Sculpting is a skill. There are a number of things that have to be taken into consideration. However, if you are serious to take this path as your career, then there are elements that you must know to ensure that you’ll come out successful. But what are these things? That is what you would find out in the next paragraphs…
Analyze the Anatomy
The secret when it comes to sculpting real-like subjects is by understanding the animal’s anatomy. Probably, you have heard about it before when schooling but what does it actually mean? You may read books showing animals in stationary poses but these poses do not tell you the entire story. How the bones, tendons and muscles react whenever a horse gallops? Or perhaps how does it move when a lion attack its prey? That is the level your knowledge should be at.
Getting the real score of what is going underneath the skin, the insertion and origin of muscles, especially the deeper muscle areas is critical in how anatomy works regardless if it is animals or humans.
The moment that you grasped anatomy, it will be easier to manipulate in creating believable creatures.
Add a bit of Creativeness in Your Research
Assume that you like sculpt a kudu. Could you find references for its anatomy that you can use? You may but not the complete details that you need.
First of all, look for the kudu’s side views and line up its basic anatomy from:
- Skull
- Pelvis
- Shoulder blades etc.
After that, match the skin and muscle to the silhouette and skeleton. You may search for dissections of deer or goats to have an idea on how muscles are interacting.
Master Silhouetting
More than what you think, this is the most important aspect of your piece. It can tell the story long before you see the actual details in the subject such as wrinkles or pores. It tells whether a muscle is not bulging out enough, is the leg incorrectly positioned or if an area looks dead. Keep rotating the piece to see details that you may have not seen when sculpting, which is also perfect for two. You would better do this on a computer.