Sunday, August 29, 2027, 10:00 am - 12:00 noon (Please choose just one Sunday Technique Discovery workshop. They're held simultaneously!)
 
Learn the fundamentals of sculpting a human face in polymer clay — a forgiving, low-risk medium that's perfect for building confidence before moving on to metal clay. Once the basics are in place, we'll go a step further, exploring how to take a well-proportioned face and push it into character territory.
 
Learn how to:
• Block in accurate human facial proportions using a tried-and-true sculpting method
• Shape and refine key features — eyes, nose, mouth, and jawline — for a balanced, lifelike face
• Adjust and exaggerate those same proportions to develop original characters
• Apply simple techniques for adding personality and expression to a sculpted face
 
This is a hands-on-optional session — bring your own polymer clay and sculpting tools to follow along, or simply watch and learn the process. This is a great introduction for anyone looking to sharpen their approach to faces.
 
This workshop is part of the Metal Clay Artists Symposium and requires purchase of the MCAS General Registration.
 
AJ Newell is a metalsmith, enamelist, and metal clay artist based near Richmond, Virginia, where she runs AJ Newell Studio. She has worked in metalsmithing for two decades and in metal clay since 2015. Her practice includes silver, bronze, and copper metal clay; enameling; keum-boo; digital pen plating; and traditional metalsmithing. She teaches hands-on workshops and online classes for venues including Metal Clay Live, Craftcast, Sawtooth School of Visual Art, Cool Tools, and Charmtree Studio. Recent presentations include a demonstration at SINTER 2026 and classes for MCL and the AMCAW Virtual Guild. She co-leads Marketing and Communications for AMCAW, and her work has appeared in the Metal Clay Expressions Exhibit. She holds a BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University and an MS in Marketing from West Virginia University.