A sculptor uses various tools to create patterns and texture on clay.
Early sculptures represented gods and kings for worship or to attempt to make them symbolically immortal. While working with marble, metal and wood means the artist can make few mistakes, clay allows for an organic piece where the sculptor has time to rework the sculpture, but it must be kept damp and pliable. Clay also requires a process like firing or casting to make the piece permanent and durable.
Carving
Carving is one of the oldest sculpting processes. It involves the sculptor taking away -- subtracting -- segments of clay and other material to create a sculpture. Whether the artist begins with carving or adding on material depends on her preference and the piece she is creating. Some sculptors carve out a rough shape from the clay, then let it harden and add soft clay later to manipulate the shape, as with fabric. Cutting is also useful when something simply doesn't look right. A sculptor cuts off the piece, then repositions or reforms it by cutting and modeling.
Modeling and Adding Clay
Modeling is almost always done with clay or another soft material. The sculptor manipulates clay into a three-dimensional form, adding on clay instead of taking it away. A clay sculptor adds clay simply by gently pressing it on in small balls, if both clays are wet, or using slip, a clay-water mixture to adhere soft, fresh clay to slightly hardened clay. An artist may also heat up the clay to do this. Modeled clay needs to be smoothed carefully into the existing piece for aesthetic purposes and so the clay will stay on firmly.
Stamping and Texturing
Stamping adds texture, images or patterns to a clay sculpture. An artist may use it to add texture to a sculpture with clay "fabric," pattern a ceramic vase with floral imprints or create clay seashells to model onto a soap dish. An artist may use purchased stamps, custom-molded plaster ones, or he may use found objects to experiment with what kinds of imprints they create. Glass bottles, fabrics and textured materials and jewelry might suit his needs, depending on the piece. An artist may stamp directly on the piece as well.
Assembly and Construction
Assembly and construction techniques have become prevalent in the 20th century, using mixed media and found materials to construct a sculpture. Clay sculptors may add non-clay materials to a clay sculpture, for instance. The technique stems from the Cubists' early 20th-century collage technique. The sculptor may have to develop a very specific technique for modeling the clay to another material, like wood or metal. A sculptor may also use assembly and construction as a way to make a piece lightweight, perhaps using something like lightweight foam as a base for the sculpture, then sculpting clay around it.
