Making A Sculpting Tutorial

I'm making a sculpting tutorial for the Izannah Walker Workshop. I have two head sizes I'm working with - one is larger and really only needs paperclay additions. The other is smaller and will allow for a layer of clay all over the head and shoulders. I'm starting with the larger head. I've made the doll torso, and gessoed the head and shoulders. Now it is time to add paperclay. I am trying to simplify what I do and break it down into steps to be followed. This is hard. How to describe some of the sculpting moves? Words like push, smush, cut, flatten, add, remove, smooth, all come to mind. Here's Phase 1 of the sculpting process...

Start by wetting the surface
of the head & shoulders thoroughly.

Add a roll of clay at chin and forehead.
Add 2 balls at the cheeks.
Add a small ball where the nose will be.
Poor girl. It will get better.

Press those down a bit.
Wet your fingers and smooth
the surface of the paper clay.

Check the symmetry often.
Look from the top down over the nose.
Look from the chin up.
Look at either profile and compare.

I see some clay that needs
to be removed at the neck.
I use the flat side
of my trusty
pumpkin carving tool.
You can buy tools
made for sculpting, though.

That's better!

More smoothing with wet fingertips
will take away some of the lumps.
But this is the first sculpt,
so you don't want to have excess zeal.
Adding less clay is better at this point
because you can always add more later.

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
Into the oven she goes to dry for a few hours
until the paperclay is totally dry.

If you've found this tutorial helpful and interesting then you will want to sign up for the Izannah Walker Workshop. Two more days to sign up in December and have your name added to the drawing to win one of my creations.