A stand, or pedestal, will be necessary on which to place the clay model, unless perhaps it should be a medallion, which may be worked over on a table.
Fig. 6 is a stand that can be made by any boy from a few pieces of pine two inches square and a top board one and a half inches in thickness. It is arranged with a central shaft that may be raised or lowered, and to the top of which a platform is securely attached.
The movable shaft should have some holes bored through it from side to side, through which a small iron pin may be adjusted to hold the platform at a desired height. Clay can be purchased at the art stores by the pound, or in the country a very good quality of light, slate-colored clay may sometimes be found along the edges of brooks or in swampy places where running water has washed away the dirt and gravel, leaving a clear deposit of clay of the consistency of putty.
Supports which the clay models are built upon can be made of wood and wire, as the requirements necessitate. That for the head is shown in Fig. 1. Nearly every clay model of any size will need some support, as clay is heavy and settles, and if not properly supported will soon become distorted and the composition spoiled. You will also need some old soft cloths that can be applied wet to the clay, a pair of calipers, and a small trowel or spatula.
The Technique of the Art
Fig. 1. Fig. 6.
To model well the art of drawing is indispensable. The art of wood-carving is also a valuable one to the clay-modeller, but care must be taken when making any casts of wood-carving to use glue moulds; otherwise the carving would become firmly embedded in a plaster mould, due to the undercut in the carved ornament. To begin with, choose some simple object to copy, such as a vase or some small ornament; then, when a satisfactory result has been obtained, select something a trifle more difficult, such as a hand or foot.