I'm using WED Clay for this bust. In the past, I've found this clay really great to use because it contains glycerin which means it dries out much slower, is slightly oily and stays at a leathery consistency for much longer than other water-based clays.
The photo on the right shows a late stage of massing out. This is just about getting the basic forms. Massing out didn't take very long and using WED fresh out of the bag meant it was really easy to push around.
I also decided to sculpt a base onto the bust because even though this unit is about learning and not necessarily finishing, I still want whatever I end up with to be presented well. Many of the professional sculptors I have researched for this project show their final busts on some sort of stand and I also thought integrating the stand into the sculpt (and mould) will give me a chance to practice casting a piece out of a range of materials at once (see The Brief for more info on materials I plan to use).
