This is a really fun project for beginners. You don't have to worry about body anatomy at all. All you do is sculpt an cool looking ogre face.

This project introduces you to the art of clay modeling. You'll begin with a few facts about facial anatomy. You'll use these to visualize your ogre portrait. Next you'll be given a plaster skull to use as a starting point for the actual sculpting of your ogre creature portrait.

Use the links below to help you in this process. You'll be graded on how you use your knowledge of anatomy to make your creature look real and interesting. Making use of the various common facial features will make your ogre look interesting. Without them, your portrait will be dull and boring.

Check out the samples of ogres on the link below. Note how they all have clearly defined features. Their noses have character. Their faces are heavily lined with anatomical facial features like naso-labial folds and gnarly ears. They have wrinkled skin textures and some have fangs and visible teeth. Don't let the plaster skull confine your imagination. It is just a starting point and awayto conserve clay.

 
Ogre Samples
Thing to consider:
  • Keep the face symmetrical (the left side looks like the right side!). Learning to sculpt in symmetry is an important skill.
  • No smoothies! Don't smooth the surface of your face. Smoothing the surface doesn't impress me and only causes you to think you're finished before you really are finished.
  • These are "ogres" not space aliens. They're rough and have faces with a lot of character created using common facial features.
  • Look at the profile of your ogre. Does it look interesting if you saw it only in silhouette?
  • Eyes are important. People look at other peoples' eyes more than they do any other feature. Your ogre should have mesmerizing eyes.
The Process:
  1. Making a drawing of your ogre before you begin is a good idea. But not everyone can draw. If not, print out pictures from the web and use them as reference. If you know how to use PhotoShop, you can cut and paste parts from different images together to make an original face. Having something to look at is very important.
  2. Place a thin layer of clay all over the surface of the skull. About 1/4 of an inch.
  3. Consider the general shape of your ogre head and then add clay to the skull to sculpt the ogres' skull.
  4. In general, when you're appling clay to your skull you begin with large pieces of clay. These define the basic shape of the orgre skull. As you proceed along you find that you'll use smaller and smaller pieces of clay until finally you're finished.
  5. The last step is to add the wrinkles and skin effects.