source: http://www.skulpturhalle.

ch/
WHAT IS A SCULPTURE?
A sculpture, simply put, is a three-dimensional figure
made with different materials and techniques to represent
something that you would find naturally or something
imaginary.

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WHO IS SCULPTOR?
A sculptor is a creator, a person with a deep interest in the
way things appear, their shape. They look at objects from a
different point of view. Where one sees a thick trunk, they
see the delicate form that could rise out of the tree, and
that is what enables the best sculptors to excel in this art.

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TYPES OF SCULPTURES
1. RELIEF

• HIGH RELIEF

• BAS RELIEF

• SUNKEN RELIEF

2. CARVING

3. FULL ROUND SCULPTING

4. MODELING

5. CASTING

6. SITE SPECIFIC SCULPTING

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TYPES OF SCULPTURES
1 RELIEF
Many people are familiar with this kind of sculpting,
through seeing it or working on it. Typically, these forms
come out of a flat surface, in a way that seems that
the figures are emerging from the material used. They
then project onto a three-dimensional space that is
quite shallow. You will notice that in these figures, the
background is not of importance and does not add or take
away from the objects. It is thus possible to understand the
relayed message by getting a view of the front.

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TYPES OF SCULPTURES
1 RELIEF
• HIGH RELIEF
The objects in the form emerge from the background
in a dramatic way such that most of the figure lies on
the outside. Thus, you get to have a comprehensive
view of the sculpture and can, therefore, understand its
formation as it is nearly in the round.

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TYPES OF SCULPTURES
1 RELIEF
• BAS RELIEF
Sometimes, people refer to this form of art as low
relief. The difference between this and the high
relief is that figures are at a low level such that
they are not nearly in the round. Thus, most of the
focus lies in the frontal view, from which you can
understand the perspective of the artist. The raising
is so slight that one can almost miss it, but also high
enough to create a difference in levels.

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TYPES OF SCULPTURES
1 RELIEF
• SUNKEN RELIEF
You may come across this form of art going by other
names such as intaglio or incised relief. With the
two cases above, you will note that the figures come
out from the background in a raised manner. In this
form, the carving takes place below the surface.
Thus the name sunken.

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TYPES OF SCULPTURES
2 CARVING
Carvers create art by chipping away at or cutting material
to achieve the design that they have in mind. They thus
require hard materials such as wood and stone which they
can work on with ease, and they use chisels or other sharp
tools in their creation. Given that carving involves taking
away mass from the material in play, it sometimes gets
referred to as a subtractive process.

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TYPES OF SCULPTURES
3 FULL ROUND SCULPTING
This form also goes by the name free standing. It exists in
a three-dimensional space and owing to this; you need to
walk around the creation to see all its aspects. Unlike in
relief where a frontal view will give you the idea behind the
work, there is a lot more to see in this form. There are very
many objects made using this sculpting, especially the ones
made in honor of remarkable people in the society.

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TYPES OF SCULPTURES
4 MODELING
In this form, the artist uses a soft material that is easy to
work with such as plaster or wax and they slowly work
on the object until they attain the desired design. The
difference between this and carving is that here, the artist
adds to the material, rather than take away from it. For
this reason, it sometimes gets referred to as an additive
process. Usually, the artist creates the form on top of
another material which can lend the object some support,
thus allowing it to maintain its shape.

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TYPES OF SCULPTURES
5 CASTING
In this process, the artist adds a pliable or liquid material
into a mold and allows it to harden. The resultant object,
known as a cast, takes the shape of the frame.

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TYPES OF SCULPTURES
6 SITE SPECIFIC SCULPTING
This form of art also goes by the name installation
sculpting, and it works in the transformation of spaces to
pieces of art. It uses the materials on site to help with the
blending of the art with the location, and you have to walk
through the site to experience the art.

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SCULPTURE TECHNIQUES
AND MATERIALS
1. CLAY MODELLING

2. WAX MODELLING

3. STONE CARVING

4. WOOD CARVING

5. IVORY CARVING

6. SEMI-PRECIOUS STONES

AND SHELL CARVINGS

7. BRONZE CASTING

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SCULPTURE TECHNIQUES AND MATERIALS
1 CLAY MODELLING
Clay has many advantages to an artist. One it is widely
available. Two, it is inexpensive. And three, it is versatile
such that the sculptor can create unique objects using the
material. Also, clay provides an avenue where an artist can
portray an idea before working on the final design. It also
allows people to transfer designs from one object to the
other in the form of molds.

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SCULPTURE TECHNIQUES AND MATERIALS
2 WAX MODELING
Wax modeling allows an artist to come up with a unique
design. Sometimes, the use of wax acts like a step to
achieving another design. Take an example of bronze
sculpting. The artists sometimes use models made of wax
in their creative processes.

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SCULPTURE TECHNIQUES AND MATERIALS
3 STONE CARVING
This form of sculpting is common in architectural pieces
as well as the making of figures. The type of stone used
depends on the region. Take marble as an example. It was
common in Italy and resulted in stunning designs. The
downsides of using it were that it was quite brittle.

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 SCULPTURE TECHNIQUES AND MATERIALS
4 WOOD CARVING
As is the case with stones, the region played an essential
role in the selection of the tree in use. Softwoods are easier
to carve as they are less dense. However, where an artist
wants to create a durable piece, hardwoods are the best
option. They also enable the artist to carve out finer details
than they would with a softwood.

Carving on wood is similar to that in stone. It starts with

splitting a tree trunk before roughly creating the design
with an ax before using shaping tools on the wood. Once the
carving takes place, the artist smoothens the surface and
decides on the finishing which can involve glass embellishing,
painting or gilding.

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SCULPTURE TECHNIQUES AND MATERIALS
5 IVORY CARVING
Ivory often refers to the hard-white substance in the tusks
of mammals, but its definition also extends to materials of
a similar nature. The design attained by the artist depends
on the source of the ivory as the successful layers influence
the shape of the sculpture. Also, the size of the tusks will
affect the design. African tusks get preference owing to
their large dimensions in the ranges of two meters.

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SCULPTURE TECHNIQUES AND MATERIALS
6 SEMI-PRECIOUS STONES
AND SHELL CARVINGS
Artists also work with gemstones and hard stones in their
designs. Example include rock crystals. They also use softer
materials such as corals and shells. When working with
hard stones, they use metal tools, abrasive powders, and
diamond drills to work on the shapes. For the soft mineral
materials such as amber, they lean on the use of chisels
and knives which can easily cut into the masses, thus
helping them bring the forms to life.
The use of soft materials is not only about the ease of
carving, but it also extends to symbolism in that they are
representative of medicinal benefits. The hard elements
are characteristic of purity and light, as was the case in
medieval times.

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 SCULPTURE TECHNIQUES AND MATERIALS
7 BRONZE CASTING
Bronze is a sturdy and durable material as it is a
combination of tin and copper and often has traces of zinc
or lead. The advantage of using it is that it allows the artist
to feature captivating details through the use of casting
molds, resulting in objects such as sculptures, tools, and
weapons.

Its use started back in Europe before spreading throughout the globe in the
medieval times and the eras that followed. Casting takes place in two ways.
There is the use of powdery sand molds and those made of wax, and it all
depends on whether the artist wishes to reuse the molds.

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