Javier´s Family portrait. Clay portrait Sculptures of Javier´s family created in 2018.

Head studies

Realistic Head Sculpting: Overcoming Common Challenges

In his previous sculpting workshops, Javier noticed that students often face common challenges in creating realistic heads and facial features in clay. Common issues like oversized eyes or misplaced ears frequently appear. To help students overcome these hurdles, Javier developed the Head Studies sculpting workshops to specifically focus on these areas of difficulty.

In these hands-on classes, students gain in-depth training on the structure and anatomy of the head, face, and neck. They learn effective techniques for using divisions and planes to build the head step-by-step from scratch. Similar to our popular Simplified Figure approach, this workshop incorporates a sketch-like method for crafting the face, making it approachable and enjoyable for all skill levels.

With a focus on facial proportions, realistic features, and sculpting techniques, the Head Studies workshop equips students with essential skills for achieving life-like results in clay. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced artist, this workshop offers valuable insights and practical methods for mastering head sculpting.

More info

  • Participants in this course will create life-size clay sculpture.
  • Step-by-step method to learn the essential foundations .
  • Focus on developing skills that support long-term artistic growth.
  • Introduction of principles of geometry, structure, and visual perception—key elements that help students better understand the forms.
  • Javier explains the anatomy, providing in-depth lessons on simplified methods for facial sketching.
  • By the end, participants are equipped with the technical skills needed for an artistic approach that will support their creativity.

Dates & Locations

queenstown

Wakatipu Potters Group

11 Hawthorne Drive, Frankton, Queenstown 9300
BOOKED OUT

Workshop price NZ$545

Material not included in the price.

Aramature is supplied during the workshop.

You can buy our tools during the workshop.

We do share meal.

Refunds are subjected to Terms & conditions

auckland

The Clay Center

145 Marua Road, Ellerslie, Auckland 1051
BOOKED OUT

Workshop price NZ$545

Material not included in the price.

Aramature is supplied during the workshop.

You can buy our tools during the workshop.

We do share meal.

Refunds are subjected to Terms & conditions

frequently asked questions

In-person workshops are scheduled in different places at different times of the year. Most workshops run twice a year in different locations in New Zealand, Auckland being the most demanded of the locations. Australia and Europe are other locations planned to run workshops.

We are setting up a different challenge with a live model changing pose each time. Plenty of material, tutorials and online courses can help you on this journey and keep you connected with the community. To ensure you get this information, sign up for the newsletter.

If you are missing one day out of 2 or 3, we recommend you to wait until there is another chance as you might be missing quite a bit of information and time to do your work. If this is a 5 days workshop it might be ok.

Not really. Simplified figure is the only workshop we have designed to teach the basics of building the human figure so you have enough knowledge to make the most of a model. So, if you are thinking of joining the five days figure workshop with model, this might be good for you, although it is not mandatory.

Not really. The more experience you have the better. Javier Is an experienced sculptor and can adapt to your level whether you are just beginning or you are experienced, whether you are just looking at learning more anatomy or pursuing a more artistic challenge.

The workshops are designed for:

  • Beginner or experienced sculptors looking to improve their figure fundamentals with personalised guidance.
  • Graphic and digital artists looking to improve their 3 Dimensional visual understanding also involved into the drawing, illustration and/or painting of the gesture.
  • Potters and ceramist with an interest in the human form and artistic expression of it.

If you want to learn about the human figure, I would suggest you join the Online courses. Why? There is a lot more information Javier can share with you. You can find your time to invest in your learning process. Head studies online is about six weeks course, and the figure online course is about ten weeks. The more hours you put in, the more you will learn; that´s a rule. And finally, it is more personalized as the progress of your work will be reviewed every week by Javier personally.

If you are interested in doing a workshop but you don´t know which one, get in touch and let us know what is that you are looking for and we will help you. Either if you are looking for some good training, knowledge or just living the experience as a hobby, we can help you.

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