Sculptural Sizes

Sculptural portraits can be produced at nearly any size, from miniature to monumental. When choosing a size there are several factors to consider:

Below, some of our more popular sizes and scales, and the impressions they give.

1:1 Scale - Life Size
This scale makes a statement, and quickly becomes the center of attention in any setting where it is placed. Depending on the pose and treatment, a life-size nude sculpture can impart an ancient, classical touch to a room or garden, or be a provocative statement of festivity, self-confidence or grace. While working on a large scale like this involves the most expense and time commitment from the model, it also allows for the most evocative portrait, and the biggest impact by far.

Sculptural Materials

While all sculpture begins in some impermanent materials like clay or plaster, the material ultimately selected for the finished piece can have an enormous effect on the pieces life and maintenance as well as its impact on a viewer:

Below, some common materials for sculpture today.

Bronze
(bränz) 1. n. [from French, ult prob <Persian biring, copper]
1. An alloy of copper and tin 2. adj. a reddish-brown color of or like bronze

Bronze has been the material of choice for fine sculpture since ancient Greece. While Greek marbles are revered, and have survived better over the millenia, the ancients considered stone sculpture lower class, and more common than the bronze originals that most of these marble statues were copied from. For its workability and durability, easy repairability, and its ability to record the fine detail of the human form, bronze is unmatched as a sculptural medium.

Because of these many benefits, Bronze is our preferred material for sculpture.

Marble and Gypsum Stones
(mär'b`l) n. [from Greek, marmaros, white stone]
1. A hard, fine grained variety of limestone which may naturally occur white or colored

Since ancient Rome, marble has been revered for its sculptural qualities- its translucence like flesh, its fineness and ability to take a high polish, and for the skill required to work it. In many minds, marble is synonymous with fine sculpture. It was the material of choice of Michelangelo, Bernini, and other great masters of the past. A portrait in marble harkens back to the classical era, and as such has been a material of choice for great portraits for thousands of years. Marble is a more tempramental, less durable material than bronze. It lacks bronzes flexibility and its many conpositional options, and thus is more suited to compact sculpture such as busts.

The process of working stone is a difficult and long one, fraught with risks. As such, it entails a much higher cost and working time than other materials. In order to provide the service to those who are drawn to the majesty and ancient quality of marble, we work with European craftsmen who have cut stone for generations and are able to produce a marble statue precisely in the image of the clay original produced by Joshua Diedrich and approved by the client. This relationship betwen sculptor and craftsman is the way things have been commonly done for centuries. As such, all requests for marble will require an individual estimate, and may incur additional travel expenses. Carving executed in stones other than marble may be possible. Please enquire if interested.

For clients looking for a less expensive stone-like alternative, casting the final piece in Gypsum products such as polymer reinforced plaster or portland cement can be a practical, but potentially more fragile alternative. These may be ideal materials if the sculpture is intended to be used as an architectural element. For most applications, we strongly prefer to work in higher quality materials, but can produce cast gypsum to resemble marble or other stones, if required.

Cold-Cast Resins are a new breed of materials, usually consisting of a two-part chemical kit that cures into a durable, plastic-like final product. Resins, silicons, and related plastics are unique for their ability to mimic other materials very convincingly, such as bronze, stone, ivory or even living human flesh. They are used extensively in the toy, model and special effects industries, and are often used to produce cheaper, much less durable sculpture that looks and feels very much like bronze. Some prominent figure sculptors have used similar materials to cast clear or translucent figures that look like floating crystal.

We offer them here for their unique mimicking ability, in case a client should want a sculpture that resembles flesh, ivory, amber, or some other material that is impossible to use authentically. With color treatments and additives, cold-cast resins can be made to look like essentially any material, be it solid or liquid, translucent or transparent.

Drawing Media and Sizes

For clients looking for classic black and white drawings, we offer several materials:

Graphite
Graphite drawings, executed in what's become known as the academic or atelier style, express a striking level of precision and sensitivity. The drawing process involves building up shadows slowly over many hours, with thousands of fine lines. This process creates an image with incredible depth and life, that can be viewed from any distance with dramatic impact.
When done on a colored paper or board with white highlights, the effect can become even more compelling.