How I taught, myself to sculpt.

Can I say at the outset that I have never had any formally constructed training in the art described the following post and subsequent posts showing my self-taught art

My only connection to art is as follows;
(1) As a child, I did become quite good at drawing cartoon characters from these comic book's; Dandy, Beano, Topper, Our Wullie and The Broons.
(2) At college part of my course included Technical Drawing, which does provide one with an idea of perspective.
(3) When on a Job Training Scheme, I was sent to a school that was offering art as a subject, with the little encouragement from the tutor's they left me to my own devices. The course included eight days of questionable tuition, one day per week. I did not benefit.

The story proper starts around nineteen-eighty-eight. At that time I was employed in a care home.

I was involved in the care of the residents, but also asked to be the activities coordinator to stimulate the clients through certain periods in the day.

Cards, dominoes, knitting, crochet and activities like this did not go down well, they all preferred to sleep.

I decided to try and create some basic models which when moulded the clients could paint.

I proceeded to make a couple of basic models from clay, a large butterfly, and a bird in a tree. After making a mould, I could then get working making 'whites' for my clients to paint.

The care customers enjoyed their new occupation. I unfortunately left shortly after.

Refer to; Alcohol, Alcoholism, Realism and Cure(?) Part three the conclusion (1988- to present), reason for my leaving this post

I have no images from that period.

Two or three months later, with the fundamental idea that I had carried forward from the nursing home, I decided to try and do something with it.

I spent the next several weeks, every day locked in my makeshift studio, my bedroom until I understood the basics of clay sculpting.

Then I started making small wildlife artefacts, which were much appreciated by my family and friends.

(Sorry about the quality, no modern camera available.)
THE FROG.

THE RABBIT.

THE SEAL.

THE HEDGEHOG.

I progressed, starting making dog masks of friends pets.

A 'SCOTTY'.

MODEL OF A FRIEND'S DOG.

There was an advert in the local news; the local council was looking for small businesses looking for help in setting up.

I was accepted and for two months they taught us about how to follow their business model. The council also offered us help in set up, getting a bank loan, and providing subsidized work places.

At the end of the course one of my commission models was presented to our local Member of Parliament. The mould owner, they keep the original mould, allowed me to make this model for this occasion.

THE OTTER.

I set up and for eighteen months I worked so hard creating new models. Commission work served me best and made me a modest income.

My biggest work during this time was to create ten older period soldiers from around early eighteen hundred's. These soldiers were to be five feet two in height. A massive undertaking, determination working with only basic materials allowed me to complete the task.

THE SOLDIER.(This is a photograph of the miniature version, as a representation of the full sized model)

A MODEL OF THE MOULDING RIG FOR THE SOLDIER. (stood over six feet tall)

Another big job was to supply Edinburgh Zoo with one hundred and fifty penguins.

PENQUINS.(sorry about the quality, but this was before the modern camera's)

So much of my time was working on these individual models that I lost touch with other tasks. Subsequently, the business folded.

Here I can offer a pictorial view of some of the work I completed.

LIGHT HEARTED.

THE BADGER FAMILY.(sorry about the photographic quality, before modern cameras)

THE NUTHATCH.

A HORSE AND RIDER.

A WORK IN PROGRESS.

Can I finish by showing one of my favourite models, the eagle in flight made about twenty-eight years ago, and a model of a Squirrel that I made some two years ago, proving I could still make these models.

The eagle has a wing span of around thirty inches.

The Squirrel stands some ten and a half inches tall, and I have created a hair effect tail rather than drawing hair onto clay.

THE EAGLE.

THE SQUIRREL.

SIDE VIEW.

Hope you can see that whatever one wants to do they can do it. All you need is determination and the will to succeed