Self-Portrait Bust
Jonathen Wilks
Hydrocal Plaster
2021
About
In 2021, during my last year of undergrad at TCU, I returned to a project I’d tackled as a freshman: a portrait bust. These two sculptures became bookends for my college career, a way of measuring how far my skills had grown in four years.
In 2021, during my last year of undergrad at TCU, I returned to a project I’d tackled as a freshman: a portrait bust. These two sculptures became bookends for my college career, a way of measuring how far my skills had grown in four years.
Concept & Early Attempts
In art school, self-portraits are almost a rite of passage. While a bit vain, they are practical; we constantly have access to the model. I had already drawn and painted other portraits, so I wanted this one to be different. I love the Italian Baroque artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini so I looked at his work to help me decide. Looking through my previous portraits, I noticed I had a somber or blank face in nearly all of them. I took some reference photos and decided it would be comical if I chose a sneer or look of disgust as the pose for this bust.
I started with an armature, packing clay around around it and taking caliper measurements of my head to keep it life-sized and proportionate. Clay at the top of the bust began to crack and the next day I found the front half of the bust had fallen off from the weight.
In art school, self-portraits are almost a rite of passage. While a bit vain, they are practical; we constantly have access to the model. I had already drawn and painted other portraits, so I wanted this one to be different. I love the Italian Baroque artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini so I looked at his work to help me decide. Looking through my previous portraits, I noticed I had a somber or blank face in nearly all of them. I took some reference photos and decided it would be comical if I chose a sneer or look of disgust as the pose for this bust.
I started with an armature, packing clay around around it and taking caliper measurements of my head to keep it life-sized and proportionate. Clay at the top of the bust began to crack and the next day I found the front half of the bust had fallen off from the weight.
Iteration & Refinement
Restarting is hard but this time I learned and I rebuilt the bust with a chin rest made of scrap wood and added supports beneath the hair. With stability secured, I focused on accuracy, using calipers, printed reference photos, and a two-mirror setup to check angles and proportions against myself
To give the bust movement, I studied how old masters handled composition. I rotated the shoulders slightly, as though the figure were sneering over its shoulder. I also used the cut off at the front of the bust to imply the clavicles and cut under them to create a floating V shape of sorts. I extended the back in a similar V shape but kept it flatter to look more naturalistic and providing a perfect location for me to use to sign the piece.
Restarting is hard but this time I learned and I rebuilt the bust with a chin rest made of scrap wood and added supports beneath the hair. With stability secured, I focused on accuracy, using calipers, printed reference photos, and a two-mirror setup to check angles and proportions against myself
To give the bust movement, I studied how old masters handled composition. I rotated the shoulders slightly, as though the figure were sneering over its shoulder. I also used the cut off at the front of the bust to imply the clavicles and cut under them to create a floating V shape of sorts. I extended the back in a similar V shape but kept it flatter to look more naturalistic and providing a perfect location for me to use to sign the piece.
Casting & Final Piece
Once satisfied with the clay model, I created a one-use plaster “trash mold.” After removing residual clay, I coated the mold in Vaseline, then poured Hydrocal, a harder, more durable plaster. When the cast cured, I released it, cleaned debris, and carefully touched up imperfections.
Once satisfied with the clay model, I created a one-use plaster “trash mold.” After removing residual clay, I coated the mold in Vaseline, then poured Hydrocal, a harder, more durable plaster. When the cast cured, I released it, cleaned debris, and carefully touched up imperfections.
