A New Venture - Custom Sculptures #2
We're back, with part two of our blog about making our Lexie display model, as part of our raffle prize for the upcoming Four Paws 'Paws 4 Tea' this Saturday 15th Feb.
We left off having just finished off the face mainly, so let's continue!
Next I focused on the tummy area, and applied a thin patch of flesh coloured clay at the bottom of the torso, making small indents to give it some detail, and smoothing the rest of it out, before finishing it off with some light brown chalk pastel. I then baked the model again.
I found the method of doing things in stages, and baking in between, worked really well for me, meaning I didn't have to worry about destroying an area whilst creating another. I’m sure it takes much longer this way, but for the moment, as I’m relatively new to this side of things, I wanted to stick to it.
I added another layer of fur above the tummy, and added texture, before moving onto the front paws, bulking out the back legs, and then finishing off the back paws.
Definitely looking less dinosaur, more dog now...
Once I’d got the basic shape, with texture and shading, Lexie was really beginning to take shape, though something just didn’t look right. I had a closer look at the photos and decided she needed bushier eyebrows, and a bulkier back-end! I also decided I’d made the back paws a little too long, making them look too thin, so I bulked out the thighs a little to try and balance it all out.
Look how thin her legs are! They needed adding to for sure. I did this, and patched up the back as well as any remaining un-textured areas, before moving onto painting.
I added a thin wash of brown acrylic paint, mixed with water, all over her coat. After letting it sit for a while, I went in a rubbed off a lot of the excess in the lightest areas, and leaving it to settle into the darker areas.
I then started adding further detail with by dry-brushing on the highlights. Following the reference images I had, I found all the lighter areas, and working up from a light blonde/brown to a white, I added flecks of colour to give the fur some natural variation. I did the same for the lowlights.
Once all of that was done, I was very pleased with the final result! I finished her off with a coating of matt varnish, so as not to give the model an unnecessary shine, though I did gloss varnish the nose, giving it that healthy wet look.
It is here I shall leave you, on tenterhooks, until I post the finished model up in all its glory, later on today. I know I said it'd be two posts, but I've overrun. Apologies folks, but hey, it's more for you to read eh!
