Key Stage

KS3 (ENG), KS4 (ENG), KS3 (NI), KS4 (NI), CfE L4 (SCO), CfE L3 (SCO), KS3 (WAL), KS4 (WAL), CfE Sen. (SCO)
Art term

Casting and bronze, Clay modelling
Created by

Art UK
Topics

Self portraits, Everyday costume

Peter Palmer (active 1970–1972)

Portsmouth Museums and Visitor Services

About this resource

How did artist Peter Palmer create this powerful self-portrait?

This lesson plan explores Portrait of Peter, a near-life-size self-portrait sculpture in the collection of Portsmouth Museums and Visitor Services. The sculpture was cast from the artist’s own body in stoneware clay using a press mould technique.

This lesson plan provides suggestions for:

exploring the sculpture and the techniques used to make it
investigating clay techniques
finding out about mould-making and casting
making a press mould sculpture and other creative activities inspired by Portrait of Peter

This Art and Design resource offers a series of activities that can be used together as a lesson plan or as individual components to integrate into your own scheme of work. It is devised for Key Stage 3 / CfE Level 3 and 4 students but may also suit Key Stage 4 students / CfE senior phase.

National Curriculum for England

Art and design
- Produce creative work
- Become proficient in sculpture and design techniques
- Evaluate and analyse creative works
- Know about great artists and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms
- Actively engage in the creative process of art, craft and designs
- Develop and refine ideas and proposals
- Develop an awareness of the purposes, intentions and functions of art, craft and design

Northern Ireland Curriculum

Art and design
- Developing students' own personal and creative responses
- Developing creative thinking skills through designing and making
- Investigate and respond to works of art that relate to their lives and experiences

Scotland's Curriculum for Excellence

Art and design
- I have experimented with a range of media and technologies to create images and objects, using my understanding of their properties (EXA 3-02a)
- While working through a design process in response to a design brief, I can develop and communicate imaginative design solutions (EXA 3-06a)
- I can respond to the work of artists and designers by discussing my thoughts and feelings. I can give and accept constructive comment on my own and others' work (EXA 3-07a)
- I have continued to experiment with a range of media and technologies handling them with control and assurance to create images and objects. I can apply my understanding of the properties of media and of techniques to specific tasks (EXA 4-02a)
- By working through a design process in response to a design brief, I can develop and communicate imaginative and original design solutions (EXA 4-06a)
- I can analyse art and design techniques, processes and concepts, make informed judgements and express considered opinions on my own and others' work (EXA 4-07a)

National Curriculum for Wales (2008)

Art and design
- Students use their knowledge about the work of other artists to enrich and inform their work through analysis and evaluation
- Students use a variety of processes
- Students evaluate their work through discussion

New Curriculum for Wales (2022)

Expressive Arts

Exploring the expressive arts is essential to developing artistic skills and knowledge and it enables learners to become curious and creative individuals.

Progression step 4:

I can explore and experiment with my own and others’ creative ideas, demonstrating increasingly complex technical control, innovation, independent thinking and originality to develop my work with confidence, being able to explain my reasons behind choices made and evaluate their effectiveness on my creative work

I can explore creative work, understanding the personal, social, cultural and historical context, including the conventions of the period in which it was created.

I can investigate and understand how meaning is communicated through the ideas of other artists and performers.

Progression step 5:

I can explore and experiment with my own creative ideas and those of others, demonstrating technical control, innovation, independent thinking and originality, showing confidence to take risks and developing resilience in order to overcome creative challenges.

I can investigate and analyse how creative work is used to represent and celebrate personal, social and cultural identities.

Responding and reflecting, both as artist and audience, is a fundamental part of learning in the expressive arts.

Progression step 4:

I can effectively evaluate my own creative work and that of others showing increasing confidence to recognise and articulate strengths, and to demonstrate resilience and determination to improve.

I can apply knowledge and understanding of context when evaluating my own creative work and creative work by other people and from other places and times.

I can evaluate the effectiveness of a wide range of artistic techniques in producing meaning.

Progression step 5:

I can critically and thoughtfully respond to and analyse the opinion and creative influences of others in order to independently shape and develop my own creative work.

I can critically evaluate the way artists use discipline-specific skills and techniques to create and communicate ideas.

Creating combines skills and knowledge, drawing on the senses, inspiration and imagination.

Progression step 4:

I can use my experimentation and investigation to manipulate creative work with purpose and intent when communicating my ideas.

I can apply specialised technical skills in my creative work.

I can purposefully use my design skills and apply a range of solutions to clarify and refine final creative ideas.

I can draw upon my experiences and knowledge to inform and develop strategies to overcome creative challenges with imagination and resilience.

Progression step 5:

I can synthesise and apply experience, knowledge and understanding with sophistication and intent when communicating my ideas.

I can use professionally established, discipline-specific techniques confidently and convincingly in my creative work and work towards industry standard.

I can design creative outcomes to professional and industry-standard with sophistication, clear purpose and intent.

I can use effective strategies to take risks with my own creative work and can display resilience to overcome creative challenges.

First impressions... what do you think?

Show students a photograph of the sculpture Portrait of Peter. (More views of the artwork can be seen by clicking on the image and visiting the artwork page.)

Encourage students to reflect on and discuss the sculpture as a class or in small groups.

Use these nudge questions if helpful:

what are your first impressions of the sculpture? What does the sculpture show?
what do you think and feel when you look at the sculpture?
do you think Peter is resting? Is he waiting for someone? Is he just sitting and thinking…?
what material do you think the sculpture is made from?
what techniques do you think the artist used to make the sculpture?
can you spot any possible clues to how it was made?

Watch and discuss

Once students have discussed their first impressions, watch this short video as a class. It shows a group of young people visiting Portsmouth Museum to see Portrait of Peter and sharing their responses.

Ask your students what they think of the video.
Do they agree with any of the points being made by the students?
What have they found out about the sculpture?

How was Portrait of Peter made?

Portrait of Peter was made using a cast.

Peter Palmer used plaster to cast and make moulds of his own clothed body. He made lots of moulds of the different areas of his body – using 10 moulds for his head alone!

He then pressed clay into the plaster moulds to create the pieces for his sculpture. After removing the clay from the moulds he fired it in a kiln.

Once fired, he attached the pieces together using a resin. (This is why there is a patchwork of seams across the sculpture's surface.)

Although cast from his own body, the sculpture is slightly smaller than life-size, as clay shrinks in the kiln.

Explain Peter Palmer's technique to your students and discuss it in relation to Portrait of Peter.

Do you think the artist was 'cheating' by casting his own body rather than modelling his self-portrait?
The sculpture is textured – where do you think the textures come from?
Why do you think his eyes are closed in the sculpture?

Explore more clay sculptures and techniques

This slideshow includes a range of sculptures made using clay.

Deutschland 1946 1947 Karl Weschke (1925–2005)
House Hugh Colvin
Concentric Flower 2003 Halima Cassell (b.1975)
Cat Looking Up* 1960s–1970s unknown artist
Clay Slab VII 1982 John Maine (b.1942)
Figurative Landscape 1981 Helaine Blumenfeld (b.1942)

Look at each sculpture with your class and ask students to think about and discuss the techniques and tools the artist might have used to make it.

Use these nudge questions if helpful:

describe the sculpture
what shapes can you see? (Flat geometric shapes, curved shapes, organic shapes?)
what does the surface of the sculpture look like? (Is it smooth? Does it have any marks?)
what techniques do you think the artist used to make the sculpture? (Did they model it? Did they build it from prepared slabs? Did they carve it? Did they use a mould?)

Clay modelling

This sculpture is made by modelling clay. The artist started with an unformed lump of clay and modelled it using their fingers to create the shapes and forms of the sculpture.

If you look closely at the surface of this sculpture of a cat, you will see the marks of the clay tool used to shape the sculpture. (The marks also suggest the texture of fur).

To model larger sculptures from clay, artists often begin with an armature made from wire. They then add clay to this to build up the sculpture and then model the details.

Find out more about using an armature to model clay with this Art UK activity

Clay carving

Artist Halima Cassell carved the geometric shapes of her clay sculpture using tools. In her art, she combines her love of maths and architectural geometry with her interest in Islamic design and African pattern-work.

Watch Halima Cassell at work and find out more about her technique

Slab construction

Artist John Maine constructed this abstract sculpture from blocks or slabs of clay. These would have been pre-made and then joined together using a clay slip. To join separate clay pieces together, the edges of the clay are roughened before the slip is applied, to help with the binding process.

Hugh Colvin also used pre-made clay slabs to construct House. He would have made the stepped shapes on the top of the walls and incised the tile decoration on the roof before constructing the house. After firing the sculpture the house has been glazed giving it a shiny surface.

Press mould

Like Peter Palmer, artist Helaine Blumenfeld pressed clay into a textured mould to create the surface of Figurative Landscape. She has then roughly torn and bent the thin clay panels to form an abstract sculpture.

About casting

Peter Palmer made the moulds for his self-portrait by casting his own body.

Casting is a common sculptural technique and is usually associated with bronze or plaster sculptures made by pouring molten (liquid) bronze or liquid plaster into casts. Casting and moulding processes are generally used either for making copies of existing sculptures or, as used by Peter Palmer, as an essential stage in the production of finished work.

Find out more about casting

Activity suggestions

Make a simple press mould sculpture from clay

Task your students with making a sculpture using pressed clay.

This video explains how to make a simple plaster cast from a 3D object and press clay into the mould to create a sculpture. Using a mould allows for multiple copies of the sculpture to be created.

For more detailed instructions see resource: How to cast a 3D object

Development ideas

Students could make multiple objects from their mould and attach these together to create an assemblage sculpture. (If each student casts a different object, they could share the moulds and create an assemblage sculpture using a mix of forms.)
Students could cut up their clay casts before firing and once fired, re-arrange and attach the segments together to create abstract sculptures.

Explore the sculptures of Eduardo Paolozzi for ideas. Krokadeel is made from an assemblage of parts of found objects, machinery and toys which Paolozzi cast in metal.

Paolozzi also cut up plaster sculptures he had cast and roughly re-joined the pieces together to create fractured, disjointed versions of the original.

Explore textures in clay

The jacket and shoes worn by Peter Palmer in his self-portrait are textured. The textures of his real clothes were transferred to the plaster when the cast was made.

Gather objects with texture such as lace or loosely woven cloth, leaves or sprigs of foliage or old trainers with a textured sole.
Task students with making a relief plaque with a textured pattern by pushing the different textured objects into slabs of clay.

The textured slabs could also be used to make vases or other vessels.

Or use them to make an abstract sculpture inspired by artist Helaine Blumenfeld's Figurative Landscape (1981).

Creative writing activity: what's Peter’s story?

Task students with writing a short story, poem, short play or piece of creative writing inspired by Portrait of Peter.

Use these prompts to spark ideas:

who is Peter?
why is he sitting on this bench?
is he on his way somewhere?
is he waiting for someone?
what is he thinking and feeling?

Extension activities

Experiment with some of the other clay techniques explored in this resource.

Create a building or abstract sculpture

Artists John Maine and Hugh Colvin used slab construction techniques to create their sculptures.

Task students with using slab construction techniques to construct a building or structure.

Watch this YouTube video for slab building tips

Carve a pattern in clay

Artist Halima Cassell carves into clay to create her geometric patterned sculptures.

Task students with creating a patterned panel by carving into clay.
Begin by designing a pattern. Students could use their maths skills to design a geometric pattern or could create a more freeform pattern.
Make the clay panel by rolling the clay with a rolling pin. The panel should be at least 2–3cm thick to allow for carving.
They should initially draw their designs onto the panel and then use clay tools or old cutlery (not sharp knives!) to carve into the clay.

Look again at Halima Cassell at work
Explore patterned artworks for inspiration

Lesson plan: Animals and us: Kenny Hunter's animal sculptures

Activity: Design and make a press mould tile

Activity: Cast a simple sculpture

Lesson plan: Dora Gordine and portraiture

Lesson plan: William Lamb: sculpture and 3D models

Sculptor Andrew Sinclair on creating figurative sculpture 12 December 2019, Andrew Sinclair
The politics of clay: Black women, ceramics and contemporary art 20 April 2022, Jareh Das
Art UK Home School: telling stories through sculpture with Hazel Reeves 24 September 2020, Hazel Reeves
Meeting Bob and Bob at the Royal Ulster Academy 18 May 2018, Alison Mitchelson
Pop stars and portraits 27 August 2018, Victoria Rodrigues O'Donnell