Hi again, it's Jason Jasperson here at J.J. Jasperson Art Studio. One of my goals as an artist is to make my unknown, knowable to others. In effect, to turn myself inside out and share a little bit of what it means to be a human. Now as a father, I can never fully express my love for my children. I want to put these two parts of my life together being an artist and being a father and in this video to try to express my love for my daughter with a terracotta bust. Here's a quick look at where we're going in this video. I'll be covering the armatured basic proportions, model measurements, adjusting the form, refining the surface, adjusting the form, refining the surface, repeat as necessary. I'll be adding shoulders and the base and I will hollow and rejoin the sculpture. First the armature. This is a simple armature that is made to allow the piece to be removed relatively easily. It's made for a fired terracotta sculpture. And then a strategically placed wire that we'll see an action later on at the end. My daughter generously posed for several hours while I took measurements, took photos and tried to get basic proportions down. Some of the measurements were taken with a calipers like this. I made this sculpture slightly larger than life because clay shrinks as it dries and is fired at a rate of about 10%. So a sculpture that is 10 inches tall will lose a full inch in height. The actual sculpting process is about adjusting form. Adding clay, subtracting clay, trying to fix what's not right. And so I compare from my sculpture to my model and back again and fight to make the changes necessary. I occasionally rake the surface with some sort of a toothed tool or a brush. I might swirl water on it to even out the surface and help me to see what needs to be done. I used dramatic side lighting to help me see the form more clearly. The majority of the work in a sculpture like this comes between adjusting and refining. Endless little details and bits, changes of angle, adding a little bit of volume, subtracting a little bit. I made a decision late in the game to add shoulders and a base. To accommodate this decision, I built a temporary scaffolding to hold the base and built up the clay in a structural way. So as not to pull extra on the head and to hold up the head after it's been fired. Now we get to see that wire in action. That wire, if the clay is not dried too much, will allow me to pull through the surface of the clay and slice the head in half. This is a drastic measure that is necessary because this is a fired clay piece. It needs to have even thickness in the walls. And at this point, as you've seen from the way I've built it, it is far from even. If the walls have a thin spot or an exceptionally thick area, the drying can happen irregularly, causing the piece to warp. Also, thick parts can hold moisture or air bubbles that can cause the piece to explode in the kiln. Definitely not what I want. I've waited until the piece has dried sufficiently to handle it without it warping and still wet enough for it to cut with the wire. I hollow out and then rejoin by roughing up the surfaces, applying a little bit of water and pressing the two sides back together. I cut a channel along the seam so that I can add a little bit of clay and refine that seam trying to disguise it. Overall, I think this is a fairly good likeness of my daughter. I'm happy with it as a likeness and a sculpture and I think it will be a beautiful addition to our home for years to come. Who in your life should be honored with a sculpted portrait bust? Contact me through my website to start making personalized art with real meaning and lasting value. Thanks for watching. Bye!