Clay Sculpture Workshop: Making a Human Head

How to make a human head sculpture with clay!



6.5 hours Location Collingwood Class size 1 to 6 (public classes), 2 to 8   $280 (Afterpay available)

Step 1: Set up the support for the head.

Step 1: Set Up the Support for the Head

Set up the support for the head by fixing a plumbing pipe onto a timber base. This will hold the head steady.


Step 2: Form the base of the head with newspaper.

Step 2: Form the Base of the Head with Newspaper

Form a paper ball for the structure of the head by crumpling paper around the upper half of the pipe, starting from the top.


Step 3: Secure the paper with masking tape.

Step 3: Secure the Paper with Masking Tape

Wrap masking tape around the paper just enough to keep it in place.


Step 4: Wrap the paper in clay.

Step 4: Wrap the Paper in Clay

Cover the paper ball completely with clay, making a thick wall about 1 cm thick.


Step 5: Round out the clay.

Step 5: Round Out the Clay

Shape the clay into a round shape using a spatula.


Step 6: Add the chin.

Step 6: Add the Chin

Attach a piece of clay to the lower part of the face to form the chin.


Step 7: Mark the face proportions and make the eye sockets.

Step 7: Mark the Face Proportions and Make the Eye Sockets

Make a mark in the middle of the face and divide it roughly into three equal parts for guidance, then press in the eye sockets.


Step 8: Shape features.

Step 8: Shape Features

Add a nose and define the cheekbones.


Step 9: Add more features.

Step 9: Add More Features

With a tool make a line for the mouth and refine it, add the ears, and further define the nose and cheekbones.


Step 10: Make the eyes.

Step 10: Make the Eyes

Add a round shape into the eye sockets and blend it smoothly with the rest of the face, then create the eye line.


Step 11: Finish up.

Step 11: Finish Up

Refine the surface and shape until the sculpture is resolved.


One-Day Sculpture Workshop: Sculpting the Human Head
This one-day sculpture course in Melbourne is limited to 5 participants and focuses on sculpting a clay head, with an emphasis on structure, anatomy, and expression.
In this one day course, you will:
  • Learn the basic structure of the human head
  • Understand how facial features fit together
  • Shape a clay head step by step with guidance
  • Add simple details to finish your sculpture
  • Use the tools provided in the studio
Course details:
This is a one-day sculpture workshop focused on sculpting a human head in clay. You will be guided step by step from simple forms to a finished head sculpture.
Only 5 spots per session.
The $280 price includes all materials and full use of studio tools on the day.
*Please note: you need to bring your own lunch — there will be a 30-minute lunch break.
By the end of the workshop, you will have completed a clay head sculpture and developed a basic understanding of figurative sculpture.

Upcoming dates for Clay Sculpture Workshop: Making a Human Head

Times are Melbourne time. Dates and prices as of 23 Oct 2026, 7:30am; availability and price are confirmed live when booking on this page.

2 upcoming dates between 29 Oct 2026 and 14 Nov 2026.

  • Thu 29 Oct 2026, 10am-4:30pm
  • Sat 14 Nov 2026, 10am-4:30pm
What you'll get
  • Personalised instruction during the workshop.
  • Access to sculpting trestles, clay and materials needed for the completion of the sculpture.
  • A fully finished clay head sculpture made by the student.
Read more details   
Knowledge required
Suitable for beginners
What to bring
  • Bring your own lunch — there will be a 30-minute lunch break.
  • Wear clothes that might get dirty.
Suitable for

This class is great for individuals and couples as well as for a date idea, team building activity, Christmas party, birthday or hens party.

This experience would also be a unique gift for her, gift for mum, Xmas gift or gift for couples.

Location

Collingwood, VIC

Exact location is masked for privacy. You'll automatically get the specific address after booking.

Clay Sculpture Workshop: Making a Human Head location
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Recent reviews of Clay Sculpture Workshop: Making a Human Head

  • 5/5 from Shari Hart, attended Oct 2026: What a fabulous workshop! The day flew by. Alexander is a skilled master and a brilliant teacher. His teaching techniques are easy to understand and implement. This space is clean and light filled, very well equipped with tools, clay, and references needed for the day. Alexander is helpful and enthusiastic, each participant left with a complete finished work that was ready to transport home.
  • 5/5 from Chandos Ford, attended Oct 2026: Really fabulous class - I learnt a lot and everyone seem to enjoy the class with the teacher being bet attentive
  • 5/5 from Joanna Thoo, attended Sep 2026: This was a great workshop. Alessandro explains facial anatomy and different techniques well. I was pretty happy with what I produced.
  • 5/5 from Annie Harvey, attended Sep 2026: This class was fantastic, for my first time I brought home a sculptured head I am proud of. The teacher was amazing, supportive and easy to follow.
  • 5/5 from David Locke, attended Sep 2026: Another great class with Alex. There were only 5 of us in the class, so you get great one to one time. The teaching is excellent. I strongly recommend this course.
  • 5/5 from Emma Goodsir, attended Sep 2026: This class is great. I got so much out of it. Great instructions and tips. To walk away with a finished piece by the end of one day was really satisfying.
  • 5/5 from Greg Kabov, attended Sep 2026: I signed up for this class because I have loved working with clay and sculpting since I was a child. However, I had very little knowledge or experience in sculpture. This human head sculpting class was incredibly helpful. It taught me where to begin and introduced me to many different techniques for sculpting the facial features and creating a realistic human head. Alex explained and demonstrated everything in great detail. His clear instructions and guidance made the process much easier to understand and gave me more confidence in my own work. Most importantly, this class inspired me to continue doing something I truly enjoy — sculpting. I’m very grateful for the knowledge and inspiration I gained from this experience.Thank you Alex.
  • 5/5 from Liz Blackburn, attended Aug 2026: The sculpture class was fantastic! Alex was so helpful and inspiring, easygoing and relaxed, he didn’t take over you work but gave excellent instruction and advice.. I throughly enjoyed the experience and was thrilled with the end result.. Under Alex’s direction, this class is suitable for people with or without previous sculpting experience! It was great to have a small group so you felt like you got all the attention and assistance you needed! Highly recommended!!! I will be doing this again!
  • 5/5 from Neerja Choahan, attended Aug 2026: Alexander is a wonderful teacher. This was my first time sculpting and he made it look very easy with simple techniques and steps for beginners. All the materials were provided. Really fun and very enjoyable class. I can’t believe that I made the sculpture!
  • 5/5 from David Locke, attended Aug 2026: I loved this class. Alex is great. Doing a head sculpture in 1 day is a lot of work but with Alex's help and advice we all managed it. I highly recommend this course.
  • 5/5 from Kirsten Laken, attended Aug 2026: Another fantastic class with Alexander. Alexander has a very structured and easy to follow set of directions that he leads us through, he is friendly, understanding, caring and very skilled. He gave me great advice toward bringing my sculpture to life with more expression and enhancing small details. My husband joined me this time and he had a fabulous time, had never sculpted before, so was gobsmacked that he created a head that looked realistic and appealing, worthy of displaying in our home. Alexander has given us both great confidence regarding sculpting with clay, we’ll both be back for more classes
  • 5/5 from Gina Kalabishis, attended Aug 2026: A excellent introduction into the foundations of sculpting the human head! Alexander is a master in his profession, patient and his teaching is outstanding! Highly recommended from a past lecturer in art.
  • 5/5 from Selwyn Hoffmann, attended Aug 2026: to try my hand at working with clay, encouraged to build up the face with my hands and very few tools, studying every muscle and expression. The process felt deeply natural and emotional, with a strong sense of independence and freedom of choice
  • 5/5 from Garey, attended Aug 2026: Alexander is a great teacher, he has calm presence and delivers a smooth and well balanced corse.
  • 5/5 from Anne Lucas, attended Aug 2026: One day head sculpture - Learnt new techniques to improve my work. Tried things I hadn’t done before. Alexander was very helpful and supportive of everyone giving step by step demonotstrstions and instructions. The atmosphere was friendly and chatty in between all the concentration of creating. I loved the authenticity of the venue and the positive teaching style.
  • 5/5 from Natalie Russell, attended Jul 2026: This was the by far the best clay course I have ever attended. Alexander is a brilliant teacher. He gives clear instructions and has fabulous methods and a structured approach that you can take away and put straight into practice. Coming away with a completed bust is amazing after 6.5 hours. Awesome we will be back. Thank you Alexander
  • 5/5 from Zaina Razzaq, attended Jul 2026: Absolutely loved the class. Small group meant that I got time with Alex, who was wonderful and explained the techniques really well. The day just flew by. Can’t recommend enough.
  • 5/5 from Melissa Di Mieri, attended Jul 2026: Learnt so much as this was my first time created a piece. Alexander is so kind, warm and passionate with his students. It was a wonderful workshop. Thank you
  • 5/5 from Sharon Orbell, attended Jul 2026: Excellent, well-structured class that provided a solid understanding of the bone and muscle composition to sculpt a head. A full-on day of productive learning. Alexander was a wonderful teacher who gave clear instruction and feedback. Guiding you to move quickly and produce your work. A really good workshop.
  • 5/5 from Cassitie Galliott, attended Jul 2026: The class was great! Well paced with lots of guidance :)
  • 5/5 from Shelley Kaplan, attended Jul 2026: Fantastic, informative and fun workshop
  • 5/5 from Majid Forati, attended Jul 2026: I left with a smile in my face and my sculpture in my hands
  • 5/5 from Danielle Thiris, attended Jun 2026: Learnt so many things about sculpting the human head, Alex was friendly, helpful and focused, a natural teacher, beautiful studio space with windows and a fun day. Excited to try building a head with terracotta using the techniques learnt
  • 5/5 from Megan Cuthbert, attended May 2026: Was a really fun class. We were walked through each of the stages clearly but still got to be quite hands on and creative
  • 5/5 from Eabha Bortolozzo, attended May 2026: Had so much fun learning to sculpt a head with Alexander. Something I have always wanted to try and it was really enjoyable. The time went so quick and it was lovely way to meet new people. Thank you! Éabha.
  • 5/5 from Christine Young, attended May 2026: I had been wanting to find a sculpture course for some time to help with portraiture drawing, and after reading all the 5-star reviews, the course exceeded expectations. Alexandra was excellent, professional, knowledgeable - it was well-paced, time flew, with a very well-equipped studio. I learnt so much about facial composition and felt inspired to attend another course afterwards. Highly recommend!
  • 5/5 from Kylie Crampton, attended May 2026: A fantastic workshop on how to build a human head! Alexander taught us the skills and techniques required to build and sculpt a head with clay. He provided clear instructions through the demonstration of each stage, along with tips on how to use the tools to ensure all achieved success. The environment is well resourced and conducive to learning. I highly recommend this class.
  • 5/5 from Elvis Richardson, attended Apr 2026: Going through all the steps to create a proportional human head everyone got good results great teacher very knowledgeable
  • 5/5 from Sunday McLellan, attended Apr 2026: So fun! I loved this class so much that I’m going back to do another one. All the other reviews on this class are right, it’s a good pace, the day flies by and I was surprised at how well everyone’s (even my own) turned out considering most of us had no prior experience I based mine off of a singer who’s eye roll and facial expression of disgust i find very satisfying (I used a reference for the eye roll)
  • 5/5 from Sally Pecoraro, attended Apr 2026: One of the best classes I've ever done!!! I was a complete beginner at clay sculpting and Alexander was a great teacher, showing knowledge, patience and encouragement. I loved the technical component to the class. Then we had the freedom to be creative at times to make our sculture unique to us. Small class size meant lots of individual attention if required. I would 100% recommend this class!!
  • 5/5 from Sophie Morgan, attended Mar 2026: Alexander was an amazing teacher, and I loved every minute of it! My husband and I had so much fun spending the day learning how to sculpt as first-timers, and I was surprised with how well they turned out. Definitely gave me an interest in clay sculpture!
  • 5/5 from Kyrstie Barcak, attended Mar 2026: I loved it! The class was fantastic. The small class size means Alexander is able to provide dedicated attention to each person to help them develop their piece. The models and instructions have really helped me understand how to improve. Thanks Alexander! It was so great to be able to learn a little from your expertise.
  • 5/5 from Rachel Hogan, attended Mar 2026: Perfect size class, Alexander was able to help each of us when needed. Lots of support and freedom but we’re shown all the techniques required to complete a head sculpture. The right length class too, Alexander paced it appropriately, so we wouldn’t feel rushed. Would highly recommend this class, we had members who had sculpted before and some who hadn’t and everyone learned from the day and brought home a completed piece.
  • 5/5 from Susan Portbury, attended Mar 2026: We had a terrific time creating our ceramic sculpture. Alexander is a great teacher and his simple explanations and hands on instruction produced superb heads, each with its own personality. The result was much better than I anticipated for a beginner! I would highly recommend this workshop.
  • 4/5 from Michelle Hryniewski, attended Mar 2026: Alexander was a wonderful teacher and although I already had sculpting experience, I picked up lots of new tricks! He taught thoroughly and with patience and at the end I took home a lovely piece!
  • 3/5 from Hannah Cogger, attended Mar 2026: I was really looking forward to this class! It was a bit daunting as I was the only one who hadn’t sculpted before, but I learned a lot and my bust didn’t turn out too badly! I would have loved more information about this class prior to attending, as it was a full, fairly physical day with only one break, and you are always on your feet, so for anyone interested be prepared! It was also an incredibly hot workroom with no air conditioning, I personally did this class in summer and it was pretty warm! So come ready for that. For the class I was told to just bring myself and nothing else, but there was no lunch or snacks provided, and the break was only twenty five minutes, which really didn’t allow me enough time to go out and get food. Had I known prior to the class, I’d have brought my own food and drink. I would recommend the class, as sculpting a bust is pretty amazing!:-) but just keep in mind it’s pretty heavy going and not the easiest conditions to work in.
  • 5/5 from Lukas Xuereb, attended Jan 2026: Alexander was knowledgable, proficient and friendly. The class was challenging in just the right amounts, while also highlighting the'whys' of doing certain things. A most enjoyable experience.
  • 5/5 from Merryl Shand, attended Jan 2026: The class was very satisfying. With Alessandro’s guidance we all managed to make very believable heads including a fantastic orc. (Well done Lucas). Great class.
  • 5/5 from Rahul Kamble, attended Jan 2026: Alex kept the class very interactive sharing useful tips and guidance. He ensured the session is fun and interesting at the same time. Would definitely recommend this class for all skill levels.
  • 5/5 from Suzanne Bentley, attended Jan 2026: Our instructor Alexander, was informative and skilled in sculpture of clay. The venue was perfect for this class and easily accessible, we had all the tools and amenities required. The class was limited to 5 students which gave us all access to Alexander when required. A very well run class, with a talented instructor.
  • 5/5 from Sivonne Binks, attended Jan 2026: A great workshop. Alexander is a brilliant teacher - clear, patient and inspiring. Before I knew it I had sculpted a human head! Thank you for a great day.
  • 5/5 from Karishma Kulkarni, attended Jan 2026: I had a really nice time. Alejandro is a very good teacher - friendly, easy to approach, involved and teaches sensible techniques. I have no creative background at all and did the workshop more to enjoy myself. Truly enjoyed the process and love the artwork that I created finally.
  • 5/5 from Linda Clark, attended Jan 2026: Great class, really well structured. Alexander is a very experienced teacher and I learnt heaps. Really enjoyed it from start to finish
  • 5/5 from Saloni Lunia, attended Dec 2025: Great teacher, the workshop was structured well. Alexander only took 3 of us, which means gave lot of attention to each of us.
  • 5/5 from Diana Bafi, attended Dec 2025: Great workshop, Alexandra was an amazing experienced instructor Highly recommended
  • 5/5 from Alison Thompson, attended Dec 2025: I absolutely loved the Clay Sculpture: Making a Human Head workshop. The finished pieces were incredible and every participant walked away with a unique and beautiful sculpture. The teacher was friendly, very knowledgeable and a truly stunning sculptor, with an impressive ability to break complex processes down into clear, teachable steps. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, and the studio space was fantastic and easily accessible. Overall, a superb workshop that I would highly recommend.
  • 5/5 from Steve Lieow, attended Dec 2025: I always wanted to try doing sculpting and thanks for the amazing class and instruction from Alexander. I have learned so much and it was an amazing experience.
  • 5/5 from Andy Ferg, attended Dec 2025: Learned all the basics and applied them with the guidance of Alexander. Thoroughly enjoyed myself and ended the day with fully formed clay head. Learning how to get the proportions right and apply the tools in a fairly quick way was brilliant. Highly recommend.
  • 5/5 from Claude Manzoni, attended Dec 2025: Excellent teacher simplifed difficult subject.Venue was good materials were professional. Constant reviewing and helpful tips.Quite enjoyable.
  • 5/5 from Jim Grant, attended Nov 2025: Fun and very productive and very helpfull and informative Alex is a great teacher. Highly recommended.
Your teacher

Alexander Esenarro Santafe
Alexander Esenarro Santafe

5.0 (134)

Esenarro is a skilled figurative sculptor known for his expertise in creating three-dimensional shapes. Currently residing in Melbourne, he brings over 20 years of experience to his craft. Esenarro's distinctive style is heavily influenced by the beauty and complexity of human anatomy.

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