Visualize the final appearance of your sculpture. Some sculptors prefer to “find” the image as they sculpt, but it is helpful to start out with an idea.
Draw a rough draft of your sculpture from the front, back and sides. This provides you with a guide to use during the sculpting process.
Work the modeling clay in your hands to prepare it until it becomes soft and pliable.
Build the basic shape of your sculpture; do not worry about details at this point, just focus on the overall size and shape.
Remove clay from the sculpture with your knife to create shapes. This is the basic form of carving and is useful for creating cracks, folds or impressions in the clay.
Add small pieces of clay to create protrusions. Adding clay allows you to build up certain areas of the clay surface; creating a nose on a face, for example, or adding a mountain to a landscape.
Add and subtract clay until you feel the shape is adequately worked out.
Smooth the clay with a modeling spatula and use a line tool to add small details to the clay.
Work your way around the sculpture with your tools to increase realism and fine-tune each part.