Mascaron
A key element
A mascaron ornament is a face found on the façade of buildings. Typically human, its original function was to frighten away evil spirits so that they would not enter the building. The mascaron was later adapted as a purely decorative element, found for example on a keystone over an arch. The most recent architectural styles to extensively employ grotesque masks were Beaux Arts and Art Nouveau.
Three in one
In this course you will learn to carve a keystone with the features of a grotesque mask. The exercise will give you an insight into the basic design of all mascarons and greenmen. Unique facial features and expressions will be carefully analysed. The mascaron blends figurative features with ornamental and architectural elements, making it an excellent exercise to cover these three main recurring aspects of stone sculpture.
Face value
This course takes the study of facial anatomy to the next level. The dimension of the piece comes close to life-sized and will allow you to work on carving facial features in detail. Special attention will be paid to the eyes, nose and mouth. They will be thoroughly discussed and your time spent carving them will help you develop an appreciation of sculptural aesthetics.
What you will learn
- Improve anatomical knowledge of facial fetures
- Insight into figurative, ornamental and architectural elements
- Familiarity with various measuring techniques
- Carve a functional and beautiful keystone
- How to use different chisels
- Basic finishing techniques
This online class will mainly consist of high-quality instructional videos that demonstrate the whole carving process of the little head in detail. You will be able to watch your instructor carve the exercise from close-up and from an ideal vantage point. During the process, the instructor will provide detailed explanations of their actions and guide you through each step. The course also includes downloadable PDF sample sheets that complement the instructional videos.
Following the step by step process, the course will enable you to carve your first Roman capital letter in your own workspace and according to your own tempo. You can share the process with your instructor through pictures and videos and they will be available through online video calls to answer your questions and help you out with additional comments and demos where needed.
It’s like you’re in class, except that you will be able to engage according to your agenda without missing out on anything!
Inside this course
What's included
Who this is for:
This course is the missing key to your sculpture training
The course is designed for the intermediate student, who already has some experience in different measuring techniques and is confident in using a hammer and a chisel. It is the perfect step following the “Baroque Putto Course”.
This course is perfect for:
- Intermediate and advanced sculpture students
- Professional Sculptors
- Sculpture teachers
- Anyone interested in figurative sculpture
- Stonemasons
Mascaron
A challenging piece that will open the doors to figurative sculpture. After this course you will be ready for some serious portrait work.
What's inside
- +12 hours of video lectures
- Downloadable PDF Guides
- One-on-one online mentoring
- Plaster cast model
- Watch instructor at work
- Lifetime updates
- Optional toolkit set