Bespoke Process - Large Print

3D printing with clay takes a lot of trial and error to get the consistency just right. For this project, I chose to print an 11" Tacarigua-inspired figurine using Bryan's CERA-1 clay printer and Andersen red clay. Bryan shared the clay recipe for the process, and we had to rehydrate and dry the clay several times before it was workable.

One of the key techniques Bryan shared was how to properly seal the bottom of the figurine's feet. Instead of letting the printer handle this entirely, we printed the first layer as an outline, then pressed soft clay slabs inside the shape until it became a solid base. Once that was done, we restarted the print, and the rest was a waiting game as the layers built up.

Despite my careful preparation with the digital toolpaths, the top of the head didn't seal properly. To fix this, I turned on the clay extruder and manually added coils to the top, smoothing them out to blend seamlessly with the rest of the sculpture. A couple of days later, once the clay had set slightly, I carved patterns into the head to better integrate the fix with the overall design.

Now, the figurine has fully dried and is currently undergoing bisque firing. Once that’s complete, the final firing will bring the piece to its finished state. Looking forward to seeing the final result!