Hello there, nice to see you again.
I thought I'd come on Youtube today and show you some of the most basic shapes you can make from polymer clay that I think will be helpful for all beginners to know and practice. Of course, this video is about shapes that are made by hand and not using a clay cutter, a clay conditioning machine or clay extruder that allow you to obtain more defined shapes.
These are the shapes that I find myself using the most even though I'm not a beginner anymore. Knowing and understanding basic shapes or thinking in shapes, has helped me boost my sculpting skills naturally and I hope they will help you too.
Not all shapes have a defined "shape" or "name"; they're not all a ball or a triangle and the more you sculpt the more you'll see how true this is. So instead of thinking about WHAT you have to sculpt, think of what you have to sculpt LOOKS LIKE first. Reduce it to a BASIC shape.
A good example I can give you is my "Davy Jones video". If you're not familiar with Davy Jones, he is one of the characters in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie, and at the time I found his octopus-like appearance very interesting to sculpt.
Thinking "strands" instead of "tentacles" is simpler, as tentacles entails a lot more detail than strands. Thinking of the overall basic shape first simplifies the process, if that makes sense.
More intricate shapes like the barnacles on his hat might feel a little daunting for beginners, for a barnacle has a lot of detail, but they all started from a little ball of clay.
So, without further ado, I hope you'll find this video about basic shapes helpful and if you have any questions, just let me know.
If there are any shapes you use the most, whether they are in the video or not, let me know in the comments, I'd really like to know.
Thank you all so much for reading and watching, enjoy the rest of your Sunday and your Valentine's!
Lots of love,
Maive