Clay Life Sculpture – an Introduction

Ages: 18+
Term: Summer
Length: 10 weeks

Overview

Delivered at Arts University Bournemouth (AUB), accessing its specialist resources and facilities, this immersive hands-on course is ideal for anyone seeking to learn and develop the essential skills in producing 3D life sculpture, working with the medium of air-drying clay.

To book your place today, simply click Book Now to be taken to AUB's secure online store, where you can complete your booking. You can also sign up to our newsletter for short course updates.

About this course

Through a combination of theory, practical workshops and group collaboration, with a life model in attendance, you'll quickly master the art of fashioning and sculpting air-drying clay into full-size and scaled replicas of your study.

Life sculpting is all about combining skills in proportion, scale and 3D representation. During the course, a combination of prescriptive measuring techniques will be taught, understood and practised, including the fundamentals of human anatomy, bone and muscle structure, observation and artistic interpretation. All aligned, this will allow you to produce realistic and proportionally correct sculpted art pieces.

The course will develop your central practical skills and provide the theory required to sculpt realistic anatomical features using clay. You'll be encouraged to explore your full creative potential and will finish the course with 3D representations of the model.

Introduction to and the use of an armature
Introduction to facial anatomy
Following a measuring system and transferring these details to your sculpts
The provision of a model for the duration of the course
The essential techniques required to work with clay

At the end of the course you'll:

Have acquired and developed the necessary skills in which to produce a 3D format clay sculpture
Have a sound working knowledge of facial human anatomy

You can request a certificate to confirm your achievements, providing you've a 100% attendance record. To request a certificate please get in touch with us at academy@aub.ac.uk and confirm your name and the title of course you've completed.

Will I be assessed?

No, there's no formal assessment. As the course progresses your tutor will measure your overall performance and offer essential guidance and feedback, so you know how you're getting on.

What you need to know

Summer term 2027

Saturdays 10 and 24 April; 8 and 22 May; 5 June 2027 (5 alternating Saturdays, 09.00–16.00)

Age

Suitable for adults aged 18+.

Level

Beginners or anyone with some experience who want to refresh or develop their skills further.

Experience or qualifications required

None – this is an introductory course. We have no formal academic entry requirements for our short courses.

If you'd like to discuss if this course is suitable for you, get in touch with us: academy@aub.ac.uk or 01202 363222.

£375

Any additional costs

Basic tools are provided; however, you're encouraged to invest in your own equipment – your tutor will provide further information in your initial course session.

Additional materials and resources will be provided by AUB and is included in your course fee.

Notebook and pen/pencil to jot down sketches and ideas and make notes
You should wear old clothes and/or an apron and flat, closed-toe shoes 
Your glasses, if needed, for close-up work and a hairband if you have long hair

A student stands painting two cherries in a sketch book.

Suggested Suppliers

Information about resourcing specialist materials/consumables that you may need to bring these with you

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AUB Academy FAQs – Evening and Weekend and Saturday Art School

If you have any questions about our Evening and Saturday Short Courses, you may find the answers in here.

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AUB Academy booking T&Cs

Please read our Terms and Conditions carefully before booking onto our Evening and Weekend courses.

Meet your tutor

Julia Carter

Julia Carter has been an integral part of AUB's course team for over 10 years, and has a wealth of specialist experience in...

Book your place today

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Clay sculpture gallery

Hands shaping coiled clay on wooden surface with tools visible in background

Woman with brown hair in blue shirt positioned close to grey clay sculpture of curly-haired head in workshop setting

Bearded man in red shirt sculpting clay head whilst woman in patterned blue top assists, hands positioned on clay sculpture

Man in yellow shirt and apron working with clay on pottery wheel whilst woman in green top and apron assists, with another person in orange top nearby

Three people in striped aprons working with clay pottery in a bright workshop with shelves of ceramic pieces in background.

Two women in aprons working on clay sculpture of human head in pottery studio

Hands positioning a clay sculpture of a human head with closed eyes and detailed facial features in an artist's studio.

Hands sculpting clay bust of elderly man's face with detailed wrinkles and features on wooden work surface

Beyond the course

This could just be the start of your creative journey! After this course, you could further your artistic skills with another short course or look to the future and explore our creative qualifications that can prepare you to further your current career, enable you to retrain to an alternative career path or prepare you for future creative arts studies.