insideKENT Magazine Issue 41 - August 2015 | Page 26

ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT
SCULPTING cont.

A Different Ball Game by Kevin Atherton, Kings Hill

can use just one whittling knife at the start. For
metalwork, a small blowtorch will get you on your
way. As you progress – and as you get a feel for
the art – you can add tools to your collection,
piece by piece.
Tools you may need include clay, wire, brushes,
knives, paint, chisel, hammer, mallet, blowtorch,
glaze, magnifiers, special stands and stools,
casting plaster, wire end modelling tools, callipers,
palettes, scrapers, armatures, sharpening stones,
gouges, and more. So you could easily spend a
lot of money on tools that are simply not needed
(if you are using clay you won’t need a chisel; if
you are using wood you won’t need armatures
and so on). Furthermore, if you decide that
sculpture is not for you, you may not get your
money back selling them – even if they haven’t
been used.

Find a network
If sculpture is something that you really enjoy –
and you’ll never know unless you start – there
are plenty of sculpting groups you could join.
Here you will meet others who love the art as
much as you do, and by talking and working with
these likeminded artists, you’ll pick up so much
more than you realised there was to know! Kent
Creative Live, based in Faversham
(www.kentcreativelive.org) and the Sussex Artist
Network (www.sussexartistsnetwork.co.uk) are
great places to start.
Take a course
There’s nothing like hands-on experience under
expert tutelage. Enrolling on a sculpture course
isn’t for everyone – some prefer to do their own
thing and that’s fine – but for those who enjoy a
more structured (although informal) setting,
courses such as the ones at the Sussex Sculpture
Studios (www.sussexsculpture.co.uk) or the ones
run by Kent Adult Education
(www.floodlight.co.uk) will give you confidence
and technique.
Visit galleries
Galleries are an excellent way of learning about
what sculpture really is. Visit as many as you can
and see what makes each artist an individual.
Whether it is wood, plastic, glass, clay, textiles,
or any number of other materials that can be
used to create wonderful pieces, the more you

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see, the more you’ll understand. Galleries such
as Moncrieff-Bray in Petworth (www.moncrieffbray.com) and The Artworks Gallery in Hever
(www.artworksgallery.co.uk) are just two of many
to be found in the area.
Try everything
Finding your favourite material to work with should
be a fun and rather experimental time, and it
shouldn’t be rushed. Just because you begin
with clay doesn’t mean you have to stick with it.
Try everything that interests you, and see what
fits your vision and skills best. And you don’t
even have to stick with just one medium; if there
are two or more that you feel comfortable working
in, then don’t worry – there are no hard and fast
rules when it comes to sculpture.
Enjoy!
Michelangelo himself said: “Every block of stone
has a statue inside it and it is the task of the
sculptor to discover it”. Are you up to the challenge
of the sculptor? Do you think you would enjoy
trying it and finding out? Then there is nothing to
stop you. Sculptures can be traditional or modern,
they can be made out of numerous different
materials, they can make people think or they
can be beautiful pieces of art. As long as you
enjoy the process, and have found a
productive new hobby, that is the most important
thing of all.