WINGS

Thought we would take a little more time to go into more depth on how to make some of the basic things which we all take for granted. I have been asked a few times how to make these wings so here goes.

This diagram shows the feather layout of a bird's wing. 

Using this diagram, I built the first wing for this figure  over the support rod which elevated the figures above the base.

I transferred the measurements from this first wing onto a piece of paper so I could get the size roughly the same.



  

A folded piece of thin leather is cut as the support for the wire which will be inside it and the feathers which will cover it. This s the sized to fit in the areas covered by the primary coverts, secondary coverts and the marginal coverts (see above diagram)

 A 14 gauge wire is bent to fit inside the leather with about 3/4" sticking out the end to insert into the figure. 

The wire is glued along the fold of the leather with Fabri-tac glue.

 I purchase my feathers at Plumes N Feathers . These are coque (rooster) feathers which are naturally bronze and show bronze, green, and black when dyed.
The feathers are sorted by shape and size.
Many feathers are going to have a directional shape to them meaning that they belong on the left or right side of the bird. Use this same determination when arranging feathers on your wings.

 Once the feathers are sorted and arranged, a layer of glue is applied to the open leather and the first row of primary and secondary feathers are placed into the glue starting with the tips of the wing and heading toward the body.

 ***The diagram above is drawn from the top of the wing. As you look at the top of a wing, each feather lays under the previous feather (for support and sealing the wing against air infiltration) from the tip of the wing to the body of the bird.  When you attach the feathers following the same direction, each feather will overlap the previous feather in the same manner.

First row is done.

The leather is now folder over and glued down over the ends of the first row of feathers.

 Coverts are now glued in place starting from the outside of the wing and heading toward the body.

Marginal coverts are installed the same way using shorter feathers which are just the tips cut off a feather.

 Both top and bottom sides are done. Be sure to flip the feathers over when installing the bottom coverts so the feather is concave (curved in) on the underside and convex (curved out) on the top side.
Smaller trimmed feathers are used to cover the edge of the wing starting at the Alula and working toward the body.

 The finished wing top.

And bottom.

 The wing is inserted into the body by drilling two holes in the torso at a downward angle where the wires stick out of the wing. The wires are then bent down slightly so they will not work their way out of the torso as they are displayed. The wing is shaped by bending the wire inside the wing. Do this while the glue is still setting so you can  shift the feathers slightly to cover any holes in your feather pattern. You can add more cover feathers if gaps develop while shaping the wing.
Using black leather would be a good idea so the support is less likely to show. I was out of black this day!

The finished piece.
Have a great day!
Mark

Sculpting Ears

This is a post for Jo who requested info on doing ears.

 Great illustration of the outer ear parts from: virtualmedicalcentre.com

I made these large enough to show the detailing better.
Form a wedge shaped oval of clay.

 Attach the clay to the head by ramping the clay toward the front of the face.

Undercut and seam the rest of the ear to the side of the head.

 The ear tapers toward the front of the face.

The outer helix of the ear is created by pressing a tool down and under the outer ear to form the scapha.

 The complete first step.

Continue the outer arc of the ear into the inner ear while pushing the extra clay back toward the back of the head forming the concha.

A ramp runs from the front of the ear down into the inner ear canal forming the external auditory meatus.

 Place a tool in the ear canal and pull down and turn out to establish the depression of the canal and the flap, tragus,  in front of the ear opening (part 1).

Keep pulling forward to raise the front of the ear from the earlobe and ear canal (part 2). This also establishes the antitragus.

Shape the bottom of the lobe. (Lobule)

Press an indentation or fossa into the antihelix area.

 Deepen the folds and fossa as desired and do the general clean up.

 Notice how the ear blends into the face area. There is no ridge in front of the ear.

Hope this helps.
Have a great day!
Mark

Making Fabric Flow

I thought I would post a little something on how to make fabric more interesting for our clients.
Fabric on small figures should be treated as if it was in scale with the figure. Too often artists will simply let the fabric hang on the figure without adding motion to the material. The result is that we have great sculpts with big, puffy clothing or a figure with no motion to the sculpture.
Here are some simple things which an be done to the fabric to add motion:

STARCH- many artists starch or otherwise treat the fabric. This works well but you run the risk of losing the form during shipping or using a much larger box to ship the "frozen" fabric. Larger box= more money!
HEAT- This is a very simple way to make minor adjustments in clothing. I like to use the heat gun to make clothing sag on the body as real clothing does on our frames.
WIRE- I like this technique because you can get more dramatic looks to cloth and they can still be shipped in a small space without worry of damaging the form of the cloth.

 I am adding material to the piece to add another layer of color and texture to try and make her more interesting.

I cut a piece of blue material for the draping.

 Using glue, I turn a hem in the edges. Into this I insert a 20 gauge jewelry wire. For those who can sew a small seam, I always recommend sewing over gluing.

 Three sides of the cloth have wire. The top edge is left without.

The cloth is draped over the body  so a wind-blown, flowing motion is created.

 The fabric is tacked to the body with Fabri-tac in a few spots where it will not be seen if the cloth shifts.

Extra folds are pinned in place then the fabric is heated with the heat gun to relax the fabric.

Feathers can be treated like cloth if you are careful. Support the feather with a rounded form (in this case I use the handle of my sculpting knife) and apply heat from a heat gun. Keep the gun about 12" away from the feathers and heat them gradually so they will curve away from the heat.

Here is the finished piece with the fabric and the feathers curved to add some wind to the piece. The hair was also heated from the same direction (your right) so it has tendrils which are blowing in the wind as well.
Thanks for looking and have a great New Year!
Mark

Applying clay

I was asked to do a little on applying clay to the armature. we all have our methods but here is what I have found works for me:

 Clay needs to be softened and conditioned before applying. I have found this easy approach. Place the clay on a heating pad. The clay needs to be unopened or in a clean plastic bag to keep it clean.

Fold it over to sandwich the clay in the heating pad and let it warm up on "high" for about 15 minutes. The heating pad will not get the clay hot enough to start curing but will heat all the way through with out making the outside sticky.

 After 15 minutes, the clay will cut like soft butter. Slice off the largest piece you can work with.

This is the first squeeze of this warmed clay. You will see how soft it gets this way. 

 The clay needs to be rolled and squeezed until it is conditioned for use.

 The clay is ready when you can fold it over and it does not crack. You should be able to flatten the clay into a pancake and the edge will not crack either. If the edge cracks, keep rolling the clay between your hands.

Apply the clay as a large sheet or mass of clay. Compress the clay from all sides at once to work out air bubbles and fuse the soft clay together.

Do a general rough shaping with your hands.

 Take a sharp knife and shape the clay in a series of planes to the rough shape of your design.

Use your tools are fingers to smooth the final surface of the clay.
Hope this helps someone!
Have a great day!
Mark