Ceramic Bust

The subject for this piece is one of my favorite rappers named Childish Gambino. I made this work using clay to create the form of the bust. I then carved out musical notes in the bust to show that his profession connects with music. After the bust was fired, I painted the sculpture white and black to replicate the colors of sheet music. I stuffed the clay with paper towel while I was creating the form so it wouldn't be too thick for the kiln. I chose to create this specific artwork because Childish Gambino is a motivational figure and one of my favorite rappers. Because of this, I thought he would be a cool person to replicate in a bust.

In this piece, I tried to make an interesting hair texture by crosshatching with different carving tools. I also worked quite hard at replicating the shape of his face correctly and forming a correct replica of his head. I balanced this piece pretty well, putting the head directly in the middle of the sculpture. I also tried to put the musical notes and shapes fairly evenly across the shoulders to balance that as well.

This project evolved from a regular bust of Gambino to a sculpture that represents what he does more. The carved notes and shapes really show a lot about my person and are a very strong addition to the piece. I wish that the sculpture would look a little but more like Childish Gambino, but I am overall pretty happy with the final product.