Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)The DVD "Sculpting in Wax" gives very basic information about using modeling wax. Artist Guy Corriero works for about half an hour at sculpting a small wax figure of woman that is (I estimate) about 10 inches tall. The figure is not detailed. There is little representation of the features on the face, no fingers on the hands etc. There is so little anatomical detail that the video won't bother people who are offended by nudity.
Different types of waxes have widely differing properties. Hard waxes can be carved or machined. Soft waxes can be used for modeling and behave somewhat like a firm modeling clay. Natural waxes like beeswax are sensitive to temperature and can become sticky when used in modeling. Synthetic waxes are less sticky and the most popular for modeling. Guy Corriero uses "microcrystalline" wax, which is a common type of synthetic wax.Microcrystalline modeling waxes do not have a strong smell and are not hazardous to handle. The wax shown in the video appears to have a gray or light olive green color.
Every book I have seen about modeling wax shows sculpture that has a rather rough texture. Wax sculptures with a polished or detailed finish ( such as the heads in Madame Tussaud's wax museum) are made by casting wax in a mold, not by modeling it. So this video holds little interest for a person whose goal is to make completely realistic figures.
Guy's narration is organized and smooth enough that it might be scripted or rehearsed. There are moments when he is obviously speaking spontaneously. This is a professionally produced DVD, however it looks dated. The video appears to be a transfer from a VHS tape. It has faint meadering background music, which will be a nostalgic reminder of the educational films that you once endured in school classrooms.
Synopsis
Guy uses a simple drawing to explain the "contrapposto pose", which is a pose for standing figures often used by sculptors. Throughout the DVD, he emphasizes the features of this pose as he sculpts the figure. He explains the proportions of a figure that is 8 heads tall.
He does not use an armature for the sculpture. He begins by forming the torso. The camera work is well planned and our view of the work is clear. However, because of the rough and "blobby" nature of the wax, it requires effort to understand his procedure. (Viewers should note that he does not use his fingernails to dig out chunks of wax. This can be done with clay, but it will make your fingers sore under the nails if you do it with a material as firm as wax.)
The DVD shows how the wax can be softened by putting it in a coffee can placed under a lamp.
He adds thick legs and a thick base to the torso and puts the sculpture on a wooden base for the remainder of the DVD.Guy explains that the legs and base are initially made too thick so that they will support the torso firmly while he works on it.
He adds the neck and head and checks the proportions of the figure. He uses a sculpting tool to thin the legs and adjust their position. He emphasizes that the arms are last things to be added since their presence interferes with working on other parts of the figure.
He adds the arms and makes some additional remarks about how the figure could be refined. He shows heating an inexpensive modeling tool with a candle and using it to work on the figure. He says the figure can be put in a freezer overnight and then sanded to make it smoother. It is not clear to me how much the sculpture could be refined. Sanding can remove bumps but it might not be practical to remove divots.I rate this DVD as 3 stars out of 5 to indicate that it is an average introduction to sculpting a figure in wax. I think the current (May 2010) price of about $30 is ridiculously high. The whole DVD is only about 30 minutes long.
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