Model Sculpture,An Artistic Approach.Model Sculpture,An Artistic Approach. I am plann

[mic-d]

Hi John, if you scroll down to 'additional options' in the reply window there's a section to manage attachments and you can use this to add images to you description. The way you are doing it at the moment is annoying the carp out of me!

Cheers
Michael

[RufflyRustic]

All fixed.

cheers
Wendy

[mic-d]

All fixed.

cheers
Wendy

Achully Wendy what I meant annoyed me was the picture in one post and the caption in the next...

Cheers
Michael

[movay_2008]

That's one spot on model of a falcon John. That biplane looks as if it is about to slam into the earth and then the bird will fly away with a wry grin.What is your work experience in?


I was reminded of Yeats:

THE SECOND COMING

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

The Second Coming - Yeats

[artme]

Love the look on the falcon!!

[underfoot]

Stunning falcon JR, would love to see some more of your work.
and looking forward to see how you resolve this idea..

[JohnReid]

There are many good woodcarving books available out there for info on how to reach this stage of bird carving.Unfortunately I wasn't into taking a lot of pics back in those days so I didn't keep a record of my methodology.
This bird has been sitting around my shop for about 15 years now waiting to be finished but I am glad that I waited till now to pick it up again as I plan to finished it in a whole different way.
Until now my bird carvings were finished in the traditional manner.Shape the feathers,texture them,woodburn on the feather quills and barbs,and paint.
This piece will be more like a classical sculpture and finished using a false bronzing technique which I have never tried before.Should be fun!

[mongrell]

what are the eyes on the bird john ,how did you do them ?

[JohnReid]

The first step will be to remove all the crud that has built up on the surface over the years and then finally seal the wood from any further deterioration.
Tupelo wood is very stable and other than the surface stuff nothing has moved in all those years and it has been subject to a lot of humidity and temperature changes in that time.
For a sealer I use a mix 2/3 lacquer and 1/3 lacquer thinner applied with a brush to each feather as I finish it.A lot of the rough sanding has already been done on this piece so now it is a matter of bringing the wood up to a polished finish.I use spray alcohol to raise the wood grain where necessary.
A sanding stik with extra fine grit,600 sand paper and finally crocus cloth makes for a nice finish.

[JohnReid]

what are the eyes on the bird john ,how did you do them ?

Hi ! Those are museum quality glass eyes available from most bird carving suppliers.

[JohnReid]

That's one spot on model of a falcon John. That biplane looks as if it is about to slam into the earth and then the bird will fly away with a wry grin.What is your work experience in?


I was reminded of Yeats:

THE SECOND COMING

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

The Second Coming - Yeats

Sorry for the long response time.My background is all aviation,both flying and art.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

When carving out your feathers do all the shaping on the topside first.Do not undercut these feathers unless you plan to harden them with very thin super glue as they can be easily broken when handling.
This group of feathers has been fluffed out to represent the muscle of the birds foot underneath.

[JohnReid]

[springwater]

You must be very patient and observant to achieve that, it's wonderful. It'd be great to see a video of you doing it, maybe sped up a little