Hi, I’m Charo Fuentes, an artist passionate about painting and sculpture. Today I want to present one of my latest creations: a sculpture of a self-portrait of Egon Schiele in polymer clay. This sculpture is part of a series of self-portraits of artists that I am working on, where I try to capture the essence and style of each one.
Tabla de contenidos
- 1 Egon Schiele
- 2 The creative process
- 3 “Self-portrait with hands on chest”
- 4 The offer – Sculpture by Egon Schiele in polymeric clay
- 4.1 Sculpey PE1 5001 – Juego de arcilla, color blanco
- 4.2 Sculpey líquido descalcificador de Arcilla, 1 Onza líquida
- 4.3 Liquitex Profesional Heavy Body – Pintura acrílica profesional de cuerpo espeso, set de 12 tubos de 59 ml, colores clásicos
- 4.4 Schmincke HORADAM – Juego de acuarelas (24 medios godets) en estuche de metal
- 4.5 Artemio Máquina de masa de modelado compatible con arcilla polimérica
- 4.6 Comparte esta entrada:
Egon Schiele
Egon Schiele was an Austrian painter and engraver, contemporary and disciple of Gustav Klimt. He was one of the greatest representatives of Austrian expressionism and was characterized by his intense, erotic and personal style. His self-portraits are a sample of his psychological and emotional exploration, as well as his formal audacity.
His work is characterized by its intensity and raw sexuality, and by the many self-portraits he made, including nudes.
I was inspired by one of his most famous self-portraits in watercolor, the one he made in 1910 “self-portrait with hands on chest”. I was fascinated by the expressiveness of his face and the strength of his gesture. I wanted to recreate that image in three dimensions, using polymer clay as a material.
The creative process
Polymer clay is a type of plasticine that hardens when baked. It is very versatile and allows modeling complex shapes with great detail. I used the Sculpey Premo brand, which has a soft texture and good heat resistance. I chose the colors that were closest to the shades of the original paint.
The sculpture measures 6 in high by 3 in wide x 3 in and I painted it with Liquitex acrylic paint and some Schminke watercolor, to give it more realism and depth. I also made a short video, where you can better appreciate the final result. I invite you to watch it here:
“Self-portrait with hands on chest”
“Self-portrait with hands on chest”
In addition, I took several photos of the creation process, from modeling to baking and painting. I would like to share with you some of the steps I followed to make this sculpture:
Here you can see the head before baking, still sculpting the details. Once baked, I will paint it with the colors that Schiele used in his self-portraits: ochre, reddish and green tones, which create a strong contrast between the skin and the background. With these colors I want to highlight the expressiveness and anguish that Schiele reflected in his works, as well as his rebellious and tormented personality.
You can see the torso and hands freshly baked and wired to shape before painting.
Here the hands are very important and expressive, as Schiele used them to convey different emotions and symbolic gestures in his portraits. I have tried to capture the peculiarity and intensity of his hands, which were often long, thin and twisted. I have also wanted to show his drawing skills, which are reflected in his slender, articulated fingers.
The head is already integrated to the body and starting to paint the neutral background with acrylic paint. Schiele used to use simple, flat backgrounds that emphasized the human figure.
I wanted to create a contrast between the background and the bright colors that I will use to paint the head and hands. In this way I hope to achieve greater expressiveness and drama in my sculpture.
I hope you have enjoyed my work and that it has awakened your interest in learning more about Egon Schiele and his work. If you want to know more about this artist, I recommend you to visit these websites: 1.egonschieleonline.org 2.schielemuseum.at
The offer – Sculpture by Egon Schiele in polymeric clay
I would also like to take this opportunity to offer my sculpture for sale. If you are interested in purchasing it, you can contact me by email charof@me.com There is only one piece available, so do not delay if you want to have this unique work in your collection.
Also, if you need a Sculpey related work, whether it is a custom sculpture, a restoration or a class, you can contact me and I will give you a no obligation quote, I would love to help you with your projects.
Also, if you would like to make your own polymer clay sculptures, I offer you the materials I used for this project: Sculpey Premo clay, Liquitex acrylic paint and Schminke watercolor. They are excellent quality products and very easy to use.
Pueden comprarlos directamente en Amazon a través de mi blog. Solo tienen que hacer clic en los siguientes enlaces:
In this article I have shown the process of sculpting in polymer clay a self-portrait of Egon Schiele, one of the greatest representatives of Austrian expressionism.
I have explained how I have modeled the head, torso and hands, and how I have painted the background and body with the colors Schiele used in his works. I have tried to capture Schiele’s expressiveness, anguish and personality through his distinctive features, such as his long, twisted hands, piercing gaze and defiant gesture.
With this sculpture I wanted to pay tribute to an artist who inspires me and who revolutionized the figurative art of the twentieth century. I hope this article has awakened your interest in Schiele’s work and in polymer clay sculpture, a fun and creative technique that allows you to capture your ideas in three dimensions.
I encourage you to give it a try and let me know your experience.
Thank you very much for reading my article and for supporting my artwork. I hope you liked it and leave me your comments and suggestions.
