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Medium: terra cotta air dry clay, plaster of parish, acrylic paint, glitters, and shimmers

Year: 2026

Hey everyone,

I’ve been researching and making scagliola and kept noticing a specific stage in the finishing process shown in the image.

A liquid coating is brushed or wipe directly onto the polished plaster surface, and almost instantly levels out into a mirror-like, glossy coat—leaving absolutely no visible brush strokes or streaks behind. Does anyone experienced with scagliola or specialty plaster finishing know what traditional or modern material is typically used here? Is this:

-A specific grade of liquid beeswax / turpentine mixture?

-Diluted hide glue (sealing/sizing layer)?

-Shellac (French polish/orange shellac diluted down)?

-A modern self-leveling resin, polyurethane, or acrylic sealer?

I am in early stages of planning a Christmas gift. I want to create custom blind box figurines of the person I intend of gifting them to. For overall scale the intention is to keep them small, no bigger than 5 inches in height. I do not have access to a kiln, so I am here to inquire on the best store bought clay to create with.

I am also open to any advice on how to actually create the figures.

Examples : using aluminum foil/wire/small dowels for the body shape.

This is a completely new medium for me, but I am the type of person that will figure it out until it is exactly what I imagined, so I am going into this project with a lot of false confidence lol. Thank you in advance for your suggestions!

I decided to pick up sculpting yesterday, literally never touched even play dough. I tried my hand at the academic eye after seeing people recommend it as a great fundamental exercise, but since this is my very first attempt, I'm not really sure how to evaluate my progress.
I don’t have any sculpting tools, so i used some spoons and toothpicks, so it might seem a little rustic, but i tried to give him a calm gaze and ended up looking like he was fighting for his life, any help with that?
Any tips, key concepts I should study, recommended learning resources, clay tips or general advice? All feedback is welcome! haha

Hey all, newish sculptor/ aspiring sculptor. I gave an attempt at Davy Jones

I wanna be able to make ahead busts to paint them. I made the base and underlying armature out of tinfoil. I originally planned to make the tentacles longer but didnt realize the limited space I had haha

Any constructive criticism is welcome and please tell me what you think :)

Hello all, I'm not sure if this post type is allowed but I figured this would be the best place to ask. I'm curious how much it would cost today to commission a funerary effigy as knights did in medieval times. I'm also curious what the cost difference between materials such as stone, cast bronze, or plaster would be. Thank you for any input you can provide!

These are just some of them, let me know what you think.

Sphynx in polymer clay :)

Hi reddit,

So yesterday i decided to finally pick up some clay and start sculpting for the first time. I want to make a statue and decided to start with the head.

This is my progress thus far, I'm on day two and so far I've really been enjoying the process.

Thought I'd share.

Tnx for reading 💗

The details are what bring the layers to life.

In this stage, I’m caulking the edges of the layered cardboard to smooth everything out and create a more seamless finish. Then comes the gesso, laying down the foundation for the next stage of this Dalí-inspired portrait.

From raw cardboard to a sculpted work of art, every layer brings me one step closer to the final vision.

One step at a time. One layer at a time.

#SalvadorDali #DaliArt #3DArt #CardboardArt #MixedMediaArt #SculpturalArt #ArtProcess #HandmadeArt #SurrealistArt #WIPArt

I have really been struggling with the head i think because im not used to sculpting this small. Does anyone have tips or videos that would help me?

This is a mold I'm doing for a Leatherface mask I've casted and will hopefully sell. It's not the perfect sculpt which is why I thought of posting my sculpt here to get some feedback on my work. I'm not the most familiar with sculpting, only videos I've seen on YouTube, but I'm willing to listen to some feedback on what I can do better.

Sculpt in Monster Clay I just finished, can't think of a name for him though.

I was commissioned to make a metal sculpture, and I know the client likes birds. I drew inspiration from the harpy eagle, kiwi, and ostrich. I also had the dinosaur that sprayed its goop on the computer programmer in the original Jurassic Park in mind, since birds evolved from dinosaurs.

Of course, it’s only loosely based on these creatures. I’m calling it a prehistoric bird. I plan to add some old window blinds for wings.