What kinds of stone are used for sculpture?

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26 January

Artists can use stone sculpture to tell their own stories, express their feelings and make their mark on the world. Would you like to discover this world? Of course you would! Once you&#;ve learned about the tools for sculpting stone and how to work with stone, all that&#;s left to learn is what kinds of stone you can use for sculpture and how to work with them.

Shall we get started? Of course you would!

The best kinds of stone for sculpture

Alabaster, a fantastic stone for beginners.

Alabaster is one of the most popular types of stone in the world of sculpture, with artists appreciating it mostly for its malleable nature. It is also an incredibly beautiful material, with its translucent appearance giving it a particularly elegant finish. It is a white stone that is fairly soft, compact and with a marbled appearance. Its composition makes it very easy to carve, so it is perfect for beginners.

It was used in Egypt, Greece and China in ancient times for creating artisanal products, and in Spain it was used for producing sculpted altarpieces in religious buildings, such as monasteries and churches.

Limestone, for producing more durable sculptures

Limestone is a sedimentary rock largely made up of calcium carbonate, and it occasionally contains small quantities of other minerals, such as clay or quartz. Due to its fantastic weather-resistant properties, many of the sculptures and buildings made out of this material thousands of years ago have been preserved to this day. A great example of this in Spain is Burgos Cathedral, a very impressive architectural masterpiece.

Marble, suitable only for the most experienced sculptors

Marble is a compact metamorphic rock that is submitted to high temperatures to reach a high level of crystallisation. Curiously, even though 90% of its composition is made up of calcium carbonate, it is the rest of its components that provide its colour and properties. It is the various colours found in marble that show us the other components that make up this small proportion.

Beginners should bear in mind that recently cut marble is easier to work with. However, it is important to note that marble that has been exposed to the elements will be harder, making it the better option if you want to use it outdoors.

Once it has been polished, marble will be left with a very smooth surface and will break very easily. In fact, we are sure that you&#;ve seen a marble sculpture in a museum with a missing arm or foot at some point.

Sandstone, a simple option for making sculptures

The way sandstone is formed is very interesting, to say the least. It is formed as a bed of sand sinks into the earth&#;s crust, where it is heated and compressed by the pressure from other sediments. Hot water also provides it with various different dissolved minerals, such as quartz and iron oxide.

Sandstone is generally fairly easy to work with for producing sculptures, but it does tend to wear down sculpting tools quicker than other materials. You may not have known this, but the majority of buildings in Salamanca are made from this type of stone.

Granite, the most elegant stone

Granite is a plutonic rock formed from quartz, mica and alkaline feldspars, and, although it is a very common form of stone, it is only formed in certain very special places.

This type of stone has been used since ancient times. In fact, the Egyptians used it for building columns, doors, lintels and even the King&#;s Chamber in the Great Pyramid of Giza. These days it is used for stonemasonry and for slabs sawn from large blocks.

As with marble, granite is a safe choice if an artist is looking to achieve an elegant finish. Granite is also very strong and durable due to the high level of quartz content.

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Soapstone, a stone that can even be cut with a knife

Soapstone is a metamorphic rock composed mainly of talc and, to a lesser degree, quartz, mica, chlorite, iron and magnetite. After talc, soapstone is the second softest mineral available. However, it is highly resistant to heat and, precisely for this reason, it has been traditionally used for making cooking pots, pans and trays.

Since talc is its main component, it can be used for producing many different kinds of ceramic pieces for decorating buildings and homes. Interesting, right? Sculptors use it very often because it is so soft, so it can be cut easily, even with a knife or any other sharp tool.

The exciting art of sculpture

Did you know about all these types of stone for making sculptures? Although these are not the only types of stone that exist, they are some of the most common. Let us know if you have used any of them before or if you&#;ve seen sculptures made from them. And, of course, if you think of another stone that you would like us to include in this list, let us know! We would love to read your comments below.

Stone Carving

Man has been creating art from stone ever since he found he could shape it by striking a softer stone with a harder one. Over the millennia, a few types of stone have become popular with sculptors. Here are the most common ones used for carving from the three different types of rock: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic.

Igneous: The characteristics of igneous rocks result from the way in which they were formed. Deep in the earth, under the intense heat of volcanic action, magma was forced up through the older solid rock. It then cooled, forming granite, basalt, and diorite. Granite is made of quartz crystals and feldspar which contain silica. Prolonged breathing of silica can cause lung damage. Wear a good respirator when around granite dust.

Graniteis a very hard stone and difficult to carve. In fact 'carving' might not be the right word, since you are not pushing the chisel through the material like you would with the limestone or marble, but are pulverizing the stone, trying to break off chips of crystals (which can be as sharp as glass).

Your carving tools must be carbide-tipped to stand up to the wear and tear of working granite. Fine detailed carving is better left to other types of stone.

Diamond saws and cup grinders cut through granite quite easily and can speed up the carving and finishing process. Granite comes in a wide variety of colors, and the crystal size can vary from large and coarse to very fine and dense. Granite takes a high polish and holds up very well outdoors.

Sedimentary: As rocks began to erode from wind, rain, and sun, the particles were washed into low lying areas where the sediment accumulated.

In the sea, small plant and animal forms died and drifted to the bottom, adding to the sediment. Over thousands of years, the pressure of these layers cemented the sediment onto limestone or sandstone.

Limestone formed on the sea floor from sediment and the bodies of primitive sea creatures. As you are working, you can find small fossilized creatures like crynoids and brachiopods in the stone. Limestone is composed primarily of the mineral calcite, or calcium carbonate.

Limestone is easy to carve and will hold small detail work, but is also strong enough to support undercutting. While it does not have the innate beauty of the more colorful stones, a wide variety of textures can be created that can really bring the stone to life. There is a definite 'grain' or bed (formed as the layers of sediment stacked upon each other on the sea floor) in limestone.

The stone breaks fairly predictably along the bed lines, but less cooperatively going across the bed. (Think of opening a book with the pages, compared to trying to tear it across the pages.) Limestone can be polished, but the polish will not last long outdoors. Limestone seems to survive acid rain better than marble, so is a good choice for outdoor sculpture.

Sandstone is formed from sedimentary sand held together by silica or calcium carbonate. Sandstone also has a distinct bed direction, and large chips can be broken off when going with the bed. Sandstone tends to wear out your tools quickly. Sandstone contains silica, so a respirator must be worn.

Metamorphic: Metamorphic rocks are formed when a sedimentary layer is exposed to heat and pressure and undergoes a chemical change which forms a new crystalline material. After metamorphism, limestone becomes marble.

Marble has been the most preferred stone for carving since the time of the ancient Greeks. Marble is moderately hard to work. It will hold very fine detail. Marbles from the United States comes in over 250 colors. When brought to a high polish, its crystalline structure sparkles. It does not hold up well outdoors. Acid rain begins to deteriorate the surface within a few years.

Alabaster is a very soft stone for carving and tends to flake and split along hidden cracks in the stone. It will take a high polish, which brings out its incredible colors and patterns. In fact the stone is so beautiful that the viewer may overlook your sculptural forms and only admire the stone. The dust from alabaster may cause an allergic reaction in some people, so wear a respirator.

Soapstone, or steatite, is soft enough to carve with a knife. It is composed of talc and has a slippery, soapy feel. It will take a polish and hold fine texture detail. It is a good choice for your first stone carving. Prolonged exposure to talc dust can cause respiratory problems, so wear a respirator.

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