Making: 3D piece

After planning out my 3D piece, it was time to create it. Our brief explains that during this term, we have to make 4 2D pieces and one which will be 3D. For my 3D piece, I decided to create the Paleolithic lamp. 

This is the process:

First thing I had to do was gather all my materials. As seen in the picture, I needed a lampshade, lamp fixture, bulbs and clay. The bulbs and lampshade were irrelevant at this point in the manufacturing, therefore, I disassembled them and set them to the side for now. 

I also used clay tools and water to ensure that my base is moist at all times so that I can build on it. 

Since the Venus statue has a lot of volume, I decided to add some newspaper with tape at the base in order to form the structure of the design. This would mean that I needed less clay for the lamp,  making it a lot lighter.

Figurine seen from all four sides

I used this picture of the Venus which shows a 360 angle of the statue in order to ensure that I have a guide to look at for the different angles.

 Unfortunately, it was hard for me to take progress pictures as it got very messy and my hands were constantly dirty.

However, my method was simply to use the image as a reference and then start adding more clay to the desired areas. I used the clay tools to combine different parts together. 

I noticed that once you add the lampshade, the neck was slightly visible so I had to add more clay at the top of the neck.

I dipped my thumb in water and then smudged it across all the surfaces in order to make it smooth without any cracks. Intentionally, I left some random cracks to make it resemble stone. 

I added the lampshade just to see the progress of this design. I have completed the sculpting part of it and now I have to let it dry for at least 24 hours before painting it. The painting process will be in the next blog post. 

This is a picture of the  2D design as a reference:

After I let it dry for 24 hours, I started painting it.

I added the grey base and then used a darker grey and a dabbing movement to create the texture of stone.

If I had more time, I would possibly create the lampshade myself. However, I decided to purchase this specific lamp as it has the perfect lampshade for my project. Therefore, I will not be manufacturing that too.

Conclusion: I am very satisfied with how this turned out. I think it resembles the statue perfectly and it looks very nice with the lamp shade.

Whenever we had 3D class tasks to do, I mostly used clay. I regretted it at the time as I felt like I was being repetitive, however, I think it payed off now. I can see that my clay skills have developed and I now know how to handle the material better.

I was not expecting this to turn out this good, however, I am very pleasantly surprised. I think that the proportions are accurate and I cannot wait to create the promotional video.