Faces from Clay:

For years, artists have been using clay to reconstruct the faces of the deceased. Meticulously layering clay onto human skulls (both real and, in more recent years, 3D printed), the faces of the people to whom the skulls they’re working on once belonged, slowly emerge.

There are three main methods for creating facial reconstructions from clay: 

The American Method, also called the Anthropometrical, or Tissue Depth Method, pioneered by American anthropologist Wilton Krogman (1903-1987). In this Method, faces are reconstructed using tissue depth data. Markers are placed on the skull according to data that corresponds with the suspected age, gender, and race of the person, then clay is used to fill in and sculpt the face, based on those markers.

The Russian Method, also called the Anatomical Method, pioneered by Russian anthropologist and archeologist Mikhail Gerasimov (1907-1970). In this method, the artist carefully creates every muscle, gland, piece of cartilage, etc. out of clay, layering them over each other. This method requires a high degree of anatomical knowledge and skill, and is typically slower than the American Method.

And the Combination Method, also called the Manchester, or British Method, which was developed by British forensic facial reconstructionist Richard Neave (born c. 1936). This method combines the first two, and remains popular among artists today.

The field is still developing, and artists have their own techniques and twists on these methods, which you’ll see throughout this site. 

The reconstructions featured have been separated into three categories: Anthropological (or prehistoric) facial reconstructions, historic facial reconstructions, and forensic facial reconstructions.