The hollowing process is the least exciting bit. When the sculpture is hard enough, parts are cut away, hollowed out then replaced and the seams sealed over.
Step 1: I cut away a pie shaped section from the back of the head. You can see how semi-solid the clay is.
Step 2: The head is hollowed out and holes poked throughout to relieve any possible air that might be trapped inside the clay.
Step 3: After the head piece is put back and smoothed over another section is cut away and hollowed out. I try to keep all sections on the back half of the sculpture so that if a crack develops along a seam, it'll be less noticeable than if the seam were anywhere else.
Step 4: When the top parts of the sculpture are hollow, and it is firm enough to move, it is laid on a foam mat and the remaining parts of the sculpture are hollowed out from the bottom.
After drying slowly for a week or two the sculpture will be fired to nearly 2000 degrees Fahrenheit, then a patina will be added.
