In this lesson, Judy Fox focuses on feature refinement by using under-view photos and deliberate angle changes to expose proportion and placement errors. You will learn how to keep the outline true to the model while refining brow structure, eye volumes and lids, cheekbone flow, lips, and chin as connected forms rather than isolated details. Judy also demonstrates a simplified approach to the ear that prioritizes its major turns in space and its relationship to the head. The lesson concludes with practical guidance on photo accuracy, including parallax and orientation, so your corrections stay grounded in what you actually see.

This lesson belongs to Ceramic Portrait Sculpting Part 2: Pinch Pot Bust. In this 8-week course, sculptor Judy Fox guides you through building and finishing a hand-built ceramic portrait bust using photo reference, proportional measurement, and a controlled, step-by-step construction process. You will learn how to capture reliable reference, use calipers to maintain scale, and work in timed stages so the clay firms between lifts and remains structurally sound. As the bust develops, Judy demonstrates how to check proportion and placement through cross sections, silhouette, and key landmarks, refining the shoulders, neck, and head before closing the form with clean joins and thickness control.

The second half of the course shifts into rendering and refinement. You will learn how to correct cross-contours from higher and lower angle photos, refine features as connected volumes, clarify ear structure, and unify the surface without losing the underlying planes. By the end, you will have a completed bust and a repeatable process for building and refining future portrait sculptures.