care of when carved on the stone surfaces. In stone surface once the portions are carved more than the required part, then it is difficult to be rectified therefore clay modelling is also taught to the students of the Shilpakala Shale for the basic understanding of sculptures. In case of the clay modelling the portions can be easily rectified and therefore taken as the base method for the image to be got with fiber, wax, metal and Plaster of Paris models.
After the model has been completed as per the specifications it is dried under shade to fix firmly. Then the model is fired in the kiln to a required temperature, to remove the plasticity and make it a strong model. In some cases metal powder is applied to the surface of the model and heated to make it lighter in weight.
