Project #24 Thomas Houseago Figurative Constructions

Thomas Houseago creates sculptures and drawings.  Most of his artworks are abstracted figurative sculpture.  Some of his large sculptures can be seen in public places such as the New Orleans Museum of Art sculpture garden. 

You can create sculptures similar to Houseago's with cardboard and house paint or self-drying clay and paint or plaster.  

For younger or less experience students try a drawing or a cardboard relief.  The clay or plaster sculpture is a great challenging project for older or advanced students.  

For a drawing similar to the first image and the one just above, cut cardboard or paper into the basic head or body shape that you want.  You might want to paint the surface white or another solid color. Try using light lines on dark colors.  Use conte' pencil, marker, chalk or ebony pencil to draw and redraw the basic shapes for eyes, nose, mouth, outline of head, etc.... Create lines of different widths and pressures.  

For the sculptures you can used a homemade cornstarch clay or store bought self-drying clay or plaster that is mixed to a very thick consistency.  Creating an armature (a simple wire or wood skeleton for the sculpture) for clay/plaster with wire or a coffee can or something that will create the basic shape of the head or figure that you will sculpt.  

Well done simple instructions for creating an armature at Woodcarving Illustrated. 

Houseage creates lines with plaster or clay in his sculptures just like the lines in his drawings.  You can use thin rope or thick string to create the effect on a figure like the one below.

You can leave the finished sculpture raw or try sealing or painting it.  A metallic paint either acrylic or spray paint and create a bronze or chrome finish.  

Vocabulary:  Sculpture, relief, drawing, conte pencil, ebony pencil, armature, sculpt, figurative, plaster, metallic