The Greek Warrior (Terracotta)

I have been always in awe of a sculpted physique, but wasn't ever crazy enough to hang a poster of Arnold on my wall and daydream of emulating him. Even though I admired his body builder's build, my interest lay in competitive outdoor sports. As a result of this, I had developed an athletic build in high school but achieving a sculpted physique seemed unattainable, as food was too precious a sacrifice for those small gains.

Even more than a bodybuilder's physique, I value a Greek warrior's build because while the former's muscles are for show, the latter's is the reflection of man's potential in the physical realm.

The Greek warrior's body is the epitome of physical potential and all the components of physical fitness are embodied in him as a lethal combination. He is the powerhouse of strength, speed, agility and endurance; ever ready to spring into action.

Therefore I chose The Greek Warrior as the inspiration for my first sculpture in terracotta.

• a turn table
• a kiln or an oven ( image 4, 5 and 6) ; only if you want to fire the clay
• wooden modelling tools (image 1-3)
• steel plaster tools (Italian plaster)
• single end wire modelling tools
• double end wire modelling tools
• aluminium shanks
• a flexible steel palette
• a scraper
• a bucket
• a sponge
• a cutting wire
• a waste cloth
• a plastic cover
• a smooth pebble

I explored the net in the quest for beauty and to draw inspiration from the fountain of chef d’oeuvres that the great sculptors have left behind. During this wandering, I came across a Greek Warrior that was interesting yet relatively easy to make for a novice.

The sculpture was a compact marble character with its limbs close by its side. This was an important feature, while choosing it as an inspiration because limbs extending away from the body would complicate matters. The clay sculpture would need support from within and would threaten to crack and break in the future.

Note: As this was my first sculpture in clay, it took me 25 days of about 4 hours work session per day. Prior to this I had a little experience in terracotta, as I had made a few pots in clay.

So, don't worry about the level of difficulty of this task. Treat it like learning to ride a bicycle; for only after falling several times, do you learn to ride confidently with hands off bars, the headphones on and your head among the clouds.

Do no such tricks by the way! It could make you see stars in broad daylight!

• It’s a great idea to sketch the statue from different positions, to understand its proportions and volume.
• A front, side, back, front 3/4th and rear 3/4th should give you enough details needed to begin sculpting in clay.

Did you know?

• All the parts of the body can be measured in terms of the length of the head. (image 6)
• 7 and 1/2 heads make a full human figure, while 8 heads are ideal for a classical Greek male. ( image 6)
• The proportion of the face is achieved by using the length of an eye as the reference.

• You need to knead and mix the clay till there are no air bubbles trapped inside. (image 1-7)
• You need to mix well, till the texture of the clay is the same from inside out. (image 7)
• The clay shrinks and dries quickly, so its best to work fast.
• Always keep dabbing the sculpture with a damp sponge to prevent it from getting dry.
• It also gets difficult to work and grains tend to chip off, if it gets too dry.

• Whenever you join a new part to the body, crisscross with a knife at the site of joint, dab with water then fix the new part. (image 9)
• After each session wrap the sculpture with a wet cloth and keep it covered with a plastic, to keep it damp and workable. (image 10 and 11)
• Keep your tools clean, as dry clay stuck to tools can damage your sculpture.
• Keep your work space clean, so that dirt doesn't mix in your clay.

Nailing the proportions

• Draw a human figure to scale, the size of your actual sculpture and hang it against a wall.
• You can use the image of 'Proportions of the human figure' (step 3), as a reference.

• Apply clay from the base up firmly one layer after another, to make a solid block of clay. (image 1)
• Draw a line vertically through the middle of the block to achieve symmetry.
• Divide the block vertically into 7 equal parts.
• Each part is equal to the length of one head.
• The pic of a different sculpture was used here to demonstrate this step. (image 2)

Gaining Volume

• Make a spherical or oval head and attach it to the block by inserting a stick to join the two parts.
• Use the images of my sculpture as reference.
• Achieve the rough volume.
• Begin with the larger parts first, then move onto the smaller ones.
• Start working with the the torso, the limbs, the fists and the foot in order.
• Replicate the details on clay by studying the different views of my sculpture.
• Study how one muscle overlaps the other.
• See where the depressions in the surfaces are.
• After all body parts are roughly made, make the Cloak and the Shield.

After achieving the rough volume

• Work on the shoulders, the chest, the abdomen, the waist and the crotch region.
• You need not work on the back and the hips as its covered by the cloak.
• Study closely how each part seamlessly joins the other and their position with respect to each other.
• View the statue from all angles from far and keep checking if the proportions are right.

Tip to check proportions: Usually you would sit at a distance facing the statue, a pencil in hand, arms extended fully in front of you at eye level and squint with the eye, while using the pencil as a measuring stick to gauge that the Sculptures length is equal to 7 or 8 heads.

You would take the length of the head with your pencil and gauge, if that length is repeated 7 to 8 times along the height of the sculpture.

The Hands

• After getting the rough volume, work on the biceps, triceps, elbow, forearm and the fist on the studying the images of my sculpture. (image 1-4)
• Study the proportions of the hand in terms of number of heads, from the image provided in step 3.
• You can even take a friend's help or take picture of your hand for reference. (image 5, 6)
• When working on the details begin with the muscles of the hand and end with the fingers.

• After getting the rough volume, work on the details.
• Begin by working on the thigh, the quads, the knee, the shin, the calf, the ankle, the foot and the toes in order.
• Do the footwear after the feet and toes are done.
• Its useful to study your own body parts to understand the volume.
• You can also use a picture of a body builder or ask a friend to pose for you for reference.
• Add cloth only after parts are done in detail, as the cloth takes the shape around the volume the part.

Tip: Step back at times and see the statue from distance to check on its proportions, as you can be misled by seeing up close the entire time.

Note: Sculptors generally study the human body from the inside out, while making a sculpture. They study first the bone structure, then the muscles, and in the end the clothing to capture the volume of each part.

• Do the cloth on the back by drawing each fold with a knife or a nail. (image 1)
• Don’t be too particular about each line here but try to get its impression with the wrinkles, folds and creases.
• Dig and scoop the clay out with wire tools to achieve the impression.

• The shield is a large piece and is done roughly at first, to gauge the proportion in relation to the body.
• Once the body parts are done, you can do the shield in detail.
• You can cut a small segment of the disk out to work on the left hand that holds the shield and patch it up with a new clay by crisscrossing at the site of joint. (image 4 and 5)
• Use a circular paper cut out or any round shaped object to draw the outline of the shield and use a semi-circular pipe to make its edge.

• After all the parts of the body are completed, work on the head.
• Head needs special attention and ample time to do it correctly.
• Observe the (image 9) and the head of the sculpture from all angles.
• Study a live model; either a friend or your own face to understand the bone structure, the depressions, the positions of each part with respect to the other to make the head.
• After you have made the head, make the Greek's helmet by seeing the images. (images 1-8)

After the sculpture is completed

• let it dry for 2 weeks.
• During these two weeks, keep checking on the sculpture and keep polishing it with a pebble. (image 1) The polishing makes the surface compact, smooth and shiny. It also prevents the statue from getting brittle due to dryness.

• It is during this time that you would see cracks forming because of uneven drying, as the older clay would shrink and dry faster than the newer clay.
• One way you can prevent the cracking is by working fast from the beginning. This will shorten the time between application of new layers of clay.
• You can also repair the cracks by dabbing it with water, crisscrossing and then filling it with fresh clay.
• In time the sculpture will become completely dry and also shrink in size.
• After about a month of drying, the statue will be ready to be fired

Now if you decide to immortalize your work, like the terracotta stoneware from Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro,use a kiln or an oven to fire the sculpture.

• The image above displays the pots I had done in school; while all four are fired, two of them are glazed.
• The clay turns from brown to brick red after firing. (image 1)
• Terracotta firing temperature is around 600°C to 1000°C or 1112°F to 1830 °F .

Note:You could pour some glaze if you want your sculpture to be more interesting like the tall vase and the pot beside it. (image 1)

Caution: Ironically, the very act of immortalization can destroy your sculpture and send it into oblivion. So, beware your sculpture could explode into pieces, if any air bubbles are present in the clay. The only way to ensure it accident proof, is to mix the clay well while kneading. (step 4)

• So it’s wise to take some good pictures before you test your baby in the fire.
• Do it well as it might be the last time you are seeing your baby.

Note: I didn't fire it as I didn't want to risk immortality and more importantly did not have a functional kiln at the time, to test my fate.

Once the sculpture is completed, you could place it in your garden as the representation of man's untapped potential in the physical world by embracing a way of life that would soon become alien to us. (image 1)

In contrast to life of action of a Greek Warrior, we have adopted one of idleness and inaction. Today man's physical labor is replaced by industrialization and automation. It is going to further dwindle by the advances of artificial intelligence and robotics. Our life has become progressively sedentary and one of dependence on machines. This might initially seem as a boon, but is quietly usurping the benefits of an active life style.

So, even though the primitive world of hunter gatherer and the necessity to fight for survival is long gone, even though the joy of a sedentary life may seem to far exceed the struggles and sacrifices for a fit body, it is now time more than ever to embrace the boons of a fit body. The lack of which is getting ever more pronounced with rising obesity and an advancing old age.

So, let’s face life like a Greek Warrior, considering the present to be a fair weather, which might pass and come heavy storm, we are prepared and ready for action.