Polymer Clay Fan

Sculpting a unique base for the dog portrait.

I’m only sculpting the dog’s head for this particular piece so I want to do something that gives the sculpture a little more pizzazz. Usually when I do pet portraits I like to add a unique rock formation base to the sculpture. The rocky base basically helps create a uniqueness with the piece and also gives a little more height to the sculpture.

Tools Needed

1. Polymer Clay (Super Sculpey in this example)
2. Sculpting tools
3. Reference material (pictures of your subject matter or the subject matter itself)
4. Lots of patience 😉

* This sculpture is created with Super Sculpey.

	The first step to sculpting the base is to cover the wire with aluminum foil. This not only helps to bulk out the wire, which save clay, but also helps the clay to stick better to the wire.
	Front view of the sculpture….
	Next I cover the aluminum foil with a layer of clay.
	I think adding little ledges here and there really make the a rocky base more interesting. All I’m really doing at this stage is adding clumps of clay in various parts of the base. Nothing really too strategic here, I just add a clump of clay where I think it will look good.
	I use the same texturing technique I used for my rocky seascape base on my water dragon sculpture. A ball of aluminum foil is an quick and easy way to texture the base.
	And here is a shot of what the sculpture looks like before we slap a little paint onto it.

Next lesson – Painting a bronze finish

Previous Lesson – Shaping the dog’s face

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