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| It's such a fun creating a clay art! (image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/) |
I
never actually thought that playing with clay when I was a child was actually called
Clay Art or even Clay Sculpture. Since then, I never actually take interest to Clay
Art. Why? Maybe because it’s childish? But one day, I just saw my older brother
transforming a clay of drab color into something with dazzling form—a human
torso. “That was great,” I thought. “Hmm, may one day I would like to pick up that clay and form something
pleasant, but not now, It can actually wait,” I concluded. Knowing myself,
for sure I would have to find a step-by-step instruction on how to do that. I
saw one in a local bookstore but its price is quite hefty so I let it pass and
forgot all about it. After all, I might have something to busy myself with when
I grow old.
Then again, who would have thought that a
measly, cheap children’s book would convince me to finally put that plan in to
a reality? This book was colourful, the objects to make are everyday stuffs –
foods, cellphones, shoes; steps are in photos and not words. Everything was
pretty easy and brilliant. After I actually created two objects – a bag and a professional
camera – I gave them to two of my friends and they thought that I was doing this
for a long time and they were impressed with my clay are creation. I was like, “oh
I just got that from a children’s book.” They thought I was just being humble
and pursued more questions to fish out
some information on how I was able to get in to clay art or clay sculpture.
They couldn’t actually squeeze that much story out of me because I’m a clear
neophyte to this; I just happen to enjoy it!!! This somehow inspired me to add
clay art and clay sculpture in one of the things I can do to share to my
friends during their special occasions.
Knowing the immense joy, if not the humble
accomplishment, it gave to me, I guess it’s high time to share this to Americans
who are the busiest people on earth who ought to take quality breaks from time
to time and dirty their hands with something productive and fun.
“A simple piece of clay is possibly the most useful and intuitive art material
known to man."
-from a Clay Art website-
According to an eHow article, “CLAY as a medium has a long history: It has been used for
thousands of years to build homes with mud bricks and to make pots, utensils,
ornaments and religious figurines. These figurines are still created to this
day. Bricks, of course, are also still created and widely used. But today, it's
not all about practical or religious purposes. Shaping clay is also considered
an art form.”
“Clay has
been used so widely for so long for many reasons. First, it's plentiful. Clay
particles can be found in riverbeds around the world. They are fine particles
that drifted to the bottom of a river and stuck against other particles of dirt
like it. Clay is malleable when wet, can be shaped into any form, and dries
hard. Most important, if the clay is dried or "fired" with high heat,
it won't become mushy again. This means that a clay pot, ornament or figurine
won't wash away, even if it endures a long downpour.”
“Clay art that
is made today is much different from that of ancient China or Rome. Plates,
cups, bowls, salt shakers, platters and other such objects are often
intricately designed and painted. Some sculptors have taken a modern and
architectural route, while others work in more traditional formats.”
Meanwhile, “Clay
sculpture also has a long history. Some sculptures are religious, in the form
of a god or goddess, and some are erected in honor of someone or something.
Other sculptures are created simply to beautify, and many are regarded as art.
“People use
clay for sculpture for the same reasons they chose to make pottery out of it:
It is malleable and durable, can be fixed easily, doesn't need a mold and is
less expensive than other materials.”
“Clay sculpture can be used in the
initial steps of sculpting with a different material, such as bronze. Often, a
small version of the sculpture is made out of clay, and then a bigger sculpture
of metal is based on the small one. Clay is not as strong as bronze. Whereas a
large sculpture would hold up, a clay sculpture of the same size and shape
might not.”
“Today
there are multiple classes, online message boards, workshops, summer camps,
exhibitions and events devoted to clay art. Some clay artists have websites
listing their information, exhibition or event dates, and maybe an online
catalog.”
For a starter, of
course you need the basic: a CLAY! You can buy a cheap one in small amounts of
different elementary colors. Then go to a bookstore and see if you can chance a
cheap children’s clay art or clay sculpture. If you find none, don’t worry, you
just have to settle with the simplest objects you can find in your house like
cups, tables, plates, pizza and burgers. The options are endless.
As you make one simple
thing after another, you can then level up by learning more about the craft.
From here, you can scour the internet for good resources. They present a lot of
pictures as well which is appetizing enough for your creative hunger. After
shaping your works of art, you are now ready to learn more about sculpture techniques,
styles, lessons and tutorials.
With this, I’m already glad to help you
start that new activity – clay art! Now get up and start working on your
masterpiece J
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