Fast Faces – My New Book Is Finally Done!

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I worked really hard on my new book about sculpting fast faces in clay.

Fast Faces is available now on Amazon, and I’m really excited about it. It’s been getting a lot of very nice reviews, and my readers are really having fun with it.

Thanks for all your support!

Sculpt Whimsical Fast Faces with Clay

This method of sculpting characters is so addictive that it slowed me down when I was writing the book.

After you’ve made a few faces you almost can’t stop yourself from seeing features on a lump of clay. That’s a good thing, of course – but once you find a face (even if you didn’t intend to) you might just have to get out your tools and bring it to life.

It’s almost impossible for me to just walk away from that whimsical, silly ‘almost face,’ and go back to work.

That happened several times when I just needed a photo of a plain old lump of clay for a chapter heading. I’d pull some clay out of the bag, get it situated in front of the camera, and then I’d see a face on it.

Then all work came to a grinding halt while I played with my clay. I finally hid the bag of clay from myself so I could finish my book. 😉

After doing just a few more minor things to get the book online (technical stuff, you know), it’s now on Amazon.com in both paperback and Kindle versions.

19 thoughts on “Fast Faces – My New Book Is Finally Done!”

    • You could use the air dry clay over an armature in place of paper mache – this portrait mask was made with shop towel mache, but the air dry clay could have been used instead. But you can’t use the air clay like the Fast Faces, because it would never dry all the way through and would crack.

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  1. Just ordered my copy and can’t wait to get it. I love what you said in the video about looking for things on a textured wall. It’s funny because I have tiles on my bathroom wall with stone floor. I find myself looking for things in the tile and it’s incredible that I see something different every time! I thought I was the only one who did that… kinda like looking for animals in the clouds… I love your videos and creativity..thank you!

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    • Thank, Terri! I have a tufted bathroom rug that has different faces and animals hiding in the shadows. (There’s something about being in the bathroom with nothing else to do …:) ) I’ve tried to come back and draw a particularly interesting face or creature, but it’s never there when I get back with a paper and pen.

      After you have a chance to see the book, be sure to come back and let me know what you think!

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  2. I hope you have reconciled your cover because it looks fabulous! What an interesting subject matter and you are right, it would be great to have students try it out. I look forward to reading your book and I will share it with one of my sculpture buddies that teaches ceramic sculpture as well. It may even become a course or part of a collegiate sculpture course! Well done!

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    • That would be fun! My dad is going to take a copy to the local community center, where there’s a teacher who has sculpting workshops for older students. He promised to pass on any feedback he gets. The little faces can’t be fired if they use the WED clay, of course, but if the ceramics instructor shows them how to use a pottery clay, and shows them how to hollow them out on the back after they’re dry enough, they would work really well. Then you could tuck them in with houseplants or out in the garden. Or make a mold and cast them in plaster or concrete, like I did.

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  3. Hi Jonni, I am looking forward to seeing the book on Amazon, have 2 of your pm books already, and will get this one too. Thanks for sharing all your great work. Lesley, from Australia.

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  4. Wow, Jonni! How exciting. Looking forward to getting my copy. I know this will be a great seller. Thank you so much for all the time you invest in sharing your talent so that we might grow as artists.

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