But then I got to thinking about who would be reading this article, and it occurred to me it would probably be people just like me, complete beginners with just a bit of artistic skill, a lot of enthusiasm, and a willingness to learn. It has been said that people with a lousy sense of direction often give the best directions. Probably so because such people take nothing for granted. So, in that spirit that I offer this article, in the hope that it may inspire someone else to try a bit of sculpting and possibly avoid one or two of the pitfalls that I fell into on my way. There is, from what I can tell, no single correct way to sculpt a figure.
Some people seem to do it all in one shot, while others do it layer upon layer.
Some never carve their figures, but only add to them, while others, myself included, do as much figure sculpting with a knife as we do with a spatula. These include blades, spatulas, burnishers, tiny tubes for stamping out circles and picks. Don't be discouraged if you have no professional tools to start out. Eventually I convinced my dentist to give me any broken old dental tools he had. You will need these to make the wire armatures, or skeletons, of the figures you will be sculpting.