FIGURE SCULPTURE
The Figure Sculpture programme provides a strong foundation for advanced projects in sculpture by developing craft skills. From a sound base of drawing, the program stresses the use of visual observation and structural elements to understand the complexities of form in space.

Each student will receive individual tuition and group instruction.

Beginning students work from plaster casts in clay to develop strong observational skills. In the beginning students study the structure of the head, working from the human skull in clay and individual features of Michelangelo’s David. This prepares them for sculpting from life. During the last lessons of each programme, the students are expected to cast at least one piece in plaster and learn the waste mold or silicone mold making technique. Technical procedures include clay modeling, setting up an armature and casting techniques.

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FIGURE DRAWING
The aim of this programme is to develop an understanding of the human gesture, proportion, perspective, basic architectonic principles, anatomy and quality of line. The objective of the first lessons is to draw the standing figure so that the students understand how to find the gesture line and skeletal structure of the composition in relationship to the plum line from the pit of the neck at the front and the seventh cervical vertebra at the back.

Another objective is to draw the figure concentrating on achieving an understanding of proportion using the seven and a half head figure schema as well as drawing the figure concentrating on achieving an understanding of architectonic mass relationships and rhythms.

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ARTISTIC ANATOMY
This course is designed for those students that aspire to be fully competent figurative artists in whatever medium by developing a profound understanding of human anatomy that is crucial for creating convincing figurative art. The student will have achieved a total understanding of human anatomy as it relates to the subcutaneous form influencing bones, muscles, tendons, and fatty tissue. We keep all classes to a maximum of ten students so as to guarantee the best tuition possible.

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ECORCHE
Ecorche (french for removing skin), is an anatomical construction of a flayed figure, exposing the muscles for the purposes of study. Artists began human figure ecorche making during the Italian Renaissance. Students in this course will begin by sculpting an anatomically accurate skeleton in wax (24”). Through the use of diagrams, Old Master drawings, specially prepared anatomical plaster casts, muscles will be attached according to their respective origins and insertions. The result will be a sculpture in its own right that reflects the subtle nuances and interactions between skeletal and muscular form based on artistic anatomy. Students can also make an ecorche study of head and arm at a larger scale for a detailed understanding of the anatomical structure of human form.

Aim: To develop a total artistic and anatomical understanding of the human form from the bones through the muscles to the fatty tissue to the skin in a 3D sculpture on an aluminium armature.

Artistic Anatomy I: to build the bone skeletal structure within 10 weeks.

Artistic Anatomy II: to build the muscle structure over the bone structure so as to understand the origins and insertions of each muscle within 10 weeks.

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PRE-ACADEMY PROGRAMME
The Pre-Academy Programme is designed to prepare 5th Year and 6th Year secondary school students to enter the Dony Mac Manus Studio’s regular Programmes by covering the basics in visual perception. Exercises will generally focus on drawing, sculpting and painting from plaster casts and head, hands and feet of live models.

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