I'm probably the only person who hasn't seen the new Gatsby movie yet (but I feel like I've seen the previews at least a hundred times). I figured that I wanted to see the Mia Farrow/Robert Redford version once before it became unwatchable forever. It's hard to imagine the text of the film without the overlay of Art Deco, and from what I've seen of the new film, it looks like that veneer is a little thicker than on the 1974 version. Detail from an illustration by George Barbier One of the things to love about Art Deco is the way that it flirts with so many other art and design movements in-play at the beginning of the 20th century— flirts with them and then ties them up and wraps them in cellophane… There's this veneer of superficiality, with the promise of genuineness lurking somewhere beneath the surface. Nothing quite conveys this like the graphical works of George Barbier, and Giovanni Meschini, the master of the pouchoir postcard. These situational illustrations had to be an influence on the art direction for the recent Gatsby film. Illustration by Giovanni Meschini The DoverPictura collection, Art Deco Designs Art Deco Design (048699807X) was assembled with this notion of multiple influences in mind, and in it I tried to present a selection that references many of the significant movements that are reflected in Art Deco. Influences of the Arts & Crafts movement, especially in America and Great Britain, can be seen in the wood-carvings and bas-relief sculpture: In contributions from German sources you can see elements of the nascent Expressionist movement—both in the edgy cabaret line drawings: and the aggressive, hard-edge logos and commercial graphics: The line between Art Nouveau and Art Deco has always been bit blurry to my eyes—perhaps you can see what I mean in the many highly-colorful, geometric and floral pattern pieces: If you have a project in mind with an Art Deco theme you should check out this collection. It covers the scope of the movement from it's most basic black & white, to the wildly colorful; from the highly figurative work of Barbier and Meschini, to hard-edge, geometric abstractions. The collection is comprised of 227 JPG and TIF image files; many of the images also come in an EPS vector format.
Discover the art of relief carving for beginners! Unleash your creativity with tips, techniques, and more. Get started on your carving journey
Sutton Betti feels a deep connection towards figurative art and his passion for it is expressed in unique and detailed relief sculptures.
Pronation is a natural movement of the foot and ankle that occurs in healthy humans when we walk and run that helps absorb the shock of your foot striking the ground.
Now that I have all the clay on the board at slightly larger than 18" x 24" and about 3/4" deep I ready to begin. I place the sketch onto the clay and cut away excess clay. Next I cut the shapes out of the paper and place back onto the clay - this gives me paper to trace around. I'm using a simple wooden skewer to do the tracing and drawing but you could use a stylus, knitting needle or sharpened pencil to get the same results. Once the outline of the figures is traced onto the clay, I set the board up on an easel on my table. When sculpting a bas relief it is important to work as vertically as possible. Laying the board flat and trying to work on it will give you a distorted view as the perspective will change the look. Sculpt the work in the same position as you plan for it to be viewed - as much as is possible. At this stage it is rather heavy - I'd estimate that the board and clay combined is about 35-40 lbs. I also like to tack up my drawings nearby as I'll be referring to them frequently as I work. Next I take a loop tool and begin to dig down the background by about 1/4" inch all the way around. This separates the figures from the background a bit. Finally, I grid off both my sketch and the clay - using the grid to help me locate proper placement, I begin roughly sketching in the drawing of the figures using the skewer. At this stage it will be very rough, which is fine, as it is only a starting place for me to gauge where I will be building up the forms and the 'drawing' on the clay will be obliterated. With the drawing in place I am ready to begin adding clay to the forms.
Sutton Betti feels a deep connection towards figurative art and his passion for it is expressed in unique and detailed relief sculptures.
Discover the art of relief carving for beginners! Unleash your creativity with tips, techniques, and more. Get started on your carving journey
This artist adds contemporary elegance to any room he touches with his artistic hands.
Sutton Betti writes in his blog about composition, techniques, his inspiration for bronze sculptures, latest monumental works and other art projects.
Now that I have all the clay on the board at slightly larger than 18" x 24" and about 3/4" deep I ready to begin. I place the sketch onto the clay and cut away excess clay. Next I cut the shapes out of the paper and place back onto the clay - this gives me paper to trace around. I'm using a simple wooden skewer to do the tracing and drawing but you could use a stylus, knitting needle or sharpened pencil to get the same results. Once the outline of the figures is traced onto the clay, I set the board up on an easel on my table. When sculpting a bas relief it is important to work as vertically as possible. Laying the board flat and trying to work on it will give you a distorted view as the perspective will change the look. Sculpt the work in the same position as you plan for it to be viewed - as much as is possible. At this stage it is rather heavy - I'd estimate that the board and clay combined is about 35-40 lbs. I also like to tack up my drawings nearby as I'll be referring to them frequently as I work. Next I take a loop tool and begin to dig down the background by about 1/4" inch all the way around. This separates the figures from the background a bit. Finally, I grid off both my sketch and the clay - using the grid to help me locate proper placement, I begin roughly sketching in the drawing of the figures using the skewer. At this stage it will be very rough, which is fine, as it is only a starting place for me to gauge where I will be building up the forms and the 'drawing' on the clay will be obliterated. With the drawing in place I am ready to begin adding clay to the forms.
A blog about sculpting including sculpture, sculpting techniques, demonstrations, tutorials, products and sculpture available for purchase.
Learn how to create a low relief sculpture using minimal tools and inexpensive materials in this art lesson and lesson plan idea.
Low Relief clay tiles A low relief clay tile is a tile that is not a 3D form but has been carved on to. Equipment and material Paper Scissors Clay Rolling pin Fork Carving knife Coloured slip Glaze Method 1. First I made a collage to use as a basis for my low relief clay tile. 2. I then rolled a slab and used the collage as a template carving in to the slab then adding pattern. 3. Next I cut them into three separate sections so that when arranged into a different order as it would give a different result. 4. I also applied a decorating slip that has added colour.Then it was bisque fired. 3D clay ceramics 3D clay ceramics can be a bowl or mug that has added carvings, but it can also have no purpose and just be an ornament. Equipment Clay Rolling pin Fork Carving knife Coloured slurry Glaze Method 1. I rolled out the clay till even thickness then used the jigsaw as a template to cut out the shapes. 2. Once the clay has become leather-hard I then arranged them. 3. I added blue coloured slip. 4. It was then bisque fired. Then I added under-glaze. 5. Glaze was then added and glass. 6. It was then fired. Health & safety Keep the area clean and dust free, as it can cause long term problems. Be careful when using glass and use a piece of paper underneath to the put the leftover glass back.
