**Creating Sculptures is the Great Passion of My Life**
I idealize it, spend hours looking at the stone, until I discover what is inside it. Sometimes I make some sketches, and other times I can go directly to the stone and draw directly on it.
When someone commissions a sculpture from me, I need to have a thorough discussion about what they want to get a clear idea of what they were able to convey to me and even what they didn’t say but also want.
Over the years, I realized that the solution is not to reject commissions, but to have a method that can always satisfy even the most demanding client.
In this article, I share with you four steps to always satisfy a client who commissions a sculpture, based on my 20 years of experience as a sculptor.
Read it, apply it, and let me know what you think.
1. **Create a Small-Scale Model**: The first step is to create a small-scale model based on the client’s request. This can be executed in wax, as it is a material that allows for working on small details and making modifications as the client desires.
2. **Create a Full-Scale Clay Model**: The second step is to create the piece in clay with the actual dimensions requested by the client. This second model must be perfectly executed. The client can still request modifications at this stage. This model must fully meet their expectations.
3. **Make Rigid Molds**: The third step is to make molds of this model in a more rigid material, which can be plaster. It may be beneficial for the mold to be made in parts to facilitate its execution. The selection of where the cuts will be made should be in places where the assembly of the elements can be camouflaged.
4. **Transfer to Final Material**: The fourth step is to transfer the information from this plaster mold to the final material, which can be stone, bronze, or another. This process should be carried out using the pointing method with calipers. I recommend using the caliper to frame the sculpture within the block of stone. Transfer the general points as reference points and maintain them until the end to avoid getting lost. Finally, apply the finishing touches according to the client’s preference.
To summarize, to create sculptures on commission and always satisfy the most demanding client, you need to:
1. Create a small-scale model based on the project to show the client.
2. Execute the clay model with the actual dimensions to show the client.
3. Make rigid molds of this model.
4. Transfer the model’s information to the stone using calipers.
This way, the client has followed the process and approved each model, leaving no possibility for the final result to be unsatisfactory.
Don’t miss it!!! CLICK HERE «See video with concrete example.» https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhfiruUFWIQ
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Hans Varela. “The Sculptors’ Teacher.”
www.hansvarela.com