Armature

The first sitting with the model, Lisa, was to get an idea of how the body 'moves' in pose.  I looked at the rhythms and proportions in particular, made drawings, took photographs and noted measurements.  This gave me enough information to make the armature.

The sculpture is to be made in clay.  The clay has to be supported on a steel armature which, in turn, is held up by an external frame known as a back-iron.

The back-iron takes most of the weight of the sculpture

The armature is welded to the back-iron and must run through the middle
of the form and reflect the movements of the pose. 

Checking that the armature runs through the middle of the form of the neck

Main frame is braced and the head armature added.  

Frame is clad in wrapped with wire mesh and 'butterflies' added.

'Butterflies':  wooden crosses dipped in shellac
and wired to the frame to hold volumes of clay

The head is removable.  The cross coming out of
top of the head is a handle.

Clay is pressed firmly into the mesh.