I want to start sculpting with clay?

Question:As a beginner I am very facsinated in sculpting, not necesserly the whole body but maybe just head to shoulders. As a beginner are there any tips of where to begin? What type of clay or tools do I need and where can I find them? Any help would be great, thanks

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: As a beginner I am very facsinated in sculpting, not necesserly the whole body but maybe just head to shoulders. As a beginner are there any tips of where to begin? What type of clay or tools do I need and where can I find them? Any help would be great, thanks

You can start with simple oven hardening clay from the hobby shop. When you start getting good at it, they sell a clay online only called Prosculpt by Jack Johnston.

You first make a skull form out of tin foil in the shape and approx size that you want. Then cover the entire thing with clay and smooth it out. Make another large clay patty and place it in the face region. Your hands are your best tool along with a knitting needle. Find a doll that you like and use that as referance to eye, ear, mouth etc placement.

first you need to figure out if you have access to a kiln or not. For working with water based clay it is best if you can fire the clay. The temperatures required for this can vary from 1200-2300 F, so nothing you can easily do at home.
Oil clays like plasticine are great to practice with, but as they never harden you don't usually use them for permanent pieces.
Polymer or ovenbake clay are clays which you can harden at home at temperatures of an oven. They are more expensive than the water based clays and usually are used for smaller pieces. But they also come in a variety of colors.

In my first figure modeling classes I took we had to model our hand and feet as a first exercise. They were supposed to be as precise as possible. I found this exercise really helped, I still have a fairly easy time doing hands and feet. You may consider taking a class. Or there are a number of books which go through the process. Check out your library.