Study guide

3D Terminology STUDY GUIDE

Four categories of sculpture:

-Modeling is one of the most common techniques for sculpting. It is an additive process in which material is steadily built up to produce the finished figure. Unlike carving, the sculptor often also has the option of correcting mistakes by removing or reshaping material. Modeling requires a malleable or plastic material which is later cured or fired to set it hard. Typical modeling materials include clay, wax, plaster, and paper-mâché.  Frequently the modeling material has limited structural strength and will need the support of an armature

-Carving is one of the oldest sculptural techniques. It is a subtractive process; starting with a solid block, the sculptor removes material using chisels and other tools to 'reveal' the finished form. Traditional carving materials include stone, especially marble, and fine grained woods.

-Casting is a method of producing one or more copies of a sculpture. Typically, the original sculpture is modeled as usual and covered with a molding material which sets hard when dry. The muld is then separated to release the original sculpture. Once the mould is reassembled, at its most simple the casting material is poured into the void and left to set. Traditionally, molten bronze is used as the casting material, or plaster, but modern alternatives include resin. When the cast sculpture has cooled, or cured, the mold is again separated to release it, and reassembled ready to cast the next copy. When molten bronze is used, it is more typical to use a lost wax or similar process so that the finished piece is hollow rather than solid.

The cast sculpture may then require some finishing work to remove mould lines and other imperfections. The sculptor may also wish to a patina or faux finish to the work to produce the final piece....

-Assemblage is ADDITIVE sculpture constructed from found objects. Typically an assemblage does not disguise the original objects used, rather it either tries to show them in a new light, or forms an imitational sculpture from the collection of shapes.

Negative space: the unoccupied or empty space that surrounds the positive shapes however, because these areas have boundaries, they also function as shapes and create a sense of line in the total design.

ARMATURE:  is a framework around which the sculpture is built. This framework provides structure and stability

Faux-    French "false". Any composited material made to look like another material or to a false finish given to a sculpture. "Faux marble" is usually reconstituted marble powder incorporated into resin, but it could also be a marble finish effect on (for example) a plaster cast.

PATINA:  defined as a mellowing of tone or texture acquired by aging

CLAY:   Mud; moist, sticky dirt. In ceramics, clay is fine-grained, firm earthy material that is plastic when wet, brittle when dry, and very hard when heated.  The most common types of ceramic clays are:    

EARTHENWARE:   Earthenware is a low-fire clay that is porous and not waterproof. (reddish color)

STONEWARE:  strong opaque clay that is nonporous and fires at high temperatures.

PORCELAIN: 1. A hard, white, translucent ceramic made by firing a pure clay 2. An object made of this substance.

PROCESS TERMINOLOGY OF CLAY STAGES:

---PLASTIC: Clay is plastic when it can be easily manipulated - modeled, molded or pressed into a desired shape; malleable.

---LEATHER HARD:  In ceramics, leather hard is a state in which clay has lost moisture to evaporation, but has not yet completely hardened. The clay is damp enough to be joined to other pieces with scoring and slip.

----BONE DRY:  In ceramics, greenware which is thoroughly room dried is said to be bone dry.

----GREENWARE:   Greenware generally refers to clay piece that are ready to fire.

----BISQUE: Bisque refers to clay pieces that have been fired once but has not been glazed.  (Hard but not waterproof)

TERRA COTTA:  1. (Cotta: "Cooked”,  Terra  “Earth")  Italian for fired or baked clay.

"Terre cuite" in French. The end product of a fired sculpture. 2. The term terra cotta clay is often used for any clay suitable for shaping and firing, except for the very fine porcelain clays.

4 CLAY BUILDING TECHNIQUES:

---Hand building – Pinching, pressing the thumb into the clay, squeezing the clay between the thumb and fingers.

---COIL - Long, snakelike ropes of clay that are used in making pottery. The coil method of making pottery involves building the walls of a pot with a series of coils into the required shape.

---SLAB BUILDING - Clay slabs are cut to shape and joined together using scoring and wet clay called slip. Scoring and applying slip to such roughened surfaces creates a bond that holds the pieces together.

---RELIEF -  A type of sculpture in which form projects from a background. There are three types of relief:

-In high relief, the forms stand far out from the background.

-In low relief (best known as bas-relief), they are shallow.

-In sunken relief, the backgrounds are cut back and the points in highest relief are level with the original surface

WEDGING:  technique to make clay plastic and remove air pockets. The clay is thoroughly kneaded and cut before use to prevent exploding the kiln during firing.

KILN: special oven that can reach very high temperatures and is used to bake, or fire clay.

FIRING:   Firing is the process of baking and hardening pottery. The high temperature fuses the clay particles together, hardening the clay. Temperatures in kilns can reach 2500 F degrees

SCORING:  Making scratches in pieces of clay to be joined together.

CLAY SLIP:  Slip is made by mixing clay with water.  Slip is a fine, liquid form of clay used with scoring to cement together parts that have been formed separately.

GLAZE:  Glaze is a thin coating of minerals which produces a glassy transparent or colored coating on bisque ware. Glaze is fixed by firing the bisque ware in a kiln. Two kinds of glaze are:

FOUR CATAGORIES OF ART

--IMITATIONAL:  depicting reality in an illusionary way.

--FORMAL:  using the elements and principles of art purely.  No subject or depicting anything from reality

--FUNCTIONAL: visually interesting objects that also have a function or serve a purpose other than to be looked at.

--EXPRESSIVE: Visual representations that are created out of emotional motivations and are to evoke emotions in the viewer

PRINCIPLES OF ART AND DESIGN 1 Unity 2 Harmony 3 Variety 4 Balance 5 Contrast/Emphasis 6 Proportion 7 Pattern/Rhythm 8. Movement

ELEMENTS OF ART AND DESIGN Line Shape Space Color Texture