Mud and bisque..my first sculptures

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e331/smkie/abcvicsculptscollection.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e331/smkie/abcvicsculptsquirrelandhunt.jpg


http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e331/smkie/abcvicsculptwithballforphotobucket.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e331/smkie/crowfullbody.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e331/smkie/crowprofile.jpg

Crow is still clay..mud..leather hard, drying slowly. I had to make him in 4 pieces and assemble while all about the same amount of wet. I don't have a stand to work on so i hoped and prayed that all held and so far it has. Been drying for 2 weeks. HE is hollow, all parts, but you want it to dry slowly so it doesn't crack.

Vic sculpts..are all trials, experiments. Now i gotta figure out how to do the whole dog. I rubbed them with red iron oxide and then wiped as much as possible off before i put them in for the glaze firing. I didn't coat with clear, just the iron that will turn into a dark color in all the creases to bring out the detail. The second firing will turn the pink tiles white. I was too chicken to put on a clear coat on top of that. I worked too hard to get the detail in to chance it being glopped up.

SMKIE!!! I am so amazed I don't know what to say! I saw the crow the other day, but I didn't see the Vic pieces...you HAVE to show me how you did those!

SMKIE those are amazing peices!!!

thanks guys.. here is a close up of my favorite..http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e331/smkie/abcvicscluptsquirrelenlarge.jpg
since i know basically nothing about what i am doing i am grateful that all held together. They are hollow too. I just took a slab of clay and minupulated it until it was the right shape then i added little pieces around the eyes and such until it looked right and smoothed it down. then thanks to a tip from a teacher about how to let them dry slow and evenly, they turned out ok. If the teacher hadn't given me the tip, which he dind't have to do because i am not a student, they would have curled and been ruined.

shoot the pic distorted the teeth., they look right on the real thing and i made sure the roof of the mouth had the right amount of ridges. Took about 4 hours each.

Those are awsome

i'm in awe! gorgeous work smkie!

Just incredible!! Love them all, but that dog - holy cr..umb you're good.

OMG, those are awesome!!! Great job!! You are so amazing!

everything is truly FABULOUS! I, too, am in awe. your work is amazing!!!

ROFL!!!! Yep, she really, really is . . . You should see some of her raw pencil sketches, Doc - very DaVinci-esque!

Absolutely amazing workmanship !!!

yeah right..we will see how they look when they come out with the iron oxide.i am not so sure i didn't wreck em..will post again after they come from the glaze kiln..little guys gotta go bake at 3000 degrees .i am praying it wasn't a mistake! Thanks for the good words! They were easy compared to crow. So i know doing a full body is going to be much harder. There is a man from the orient..i forget which country that teaches sculpture in Metcalf. I wish i could take his courses, 10 for 200 but that might as well be 2 million. Isn't going to happen so it is me and the library to figure out as much as i can. One of the teachers at the guild said that most firings for sculptures are done at a much lower temp. Since i dont' have a kiln of my own, and have a snowball's chance in heck of ever getting one i have to learn to do with what is offered where i am. I will wait and see how Crow does before i try to do a full figure dog. Making it isn't the problem, doing it and having it not crack or fall apart at that temp is. I was suprised these did fine but they are small and i could pretty much throw them together all at once. Crow i did his head first, wrapped that up, did his body second (it looked a whole lot like a plucked chicken) balanced it on my dresser right where the feet would go so i would know my balance point. It isn't the posture i wanted by any means, but he is just a test piece anyway, then wrapped him up, did the ball, cut it in half hollowed it out and set in the sun and did the pedestal, the same way, then when they were leather hard i put all together, after i was sure it would stand i got one wing on, and there was the problem. how was i going to transport this thing all the way there without it messing up. peanuts that you ship with helped support the wing and then the other wing until it was leather hard so i had him up, not what i wanted in my mind which was up on his legs but unless i put the wings attached to the base i couldn't support the body that way so i had to sit him down like a parrot still, it was only a first and they always suck. Hope i can at least find some good glazes for him and THAT means a trip to Breakers, at least an hours drive or more.
Sometimes i wonder what i got myself into, but it is like an itch you just got to scratch. I am on to something and have to follow it through.

Still trying to throw on the wheel. I did my best ever last tuesday and made a good mixing bowl size even top to bottom, not to thin not to thick. Thought Finally dang it. Then Friday i simply sucked and couldn't do much of anything but had so many interuptions i wasn't suprised.

on the dog that is mouth open after the imaginary squirrel (the one where you can't see his eyes) i tried using two different color clays. IT didn't really show much, at least not yet. I know they have mason stains you can mix into the clay, that will be on my wish list too. That way i could add spots and get them where i want and not worry about them oozing into the glaze mix and running where i don't want them or getting reduction and turning too dark..i got the most mixed up bunch of pots here you ever saw, i have not a clue why but i got a notebook and am taking notes on what works, what doesn't, what i read i want to try, and what the kiln man curses when he takes it out of the kiln. I pay alot of attention to his ranting on my volunteer day.

I like them all! But my fav is the 1st on the left of Vic. He reminds me of Falcor off Never Ending Story. He looks all innocent and sweet.

they are BRILL u are sooo creative!

What talent! They're amazing!

WOW!!! They are absolutely amazing Smkie, I LOVE them .

Your talent is amazing ! You have a GIFT

Wow, those are very cool. They all have so much character and gesture. I always give credit where credit is due, and those are some great pieces. Keep it up, I want to see more

working on it!!! pics to come tomorrow and thank yous very much I cannot express how excited i am.
Since i am having so much trouble with my eyes lately, i have tried to do a sculpt of Zelda in hopes that if it turns out good Bonster will like to have this instead, if not i will keep plugging away. It is very hard to do from a photo, but so far so good. I am trying to do a fish a week..at least one for they are simply a joy to do and then a harder project along side.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e331/smkie/fishlarge.jpg
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e331/smkie/clay/zzzzzzveiltailgoldfishtopview.jpg
how it looks finished up http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e331/smkie/clay/zzzzzvicsquirrelwithstain.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e331/smkie/clay/zzzzzzlittleredfish.jpg

i was soooo happy to see this one fired the first time without harm
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e331/smkie/clay/clayvictorandmary.jpg

i have no idea how to do a finish on porcelain so i will be doing a treck to Brackers where i have been told they have great knowledge..just what i lack (this is a terribly way to display, but when i get a better pic i will switch.)

i got more undeveloped but found a ten in the laundry yahooo so my film can go in tomorrow.

Wow, Smkie, those are awesome!! I can't believe I missed this thread.