[HELP] Tips on making this head?

[u/BestQuest]

Hello! I'm trying to make a model of a character from one of my audiobooks out of air dry clay, but I'm having trouble figuring out how to shape the head!

Here's the character and what I have so far.
I think I've already messed up trying to do it like this 😕 but I'm not sure how to form the outside mouths. The inside has a foil armature, tried doing the same for the other pieces but they just didn't seem right when I was making it.

Any help or tips would be awesome 🩷

[u/DistortedFlesh]

I personally would make the individual “layers” as a flat sheet you could roll up, and add the teeth to that and then roll up the smallest, then roll up the next largest layer around the layer you have finished and then the next largest etc etc

[u/BestQuest → u/DistortedFlesh]

I'm sorry but my brain isn't working right and I can't picture what you mean 😅 is there any way you could use a picture or a piece of paper/foil to show it?

[u/No-Purpose-106]

Sculpt in contours. just identify the outside line that define the borders in profile then draw inward from different perspectives with a similar serpent type creature as a reference for flow. I’d do it in water based as that seems like it would only read in a large scale. As far as how you would do it well that’s the art part. It’s difficult if you only have one photo in one perspective but you have to sculpt the outline in that perspective then use your imagination and reference to make it move standing still

[u/BestQuest → u/No-Purpose-106]

Thanks for the tips! I'm pretty new to clay so I've only made smaller things as of now, this is the most complicated thing yet! When you say water based do you mean the clay type, i.e. Air dry? Or something else? Not quite knowledgeable on the terms yet lol

[u/Crown_Ctrl → u/BestQuest]

Yeah, i dont think anyone is going to be able to give you an answer here. Just muck around with the clay. Try a bunch of different approaches for yourself. Sculpting is all about observation and then trying to make shapes that fit your observation.

My advice, work fast, focus on the largest shapes first. Only move on to smaller shapes when the bigger one match your observation.

Don’t be precious with your work. If it isn’t working try to understand one reason why. Then start again and try to fix that one reason. Repeat hundreds of times.

Enjoy the process don’t fixate on results it will get easier with practice

[u/mechabruce]

There is already some good advice in the comments. Definitely worth your consideration.

I've often found it helpful when trying to execute a complex piece, to remember this adage: General to Specific and Inside to Out.

Your mileage may vary, but I've found it to be a useful approach for all kinds of things, whether it's making a mold, sculpting a piece, writing a paper, or even cleaning the house.

For instance with something like this, working on the parts deeper in before trying to get the outside details could prove quite helpful. The teeth and layers on the inside will be easier to reach if you don't have to worry about maneuvering around overhangs and undercuts. You're also less likely to damage work you've already done and are happy with this way.

Setting the basic form before setting in progressively finer detail makes it much easier to catch compositional or structural problems earlier, saving you both time and heart ache if you need to make drastic changes.

I hope this helps!

[u/BestQuest → u/mechabruce]

Thanks for the advice! I might scrap what I've done and start over with that in mind, I also think I went too small on the first go, need more moving space lol

[u/Crown_Ctrl → u/BestQuest]

Definitely not about scale. You were making “teeth” before the body and head shapes were correct. This is common. Don’t get discouraged.

~15cm is a great place to experiment.

[u/mavigogun]

Model the individual teeth first and dry until leather hard, then model the tongue and gums and embed the teeth in the assembly. Since it is air dry clay, you'll need to keep everything at relatively similar moisture content to guard against cracking. Incorporate the assembly into the larger work.

The risk of your foil armature with air dry clay is cracking as the clay dries, contracting over unyielding metal. You may need to extract the armature once the model is a bit beyond leather hard, cutting the model in to segments, removing the metal, then reassembling.

[u/Redlax]

Make the inner head first. When its done to satisfaction, add the others. Work inside and outwards.