My first ever ceramic sculpture was a mermaid mug - or at least a crude attempt at it. The first one was done in a couple of hours, and I did not use any sculpting tools. I came back to the studio the following week and made version 2.0, a bit less crude and done all from my head (no models or reference photos). (See Version 1.0 and 2.0) A while later, I decided on another attempt at a slightly larger scale (Version 3.0), this time using a photo reference for the face (but not the body). I thought it was OK at the time, but looking back it was pretty sloppy. Since then I've used an iPad app to 3D model male and female anatomies for reference - not as good as a live model, but the next best thing. Anyway, back to the mug... my latest version (4.0) was really a practice in relief sculpting (Tinker Bell's reflection was another). The face is based on Lynda Carter, and the glaze was a mixture of several celadon shades. My thanks again to the Ceramic Art Studio and Shop.
Wet clay model