Tracy H Sugg

Being able to do your artwork well with both hands is a valuable trait. I think more so for sculptors. When you are right handed then sculpting the left side of the face is easy, but the nose gets in the way when your working on that right eye. Solution: train yourself to use both hands equally well. Though both hands are used in blocking out the figure, or a portrait, artists tend to gravitate to the stronger and more skilled hand to work on the details and refining faci

Every art has it's tools, and some share similar tools whether the tool was intended that way or not. For instance, I will use some of my watercolor or oil paint brushes to smooth specific areas of my sculptures. But of all the tools I use, my hands alone do most of the work. Using my hands (and I must confess, my fingernails) I bring a sculpture to 95% completion. Most of the tools I use are for detail work, however, I am a sucker whenever I pass by an art supply store a

When the Pope approached Michelangelo and asked (told) him to paint the ceiling of the Sistine chapel, Michelangelo's response was "I'm a sculptor, not a painter" However, we now not only have the gorgeous ceiling, but he was afterwards compelled to paint the wall behind the altar as well. Many artists throughout history were proficient in more than one area of the arts, though, most times they are only known for their expertise in one medium. Gianlorenzo Bernini (one of my f

Before I started 'blogging' per se, I read a lot of artist's blogs, and subscribed to some. However, it seems that 99% of them are painters. So while a lot is applicable to me as a sculptor, some of it is not. So, I am enjoying writing something that - while it can speak to all artists - does have posts that relate to sculptors and potters, and this is just such a post---- One of the aspects I love about working in clay is that I am able to touch all the elements: earth, fir

I always start with the skull, focusing on bone structure and taking measurements from the models skull. Once I have it blocked out to those measurements I usually have a likeness beginning to develop. I sculpt the portrait, only the head, straight on, with little or no expression. This is easier for the model. Then once I have captured the likeness, I sculpt the expression I want and then turn the head to the angle I want for the finished portrait. Once that is done, I can t