Fig. [353].—Clay ready for modelling banana.
Fig. [354].—Banana modelled in clay.
The "Father of His Country" always commands admiration, and everything pertaining to him is interesting.
A Head of Washington
modelled with your own hands would have a double value. You could show the head to your friends and tell them how you made it, and should they wish to become amateur sculptors, you might help them with their work. Make a thick cake of clay for the bust. On the back part of the top lay a small, round cake to form the neck, and push a stick down the centre of the neck through the bust to the board beneath, allowing a portion of the stick to extend up beyond the neck; then roll a piece of clay into the form of an egg for the head—three times the size of a hen's egg—and push it down on the stick ([Fig. 355]). The stick enters the head near the centre of one side, so do not push the clay egg on through one end. Continue to push the head down until it meets the neck. The stick is necessary to give firmness and support to the work. Model the head, neck, and bust until it looks like [Fig. 356]. While modelling you must not neglect any part of the head; the work should go on at the sides and back as well as the front; every now and then turn the stand on which your work is placed that you may model other portions of the head. In sculpture it is essential that objects be made as they are; therein lies the difference between sculpture and painting; in painting and drawing objects are not made as they actually exist but as they appear.
| Fig. [355].—Egg-shaped clay for head. | Fig. [357].—Modelling features. | Fig. [356].—Head blocked in. |
Be sure to have the head of correct proportions before beginning the features; then take away a little of the clay where the nose joins the forehead and cut away more clay under the nose straight down to the chin, according to the dotted lines which appear in [Fig. 357]. Hollow out places for the eyes and indicate the mouth with a straight line. Add more clay for the hair, forming it into a queue at the back.
| Fig. [358].—George Washington. | Fig. [359].—Washington's profile. Finished head. | Fig. [360].—Back of Washington's head. |
Be careful to study well the character of Washington's face before going on with the work. Notice that it is strong, the chin firm and square, the lips tightly closed and the mouth almost a straight line, the nose not perfectly straight but inclined to be aquiline, the eyes rather heavy-lidded; and the hair, following the line of the head on the top, is puffed out on the sides, covering both ears. [Fig. 358] gives the front view, [Fig. 359] the profile, and [Fig. 360] the back view of the head. Make the neck full and large. You can keep the clay moist with a wet cloth and work on the head a little each day. Persevere until you make so good a likeness of George Washington that it will be recognized at a glance, and ever afterward you will enjoy and appreciate much more all portraits of him.