Make a Bust

Canada Day is coming up! This week, we’re featuring one of our beloved Canadian ceramists, Jean-Pierre Larocque. Try making your own slab and texture sculpture, just like the busts in our collection. Larocque is a Montreal-based artist whose technique of layering slabs of clay mimics papier-mâché construction. Make your own bust of a family member, an animal, or favourite character.

One of our pottery instructors, Ian Symons, shows you how!

You can also download the instructions as a PDF

Materials:

• Piece of clay or other modelling material (try one of our homemade clay recipes)
• Tools like a fork, dull or plastic knife, doily, chopstick, or skewer)
• Rolling pin or alternative
• Container of water
• Paint brush

Instructions:

Make an assortment of different parts and shapes, like rectangles, cones, cylinders, and bricks.

Using a skewer or fork, scratch lines into all the surfaces that are going to be attached together.

Using some water as glue, brush the water onto the scratched areas.

Arrange your pieces to make a neck with a collage or patchwork pattern. Press all your joints firmly together.

Add pattern and texture to the neck with the tools you have.

Make half of an egg for your head.

Create facial features by carving out eye sockets. Then add a nose, eyebrows, and cheekbones.

Smooth with your fingers and the side of a chopstick.

Prepare details like eyes and lips. The eye is a ball cut in half to produce a flat back that will attach to the socket nicely.

Attach the eyes and lips. Use a chopstick to make nostrils and refine the facial details.

Roll out very thin sheets of clay. Texture the sheets with your tools. Save all the rough edges, and create more by ripping the clay.

Roll up thin strips to make interesting add-ons.

Layer the thin sheets over parts of the face. Once you decide where you want them to go, scratch the backs with your skewer and attach them.

Attach the head to the neck. Make sure there is a strong bond. You can continue adding layers or scraps of clay to your head until you’re happy with the finished product.

Take a photo of your work and share it using #GardinerFromHome.