Getting Started
Beginning the wall-mounted sculpture starts with a clay model that helps to better visualize the piece before I start carving the wood.
First step: Clay model to a roughed out wooden owl
Checking out the composition of the owl on the carved tree.
This is the time to make any changes to the general composition. At this stage everything is foundational. A mistake this early in the process would be very hard to fix later.
Checking out the composition of the piece prior to the next step.
All the carving of feather detail is complete
Once the feather detail and texturing is complete, the whole piece is sealed and then primed for painting.
Ready for the painting which is the most tedious part of the piece. One mistake could be disastrous at this point of the process
The painting begins
The first step after priming the wood is to add shadows that will add depth to the final piece. Multiple thin washes of color are added to slowly build up the intensity and to prevent any obvious transition areas between two colors. These colors are the foundation for all the detail that comes next.
The shadows and base color has been added. Many more coats of thin washes of paint are still needed at this point. Then the real fun starts with adding spots and feather highlights.
Finally done with the great little owl.
I want every new piece that I do to be better than the last. I challenge myself. I feel that the toughest goals push out of your comfort zone. Only there will you discover and unlock hidden potential.
Long hours of carving and painting resulted in a piece anyone would love to have on their wall.
Quite a sight to see from any angle.
