StretchLearn Course

Make form you can walk around

The complete beginner path through clay, plaster, wire, and mixed-media sculpture

Beginner9 hr 40 minSelf PacedRegistered

Course Overview

What this course is designed to develop

Sculpture is the art of organising mass and space, and it rewards a few reliable methods far more than raw talent. This course teaches the full beginner workflow across the four classic entry materials — modelling clay over an armature, plaster as both a positive and a carving block, bent and soldered wire as line in space, and found-object assemblage. You finish able to plan, build, cast, and finish a sculpture in the round and to talk about it in the language sculptors actually use.

Learning Outcomes

What the learner should be able to understand, build, or execute.

Distinguish additive and subtractive processes and choose the right material and method for an idea

Build a stable armature and model the human and animal form in oil-based and water-based clay

Carve subtractively in plaster and soft stone using correct tools, grip, and a rough-to-fine sequence

Make a simple one- or two-part mould and cast a clean positive in plaster

Read and control the formal elements of sculpture — mass, plane, silhouette, contrapposto, and negative space

Patina, mount, and photograph finished work and document it to a professional standard

Curriculum Preview

Inside the curriculum: a structured path from fundamentals to execution.

Preview the course structure, see how the modules build on one another, and understand the path this program is designed to take you through.

Module 1

Module 1: How Sculpture Works — Materials, Mass, and the Two Processes

Understand the additive/subtractive divide, learn to see in three dimensions, and assemble the small, affordable kit and workspace that lets you start in clay, plaster, and wire from day one.

3 lessons

Additive and Subtractive — the Two Roads Into FormContent · 45 min

Preview Enabled

Seeing in Three Dimensions — Mass, Plane, and SilhouetteContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Your Studio, Safety, and the Starter ToolkitContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 2

Module 2: Additive Sculpture — Armatures and Modelling in Clay and Wire

Build the inner skeletons that hold form up, then model the figure in clay and draw gesture in space with wire, working from big masses to finished surface.

3 lessons

Building a Stable ArmatureContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Modelling the Figure in ClayContent · 55 min

LMS Access

Wire as Line in SpaceContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 3

Module 3: Subtractive Sculpture and Casting — Carving and the Mould

Take form away by carving plaster and soft stone in a safe rough-to-fine sequence, then learn the additive-to-permanent bridge of simple mould-making and plaster casting.

3 lessons

Carving Plaster and Soft StoneContent · 55 min

LMS Access

Making a Simple MouldContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Casting a Plaster PositiveContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Module 4

Module 4: Composition, Finishing, and Presenting Your Work

Use the formal language of three-dimensional design, then patina, mount, photograph, and document finished sculpture to a professional standard.

3 lessons

The Formal Language of 3D CompositionContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Finishing, Patina, and SurfaceContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Mounting, Photographing, and DocumentingContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Built for Application

A complete learning path, not a one-off inspiration hit.

This program is designed around progression: focused lessons, structured modules, applied resources, assessments, and a course rhythm that turns information into usable capability.

sculptureclay modellingarmatureplaster castingwire sculpturesubtractive carvingassemblagethree-dimensional form