3D Breadth Assignment #4

Self Portrait Bust

Areas of focus: Proportion, texture, emphasis

Goal: Inspired by Robert Arneson’s self-portraits, create a clay sculpture that exhibits your likeness in a humorous way.

Process:

1. Idea development / research: Research the work of Robert Arneson. How does he reveal his personality through his sculpture? Brainstorm aspects of your identity / personality that are quirky, offbeat, a little different from others. What are those little traits that your friends and family tease you about? What are your annoying habits? What are some bonehead decisions you’ve made? Embarrassing moments?

Questions to ask for the “Self Portrait Bust”:

• What objects can be attached to my head / shoulders to illustrate my idea?
• How can I communicate my idea through my facial expression, tilt of head, etc?
• What kind of style of representation best suits my idea (realistic proportion and texture, rough & gestural, cartoony or stylized, exaggerated proportions?

Also ask yourself how the elements and principles can be used to help tell your story:

• What type of shape/forms (open vs closed, angular vs freeform, etc)?
• What type of textures (rough, smooth, fuzzy, spiky, slick, crinkly, etc)?
• What type of line (straight, winding, curvy, zig-zag, tapered, wiry, etc)?
• What type of color (bright, muted, natural, artificial, cool, warm, etc)?
• How can you manipulate the elements to tell your story by using design principles like repetition, rhythm, movement, balance, scale, emphasis, variety/unity, contrast?
1. Have a friend take photos of you with the pose (head/ shoulders only) and expression you plan to portray to provide visual references. Create multiple sketches from front and side to work out the composition.
2. Plan your construction method. You can build by adding clay to an armature and modeling the form, then cutting open to thin out later, or you can use a series of slab cylinders and coils to construct.
3. Plan your method for surface decoration. Consider the appearance of the glazes, paints and other media that could be used to finish the piece. Choose the look that suits the style of your piece and plan accordingly.
4. Work with your teacher once your media has been decided to establish an appropriate working size for this assignment.