By James Fitzgerald

My Careers Project

SculptingThe career that I have chosen for my project is a career in Sculpting. I have chosen this career for my project because I have always loved art and I really like the fact that with sculpting you can make your art 3D.

Sculpting King Kong – Weta Workshop Gollum Sculpture, Wellington Airport – Weta Workshop

What is Sculpting and What Does a Sculptor

Do?Sculpting is the art of making figures or designs by carving wood, moulding clay, casting metals etc. There are very limited available jobs for sculptors so not many people take up this career. In some cases sculptors are self employed and make whatever they want and sell it to clients. In other cases sculptors are employed and they work at places such as Weta Workshop and make sculptures for movies and other things.

Skills & QualificationsTo be a sculptor you need to have a variety of natural artistic skills. First of all you need to have a good imagination. You have to be creative to do well in a sculpting career. You also need to be an excellent freehand drawer and skillful with a range of different tools and materials . Another important skill is to be able to work accurately to a tight deadline as you may not have a huge amount of time to create your artwork. The main skill you need for any type of art is really just natural artistic talent.Some artists are self-taught but others go on from school to study a Bachelor of Fine Arts. If you want to study for this degree you will have to have studied NCEA art so that you have a portfolio of your artwork to present to the university in order to be accepted. If you want to be a sculptor in the film industry it is recommended that you also study history at college. To increase your chance of being accepted for the university course you will need to show imagination and originality in your work. Universities look for people who can showcase their talent so it is also important to do this.

Career PathwayThere is not really a clear career pathway for a sculptor. There are two different career pathways for a sculptor to take – an employed sculptor or a self-employed sculptor. You need to know that you want to be an artist when you are still at school so that you can take art classes and develop an art portfolio. You also need to practice art in your spare time. When you begin your career as a self-employed sculptor you need to have good all round art skills. You may choose to study for a Bachelor of Fine Arts or you may just keep sculpting your best work and slowly build up your reputation. If you want to get a reasonable income you will need to have clients or galleries to sell your art to. If you are lucky you may win a scholarship to study overseas. If you want to work as an employed sculptor then you will also need to have natural art skills and you will definitely need a Bachelor of Fine Arts to get a sculpting job at a company like Weta Workshop. You then just work for your company and make sculptures when needed.

Self-Employed Sculptor

DISADVANTAGES You need another job while you establish

your reputation and develop a client base

Hard to make a living when you are starting out

Hard to get a regular flow of income Some materials worked with are toxic

ADVANTAGES You are paid to do what you love You have control over what you make You have control over the hours you work You get to be imaginative and creative You can express yourself

Employed SculptorDISADVANTAGES

Long hours of work Your creativity is slightly more

limited than that of a self-employed sculptor as you are told what you are to make

Hard to find an available job Some materials worked with are

toxic

ADVANTAGES You are paid to do what you love If you work for companies like

Weta Workshop you get to make sculptures for movies

You don’t have to pay for your own resources

You get a regular income

Artist / Sculptor FactsThere are no New Zealand statistics for sculptors specifically

but they come in to the broader category of artists. Pay Pay for artists varies depending on your ability, how productive you are, and what type of work you do.

How Many New Zealanders are Doing this Job?2012-3898, 2011-3787, 2010-3515. Numbers of New Zealand artists are increasing.

Job OpportunitiesThere are few job opportunities. Opportunities to make a living as an artist are poor due to it being a small industry that is hard to become established in.

Hours of WorkSelf-employed sculptors choose how long they work for each day but employed sculptors work the hours that their employer states.

Working with PeopleWhen working as a self-employed sculptor you work by yourself but when you work as a self-employed sculptor you can work with others or by yourself.

Source: Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, '2003-2012 Occupation Data' (prepared for Careers New Zealand), 2012.

Job Advertisements

It was very hard to find a particular job advertisement for a sculptor as there

are so few jobs available. Instead

of finding a particular sculpting

advertisement I managed to find

two advertisements for artist in general.

HERE ARE SOME IMAGES OF

SCULPTURES MADE BY WETA

WORKSHOP.

Using the 123D Creature sculpting app I made my own sculpture. Here are some screen shots I took whilst I made my

sculpture.

Here are some screen shots of my finished sculpture…