From Sketch to Statue 3: Finishing the Clay Version & Silicone Molding

LEARNING BENEFITS FROM A GOOD SKELETON:

During all these edits to the original clay version, I sincerely praised myself for the construction of the statue. For example: to update the face, it was easy to reach by simply removing the lion head. And when the legs bent a little during transport when we drove up to the client’s home, they were easy to shift back into position because of the sculpting wire frame and skeleton under all the clay.

<<< Previous Step                                Next Step >>>

<<< Previous Step                                Next Step >>>

FINISHING THE CLAY VERSION:

As shown in the photos above, the clay version is finished. There are many ‘parts’ which are shown separately (eg. the cape, the lion head, the body, etc.) and the statue is shown fully-assembled. As the story goes on this piece, the original FACE looked more like the graphic novel cover. The client wanted a younger/more European face. To fix this, I took the entire piece up to their home in the hills. One client was in Los Angeles, but the other had traveled to the east coast of the United States. So, I’d sculpt a face here in L.A., and then send a cell phone photo in a text message to the out of town client. This went back and forth until the client was happy.