Frequently Asked Questions and Craft Vocabulary.
What is the difference between a subtractive and an additive process?
An additive process in sculpture refers to the artist being able to add material to complete a piece. This is best illustrated by clay sculpting, where the artist uses conditioned sheets of clay wrapped around an armature to create mass. If the artist removes too much clay more can be added back without ruining the piece.
Contrast that with the subtractive process used in sculpting stone. The artist begins with a specific shape and size of stone and removes little bits to create the final shape. If the artist removes too much stone, it cannot simply be put back on. The sculpture would need to be adjusted to compensate for the missing mass. It is critical that a stone sculptor know exactly where to stop carving.
What does blocking or roughing out mean?
Every object can be broken down into very basic shapes such as cubes, cones and cylinders. The process of roughing out takes the stone and removes large amounts of the unwanted material to get the basic shape of the sculpture. It is critical that a stone sculptor know exactly where to stop roughing out as it is very easy to take too much stone off.