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Clay For Sculpting Vs Throwing


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I remember a member @hanee , not sure where he went. Very interested in sculpting clay.

 

His five old topics could be worth a read. http://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/index.php?app=core&module=search&do=user_activity&search_app=forums&mid=65498&sid=dee38914aa1751cfa0f2577014b3ce24&search_app_filters[forums][searchInKey]=&userMode=title

 

Think about what your sculptures will look like then find/modify a clay to work for you.

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Honestly, I've use low fire clay for throwing and sculpting, no issues.

 

I've used mid-high Fire clay for throwing and sculpting, no issues.

 

As you mentioned, grog does help with strength and to avoid shrinkage issues.

 

Beyond that, I've not found any differences.

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for my demon dogs (in my gallery) I used paper clay for the arms as its so much more supportive than groged clay(I thre the grog body parts and added thepaper clay attachments when wet.

I like paper clay for this purpose.You do need a sharp tool to cut it though.

Mark

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I use the same clay for throwing and sculpting, it's not the best clay for large sculpture so I order in special clay for that.  If you throw with B-Mix like many potters do, I don't find it compatible with sculpting.  I like using one general clay in my shop and only getting in enough special order clay for a project makes it easier for me to stay organized.  I am currently using a locally made clay Flinthills bluff,  you'll have to try some clays out that are from your area.   Denice

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Hi Rebeka :

It reallly is all about the grog content: otherwise no big difference.

Some sculpture bodies, especially for those who make super large things may have Kyanite as well which is an odd material that actually gets bigger not smaller when fired.

The grog (and Kyanite) is really about restricting cracking that can happen with a thick thing from shrinkage.

 

But in general, take your favorite stoneware or eathenware, add 10-15% grog and there is your sculpture clay

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Mark, when you say "Sharp", do you mean more than a standard fettling knife?  I imagine an X-Acto, or utility blade will work well.

Yes an x-acto as a fettling knife will catch the paper.

Paper clay was a miracle for arms and legs on sculpture at least for me. I did add some supports while drying but not in the firing. It was strong and did not slump.

Mark

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You can use almost any clay. I have used a natural extremely plastic clay, and a ceramic paste to make sculpture; medium size in terms of sculpture, big size in terms of ceramics.
The important part is to use grog, a lot of grog. A 25% to 50%. Of course you can use paper clay too, but if you want to build big things use grog, and paper too if you like.

Paper clay makes things easy for you, but the texture is not the best sometimes, it all depends on the work you are doing.
Plasticity is not much needed in sculpture.
Grog, grog is the right choice.

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I like paper clay for its versatillity.

 

It does not take that much paper to reap the benifits of paper clay, but the more paper you have in the clay the more things you can get away with, like super paper thin translucent porcelain slabs.

If you want to work with paper clay, mix it yourself with different percentages of paper for different aplications.

Paper clay has a different texture and it is not as free working as low fire or grogged clay, but you can get some really great detail with paper clay.

You can add paper clay to soft, leather hard or with some practice even dry paper clay sculptures. You can also, with practice, add paper clay to the same type of regular thrown or hand built clay.

 

Low fire groggless clay will probably work the best for all around sculpture, but if it will be subjected to the outdoor weather it's a poor choice. Some of these low fire clays can be thrown easily .

Grogged clay will be more forgiving, more shock resistant and that sort of thing, but it's really low on the details...you can get detail, but you'll have to spend alot of time to get there. You can throw a grogged clay and it handles the thermal shock of raku.

Paper clay works well at any cone temperature, but really comes into its own at mid to higher fire work. If you need a sculpture to hold water or be more weather resistant this may be the way you want to go. It is usually fired 1 cone hotter with a cone 6 clay to get it to virtrify. Paper clay does not throw well, but with practice you can use a good thowing clay as a base and add stuff with paper clay.

 

 

People suggested grog when I got started and I think grog sucks unless you are into raku.

Paper clay is not perfect, but it is the best for me.

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I don't know if other suppliers make a similar mix, but Georgies makes a sculptural clay that contains fibers (nylon if I remember correctly) in addition to grog to aid stability. I've noticed some sculptural clays seem short (inelastic) which would make them less suitable for throwing.

 

That said, I enjoy throwing heavily grogged sculptural clays when I want an additional bit of texture, but it is hard on the skin so it isn't my default choice.

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