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This is the "armature" I started with - a heavy steel plate with flatbars welded on and rods through holes in the bars.
The early stage of Luigi. I build the feet and legs solid and torso and arms hollow.
Here I added Luigi's upper torso and breasts. The horizontal rods help keep the heavy clay from sliding down.
Detail of Luigi's feet.
Side view showing the addition of shoulders and also shows my messy studio in the background!
I sculpt the head solid and then hollow it out before attaching to the torso.
Before reattaching the crown of the head, I attach the head to the shoulders and fill in the neck.
Then I reattach the crown of the head and sculpt the neck. I use damp shop towels to keep the lower body moist. They look a little like blue boxers...
I use a broomstick to support the head while it firms up. I stick the bottom into a ball of clay on my floor.
I use bamboo skewers to hold things in place until they set up.
Getting closer to completion. You can see the steel bars coming up through his shoulders.
Luigi with hands clasped behind him, showing pride in his protruding belly!
Working on fine tuning before disassembling for firing.
Almost complete and ready for slicing him up and hollowing out his legs and crotch.
I fired Luigi before I bought my new kiln, so he was fired in three parts: head, torso and legs and crotch.
Luigi's upper body after firing, with head reattached, waiting to be reattached to his lower half.
Painting in process - primed and base coats on his body and beard.
Addition of leopard print to his "speedo" and glazes to his body and head.
Luigi's first venture into the world outside of my studio!