Sculpture: Principles and Practice (Paperback)

by Louis Slobodkin (Author) "SCULPTURE, like all the creative arts, is mainly a process of transferring into some tangible material seemingly intangible ideas..." (more)
Key Phrases: sand mold process, shellacked board, novice sculptor, Cast Horse, Italian Renaissance, Waste Mold of Head (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This authoritative introduction to sculpture covers forms of sculpture, how to construct an armature, build a model stand, carving, much more. Invaluable for beginner but skilled sculptors will find its broad scope useful. "Instruction and appreciation become one in this book."—School Arts. 253 illustrations.

Product Details

• Paperback: 255 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (June 1, 1973)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486229602
• ISBN-13: 978-0486229607
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #207,356 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars For beginners, December 1, 2003

By	Shirley A. Potter "the potter" (Boise, ID United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you are a beginning sculpture student, this might be a book for you. Althought the information is somewhat dated (original copyright is 1949) the book is fairly direct and straight-forward in its writing style. Primary interest of the author--and the bulk of written information--is directed to modeling in clay and casting in plaster. The section on stone carving is short, but fairly complete. The woodcarving section is sketchy and, other than a good list of the tools needed, inadequate.
The sections on cast stone (concrete) and casting metal are outdated. Certain steps are still the same, but the materials currently in use are so different as to be almost another whole chapter.
A great deal of space is given to architectural sculpture, but again, the info is outdated. The book gives information on producing a stone monument, but does not address the cost factors (nor the steps in computing costs)of assembling the materials and placing the finished work. Nowadays that is of prime importance if a sculptor wants to compete for art in public places.

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good presentation, very informative, June 5, 1999

By	Mary M. Earnest "earnestmm" (Euless, Texas) - See all my reviews

I am a novice and am in the process of reading and learning all I can about the technical foundations of sculpture. I found this book very easy to understand and well organized. The photographs and illustrations are top notch and add greatly to the understanding of the subject. This book is worth its price.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great general guide, November 12, 2002

By	Christopher Judd "juddc" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

I agree with the comment below - this is a beginner's book. More power to it. It was written by someone who has taught as well as practiced & focuses on the sculpting process rather than on artistic technique. Some of the mediums he covers (casting stone, glue molds) have advanced in ease of use since this book was written, but this guide has stood the test of time.