st1.19

The ponytail is done by the same process of using a thicker wire (18g) wrapped round twice with 20g wire for the clay to 'key' to and to provide extra strength.
It will hold its form but is still flexible enough for you to be able to alter the shape (st1.19).
The shape and length of the ponytail wire was a bit of guess work as I've been working from only one perspective and was done really just by holding the wire against the sculpt and altering until I was happy. (see st.1.20).

st1.18

st1.17

st1.16

pic st1.16 & st1.17 show the sculpt having been smoothed and basic detail added - which were removed and re-done until I was happy). You can also see from (pic st1.18) a simple face has been made but as I mentioned earlier don't be too keen to put too much detail on yet, at this point I'm still looking at the overall shape.

Once fairly happy with the overall shape its time to start to smooth, this is still done with fingers and then using modelling tools (I used tools purchased from 'Alec Tirantis' based down in Reading, in particular from the BM series and a few of their stainless steel loop tools).
Its hard to actually explain how you use the sculptural tools without watching someone or a video tutorial but another simple way of describing is to roll sausages for things like creases which are not the easiest part of the model to make, I guess if your interested in doing some sculpture theres no better way than just buying and trying !

On this sculpt however I decided not to as the armature can get in the way of say working on putting detail with modelling tools onto you sculpts back, I prefer to be able to handle and turn what I'm working on as much as possible before any detail goes on. When you've hardened the sculpt you can machine/file away any exposed wire and fill in with 'Milliput - silver grey' which you will see on later pics as white where i have used it.

Making the wire frame of any model can be tricky as it should sit in the centre of the model and not actually support at all, this can be achieved by using an armature support which is basically a heavy metal base with a thick metal rod sticking straight up at 90 degrees and attached to that is another arm/rod, this can be moved up an down an around and you run a piece of thick wire say from the spine an attach the other end to the second rod, this can make the wire frame appear to float above the desk.

st1.15