Benjamin Franklin never looked so good!!!!!

My first sculpture ever is that of (all people!!!) Benjamin Franklin, it is hidious, without any proportions and artistic beauty. The instructor tried to be as politicaly correct as possible while commenting on my sclupture, which in my opinion is a working progress (the progress party is debatable, but I assue you I am working very hard on it!). Some if his first comments include:

"Well, looks like the forehead and the chin are not coordinated?" Did you know that there is an "imaginary " line between the chin and the forehead, so everything that falls in between should be in line with this imaginary line??! Well, I didn't.

"Now we are getting somewhere". Then steps back, looks at my sculpture, then at me, and says, quite puzzled "What is your name, again?"

"Well, it is not a good idea to remove all the clay from underneath the head, it will top over- balance is essential in sculpture." Yes, I had removed all the "redundant" clay from under his double chin, it looked not so essential to me.

"The eyes - lets not make them as hollow. Benjamin was not a skeleton, as we all know." Fills in the deep holes with extra clay.

"Did you measure the head proportions with the original? Because yours kinda looks too big?" Then he measures it, and turns out mine is twice as big as the original! Chops away extra clay to fit proportions.

And I thought sculpting was going to be piece of cake! And did I mention that I had to stand for 3 and a half hours on my feet while working on Benjamin Franklin's head - because it is not a good idea to sit while sculpting. Let's do it the professional way, not like a bunch of amateurs, our instructor said!

Now my respect for all sculptors has doubled, tripled, quadrupled.... I don't think I will ever be able to look at Michelangelo's male body sculptures -they will give me too much pain!