Art comes in various forms: theater, song, cinema, paintings, and anything in between. All these art forms are incredibly rich and full of character and life, but behind every piece you see, there are some basic techniques, and the same is true for sculptures. Read on to learn more about the different sculpting techniques you can find practiced today.
Carving
Carving is one of the oldest sculpting techniques, and you can still find it today in many modern sculptures. This technique involves the sculptor carefully chipping away from a chosen material, slowly bringing their desired figure to life. Sculptors who carve will use equipment such as knives, chisels, and sanding sheets to form materials like wood, stone, and marble, bringing forward some beautiful sculptures.
Assembling
Assembling is the opposite of carving, as instead of taking away from a material, assembling continually combines materials, forming a sculpture. This technique is more modern as finding resources is easier than ever before. An example of an assembled piece is Mark di Suvero’s Aurora; a sculpture di Suvero created from eight tons of steel. You can find this sculpture at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
Modeling
Modeling is a technique in which the artist molds a material to create the desired piece. Ancient artists used this technique to make pottery, manipulating soft materials like waxes and clays. They would then form the piece to their liking with knives and chisels. It is an ancient process, but it still has a lot of real-world applications today in contemporary ceramic art.
Casting
The last technique artists commonly use is casting, where they’ll pour molten materials like metal into a mold. An outsider may view this as not being very artistic, but much of the artistry comes from creating the mold and refining the cast piece. After the artist pours the metal into the mold and allows it to harden, they will add additional details, and clean up the metal, giving the sculpture a more pristine look.
These are the four main types of sculpting techniques that have lasted through centuries to get to where they are today. Sculptors today are still employing many of these techniques and refining them. At Jesse Nusbaum Art, these techniques are masterfully used throughout my pieces, including this bronze bulldog sculpture. Give these pieces a glimpse to see how these sculpting techniques are still alive and well today.
