The Art of Digital Sculpting

In the world of custom bronze statues, sculpting has evolved alongside technology. While traditional clay sculpting remains an essential skill, digital sculpting has become an increasingly valuable tool in the industry. We sat down with our digital sculptor, Dana Hansen, to discuss his journey and insights into the digital sculpting process.

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From Clay to Digital

Dana’s love for sculpting started at an early age. "What I enjoy most about being a digital sculptor is that it's just channeling something I've always loved doing, even since I was a kid," he shares. He pursued an undergraduate degree in sculpting and later picked up digital sculpting between his undergraduate studies and graduate school at the University of Utah. Since 2017, he has been working extensively in the digital medium, blending traditional artistry with modern technology.

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The Digital Sculpting Process

Every digital sculpting project is unique, and Dana’s workflow depends on the specific needs of each piece. If he receives a sketch, he searches for models and often repurposes the skeletal structures from his previous works. He also utilizes 3D scanning to streamline the process when needed. Despite these technological aids, digital sculpting remains a hands-on, detail-oriented craft. “The biggest misconception, I would say, with digital sculpting, is people think it's either easy or kind of automatic, or just because it's digital it doesn't require the skill that it would take to traditionally sculpt,” Dana explains. “If you don't know how to sculpt or understand and be able to work in three dimensions, you're not going to suddenly go to digital sculpture and automatically get it. It still takes all the fundamentals of sculpting.”

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Using a stylus on a tablet, Dana sculpts in a way that mirrors clay sculpting, just in a virtual space. He notes that while digital sculpting has advantages—particularly in speeding up the process—it also comes with challenges. “I would say the most challenging aspect of digital sculpting is that you're really tied to the resolution of your mesh. You have to constantly be increasing the resolution the more you add details to the sculpture, and it does get to a point sometimes where it's excessively bogged down. I have to be constantly making adjustments to get the level of detail I want in a sculpture.”

Capturing Life in Digital Form

Creating lifelike details in a digital sculpture requires extensive practice and study. Dana references real-life models to ensure accuracy, particularly when aiming to capture specific emotions or body language. The ability to portray emotions through facial expressions, poses, and technical details is an essential part of his craft. For Dana, the joy comes from the challenge: “I just really enjoy any project that has a challenge to it, especially with details... I love the projects that have a lot of fun details and that bring out the kid in me.”

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The Future of Digital Sculpting

As technology continues to advance, digital sculpting becomes more accessible and efficient. New tools and software improvements are making it easier than ever to create stunning, high-resolution sculptures. However, the core of sculpting remains unchanged—whether in clay or digital form, it is the skill, practice, and artistic vision of the sculptor that bring statues to life.

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For Dana Hansen, the passion for sculpting is what keeps him motivated. “Overall, what keeps me passionate is just the craft. I love to make things, and I love to sculpt and see things come to life.” His dedication to the art—both traditional and digital—ensures that each statue we create at Big Statues is crafted with precision, artistry, and heart.

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