Review submitted by Hazel Britton - June 2020

 

This book may not suit those who like a tutorial that tells you how much of a product to use and what to do with it to make a given finished article.  It was not quite what I was expecting but took me on a tour of the author’s creative mind; how she will plan the substantial sculptures she creates with anatomical accuracy and detail using a variety of clays.

 

The chapters take you through the process from selecting the base your sculpture will be attached to, through armature, accessories, painting and realising your end vision.

 

Although I was expecting more examples of creatures to inspire me and get my own imagination flowing it was an absorbing narrative with good photo examples for each step of the construction method.  Emily Coleman is keen to encourage research into the skeleton and musculature of animals to make your sculpture more believable. My own little figures are more simple/stylised. I tend towards aesthetically pleasing to me but Emily Coleman’s creatures are big, beautiful statement pieces with intricate detailing.

Retails at around £13