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Form in Gesture: Portrait Sketching in Clay with Jani Hileman

  • STARworks 100 Russell Drive Star, NC, 27356 United States (map)

Form in Gesture: Portrait Sketching in Clay with Jani Hileman

November 13, 10am - 4pm

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In this workshop, participants will explore sculpting the human form quickly and efficiently through live study of models. Participants will make one or two small scale portrait busts in clay. Focus will be on capturing general form accurately and to communicate emotion/meaning through their pieces. Emphasis will be placed on the expressive potential of expression and pose, and having fun rather than finished pieces.

Learning Objectives & Goals

  • Become familiar with basic hand building methods

  • Learn to quickly and efficiently express simple forms in clay

  • Produce one or two small scale portrait sculptures

Learning Outcomes

  • Participants will construct three dimensional artworks from direct observation using clay

  • Participants will create two sketches and learn to finish them (hollowing)

General Workshop Outline

10:00 AM: Morning Hello & Intro:
Basics of Clay & Process
Demo Basics of speed-hand building - coil, pinch, solid (Students follow along and try)

10:30 AM: Intro to Portraiture talk:


Wide → narrow focus, basic forms first then detail, estimates and eyeballing facial proportions, expressions … Brevity: what detail is really necessary?
 There is beauty in being loose. Experiment & play! 


Demo of features: ears, nose, eyes... to show breakdown of forms and how the basic manipulation methods are used together and situated within the planes of the face 


11:00AM : Clay time!
 Guided sculpting time

12:00PM: Lunch break. Lunch is not provided. Bring your own or purchase from the STARworks Café & Taproom

12:30PM: Clay time!
 Guided sculpting time

3:30PM: Finishing talk & class cleanup. 
Hollowing demo
, review & soft critique of the day’s sketches + workshop photo!

Supplies and Materials Participants Need to Bring

  • Personal set of clay tools

    • Jani recommends a scoring tool, assorted detail tools, spray bottle, paintbrush, and whatever you are most comfortable using

  • Limber hands & a positive attitude! 

STARworks Will Provide

  • 25 pounds of STARworks clay per student (1 bag)

  • Banding wheels for class use

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About Jani

Jani Hileman is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice incorporates sculpture, storytelling and performance. Her work is often made with labor-intensive processes like woodfiring that allow the materials to influence the final aesthetic of her projects. Jani has shown work throughout the mid-Atlantic region, having participated in group shows such as On The Verge at Creative Alliance and Baltimore Clayworks’ 40th Anniversary Show. She completed her BFA at The Maryland Institute College of Art in 2018 and is currently based in Seagrove, NC as a resident artist at STARworks. Visit www.janihileman.com for more details.

Proof of Covid Vaccination Required

With Covid numbers rising across the state and Montgomery County’s numbers being among the highest, we feel it’s our duty to make sure everyone is safe in our classes. For this reason, we are now requiring anyone who has signed up for any class to be fully vaccinated against Covid.

OPTIONS FOR SUBMITTING VACCINE VERIFICATION

Once you select November 13 from the calendar below and register for your class, you will be able to choose from the following options.

Vaccine verification must be done a minimum of seven days prior to your class. If we have not received verification by that time, you will be dropped from the class and your registration fee will be refunded.

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UPLOAD PHOTO

Upload a photo of your Covid vaccination card. Use something to block personal information like your birthday and patient number, and the vaccine lot number, but make sure your name and vaccination dates are visible (see photo). Photos will be deleted after vaccine confirmation.

EMAIL PHOTO

You can email a photo of your Covid vaccination card to rhonda@starworksnc.org.

VISIT IN PERSON

If you are not comfortable with sending in a photo for verification or using the Clear app, please stop by our gallery at least seven days prior to your class to show your card to our gallery attendant. The gallery is open Monday - Saturday, 9am - 5pm

Register Now

Use the calendar below to schedule your class by selecting the date, November 13. Registration is $150. Payment is due at the time of registration. If you need help, please contact Rhonda at 910-428-9001 or rhonda@starworksnc.org.