Sculpting a back can be a little tricky and I’ve always found it to be a bit challenging as well. There are a lot of different muscles and bones that make up the back and more importantly the shapes they create come and go into all different directions. Now sculpting a back with more body fat on it would decrease the difficulty but I prefer designs of a leaner physique. However, the key with this sculpture is to not go too lean on the back because it will not flow well with the rest of the design.
I have already sculpted a rough shape of the back when I blocked out the torso. Now I need to tie the individual muscles together while trying to make it look natural. Using a sharp sculpting tool I like to draw out some of the individual shapes. Basically I’m trying to break out the scapula, traps and lower lats into different basic shapes. Once this stage has been completed I will build out the individual forms.
Looks like a mess right now but here are a couple pics of my back with me starting to draw out some of the individual muscles. It will all flow together over the next few tutorials.
Next lesson – Tribal Back – 2
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Hi:
Great stuff and appreciate you sharing. Wish photos were larger. Can you give us specifics on the type of clay you are using.
Thanks,
Thanks Carl,
In this particular sculpture I’m using plain old Super Sculpey, however I now predominantly use a wax called FUSE. Both mediums have their advantages and disadvantages but I made the switch because wax does not require an armature and is more durable when handling the sculpture.
Best of luck to you