Introduction to Portrait Sculpting Skill Set
Turn clay into character — master the timeless craft of portrait sculpture. Over 15 weeks, you’ll immerse yourself in the fascinating world of portrait sculpture, learning the essential skills to create realistic, life-sized busts.
Overview
Campus Perth
When Semester 1, 2026
How On campus
Discover the Art of Sculpting the Human Head and Face
Over 15 weeks, you’ll immerse yourself in the fascinating world of portrait sculpture, learning the essential skills to create realistic, life-sized busts.
This course is designed for beginners and intermediate learners who want to develop a strong foundation in sculptural techniques while producing durable reference models for future artistic work. You’ll start by mastering the individual features that bring a face to life — eyes, ears, noses, and mouths — while exploring structure, form, and proportion. From there, you’ll learn how to capture anatomy and expression, understanding symmetry and emotional nuance. Working with professional materials such as oil-based plasticine and clay, you’ll refine fine details and construct strong internal armatures to support your sculptures.
Throughout the course, you’ll apply classical methods including the Loomis approach to geometric proportions, Bridgman’s anatomical principles, and Robert Bodem’s Drawing in Space technique. By the end, you will have created two life-sized busts — one based on Loomis proportions and another secondary planes bust — ready for firing and long-term use.
- Sculpt lifelike human features and complete, realistic busts with confidence
- Apply essential sculptural principles and classical techniques with precision
- Create durable, professional-quality reference models for future projects
- Build a solid foundation to advance into further study or independent sculptural practice
- Patience and attention to detail
- Good observation skills
- Willingness to practice and learn
- Basic hand-eye coordination
- Openness to classical techniques
- Interest in human form and creativity
- Commitment to completing the course
Select your preferred campus and apply
Semester 1, 2026
Details
Course fees
| Tuition | Resource | Total fee* | |
|---|---|---|---|
| General | $244.00 | $50.00 | $294.00 |
| Concession | $73.50 | $50.00 | $123.50 |
Units and fees
Core
| National ID Unit title | General | Concession | Resource |
|---|---|---|---|
| CUADES303 Explore and apply the creative design process to 3D forms | $244.00 | $73.50 | $50.00 |
*Fee disclaimers
The fees quoted are estimates only and are for the entire course for local students enrolling on a full-time basis. Please view the full list of Fee disclaimers.
Please note fees listed include all units required to gain this qualification. If you're a continuing student and have successfully completed a lower-level qualification that is a prerequisite for this course, you'll only pay for the units that you need to enrol in, to complete this course.
Enquiries regarding fees can be made by calling us.
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This form is only for course enquiries. If you would like to apply, please refer to the SELECT YOUR PREFERRED CAMPUS AND APPLY section above.