tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-290171872024-03-07T19:03:11.559-05:00Lynda Sappington on Writing and ArtMusings on creativity, producing art and fiction and whatever else strikes my fancy.Lynda Sappingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03503845190279881755noreply@blogger.comBlogger123125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29017187.post-75685390869934005122014-09-29T11:20:00.000-04:002014-09-29T11:20:58.311-04:00AntonI've been working on this commission most of this year - well, "pondering" quite a lot of that time rather than actually sculpting. One problem is, the horse has only one leg on the ground, which isn't enough support for the sculpture. The other big problem was, how do I translate that massive clump of hair (his mane) that's lying on his side into a flowing form that will look good and be reasonable to clean up, rather than looking like a tangled mess? Thankfully, I've solved or figured out how to solve those problems.<br />
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Here's the pose photo, a gorgeous picture of the Friesian stallion Anton by world-renowned photographer Gabrielle Boiselle.<br />
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Ms. Boiselle kindly gave permission for me to sculpt this pose, for which my customer and I are very grateful.<br />
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Looking at the picture, you can see my problem with only one leg being down. There's a tremendous amount of weight ahead of that leg and not that much behind, so it won't "balance" on that leg. There needs to be another leg attached to the ground for support, so that other hind leg will be shown as moving through a tall clump of grass. I'm not at that point in sculpting yet, but I'll share it when I get there.<br />
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First, I had to build the horse and get him fairly finished before adding the hair. I've just started laying on the clay for his tail here and having started the feathers yet. His eyes are ball earrings, in case you wondered. It's easier for me to sculpt expressive eyelids if I have a hard eyeball to work with, rather than doing the eye in clay or wax. And this way, the eye is genuinely round, not lumpy like a wax ball would be (at least in my hands - I don't work with wax as well as I'd like).<br />
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Early work on the mane and feathers. Each leg is at a different moment in flight, so the feathers "fly" differently on each leg. This horse has massive feathers as well as a massive mane and tail, so there will be a LOT more clay on him before he's "right" - and yes, that's a LOT of hair to sculpt!<br />
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At various points during my work, I get the piece off the base and hang it upside down so I can work on the underneath parts without turning myself into a pretzel (as I did for years before fellow sculptor Cathy Choyce told me about this method). This is by far the easier part of this kind of work, since I can work
with my arms at a normal level (as if I were typing). With most pieces, I work with the
horse's back supported by my legs, but with that mane in the
way, Anton has to hang free. Him hanging free means I have to brace him
with one hand while sculpting with the other, which can be difficult at
times, but still, it's a lot easier on my shoulders and back than leaving it on my usual sculpting stand and trying to twist my body to see underneath him!<br />
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For those who haven't seen this setup before, the chain slides through a hole somebody put in the joist overhead such as pipes
would go through. (In my previous studio, I had an eye-bolt attached to a joist in the ceiling.) I have carabiners and S-hooks holding it where I
want it. I keep a spare plumbing T on the chain so I can unscrew my armature
from the working surface and screw it to the T to hang the piece upside
down. I sit in the black chair with the necessary tools and some clay on the
wooden stool beside me at a comfortable height.<img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/29-Sep-2014/17419-9_27_14_setup.jpg" /> <br />
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You can see my normal sculpting stand to the left of that photo and the
drafting stool I normally sit on. The stand is adjustable by turning a
crank which raises and lowers the top. This stand was worth the cost,
as often as I change the height of my stand. My old stand was one of
those where you insert a pin in the support pipe at various heights, but
you have to LIFT the top to the place where you want it. I still use
the old one at times. I don't throw much away . . .<br />
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<img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/29-Sep-2014/17419-9_27_14_upside_down.jpg" /> <br />
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This pic shows what I need to work on (as well as how much work I've done on the feathers). The hooves need to have the
details (wall, sole, frog, heel bulbs) added, and there are holes or voids in the clay here and there
(look at the tail and feathers for examples) that need to either be
blended or filled so they won't catch the mold material and possibly
tear the mold. I also need to smooth out his belly and other parts. By
hanging him like this, I can make sure everything is blended, filled in where necessary and sculpted properly. After I hung him up I noticed the
bone in the forelegs didn't show correctly, so I fixed that as well as a
bunch of other stuff. Changing your point of view is always helpful in perfecting an artwork. I also use a big wall mirror to see it with fresh eyes.<br />
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All that hair means there are lots of undercuts. Undercuts are fine in
bronze to some extent, but again, I have to fix anything that might trap
the mold - voids or undercuts that get larger "inside" or "under," for
instance. Silicon molds are very forgiving, but there's no point in
tempting fate by leaving such things that can be repaired. Sculpture is
about light and shadow, so there will be some places that LOOK like
undercuts, but they will be angled inside the cut to allow the mold to
pull free smoothly.<br />
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Once I get the underneath parts fixed, I'll put him back on his working
surface and glue the pipes in place - he won't be coming off there again
until he's at the foundry. Then I'll add the grass under his feet and
build it up to support that flying back leg, detail his tail, finish
detailing his mane and forelock and sign him!! Then he'll be DONE and
can go to be cast! YAY!<br />
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Once I get him upright again, I'll post some more pictures. I hope this article was educational and entertaining!<br />
<br />Lynda Sappingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03503845190279881755noreply@blogger.com0Lebanon, OH, USA39.4353373 -84.20299219999998339.3372008 -84.364353699999981 39.5334738 -84.041630699999985tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29017187.post-14954993376971435892013-01-09T20:27:00.000-05:002013-01-09T20:27:21.088-05:00Making Some ChangesMoving to a new home is EXHAUSTING but the living area of the house is nearly finished. We still have boxes to unpack in the office and we don't want to talk about the basement which is piled up with boxes waiting to be unpacked in my studio! The majority of the living space is comfortable and we almost remember where we put things, which is great! Yay!<br />
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Due to the move and how much longer it's taking to get things finished than expected, I'm going to cancel plans for an April workshop. I'm not sure I'll be ready that soon, but I expect I will be ready for workshops and regular students by summer, so stay tuned! Only you'll want to "stay tuned" via the blog on my website, <a href="http://www.thesculptedhorse.com/blog.html">www.TheSculptedHorse.com/blog.html</a>. I already have a post there catching you up on all my news. <br />
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I will leave this blog up for reference sake, but future posts will be on my website's blog, so please follow me there!Lynda Sappingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03503845190279881755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29017187.post-14548451502711653662012-09-27T10:17:00.000-04:002012-09-27T10:17:03.406-04:00Date Change and a Sculpting RantDate Change: Real life has gotten in the way and messed up my schedule, so my sculpting workshop is going to be in late April 2013, still at Dancing Horse Farm, Lebanon OH. I'll post the exact dates soon, but it will be the 3rd or 4th week in April.<br />
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Now the rant! Someone posted in the Sculpture forum on Wetcanvas that when he bought some Super Sculpey in a local art supply store so he could start learning to sculpt, the clerks there told him he was going about learning sculpting the wrong way - that he had to learn to draw and he needed to learn anatomy first. Here's my reply:<br />
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Sculpting does not require drawing skills - I'm a prime example of that. For those of us whose minds work in the 3-D realm, sculpting is far easier than 2-D work. People who don't think 3-D (which is the majority of artists) don't understand the way 3-D thinkers think, the way we see things, the way we relate to things - seriously. And they believe you have to draw before you can do anything else in art. They'll point to famous artists who were/are both painters and sculptors (Michelangelo, for instance). Michelangelo considered himself a sculptor and claimed he couldn't paint (despite the evidence of the Sistine Chapel ceiling). I'm the same way - I learned to draw *after* becoming a proficient sculptor and it is HARD HARD HARD for me to do 2-D work, but I can if I have to. Don't let a 2-D artist's lack of understanding make you the least bit hesitant about sculpting. Sculpting is in your hands and your heart and your mind and you'll be amazed at what you can create once you understand the materials you're working with. <br />
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Now that I'm done ranting (for now, LOL!), I will say it's always good to learn anatomy any way you can. However, learning it by DRAWING isn't necessarily going to help you with learning how to sculpt it. You'll need to run your hand over the muscles of a horse or a smooth-coated dog (you don't want the muscles hidden by fur as they would be in a cat or long-haired dog) while its leg is being held in a flexed position, then study photographs done in excellent light of a leg in a similar position to see how muscles move under skin (for instance). Studying anatomical drawings and even copying them if you can draw decently can be quite useful. I use anatomy books with drawings all the time, but I mostly study anatomy in real life to do my art. <br />
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You need to pay attention to how the body moves - for instance, have you noticed that when someone is walking, the leg bearing weight makes that hip actually higher than the other one? (That's what makes women's rumps sashay prettily.) If a group of muscles bulge, the same ones on the other side will be shaped differently. I'm a horse artist, so I'll use horses as an illustration. Muscles bulge the most when they're contracted, so when a horse is LIFTING (not standing on) his left hind leg, for instance, his rump muscles (and abdominals, etc.) will be bulging while the muscles on his right hind leg, the one he's standing on, will look flatter because they're engaged in supporting the body, not contracting to shorten or move that leg. The more effort being expended, the more bulge you'll see in the muscles. Muscles at rest are flatter and more relaxed looking than those being used to lift a limb. If you haven't studied anatomy, you may not have consciously noticed such things, but they're also true in humans. Most people don't have the muscular development or else they have too much body fat for the muscles to be defined the way I'm used to seeing them in horses, so I use upper level dressage riders (who are strong athletes and always have highly developed thigh muscles and lightly developed calves - which is a sign they're dressage riders rather than jumper riders or western riders - just a detail to be observed if you want to portray the sport properly) or dancers as reference, with the occasional body-builder thrown in for fun at times. :)<br />
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There are 3-D anatomical models you can touch, move, light different ways to help you see anatomy. I'm not talking about those wooden doll things you can pose to get proportions. You can buy resin castings that are copies of Michelangelo's "David'"s ear, eye, nose, mouth, etc. There are full-body anatomical models in resin. There are some models that have half the man's body with skin over his muscles, and half showing the muscles with no skin. You can get horse models like that too. That's the way a 3-D mind learns anatomy, that and studying the real subject you're going to sculpt, whether people, horses, wildlife, etc. (Suggestion - if you're going to sculpt wildlife, run your hands over taxidermied animals - good ones - rather than getting THAT friendly with a real cougar or whatever! That's what I did to sculpt a cougar - it worked just fine.)<br />
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I "see" with my hands a lot. When I did my first portrait of a horse (rather than doing "imaginary" ones or ones based on reference photos), I asked the horse's owner to allow me to sculpt him from life once I had the piece fairly well along (I wanted to be sure I had the details and proportions right). The horse was tied up and I put the 3/4 finished bust on a tall tack box near him. I closed my eyes and ran my hands over that lovely stallion's head, then did the same to the 1/4 life-sized bust of him I was working on. The resulting bust is easily recognizable as him by those who know him even without his huge blaze (a white marking on his face) that covers most of his face. For people to recognize his bust that way rather than just thinking it's "just" a Quarter Horse is amazing to me since it was only my second attempt at a realistic horse and my first real portrait. (Copies of that piece are still for sale on my website: <a href="http://www.thesculptedhorse.com/fascination.html" target="_blank">Fascination)</a><br />
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Don't let shop assistants deter you from sculpting. Get your hands in the clay (when using Super Sculpey, condition it first or your hands will get sore - it needs to be run through a pasta machine - rollers only, not cutters - several times to mix the oils in and soften the clay before you try to use it. Pasta machines are about $25 and available at Hobby Lobby, Michael's, Dick Blick's, etc.). Once you start working with the clay, your hands and innate knowledge will get you started on your first pieces. Then you'll see where you need to improve your knowledge and skill and the rest of it will be a joyful path of discovery. Let the 2-D people have fun with their paints. We're creating art you can touch, feel and appreciate from all sides. Good luck with it!Lynda Sappingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03503845190279881755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29017187.post-35963502919923492212012-08-19T21:49:00.001-04:002012-08-19T21:49:44.902-04:00Staying busy . . .I've been staying VERY busy, which is how I prefer things, really, but so much is going on right now, I can hardly catch my breath! Let's see, where to begin . . .<br />
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My life-size bronze of "Nanning 374: Spirit of the Friesian" was unveiled on June 23, 2012. Over 100 people were there, including the head of the Friesian association in The Netherlands! He came over just for the unveiling! He told my client that this piece is "historic, and really portrays the spirit, fire and passion of the Friesian horse." COOL! This life-size is only the second one in the world - the other is a standing pose and located in The Netherlands.<br />
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That's me with my actually bigger-than-life-sized bronze (I told the enlarging place and the foundry, "do NOT let him end up under 17 hands!" and they made sure he didn't! He's about 18.2 hands as he stands and if he stood straight instead of crouching as he is here, he'd be probably 19.2 - not UNDER 17 hands, for sure!). This piece is located at Fenway Farms, Hortonville WI. It's a private farm but visitors are welcome by appointment.<br />
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After that, I got busy with some advertising, show entries and contests. One contest resulted in the life-size being included in an online arts magazine, "Art and Beyond." Another contest resulted in a color ad and a feature story - and I DIDN'T win the contest! That's a great result for an entry that didn't win! An ad I placed in another magazine caught the eye of the editor, which resulted in a feature story on me and the life-size. So watch for the October issues of "Riding" magazine and "Horseman's Corral" - those are the two that are doing stories as well as the ads. Yay!<br />
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I currently have three bronzes (shown below: "Just Trying to Help," "Frolic" and "Windswept") in "An Equine Jubilee" at the Delaware Arts Castle in Delaware OH. The show runs through Oct. 24. It's a nice show with lots of good work! Go see it if you can! And be sure to check out the gift shop while you're there - they're carrying my jewelry!<br />
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"Nanning 374: Spirit of the Friesian" was accepted to the American Academy of Equine Art's Fall Open Juried Exhibition, which will be held in the Scott County Arts and Cultural Center in Georgetown KY. The show opens to the public September 15 and closes October 24.<br />
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I've been working on a relief of a pony I saw a picture of on Facebook. The photo was lovely as is the pony, so I asked the owner if I could sculpt it. She and the photographer both gave me enthusiastic permission. One of the reasons I chose the photo is that the angle of the photo presents a very difficult challenge for sculpting a relief. It's a head-on shot that shows the rest of the pony's body, all the way back to her rump. That kind of foreshortening is very hard to sculpt, but I did it! I just "declared a victory" on her today (translation: I decided there's nothing else I can do to it, so I wrote my resin caster to find out what it's going to cost me to cast her). Here she is. I call the piece "Enchanting."<br />
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On the writing front, I wrote a short story (1200 words) and read it at the Western Ohio Writer's Association's Beatnik Cafe in Xenia the first part of August. It was held at Blue Jacket Books in Xenia as part of their "Firs Friday" activities. A good group of folks turned up to hear six or seven of us read our stories. It was nice to hear a good reaction from the audience for mine. I wrote a fictionalized version of my aunt and uncle meeting for the first time. I don't know how they met, honestly, but I used their personalities for the lead characters and the story turned out well. I'll be sending a copy to my aunt for her to enjoy (she's a poet - writing runs in the family).<br />
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A story of mine,"Lisa Goodman, Writer," was accepted to an anthology that will be published this fall. This was my first ever "horror/suspense" story and I'm really pleased with how it turned out (it still give me goosebumps and I know what's happening in it!) I'll post info here and on Facebook when the anthology is ready to sell. I'll be happy to sell you an autographed copy of it! <br />
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<b>I'm teaching a sculpting workshop Oct. 1-5 at Dancing Horse Farm, Lebanon OH.</b> The cost is $250 and the skills you will learn can be used to sculpt any kind of mammal, from cats to horses to humans. Come join me! We'll have a lot of fun.</h3>
I have a new commission I'm working on (which means "Levade" has been set aside for a while - paying work always comes first!). I can't say much about it at the moment except that it's another gorgeous Friesian! It should be fun to work on!<br />
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I'm always happy to read your comments as well as answering questions, so feel free to post them or email me if you wish. I hope you're having an enjoyable summer.<br />
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<br />Lynda Sappingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03503845190279881755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29017187.post-80007918924443972012-05-26T11:15:00.000-04:002012-05-26T11:15:40.724-04:00How to Fix Photos for Your Art WebsiteI saw a question on LinkedIn where an artist didn't know how to use Photoshop to fix his pictures nor how to build a website. I said it was easy to fix photos and it IS, so he wrote me and I wrote the following to help him out. I figured it was worth sharing, so here ya go. <br />
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I have Photoshop Elements 6, which came with one of my computers years ago. Hopefully my instructions will make sense to you when you use your own version.<br />
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Open a photo file. If you need to crop it, go to the symbol on the left side (the toolbar) that looks like these two symbols crossed: <> so they make kind of a box inside them. That's the crop tool. Put your cursor at the top left corner of where you want to crop and drag it diagonally down the the bottom right corner of where you want to crop. You can move the location of the crop box by moving a corner (there will be a small box in the corner you can grab and move). If a green check mark shows up, click that when you're happy with how you're cropping it. If the green check mark doesn't show up (different versions do different things, y'know), go up to the "Image" word on the top tool bar and click that. A drop down list will show up. Click "crop" and then your picture will be cropped. If you don't like how it turned out, go to the top bar and click "Edit" then choose "undo" from the drop down list.<br />
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Once you have your photo cropped, go to the Enhance tab on the top. From the drop down list choose ""auto smart fix" which will brighten the image. If you think the colors were better before, go to "Edit" and hit "undo." Go back to the "Enhance" tab and click "Auto sharpen" which will make your photo look more crisp. Again, if you don't like it, go to "Edit" and hit "undo.<br />
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Now you're going to resize your photo to use on your website and other places. Most photos are either 180 dpi or 300 dpi (dots per inch) when they come from a digital camera. If you do use a digital camera, take your pictures as Large Format - that way you have plenty of "information" for the computer to use as you resize it. <br />
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Once you've cropped it, save your original file with a name that lets you know it's the original: "Pegasus bronze original cropped" perhaps with the date, too, so you can resize it differently in the future if you need to.<br />
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If you might be sending it to be used as a magazine cover or a postcard for a show, save it at 8x10 inches and 600 dpi. If you will be using it in a magazine ad inside the magazine or perhaps in a book, save it at 8x10" and 300 dpi (these are industry standard dpi for advertising and magazine or book ads or copy). Mark each file as you save it with all the information you need: "Pegasus bronze 8x10 600dpi" that kind of thing. <br />
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For your website, resize the photos to be no more than 6" on the longest side and save them at 72dpi. If this looks too grainy to you, save it at 100 to 120 and see how you like those. Those are all low enough dpi that they can't be easily stolen by someone wanting to make cross stitch patterns with your painting, for instance. Save the photo as "Pegasus bronze 6 in 72dpi" so you can find it easily when building your website.<br />
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If you want to - a lot of my painter and photographer friends do this - you can put a copyright watermark on the photo. To do this, click the T (type tool) on the left tool bar, then set your cursor where you want the text box to start and drag diagonally until you're happy with it. You can move it around after you finish typing, so it doesn't have to be perfectly placed at first. Once the box is in place, choose your font, something bold that will be easy to see like "Impact." The font box is at the top of the window in the second row of tabs (it appears after you hit the "type tool"). Choose a large size (like 48) and a color that will be complimentary but still apparent on your picture. There are a variety of grays that do a good job of this. Also choose if you want it centered, left or right justified.<br />
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Now put your cursor inside the text box and if you want the copyright symbol, hold down the Alt key on your keyboard (it's near the space bar on a PC keyboard, dunno where it is on a Mac) and while holding it type "0169" - when you release the Alt key, the copyright symbol (c inside a circle) will appear. Then type the rest of your copyright words (website, your name, whatever you want).<br />
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Once you have your copyright words typed, look at the toolbar on the second row above the window and you'll see a white box with a red line diagonally through it next to the word "style" - click that, and you'll see a choice of bevels to put on your words. If you click the right fly-out arrow at the top of that box, you'll see the word "visibility" among others. Choose this and then you can choose "hide" which allows only the embossing to show or "ghosted" which makes the color transparent.<br />
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Now you can move your watermark if you want to. Put your cursor ABOVE the text box and slide it around the screen until you're happy with its placement.<br />
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Don't click SAVE or your photo will have that copyright on it forever and you won't have a "clean" version if you need it. Instead, click "Save As" and give it a name like this: "Pegasus bronze 6in 72dpi watermark" - something that clearly identifies it for you.<br />
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And that's all there is to it! Don't worry about "layers" or any of the other things offered in Photoshop if all you're doing is fixing your photos to use on a website or in advertising. <br />
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If you get stuck, go to your Internet search engine and type in "How do I add a watermark" (or whatever you need) "in Photoshop Elements 6" (or whatever you have). There are YouTube videos that show step-by-step how to do pretty much anything you want. Photoshop Elements 6 is such an old program, the videos are all for 7-9 or whatever number they're up to, but they have kept the basics the same to the point that you should be able to figure out what you need from the available videos. I did the watermark part of this post by using a video that was made for Elements 7-9.<br />
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Get into Photoshop and just play with it. You'll soon figure it out. Just remember to save each changed photo with a unique name and don't overwrite your original! Have fun with it. Good luck!Lynda Sappingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03503845190279881755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29017187.post-51962683740381809172012-05-09T21:04:00.000-04:002012-05-09T21:19:05.110-04:00New Works in ProgressI always work on something when I'm in a booth at a show. At Equine Affaire, with four 10 hour days to be in my booth, I get a decent amount of work done while talking to folks. Sculpting during a show is a great way to teach people about the process of creating sculpture. This time, I also had a digital picture frame doing a slide show of the Nanning sculpture being digitally enlarged. That gave me even more educational material to show the process of going from idea to finished bronze.<br />
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All that said, I started a small sculpture of an Andalusian stallion doing a levade (a 45 degree rear that's held for a few moments - part of "haute ecole" or "high school" dressage. It takes incredible strength to hold that position). Several years ago, I was allowed to photograph the spectacular Andalusian stallion Alborozo at his home in Malibu. His owner, Avi Cohen, put him through all his paces and let me take all the photos I wanted which was incredibly kind and generous of him. <br />
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When I started this sculpture at Equine Affaire, it was nothing but pipe, a board and some spools of wire. I made an armature (metal support for sculpture) and started adding clay, building him up and working on his muscle masses. I haven't started work on his legs yet, as you can see in the pics below. The tail is short like that because the horse's tail is tied up this way so he won't step on it while performing.<br />
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This is where he is now:<br />
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My second new work in progress is a relief of a lovely mare that's an Arab/Welsh cross. She's a palomino with a wide blaze. I saw her pic on Facebook (she belongs to an online friend of mine) and asked if I could sculpt it. She agreed and I started on it, but life got in the way and I had to leave it unfinished for quite a while. Now I'm back at work on it and it's an intriguing puzzle to solve. It's a difficult angle to do as a relief, which is one of the reasons I wanted to try it (silly me!). This is one of those things we self-taught artists do - find a new challenge and fight our way through it as a way of increasing our skills. So this piece will go through some serious cases of "the uglies" before it becomes the beautiful piece I see in my head. Anyway, here she is along with the photo that inspired me. It'll get better, trust me!<br />
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<br />Lynda Sappingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03503845190279881755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29017187.post-45218915526155974012012-03-23T12:22:00.000-04:002012-03-23T12:22:18.563-04:00Other aspects of the art bizMost of the time, I write about the creative process. There are other aspects to the art biz than applying clay to a pipe and wire armature, and I'm going to talk about that today.<br />
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My daughter's logo for her business, Dancing Horse Farm, Lebanon OH (where I'm the Marketing Director/Webmistress/Newsletter editor, which keeps me VERY busy!) is beautiful and seemed like a natural design for jewelry. With her permission (it IS trademarked, so it required permission), I started trying to find a way to make it into jewelry. I knew her clients would enjoy it as jewelry and I also thought it would be a good way to promote the farm.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS88eRkZns3Xmo5nnI5eoUCgbq7cbmSYcaiNLjQ9yBhaOHUQx5Qfv9Y5_yZAwwt9W_1f9DWs6NkWAm2z31CQBy-p2auztcOYaNbHrW02D8P41GT69RmQSOft4HS_b7R4dj57GjDA/s1600/dhflogo_doug_withText1-outlines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS88eRkZns3Xmo5nnI5eoUCgbq7cbmSYcaiNLjQ9yBhaOHUQx5Qfv9Y5_yZAwwt9W_1f9DWs6NkWAm2z31CQBy-p2auztcOYaNbHrW02D8P41GT69RmQSOft4HS_b7R4dj57GjDA/s1600/dhflogo_doug_withText1-outlines.jpg" /></a></div>As you can see, it's very graphic in nature. In fact, it was created (by my friend and fellow artist Marcia Van Woert) digitally. I tried to sculpt it in various ways but had little to no luck (and no, I have no "digital" skills at all when it comes to creating art).<br />
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While I was in Oregon last July having the maquette of Nanning 374 digitally enlarged to life-size (the bronze will be installed in April, YAY!), I saw their 3-D printer at work (not on my piece - that was done with a different process). The 3-D printer takes a scan or a digital image and prints it out in three dimensions in resin. That's pretty darned cool! <br />
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I asked if they could make jewelry blanks for me from this image and they said "sure" - and so they did. They were GORGEOUS! I sent them to a pewter caster and learned they were too thin to use to create the molds. Rats! The pewter place's cadcam guy re-did them at the proper thickness and jewelry was "born"! <br />
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Now design ideas are running out of both my ears, and my daughter's in the same condition, LOL! So far, we have two styles of earrings with the logo 1/2" wide, 3/4" wide pendants and zipper pulls, and I'm making beaded bracelets using the 1/2" charms. They're all so beautiful! And since they're pewter, they're AFFORDABLE! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Eg-qohJxXsQLuensjGaJ4ZT6PWjptPdcxmqXzK9-i6nPgdarNAxwRrSeDAGxmjUxDS_38JH-s57hSxb0Wc91uPFCt6mnA4ElNsDFC4k6e39l8ajoyGQwXeH_U5PIBeNTgE2-qQ/s320/Zipper+pull+back+72dpi.jpg" width="248" /></div>(Shown above: Ball earrings, french wire earrings - both with 1/2" charm; 3/4" pendant; zipper pull using 3/4" pendant.) <br />
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All of them say "myDHF.com" (the farm's website) on the back. The earrings don't have the texture shown above on the back, but they do have the lettering. They're available at an introductory price of $10 for either style of earrings (ball earrings or french wire), $10 for a pendant with your choice of chain length from 16" to 24", $12 for the zipper pull. There's $3 shipping/handling within the USA. You can order them by contacting me (I use <a href="mailto:Lynda@myDHF.com">Lynda@myDHF.com</a> for DHF business) or directly from the website at <a href="http://www.mydhf.com/dhf-jewelry.html" target="_blank">www.myDHF.com/dhf-jewelry.html</a>.<br />
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It's SO EXCITING to see something like this become a reality, especially after trying for so long (literally years!) to create it. And it's wonderful to see the excitement of those who know and love Dancing Horse Farm when they see and wear the jewelry. <br />
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I'll be selling this jewelry (along with my sculpture) at Equine Affaire in my booth (#529-530 in the Bricker Building at the Ohio Expo Center - state fairgrounds) April 12-15, but the prices will be higher. The current prices are introductory only. If you want some DHF jewelry and want to get the best price, order it soon!<br />
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I love learning about all the ways art can be produced. Learning about 3-D printing and cadcam stuff is really interesting to me, although I'll never conquer doing them myself. There are SO many techniques and technologies that didn't even exist when I was a young'un. Being an artist is endlessly fascinating . . .Lynda Sappingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03503845190279881755noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29017187.post-15329322058344225962012-03-06T18:04:00.000-05:002012-03-06T18:04:33.514-05:00Yay!!!I'm excited! I wrote a "short story" (not so short - around 10,000 words) for the Western Ohio Writers' Association, where I'm a member. Since I was trying to get it finished in time for the October meeting where members would be reading at Books & Co. in The Greene (in Beavercreek OH), I wrote a ghost story/horror/suspense kind of thing, not at all my usual genre (magical fantasy with a bit of romance involved). I was very insecure about how it turned out. Did I create enough suspense? Did I withhold the clues long enough? Did I give too much away? Did the suspense build? Did I manage to save the "surprise" until the end?<br />
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Well . . . I wasn't able to go to the October meeting, so I just kept working on the story because it intrigued me as a project. Then I heard about an anthology project that sounded interesting. I decided to polish that story and see if it would get in. It was all I had since I normally write novels. Imagine my surprise and pleasure to learn it was accepted to the anthology! It will be published late this year. I'll have ordering information both here and on my website when it's available!<br />
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The story is called "Lisa Goodman, Writer." I've been given a detailed critique to help me rewrite it for publication. And no, I can't tell you any more about it except it takes place in Dayton (which doesn't have a lot to do with the story - but that really is all I can tell you about it! LOL).<br />
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So HUZZAH!!!! My attempting a totally different genre wasn't a horrible failure (which I feared it might be!). I'm a happy camper!Lynda Sappingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03503845190279881755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29017187.post-49653429853373412632012-02-08T15:47:00.001-05:002012-02-08T15:48:54.924-05:00Busy, Busy, Busy!I haven't posted in a while! Sorry about that. I've been busy building websites for my daughter's farm (I'm her marketing director) and also for myself. I'm REALLY happy with how the sites I've built so far have turned out. Mine aren't published yet, but you can see hers at <a href="http://www.mydhf.com/">www.myDHF.com</a><br />
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I've spent YEARS working on my websites in raw html - and now there are free sites with drag 'n' drop software that's so sophisticated, it's amazing! I'm using Weebly.com to build these sites and their software allows slide shows and a bunch of things I'm not familiar with. It was a bit daunting to figure out how to use the software to do what I had in mind, but once I understood it, I was off and running - and I'm still running, redoing my big art site now (which will take a while!) But the end result is modern, clean and elegant, so I'm very happy with it!<br />
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I've recently published a Harry Potter ficlet, something very fluffy and fun. You can read it on <a href="http://www.siye.co.uk/">www.siye.co.uk</a> or <a href="http://www.fanfiction.net/">www.fanfiction.net</a> - just search for "Abraxan" to find my stories. The new one is "Stumbling Out of the Floo" and has already been nominated for two awards on SIYE!<br />
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I've also been playing with water clay, something I haven't done in years. I had some ideas for small wall hangings I thought would be nice in terra cotta, so that's what I'm doing. I've done a lion relief bust so far and have a horse relief in process. Here's the lion - the horse doesn't look like anything yet.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYkkN-HMSkc4R9S76RxlkMP1wKFfmhbmsvVui9i3_L2GZ-bwgS1iRyGgY5ab_U68fIg6zWfiSm_G_CQsO5HE08fwiVGNQrWsArrPg3PkkaTJBxYOlzI0EFQ5lghq__dDzpaSIGGQ/s1600/Lion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYkkN-HMSkc4R9S76RxlkMP1wKFfmhbmsvVui9i3_L2GZ-bwgS1iRyGgY5ab_U68fIg6zWfiSm_G_CQsO5HE08fwiVGNQrWsArrPg3PkkaTJBxYOlzI0EFQ5lghq__dDzpaSIGGQ/s320/Lion.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The lion is 7 1/4" wide by 8" tall by 2 1/4" thick He's on a round board with a Formica top - probably a cutout from a sink or something. I wrapped the edges in duct tape to keep the particle board edges from shedding in the clay (yes, that's duct tape - it looks like it has paint splashes on it. Got it at Walmart - they have quite a variety of duct tape there.)<br />
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I plan to try to cast this lion so I'll have an edition to sell, but I honestly have no idea how much they'll cost. I'm trying to keep the costs as low as possible. When I have the price figured, I'll post it. In the meantime, how do you like him?<br />
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I'm spending the winter re-organizing and re-doing and so on, so I will soon have new websites, new jewelry to sell, and I'll be making a new brochure soon too. Busy busy busy!Lynda Sappingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03503845190279881755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29017187.post-21151136615307856052011-11-16T14:48:00.000-05:002011-11-16T14:48:51.249-05:00Marketing Your Art/Creating a "Brand"Most artists are unaware that it takes about 50% of your time to market your art properly. No agent, no gallery is going to market your art with passion and knowledge like yours (remember, they aren't working only for you!), so do it yourself and put that money you'd give an agent into your own advertising! <br />
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As an artist, your name is your "brand name" unless you prefer promoting your studio's name. Either way, it's a "brand" and that's a good way to think of it as you promote it. <br />
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Building a "brand name" is a multi-pronged task. You need a business card with an image of your work preferably on both sides (with some clear space left to write notes on if you need to - and all your contact info on one side). ALWAYS carry a good supply of your cards with you. I recently gave cards to a couple of people I was introduced to in church, when my friend included "She's a sculptor" in his introduction and then asked me to show his friend some pictures of my work. Carrying cards is the first, simplest and one of the most important steps in marketing. And try to always have at least some pictures with you, even if they're on your cell phone, as mine are (gotta love smart phones!).<br />
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You need brochures or fliers with pictures of your work - color, if possible (if I can afford it, I'm doing color next year!). Don't do cheap-looking brochures (those printed on regular computer paper, for instance) or people won't consider your art to be worth much. Use heavyweight, glossy or matte paper, but GOOD paper to make the best and most memorable impression.<br />
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You need a Website - not just a Facebook page. People looking for artists don't look on Facebook, they search the Web. Google won't find your art on Facebook, just your posts, but it <i>will</i> find your Website if you build the meta tags right! <br />
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All your promotional materials - cards, brochures, website, etc. - need to be similar in style. Perhaps you'll use your business logo on everything, or a picture of the same piece on the cover of each thing, so every piece of advertising, each hand-out, tells people this is YOUR work, without them even having to read your name. If your work is elegant and refined, your Website and other materials should be elegant and refined. If your work is more eclectic or funky or whatever, then your website and everything else should have the same feel. You want to create a "presence" that's recognizable. <br />
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Think of Nike and their "swoosh" - all you have to see is that "swoosh" and you know it's a Nike product, which tells you something about its quality, style and price without you even looking for that information because <u>you know the brand</u>. Find a way to make your work that recognizable. I can recognize a <a href="http://web.me.com/kimberlysantini/TurtledoveDesigns/Welcome.html">Kimberly Kelly Santini</a> painting the instant I see it - her style is that unique (to my eye, anyway). Same with <a href="http://www.elinart.com/">Elin Pendleton</a>, <a href="http://debfloodart.com/">Debbie Flood </a>, <a href="http://sharyakersequineart.com/">Shary Akers</a> and many other artists.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieR1RGughCQqpV_3XfgLbpSWdDHJsD_7sajSkX9qUeMzUbGvlCR06v5AjG8DNo7oLw_bZfIXezKUMSgbJittu6OvaYyCgncFctIoSf02wty2sDtilSBAldIJWPxLaAldOeinK5nA/s1600/frolicbrzrt72dpi-nocyrt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieR1RGughCQqpV_3XfgLbpSWdDHJsD_7sajSkX9qUeMzUbGvlCR06v5AjG8DNo7oLw_bZfIXezKUMSgbJittu6OvaYyCgncFctIoSf02wty2sDtilSBAldIJWPxLaAldOeinK5nA/s1600/frolicbrzrt72dpi-nocyrt.jpg" /></a>Create a unified presence with a real similarity in style or palette among your works. My bronzes are COLORFUL because I want them to look like real horses. I rarely use the French brown patina people think of as "bronze" color - it's good for outdoor art because it's durable, but there are many more interesting choices for indoor sculptures. I have my bronzes finished with translucent patinas so the metal glitters through just as a real horse's clean summer coat glitters metallically in the sun. I haven't seen anyone else use such patinas on horses the way I do, and that's fine with me! The few paintings I've done are bold-colored and look more like stained glass than realistic horses, and I like them that way. If I ever produce paintings I think are worth selling, they will be bold and probably a bit stylized since I can't draw as well as I'd like to. But they will fit in my "colorful" style. (That's my "Frolic" show above.)<br />
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Stand back and look at your work. There is a uniformity or a thread of continuity to it somehow - that's your style. Find ways to emphasize that in all your advertising and in your booth setup. For instance, I don't use black drapes for my table covers. Mine are a slate blue and my carpet is light beige - it's a light, bright, elegant but cheerful booth. Early in my career, I followed someone else's advice on how to make my booth elegant and used to use black drapes, but all the Friesians I do faded into the black when it was behind them, and I found that much black to be kind of overwhelming, so I went for contrast with the art, and lighter, pretty colors to keep me happy.<br />
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There are tons of books out on marketing your art. Go buy at least one of them - preferably two or three so you can compare methods between them - and then do what they say!! Do your own research and figure out what will work for you. Nobody but NOBODY can sell your art like you can! Believe it!Lynda Sappingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03503845190279881755noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29017187.post-59439098833937480232011-10-19T17:47:00.001-04:002011-10-19T17:48:14.596-04:00Finished and Mounted Maquette!He's done and he's GORGEOUS!! "Nanning 374: Spirit of the Friesian" comes mounted on a walnut base with a built-in turntable so you can turn him to any angle you wish without having to lift him up. He's <span style="font-family: BD Merced,gill sans,helvetica,times new roman; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">15 1/2" long x 13 1/2" high at the top of the neck x 3 1/2" wide, not counting the base. (I have those measurements here somewhere, but I've already shipped the finished ones out, so I'll have to remeasure if I can't find my note! Argh, I'm so blond sometimes!! LOL)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: BD Merced,gill sans,helvetica,times new roman; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">ANYway . . . he sells for $2250, 5% of which is a donation to the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fenway-Foundation-for-Friesian-Horses/205933326090834?sk=info">Fenway Foundation for Friesian Horses.</a> I do take payments at no interest, and it takes about 4 months for each one to be cast, so you have at least that long to pay for it. I've taken payments as long as 3 years for some pieces, so let me know what will work for you.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: BD Merced,gill sans,helvetica,times new roman; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here he is in all his glory!</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjB2gsp1KbVA5R6bM7Pmi_oKrEgD5IxPBey-79scBHQACt-hyG645pkBSMjEGKlx3Pnvnhn4LLqoYIR2jfJ7QI1W5SSi2ap-pRl0qSKvW4428_HwjflpjF_9j1FaiuM8onILdQwg/s1600/Nanning+mq+mounted+lft+6in.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjB2gsp1KbVA5R6bM7Pmi_oKrEgD5IxPBey-79scBHQACt-hyG645pkBSMjEGKlx3Pnvnhn4LLqoYIR2jfJ7QI1W5SSi2ap-pRl0qSKvW4428_HwjflpjF_9j1FaiuM8onILdQwg/s320/Nanning+mq+mounted+lft+6in.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUKcKzWvYb5LgslAuQQPHhB1FMB3p5dL-HrLDr_0P8vfD5FXkUQ_bKvNy_tRNr0dzcZHwmJTZUrzNbdYY-1z1TRvqGMTlz6dgf9LySWl32B41HwKk3xAYzMbiuryQE4AzOOkBGZA/s1600/Nanning+mq+mounted+frt+lft+6in.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUKcKzWvYb5LgslAuQQPHhB1FMB3p5dL-HrLDr_0P8vfD5FXkUQ_bKvNy_tRNr0dzcZHwmJTZUrzNbdYY-1z1TRvqGMTlz6dgf9LySWl32B41HwKk3xAYzMbiuryQE4AzOOkBGZA/s320/Nanning+mq+mounted+frt+lft+6in.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO57RVWkS5K6TVDPO0tSIj4ZDmFrZNtaye01k9VM0EkPlgYvG3yPdgo7EBJEIu03YucT5dysJP83C8-W9_G_KeKzlG8YwagYl1cWCkLQhq5FCDP9gQw3VmkcT5EXLOpO1bz03CEg/s1600/Nanning+mq+mounted+rt+6in.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO57RVWkS5K6TVDPO0tSIj4ZDmFrZNtaye01k9VM0EkPlgYvG3yPdgo7EBJEIu03YucT5dysJP83C8-W9_G_KeKzlG8YwagYl1cWCkLQhq5FCDP9gQw3VmkcT5EXLOpO1bz03CEg/s320/Nanning+mq+mounted+rt+6in.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQZ3MTwofUMpkFQOuK9cFxbedK3NbOpt_hm6g7zWiiJ3cqwZTGoxrcav8NCkTg3ogwgkVtFoyQHXJp-UR-zyQd8vec2kA0eNDRcZ38Ko-tlxhAOaSit6edKXYaoYFE45H2m01vg/s1600/Nanning+mq+mounted+bk+rt+6in.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQZ3MTwofUMpkFQOuK9cFxbedK3NbOpt_hm6g7zWiiJ3cqwZTGoxrcav8NCkTg3ogwgkVtFoyQHXJp-UR-zyQd8vec2kA0eNDRcZ38Ko-tlxhAOaSit6edKXYaoYFE45H2m01vg/s320/Nanning+mq+mounted+bk+rt+6in.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: BD Merced,gill sans,helvetica,times new roman; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</span></span>Lynda Sappingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03503845190279881755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29017187.post-871147035083801032011-09-22T20:12:00.000-04:002011-09-22T20:12:28.372-04:00Maquette in metal!The maquette (small version) of the life-size is in metal now! It will be patinaed (black, of course!) on Monday and I'll have the first two in my hands sometime next week! I have all the bases and name plates - the bronzes just need to be mounted. <br />
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I'm really excited about how GORGEOUS they are! Wow! It's SOOoooo cool when a piece comes out looking even <b><i><u>better</u></i></b> than you'd hoped! <br />
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Here are some pics the foundry sent me to approve the metal work. Please don't drool on your keyboards! LOL <br />
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BTW, you can order one of these for yourself - $2250, and a donation will be made to the Fenway Farm Friesian Foundation from each sale. I take payments at no interest. Email me at <a href="mailto:Abraxan@yahoo.com">Abraxan@yahoo.com</a> if you're interested.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Can't wait to see them in person!!</div>Lynda Sappingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03503845190279881755noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29017187.post-24994661683683520542011-08-25T13:40:00.001-04:002012-03-23T16:58:38.277-04:00Digitally Enlarging the Maquette to Life-Size<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">Yes, I published this post in August. I was going to send it to a friend and discovered the formatting had gone all wonky! So I'm fixing it and re-publishing it. The bronze is finished now and will be installed in April! YAY!</span></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">* * * * </span></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">My life-size piece is being cast in bronze now. I can't wait to see it!! My husband and I went to Oregon for 9 days for me to work on the enlargement to make sure it was exactly the way I wanted it. My customer came out in the middle of the week to see it and make sure it was how he wanted it too. It passed both of our inspections by the end of the week! </span></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"> The digital enlarging method ROCKS! First, the piece is scanned by a computer, then it's cut out by a 12' long 7-axis robotic arm (like the kind used in the auto industry), then clay is applied and ART happens! The scanner doesn't get into tight spots, so there was a curve that attached the testicles to the gaskins, instead of the line of separation that should've been there, but it was EASY to carve out the Styrofoam and touch up the area with additional clay. The horse's buttocks and tail created such a shadow, the scanner missed scanning the rectum completely, so I had to add that to the life-size, which again was no big deal. The enlarging place has a whole staff of people with degrees with sculpting working on the piece along with me, my husband and even my customer (who said I was like Tom Sawyer, getting everyone to work on it, LOL!) </span></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"> When you go from maquette to life-size, any tiny errors in the maquette will show up as large errors (the life-size in this case is 700 times bigger than the maquette). Thankfully, no errors showed up once it was enlarged except for one ear not being set quite as straight as I wanted it to be (on the maquette, it looked fine, so it really was a small error). With help from the crew (since I didn't know how to do it), I cut the Styrofoam ear off, put it at the angle I wanted, secured it with a pointed dowel rod, then squirted glue under the gap. It's a foaming kind of glue from a caulking gun, so it expands and fills gaps. It's also easy to carve or rasp off if it's in the way. The dowel was hammered farther into the foam so it would be easy to pull out, then removed. Voila! Perfect ears!! The scanner made the edges of the ears and nostrils too thick because of its inability to "see" sharp edges like that. No biggie. I carved them off with a bread knife, then built up the clay to what I wanted. </span></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">Once the piece was fully assembled and all the finishing work done, it was cut into pieces to be sent to the foundry for casting. I worked from 8-5 for a week (and my shoulder didn't hurt much at all thanks to a cortisone shot the previous week!) It was hard work but I learned SO much!!!! And the piece is GORGEOUS! (Not just my </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">humble opinion, either! LOL) The 12' long 7-axis robotic arm that's shown in the pictures can do a two day job in two hours! That's </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">pretty darned amazing! You might notice in the following pictures that the edges of the hooves weren't as "crisp" as the edges of real hooves are. That</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"> was due to the way the machine cut them out. My customer fixed the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">hoof edges for me - I asked him to add that clay and he got it in </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">really good shape himself before I came along and did the fine tuning. He sure enjoyed himself, and he'll be able to point to certain parts on the bronze and be able to tell his friends that he did that! I think that's great! :) </span></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">This was a FABULOUS experience for me! I hope I get more</span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: small;"></span> <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">life-size commissions so I can go through this process again! </span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">Below you can see the robotic arm cutting out the head and neck - the horse's face is to the left and the back edge of his neck to the right. This is the same kind of Styrofoam used to insulate office buildings. It comes in 8" thick blocks. </span></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span></span><br />
<pre style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></span></pre><pre class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr6t2s4MlumjR7UY35kDq62EZesq_3k-nne6p41ZIHbjSdfeh5i-0VWRj8jamj5WchZCuVDuduoo7c_qAEnyVofdZMwnP8_4MzPmzX6pTRQcHEj5Q7CsfPkkN9at0Xk0hYl3841w/s1600/72+dpi+head+and+neck+being+cut+out.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr6t2s4MlumjR7UY35kDq62EZesq_3k-nne6p41ZIHbjSdfeh5i-0VWRj8jamj5WchZCuVDuduoo7c_qAEnyVofdZMwnP8_4MzPmzX6pTRQcHEj5Q7CsfPkkN9at0Xk0hYl3841w/s320/72+dpi+head+and+neck+being+cut+out.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></span></span></pre><pre class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></span></pre><div align="left"><pre style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">The computer split the scan of the legs and tail in half lengthwise. These parts are being cut out on this router table and will be glued together later.
</span></span></span></pre></div><div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiheTfVrzyl1L0j-boFk4kG9Nm4YWHOXINT3tl49jeOFmiKf7XSTjeHp1dFmEP6xlE4cbGkexlqJ0XmnWJE9-tiwmLbfLVCLYg6ju83Eox36EXPS8gO53lFdK4glYCgD-7_7iiv0Q/s1600/72+dpi+legs+and+tail+being+cut+out+on+router+table.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiheTfVrzyl1L0j-boFk4kG9Nm4YWHOXINT3tl49jeOFmiKf7XSTjeHp1dFmEP6xlE4cbGkexlqJ0XmnWJE9-tiwmLbfLVCLYg6ju83Eox36EXPS8gO53lFdK4glYCgD-7_7iiv0Q/s320/72+dpi+legs+and+tail+being+cut+out+on+router+table.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></span></span></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">Below is one of the master sculptors who works at the enlarging shop, working on the detailing of the mane. In the life-size, the details I put in the maquette's mane and tail weren't dynamic enough, so clay was added to make them a better size for the life-size. The sculptors there can do all the work for the original sculptor, either at their direction or without them even being there. Apparently I was unusual because I jumped right in and worked alongside them, which made sense to me - it's MY piece! My hands needed to be in every aspect of creating it! </span></span></span></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span></span><br />
<div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMKHuNOQrIxbRBaRb-TGtSvGtpBzSkmjY2Gc8q2Tgh1uUxo4WN3e-gj3RGcFB95P8hort6WVTdObI1h9SHWLa20FVw4snNkQRh2lsSKtfNrrYwmr_N0D3RNn788eKj4Rdad4Tp6g/s1600/72+dpi+Steve+detailing+mane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMKHuNOQrIxbRBaRb-TGtSvGtpBzSkmjY2Gc8q2Tgh1uUxo4WN3e-gj3RGcFB95P8hort6WVTdObI1h9SHWLa20FVw4snNkQRh2lsSKtfNrrYwmr_N0D3RNn788eKj4Rdad4Tp6g/s320/72+dpi+Steve+detailing+mane.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></span></span></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">Yeah, I'm happy with it! Awed by it, actually. It's amazing - and HUGE! Eight feet tall by 9 feet long without the cart it's mounted on at the moment. </span></span></span></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span></span><br />
<div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkeknuG0NIqgo3TM92IfujTA9m8ruex9C8W1_J7Tz500JYdnllA0k1ChSt1sKEaMWrAFKAjD4HMPqiV8J2ez6PcWQ92nMjNKkTqGv33VEzcaQ9hJMDntYMm1GCANvV-OE8stWTIw/s1600/72+dpi+Yeah%252C+I%2527m+happy+with+it.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkeknuG0NIqgo3TM92IfujTA9m8ruex9C8W1_J7Tz500JYdnllA0k1ChSt1sKEaMWrAFKAjD4HMPqiV8J2ez6PcWQ92nMjNKkTqGv33VEzcaQ9hJMDntYMm1GCANvV-OE8stWTIw/s320/72+dpi+Yeah%252C+I%2527m+happy+with+it.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></span></span></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"> I wish my parents were alive. It would be such a kick to be able to </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">send this photo to them and say, "Look what I did!" :) I know </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">they'd hang the picture on their fridge.</span> </span></span></span></span></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span></span><br />
<div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtOzQ0OhgsEV52OKIri4Y3BAkEwcdPrPrYnQjtG88JGLhHQY4560IvaHf3eSCP4PhpwhCZupVgB6iUGudakV9t73SG_f78FKyOMdaxn-vbxLlpLwHjAp3jRmc2gWoXEEuKwyN7Wg/s1600/72+dpi+watermarked+final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtOzQ0OhgsEV52OKIri4Y3BAkEwcdPrPrYnQjtG88JGLhHQY4560IvaHf3eSCP4PhpwhCZupVgB6iUGudakV9t73SG_f78FKyOMdaxn-vbxLlpLwHjAp3jRmc2gWoXEEuKwyN7Wg/s320/72+dpi+watermarked+final.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><pre style="margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></span></span></pre></div>Lynda Sappingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03503845190279881755noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29017187.post-28224504335326039632011-06-29T09:53:00.004-04:002011-06-29T10:03:57.756-04:00Taking Credit CardsChanges to the rules of how credit card transactions are processed necessitated a change in the system I was using last fall. The software I was using (PC Charge Pro from <a href="http://www.verifone.com/">www.verifone.com</a>) had been made obsolete by the new compliance rules. PC Charge Pro is a very good system (and what they're selling now is compliant with the new rules) and I liked it a lot, but before I spent the money on new software, I decided to see what was new in the market since I'd last looked. My husband suggested I look for merchant services apps for my smart phone (a Droid), which is what I went with. First I'll tell you about a popular system we looked at and didn't choose, then I'll tell you about the one I signed up with (and am very happy with).<br />
<br />
Of the merchant services that work with smart phones, Square (<a href="http://www.squareup.com/">www.squareup.com</a>) is one of the more popular ones. Their fees are low and the card reader is cool, but there are problems with the way they do business that turned us off. Any company that has no "real" office or phone number where you can talk to live people about problems is not a company I want to deal with, for one thing, and that's the case with Square. Also, their reputation for customer service and complaint resolution is bad<br />
(<a href="http://www.cardpaymentoptions.com/credit-card-processors/square-review/">http://www.cardpaymentoptions.com/credit-card-processors/square-review/</a>). The Ripoff Report website has an interesting complaint<br />
(<a href="http://www.ripoffreport.com/internet-fraud/square-up/square-up-squareup-sqaure-up-346db.htm">http://www.ripoffreport.com/internet-fraud/square-up/square-up-squareup-sqaure-\up-346db.htm</a>) against Square too - it's always good to check these things when you're researching something that involves your money. (Notice in the Ripoff Report the problem with taking sales over $1000 - many of my sales are over $1000 since I sell bronze, so that was a real turn-off for me.) <br />
<br />
A better solution, IMO, is <a href="http://www.merchantwarehouse.com/">www.MerchantWarehouse.com</a>. They have <b>free</b> apps for Iphones, Androids, Blackberry and I believe Window phones too, and their rates are guaranteed to be the lowest (they will work with you on what the best rate is for your business). You can get a Bluetooth swipe machine to go with your<br />
phone for $129, IIRC, which works great. However, if you're in a place like Equine Affaire where one company has the WiFi contract for the premises, you may have problems. At Equine Affaire in Ohio this April when I tried to use my Droid to do charges (it works great at home!) I couldn't get online with the<br />
phone because of the WiFi service for the fairgrounds blocking my signal. I finally had to pay for the internet access and use my computer to use the free Merchant Gateway on MerchantWarehouse.com. So a really good aspect of the Merchant Warehouse system is that you're not locked into just using your phone - you have another option. BTW, when you input the customer's email address, a very professional-looking receipt is emailed to them, which is a really nice feature.<br />
<br />
Periodically, Merchant Warehouse will go over your account and make sure you're still getting the best available rate, which is the first time that's been offered to me in the 16+ years I've been taking credit cards.<br />
<br />
Merchant Warehouse has an A+ reputation with the BBB (Better Business Bureau). Whatever system you go with, be sure to check them out with the BBB and possibly Dunn & Bradstreet as well to make sure you're going with a reputable company and equipment. It's also a good idea to do searches for complaints against whatever company you're interested in, and whatever terminal you're interested in as well. I once was leased a terminal that the company KNEW would be obsolete in a year when AT&T changed their system!!!! There was no way for me to know that when I got it (because when I signed with them, I wasn't given the name and<br />
model number of the swipe machine I'd be getting, so I couldn't research it - and honestly, it never occurred to me that it could become obsolete like that), but in researching our complaint against them, we discovered AT&T let those companies know that certain terminals wouldn't work anymore BEFORE this company leased this machine to me. What a pain.<br />
<br />
<br />
Another good thing is that Merchant Warehouse gives its customers who refer people to them $100 if that person signs up. So if you do check them out and decide to go with them, please give them my name! :D I've already gotten paid for referring others to them, and they pay very quickly! You can also get a standard swipe machine type of system or software for your PC (although with the Merchant Gateway, I don't know why you'd need the software) with Merchant Warehouse if you prefer to work that way rather than with a smart phone.<br />
<br />
I've been with 4 or 5 different merchant services companies since I've been in business. This Merchant Warehouse system is easy to use, easy to explain to others who might be working in your booth, inexpensive, secure and the people there are nice to do business with. I'm very happy with them, which is a very pleasant change from some of the ones I've had before!Lynda Sappingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03503845190279881755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29017187.post-70725448664171456242011-06-28T18:37:00.001-04:002011-06-28T18:38:50.107-04:00Nanning and "Tolt" updatesNanning is at the enlarger's in Oregon. The maquette has been scanned and is already at the foundry where the mold and castings will be made for the maquette edition as well as the life-size. You can order a maquette now and it should be delivered hopefully by the end of October. The maquette will be mounted on a shaped walnut base (not a rectangular one but one that follows the movement of the horse) and numbered sequentially.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNmaZm9et27mK0W5p-bCFpBKcl_52Yvs3NmvKq8a8QxBKBf5Gwlx8G6rw59F2ZbOCTLKZpbbmAuIZRDWi5TrAoI-PYFcWx8RWIGgknpUfzaGK0NAx16vUbAV2Ba7JLxXHfGGmrUw/s1600/5_30_11+bk+4in72dpi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNmaZm9et27mK0W5p-bCFpBKcl_52Yvs3NmvKq8a8QxBKBf5Gwlx8G6rw59F2ZbOCTLKZpbbmAuIZRDWi5TrAoI-PYFcWx8RWIGgknpUfzaGK0NAx16vUbAV2Ba7JLxXHfGGmrUw/s320/5_30_11+bk+4in72dpi.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>These pictures were taken just before the piece was shipped. For more information on this piece, please see its webpage, <a href="http://www.thesculptehorse.com/lifesize.html">Nanning 374: Spirit of the Friesian</a>.<br />
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Now that the piece has been scanned, the next step is to cut it out of Styrofoam at life-size. To do this, the enlarging company uses a seven axis robotic arm. The piece will be cut out in all three dimensions and will be 1/4" smaller all over than the finished size (17 hands at the withers). A coating of the same kind of clay I use will be put on it and then I'll go out there to do the surface detailing. I can't wait to see the enlargement! I guarantee I'll get all misty-eyed. This project is a dream come true for me! I'm so excited about it!<br />
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"Tolt" is finished and gorgeous and now installed in its owner's home. Here are the final pics of it.<br />
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Now I'm starting on a bust of Nanning that will be a bronze wall-hanging. I'm eager to get started on it, and I'm REALLY eager to go to Oregon soon to do the final work on the Nanning life-size! YIPPEE!!!!Lynda Sappingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03503845190279881755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29017187.post-49751433714411135572011-05-13T14:34:00.001-04:002011-05-13T22:49:10.591-04:00Nanning nearing the end - WHEW!!I'm busy detailing the mane, tail and feathers on Nanning, and I had to repair an ear today after I bumped it and messed it up, oh well.<br />
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Don't look at the feathers on the left hind - I've redone them many, many times and am still not settled on how I want to do those vertical feathers. (He'd just stomped that food down in the photo, so they really are flying straight up.) Those feathers, cleaning him up and smoothing out any remaining lumps are pretty much all that's left to do!! YAY!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiFRYAJSxuWs6TS0piR7SofIPBtAHNKgtn8uRRpV16VpcqOyhsACci_ctG3j_oxf3Lax-Z9x1suMSLiPKiKiJDGnFp4aDm8l06nFqDDD061Ho4P6q2_KoSgOUJyxmNxtiryuYIBw/s1600/5_13_11+bk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiFRYAJSxuWs6TS0piR7SofIPBtAHNKgtn8uRRpV16VpcqOyhsACci_ctG3j_oxf3Lax-Z9x1suMSLiPKiKiJDGnFp4aDm8l06nFqDDD061Ho4P6q2_KoSgOUJyxmNxtiryuYIBw/s320/5_13_11+bk.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_0L-e9-cJt14ymlObNjuR5kk8MPFqdGXmjdPYlarxLUHraNb3Pr4y9Om2K9RunV_LrHuLIwAqSc5Bzam8Oj2R7YXATahgWd9MGLaaoPZzbFljOvmALNn_lcVlkXkk0n8fSslpsA/s1600/5_13_11+frt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_0L-e9-cJt14ymlObNjuR5kk8MPFqdGXmjdPYlarxLUHraNb3Pr4y9Om2K9RunV_LrHuLIwAqSc5Bzam8Oj2R7YXATahgWd9MGLaaoPZzbFljOvmALNn_lcVlkXkk0n8fSslpsA/s320/5_13_11+frt.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><span style="font-family: BD Merced,gill sans,helvetica,times new roman; font-size: small;">The piece is 15 1/2" long x 13 1/2" high at the top of the neck x 3 1/2" wide (just over 1/6 life-size).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: BD Merced,gill sans,helvetica,times new roman; font-size: small;">Since this piece will be a life-size bronze and displayed outdoors, there are things to consider I don't normally have to think about. For instance, I need to design him with as few "cupped" places as possible so they won't trap rainwater and create green spots on him. Yes, the foundry will drill seep holes to drain any serious depressions, but still, if I can sculpt it so there are very few of them, that's best. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: BD Merced,gill sans,helvetica,times new roman; font-size: small;">"Tolt" has patina now and will be shipped to me soon! I'll post pics of it as soon as it's mounted. </span>Lynda Sappingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03503845190279881755noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29017187.post-19973174038374883412011-05-02T12:00:00.000-04:002011-05-02T12:00:22.619-04:00Updates on "Tolt" and "Nanning""Tolt" is in metal! I got some "approval pics" from the foundry last week. There are a couple of things I want them to fix (the reins should not be looped up above the rider's hands, and the stirrups are too far back on the feet), but overall, it's beautiful!! <br />
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The maquette of Nanning is coming along well. I've added hair to the tail and have started putting clay on for the mane, but the clay for the mane isn't "installed" yet. It's just lying there on the surface in strands much too thick for the finished version because right now, I'm just working out the movement of the mane. Once I've figured out how I want it to be, I'll thin those strands and make sure they're well-attached to the sculpture, as well as having mane on both sides of the neck..<br />
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I enjoy working on the "hairy" parts of horse sculptures. That's where I can get more creative with it. I think he's going to be gorgeous!!Lynda Sappingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03503845190279881755noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29017187.post-268347955732881242011-04-21T17:20:00.000-04:002011-04-21T17:20:16.899-04:00The beginning of the endThe sculpture is coming along well, with the muscles defined and the body probably finished except for a bit of smoothing here and there. I still have a little detailing to do on the legs, but with Friesians, their skin and coats are thicker than that of the average horse (I may have said that here already - sorry if I'm repeating myself!) plus they have all those feathers, which actually start all the way up at the chestnuts (which are above the knees, just under the hocks in case you don't know). For those reasons, the detail isn't as crisp in a Friesian's legs as it would be in an Arabian's, for instance, so I add detail and rub it out a bit to soften it so it's appropriate for a Friesian. <br />
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The "beginning of the end" for a Friesian piece is where I start doing all that hair. You'll see in these photos that the feathers have been added and are pretty much finished on three legs. The weird stuff sticking up on the left hind leg shows me exploring various ways to depict feathers that are literally vertical at this moment in the stride. It would be so easy to do in paint, but in sculpture, there are mechanical issues to consider, such as how a mold will pull off the piece without destroying the detail. I've applied and ripped off the feathers from this foot probably five times now. It isn't a problem - it's an educational journey as I try to find the very best way to portray them that's also going to work for the mold.<br />
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Anyway - here are today's photos:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3p0V4fVSdyuf3GN2apvTd884XaaY_jPwyT2P5pv49pIYnHJMkvTBXzBGEqxVT4fV-YIKAxzd41Z8ntz1KcTPZF3kiMlT902If8HmZQwUBYY7JUR1E4sFjlILo-syZwlw9YZMozQ/s1600/4_21_11lft+cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3p0V4fVSdyuf3GN2apvTd884XaaY_jPwyT2P5pv49pIYnHJMkvTBXzBGEqxVT4fV-YIKAxzd41Z8ntz1KcTPZF3kiMlT902If8HmZQwUBYY7JUR1E4sFjlILo-syZwlw9YZMozQ/s320/4_21_11lft+cropped.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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I've also done a good bit of work on the head, ears, shoulders and on smoothing out the bumps in the body. The shoulder on the right side still needs a bit of work, but I'm lucky enough to have a good side-lit picture of him with his weight on his front leg so I'm seeing all kinds of detail I want to build in to the piece. When you see me working on the mane and forelock, you'll know the head is finished. I'll probably do the tail last. It will be fluffed out and moving, not hanging in a lump the way it is right now. Trust me, I'll get it there! LOL.Lynda Sappingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03503845190279881755noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29017187.post-26725169161099429482011-02-27T17:32:00.000-05:002011-02-27T17:32:52.796-05:00Progress, progress, progress!I wish I'd taken a picture of Nanning's head when I finished work today - I spent most of today on it and there are a lot of changes. I'll just have to post the pic another day!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8iq5elLHzGjgdghdsicFFVtWq4CAcpWLnKSdu32GAqdhXbeJnlZhknjFxLYkVs9i8UItYv4NMUeXulZytQS9MIqYlDrNDYMrUMDNhCvZ53dRkvjJXvTxlCpDRodZJbal8GO1SFw/s1600/2_27_11+seeing+if+feet+are+level.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br />
In the meantime . . . I've done a lot of work on his back legs and rump, and now he has four legs, which I'm sure will make him very happy! LOL Normally I work with the horse's feet on the ground and build up "grass" around his feet, so I don't have to pay attention to how "level" they are - it all works out fine when they're on the ground. But this one's in mid-air for several reasons. For one thing, the owner wants the piece to be of just the horse, no ground under him, and for a life-sized piece, that's a good design. It saves money (less bronze to cast, less weight to support, less expense in shipping, etc.) and looks more natural than it would with a "pad" of grass under it as a life-size horse. To balance, three feet have to touch the ground, so I've had to lower the right hind leg to have the toe touch the ground, which isn't the way it is in the photo, but it's only off by a few inches. I also had to straighten his front leg, which is bent in the photo, so he would have two feet completely flat on the ground, which will make him stronger.<br />
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Here's how I'm checking how level his feet are:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8iq5elLHzGjgdghdsicFFVtWq4CAcpWLnKSdu32GAqdhXbeJnlZhknjFxLYkVs9i8UItYv4NMUeXulZytQS9MIqYlDrNDYMrUMDNhCvZ53dRkvjJXvTxlCpDRodZJbal8GO1SFw/s1600/2_27_11+seeing+if+feet+are+level.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8iq5elLHzGjgdghdsicFFVtWq4CAcpWLnKSdu32GAqdhXbeJnlZhknjFxLYkVs9i8UItYv4NMUeXulZytQS9MIqYlDrNDYMrUMDNhCvZ53dRkvjJXvTxlCpDRodZJbal8GO1SFw/s320/2_27_11+seeing+if+feet+are+level.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>That's a piece of cardboard (from a calendar) that I've cut a slot in so it will fit around the post. The level is way off right now, but the right front hoof still has a wire sticking out of the bottom, so it won't be level front to back until I cut that off. I was mostly checking to see how the back feet were doing. They're not too far off, so I'm happy about that.<br />
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Here's how he looked yesterday before I did all that work on his head. I'll post the revised (and much prettier) head soon.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPYX31hwGfRmCmX4zocCA5G3tc1EIqlWThVGsCilNvFG6s_uVA2IOJhG4En4Ta61jzEeUtMFqRbuZqU21OEOJ5-QAGZSoXA5qvkDnjywadal-9QvBhvlPpdEwSHNdkz7dxNVpQCw/s1600/2_26_11+Nanning+lft+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPYX31hwGfRmCmX4zocCA5G3tc1EIqlWThVGsCilNvFG6s_uVA2IOJhG4En4Ta61jzEeUtMFqRbuZqU21OEOJ5-QAGZSoXA5qvkDnjywadal-9QvBhvlPpdEwSHNdkz7dxNVpQCw/s320/2_26_11+Nanning+lft+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUna9dfp0HL7P9R60qgEPM5enVYbKscAfYgq0HQB7FRDavDZj8ErX8e_B8EbRfR6k-nuNKPjZ2MC3M5pLjqGNI2o9NEXXxdvFLXWj7TPf6lMn6YO7OIXaZ_r9ZYsG01bRTdVeOdQ/s1600/2_26_11+Nanning+rt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUna9dfp0HL7P9R60qgEPM5enVYbKscAfYgq0HQB7FRDavDZj8ErX8e_B8EbRfR6k-nuNKPjZ2MC3M5pLjqGNI2o9NEXXxdvFLXWj7TPf6lMn6YO7OIXaZ_r9ZYsG01bRTdVeOdQ/s320/2_26_11+Nanning+rt.jpg" width="314" /></a></div>I'm still not happy with his hind legs, but he's in such an extreme posture (he was playing - horses can get into all kind of extreme positions when they play!), it's hard to get it exactly right early on. My way of working is to build the horse too big and with everything in place as well as possible to start with, then carve away what isn't the horse I'm working on, making adjustments, either tiny or large ones, as needed. He'll be gorgeous and his pose will make sense once I'm done with it! I think I have at least a month's more work to do before he's finished.<br />
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The jumper is painted and finished, ready to be mounted on the walnut plaque. Here's how it looks finished. It's name is "Rolltop."<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj07iEP5Ns82yVI3Bl7N72bM6OeNtcm0x19HPIruJUmcCmH9UUTGCPblIViYn0NUq2t0KuYg4qbsji9QY2jmewam8HL5mkCO2U-AXfR2TsJN1Hkkos8LRNEcNnjiCnYIQhBICbd2Q/s1600/2-26-11+Rolltop+gold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj07iEP5Ns82yVI3Bl7N72bM6OeNtcm0x19HPIruJUmcCmH9UUTGCPblIViYn0NUq2t0KuYg4qbsji9QY2jmewam8HL5mkCO2U-AXfR2TsJN1Hkkos8LRNEcNnjiCnYIQhBICbd2Q/s320/2-26-11+Rolltop+gold.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>It's on a paper towel that has black paint and gold Rub 'n' Buff on it from me finishing a bunch of medallions as well as this relief. I'm happy with how this turned out! I think it will make a beautiful trophy.Lynda Sappingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03503845190279881755noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29017187.post-16106124860949544982011-02-21T21:51:00.000-05:002011-02-21T21:51:13.062-05:00Update on Jumper Commmission and Frieisian MaquetteThe jumper commission ("Rolltop") is sculpted, the mold has been made and I've been making castings. The first casting is usually one that has to be thrown away, because that's the one where I find the places where the mold catches on the resin. When it "catches," that usually means the mold material has gotten stuck in the resin and torn off the mold. These are usually TINY places, so they don't usually damage the detail of the mold. The first casting also removes any clay that may have remained in the mold. So the first one is tossed. I've gotten a good casting now, so it just needs to be cleaned up (washed with Dawn dishwashing detergent to remove any oils from its surface), painted with a prime coat and then finished to look like bronze. Here's are pics of it in the mold and right after I unmolded it.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg2yEMpZrDgVrFG-8e3zRtI5p6u2KBOWdHdf12PTtzCMisfE8znNTbxvIk9XRbwiYevIcEg-c1YqGaVhM51SyBTG5Nx0Pc6ZJMOe8SVoMF2IAjf97nx0XSK8i-Z4tA-qlwJVYOCA/s1600/2_21_11+jumper+casting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg2yEMpZrDgVrFG-8e3zRtI5p6u2KBOWdHdf12PTtzCMisfE8znNTbxvIk9XRbwiYevIcEg-c1YqGaVhM51SyBTG5Nx0Pc6ZJMOe8SVoMF2IAjf97nx0XSK8i-Z4tA-qlwJVYOCA/s320/2_21_11+jumper+casting.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The Friesian maquette for a life-size bronze is coming along well. It's still rough, but the proportions are getting there, and some of the details are starting to show. Remember, this is a work in progress - it will be in "the uglies" for a while yet.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ56vLH9zX949KE3IjB_MUN-Q3p5Qc8f-BweZBjRUESI09bfsQKCrmUqT446APmw76o41KmPCO0k6xKTvvKIXPczNQJqnnxI1rTL_3ozrjHXCcVjet8bnWepPMxeipZ_gvWv6R4g/s1600/2_21_11+Nanning+bk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ56vLH9zX949KE3IjB_MUN-Q3p5Qc8f-BweZBjRUESI09bfsQKCrmUqT446APmw76o41KmPCO0k6xKTvvKIXPczNQJqnnxI1rTL_3ozrjHXCcVjet8bnWepPMxeipZ_gvWv6R4g/s320/2_21_11+Nanning+bk.jpg" width="151" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit9phl6aDmN1Av7pIi6dg6QhtQJutD_wnfkGkhn3R7tA1v6K1dHDpFhnxGspBDXU2xxvNFxSDwNFtZ6vQ8yacwJYyOFKAQ2TBX9hzrWldEXDXWag4d1lWxONGFkV3acCWnW4Cf_A/s1600/2_21_11+Nanning+frt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit9phl6aDmN1Av7pIi6dg6QhtQJutD_wnfkGkhn3R7tA1v6K1dHDpFhnxGspBDXU2xxvNFxSDwNFtZ6vQ8yacwJYyOFKAQ2TBX9hzrWldEXDXWag4d1lWxONGFkV3acCWnW4Cf_A/s320/2_21_11+Nanning+frt.jpg" width="126" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKzGPb46v8q58eqUcDJJDI0QCgoIlgJATtCtG1HvDi6NQ5M5phh18PXWSu0q18P-_lcjQNS3gfhmqf9D09McU7du4xkcyVXnUbJZ8sYLN70WKL6G8rJhk3_zlhEjO3GQ8L0zdtPA/s1600/2_21_11+Nanning+lft.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKzGPb46v8q58eqUcDJJDI0QCgoIlgJATtCtG1HvDi6NQ5M5phh18PXWSu0q18P-_lcjQNS3gfhmqf9D09McU7du4xkcyVXnUbJZ8sYLN70WKL6G8rJhk3_zlhEjO3GQ8L0zdtPA/s320/2_21_11+Nanning+lft.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbR9JIU4AzXNQ7_JO7KLelv6PbTRN-K3Y5MhPN90AaZYJ6Cw3IeXct6lzinaMgBmH7DgrtXkxIA4m_Aj1NseyL9YXNNRbZGV7ZRugfUZwv0T9fz4THg_yzNBoTXJdxw6ENG6sCAA/s1600/2_21_11+Nanning+rt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbR9JIU4AzXNQ7_JO7KLelv6PbTRN-K3Y5MhPN90AaZYJ6Cw3IeXct6lzinaMgBmH7DgrtXkxIA4m_Aj1NseyL9YXNNRbZGV7ZRugfUZwv0T9fz4THg_yzNBoTXJdxw6ENG6sCAA/s320/2_21_11+Nanning+rt.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>His body is curved, as if he's turning to the left. Hopefully it looks like that! I know his hooves that are flat to the ground aren't quite on the same plane yet - that will come with a bit more work. Ignore the position of the tail - it's just a "placeholder" for now. <br />
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I try to work all over the sculpture at the same time, without focusing too much on any one spot. So while the head looks almost finished, it isn't. While the left hind hip and leg look nearly finished, they aren't. Everything's being developed a little at a time. I can see the beautiful horse starting to emerge, although most people will probably not see beyond his current not-yet-beautiful state.<br />
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I'm finding the hard clay difficult to work with. My shoulders are sore all the time despite using a hair dryer on the sculpture to soften the clay before I try to blend it or add more or carve some off. Some of my ribbon tools are being damaged from trying to carve this clay. I sure hope the results are going to be worth the effort of using this kind of clay! It's good to learn how to use a different kind of sculpting medium, but I'll be happy to go back to the soft clay I normally use.Lynda Sappingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03503845190279881755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29017187.post-79432154348676584182011-02-09T18:20:00.000-05:002011-02-09T18:20:07.128-05:00Jumper commission is finished!This was a fun break from the big pieces I've been working on. I really needed to take a step back from the Friesian maquette and try to see where it wasn't working, so I worked on this little jumper relief on the tiny bit of space beside "Tolt" on my crank up sculpting table. Nanning (the Friesian) is on the worktable across the room with his big reference photo right behind him. A couple of days of work on the jumper gave me fresh eyes for Nanning, so that was really good! And I got this pretty relief finished just today. The customer and I are both happy with it, YAY!<br />
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The first picture shows it at an early stage. I worked from the rear end of the horse to the front once I had all the basic shapes in place. <br />
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Below, you see me trying a different jump than the one in the photo (which was a simple jump with standards, although a pretty one). The original jump was awkward to make into a relief. One standard needed to go across the rider's boot and the other looked as if it were stabbing the horse in the throat. So I decided "no standards!" I tried a coop jump first, but wasn't that happy with it. That's below. <br />
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Then I did a rolltop jump and that's the right one for this piece. Now all I have to do ("all" - LOL!) is make the mold box, pour a mold, clean up the mold, cast resin in it, clean up the resin, paint and finish the resin, mount the resin and the brass plates to the walnut plaque (my basemaker will actually do that - I'm not that good with power tools!) and voila! It's a trophy!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhToyHZxasQZry26iipNUg6h1j-P-ptZ3E0YovGNoc_Zm4Mh0rLj1Ah5KuFvHpyJHz1UW1oHfuwENy8-f4fRVAu4Rr6WPFWuJD2jBO2ZGoxvWjLQs2pHwAGnYZjhr9iOFQe47X74w/s1600/2_9_11+Jumper+final+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhToyHZxasQZry26iipNUg6h1j-P-ptZ3E0YovGNoc_Zm4Mh0rLj1Ah5KuFvHpyJHz1UW1oHfuwENy8-f4fRVAu4Rr6WPFWuJD2jBO2ZGoxvWjLQs2pHwAGnYZjhr9iOFQe47X74w/s320/2_9_11+Jumper+final+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I put the little bush at the end of the rolltop to show she's at a show - the rider also has a number card tied around her waist that shows on her back (which is why her back is a bit flatter than it might normally be).<br />
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I hope you like my little jumper relief! It will be available as a trophy on my <a href="http://www.thesculptedhorse.com/trophygallery.html">Trophy Gallery</a> page once I get it finished. Lynda Sappingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03503845190279881755noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29017187.post-49265262193597431292011-01-29T15:54:00.000-05:002011-01-29T15:54:26.560-05:00Sculpting with Gloves On and Other AdventuresI'll bet you read that title and said, "Huh???" LOL. Read and learn!<br />
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I got a "rush job" yesterday, a trophy job that involves me sculpting a relief of a jumper. After I sculpt it, I'll make a mold and cast a resin of it, then finish the resin to look like bronze. The problem is, the trophy has to be finished and in their hands by the end of March. That isn't much time to get such work done, but fortunately for me and the customer, the big piece I'm working on requires a lot of "down time" while the clay is softening in the crock pot, so while the clay is becoming soft enough for me to use, I have time to work on other projects.<br />
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I'll back up and explain a bit here. I'm using a crock pot as a double boiler to soften the Classic Clay Hard that I'm using on maquette for the life-size bronze I'm working on (I'll call it "Nanning," the real horse's name, to keep things simple). It takes a while for the clay to soften even with the crock set on "high," so while it's warming, I have time to work on other things. <br />
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I don't want to leave the crock plugged in and turned on while I'm not in the studio, so I don't turn the corck on and leave the studio while it warms the clay. I've got the rider for "Tolt" nearly perfected and need to give that piece a couple of days of not being looked at so I can see it with fresh eyes before I do whatever touchups seem necessary. Then I'll photograph it and send the pics to my client for approval. I don't want to start working on the wings for the Pegasus I'm doing using "Feather" <a href="http://www.thesculptedhorse.com/feather.html">http://www.thesculptedhorse.com/feather.html</a> as the horse's body because working on the wings takes both hands and my left shoulder is still sore and weak. I don't have enough working room to get "Horseplay" out to work on while Tolt and Nanning are out. With all my other current projects on "hold" for various reasons, I have time to work on this trophy relief while waiting for the clay to soften for Nanning.<br />
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My trophy customer sent me an excellent reference photo of a college-age rider jumping a nice hunter fence. The background was very busy, with white vinyl fence behind the mostly white jump and people and a building there as well. To make it easier to see what I was doing, I cut the horse and fence out after printing the photo on my computer printer at the size I wanted to sculpt it. To get it centered on the foamcore board I'm using as a working surface, I marked the outline of it on the foamcore. This way, when I sculpt the piece, it won't be too far to one side or the other, and the mold will be much better as a result, with no possibly weak sides from being too narrow.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmL3Yxk1NrdZ2SbKVCNOZAcmc2unJ5OuScC4NgGq68Tpr5ACpHWoNLfCaj3wMC_4Ryy1hWwCekgSYxMfauF8fyS2cMVT49TSm5DQodsTCLEyqioGpszJbBHzrA3mFfylyEcKO_oQ/s1600/1_29_11+marking+the+board1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmL3Yxk1NrdZ2SbKVCNOZAcmc2unJ5OuScC4NgGq68Tpr5ACpHWoNLfCaj3wMC_4Ryy1hWwCekgSYxMfauF8fyS2cMVT49TSm5DQodsTCLEyqioGpszJbBHzrA3mFfylyEcKO_oQ/s400/1_29_11+marking+the+board1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> Hopefully you can see the pencil outline on the foamcore above. The cut-out reference picture that's been made the size I want it to be for the trophy is to the right.<br />
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Once I have the board marked, I start putting clay on the board to fill out the silhouette of the horse. I will finish the horse first, then add the saddle, bridle, reins and rider (not necessarily in that order), and will build the jump and the bushes on either side of it last.<br />
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The trick to doing good reliefs is to remember that the parts closest to the viewer need to be the highest. That seems like something that should be simple to do, but it isn't as easy to do as you might think. Consider this horse's back legs. The left hind leg is nearest the viewer. That one has to be the highest. You'd think the right leg would be the next highest thing, but this is a gelding and his sheath is showing, so the sheath has to be the second highest level and look as if it actually belongs <i>between</i> the back legs. The right hind leg will be the least high. The "least high" part still has to have a decent amount of depth top to bottom (as you look at the clay, not top to bottom of the leg) so the resin will pour well and the resulting piece won't be too thin and warp. I have to be sure even the thinnest parts of the relief will pour well and be thick enough to be strong, but not so thick the piece loses its graceful appearance. That's a trick in itself.<br />
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In the picture below, I've done about 45 minutes of work on the piece (with a couple of breaks to check on the clay in the crock). You should be able to see the definition and different levels of the two back legs and the sheath. The back legs, rump, top of the tail and the back part of the belly are all in pretty good shape now, although I need to detail the legs, of course. I'm making this using the Classic Clay Soft I normally use. I like it because I can push the clay around to get the various shapes needed without a lot of work, so my hands don't tire so easily.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoNwnTd6LS8QZqQu9KqH94KYrflWKPn9ZYdDy6bV1MdbreQY8stYtRpzUcLtnEW_blZg11O4yR971YMtZ4Un64pzoisLI75ZEo6j3ATzUu_7545QeiEx8gKRUVDXEpvLOlPPEJgQ/s1600/1_29_11+one+hour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoNwnTd6LS8QZqQu9KqH94KYrflWKPn9ZYdDy6bV1MdbreQY8stYtRpzUcLtnEW_blZg11O4yR971YMtZ4Un64pzoisLI75ZEo6j3ATzUu_7545QeiEx8gKRUVDXEpvLOlPPEJgQ/s400/1_29_11+one+hour.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The photo shown on the left above is the full photo. It's about 1/3 bigger than the one I'm using for the sculpture. You can see how the white vinyl fence behind the jump is distracting to the eye. Having it cut out makes my job go faster - it's a nice shortcut. <br />
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This is a *great* reference photo. Having a straight-on, crisply focused profile shot where the camera is level with the center of the horse's body mass makes life a lot simpler for me, especially when I need to do a rush job. <br />
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While I worked on the jumper, the clay in the crock turned to mush - I should've checked it more often. As a result, I wound up "frosting" Nanning as if I were frosting a cake! That was interesting! I used a putty knife to apply the clay to bulk him up and tried to press the clay in place with my fingers. It didn't take me long to realize I needed to get smarter about working with that hot clay. First I took the lid off the crock so the clay would cool a bit. That helped, but not enough. Then I took the glass bowl the clay was in out of the crock and set it on the table beside me. Within a few minutes, it had cooled enough to be easier to work with, but it was still hot on my hands. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_GmgtYaN6sn5PjPyBzvITuVegs0j0TG5dELCj8D0RhQMX2N93YIGAgbzi1KDG4NQmgM96gi7z592IelYmCcwfzEEDzEyoj9pWWAs9PkkA8xG3MjDK6rXyHJrvpIc2GlAwgpuOQQ/s1600/1_29_11+clay+added.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_GmgtYaN6sn5PjPyBzvITuVegs0j0TG5dELCj8D0RhQMX2N93YIGAgbzi1KDG4NQmgM96gi7z592IelYmCcwfzEEDzEyoj9pWWAs9PkkA8xG3MjDK6rXyHJrvpIc2GlAwgpuOQQ/s400/1_29_11+clay+added.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_GmgtYaN6sn5PjPyBzvITuVegs0j0TG5dELCj8D0RhQMX2N93YIGAgbzi1KDG4NQmgM96gi7z592IelYmCcwfzEEDzEyoj9pWWAs9PkkA8xG3MjDK6rXyHJrvpIc2GlAwgpuOQQ/s1600/1_29_11+clay+added.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Above you can see the crockpot on the left, a plastic box behind it with a red lid - that's where the sliced clay is stored - the plastic cup I used to bring more water to the crock today (there's no water in the machine shed where my studio is). On the right of the sculpture are the tools I'm using on this one so far: the putty knife I'm using to put clay on (sometimes frosting the sculpture, LOL), a large wooden tool that I use to both press the clay tightly to the existing clay and to carve the piece a bit, and some smaller tools I haven't needed yet. The Friesian on the bulletin board to the left in the background is not Nanning - it's just one I liked when I first started sculpting. I never have sculpted that horse. This is my second sculpture of Nanning (he's the horse pulling the carriage in my bronze, "Friesian Elegance" <a href="http://www.thesculptedhorse.com/Elegance.html">http://www.thesculptedhorse.com/Elegance.html</a>). The Friesian mounted on the blue Styrofoam directly behind the sculpture is Nanning 374. In this photo, you can see the clay was laid on in rough "swooshes" - this is when the clay was too soft and I was actually "frosting" the sculpture. It all worked out okay, don't worry!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>I got the bright idea to use vinyl gloves to apply the hot clay. The glove you can see in the pic below is a "chemical barrier glove" I use when making molds and doing other stuff with chemicals that might irritate my skin. It's leaving interesting alligator-skin-like impressions on the clay, but that won't last. I'll be carving this clay down with sharp tools, either heated or after having used a hair dryer on the clay to soften it (hard clay really requires a different working method than usual!) and you'll never know Nanning looked this rough or had alligator skin at any point in his construction, LOL!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj00tM2GCYp3-FLzspVg1HlmQIUkoqeDiurYqVoWHkswOY5MXkFJzIZYYKzRNxIQmDkXqioWsqp7aB4d0nHxh1o9iQrA7GlorSzr3W0EPnWCqAjH76-UOqpP9SoWN7Y0IVjRh_LFQ/s1600/1_29_11+sculpting+w+gloves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj00tM2GCYp3-FLzspVg1HlmQIUkoqeDiurYqVoWHkswOY5MXkFJzIZYYKzRNxIQmDkXqioWsqp7aB4d0nHxh1o9iQrA7GlorSzr3W0EPnWCqAjH76-UOqpP9SoWN7Y0IVjRh_LFQ/s400/1_29_11+sculpting+w+gloves.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As you can see in the photo above, I put a piece of clay on and smooth it out, filling in depressions and gaps with it as much as possible. Eventually, the sculpture will be smooth and elegant and will look like the well-muscled horse it represents - it's still in the "uglies" stage for now.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgro_8APBnxnr9ST3PfhoIomz-9O0FNeMTYnzVIMGD0tZgu-dSN5Lj7dPfrYTS2DtLBEQazL6TnjzcU7p-P9FnXem3v_dKnUJdH22XMqzbOepxy04oTtqyllB_kwxe5-8PogGT-KQ/s1600/1_29_11+measuring+w+calipers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgro_8APBnxnr9ST3PfhoIomz-9O0FNeMTYnzVIMGD0tZgu-dSN5Lj7dPfrYTS2DtLBEQazL6TnjzcU7p-P9FnXem3v_dKnUJdH22XMqzbOepxy04oTtqyllB_kwxe5-8PogGT-KQ/s400/1_29_11+measuring+w+calipers.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is the best way to measure with calipers - you don't put the curved tips toward each other but AWAY from each other so your eye won't be fooled by the curve in the legs of the caliper. Here I'm measuring the length of Nanning's body. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This reference photo isn't as easy to use as the jumper's because the horse isn't in straight profile to the camera. His body is actually bent, so his shoulder is fairly straight to the camera, but his rump is in 3/4 view. There are reasons for him being in this position, but the simplest explanation is that he was playing and horses do unexpected things while playing.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvVbHjf9Y6lLgKRqFjqtpUn6OsNyc__XjzpEc6FpIMZaF11q13CuexJwO9TYdeX09NylL7wrGdXnyOHUIfHLRrFbfoqWWdePImyFa2YdihGdnnIcPaZgLwkNHpXutMn8ekDkUPWQ/s1600/1_29_11+adding+clay+other+side.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvVbHjf9Y6lLgKRqFjqtpUn6OsNyc__XjzpEc6FpIMZaF11q13CuexJwO9TYdeX09NylL7wrGdXnyOHUIfHLRrFbfoqWWdePImyFa2YdihGdnnIcPaZgLwkNHpXutMn8ekDkUPWQ/s400/1_29_11+adding+clay+other+side.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is what the far side looks like when you've been adding clay from one side without turning the piece often. The clay is still very soft, so the slabs are going on well and are smoothed out on the horse's left side, but they look pretty weird on this side, don't they? Don't worry, I fixed it. <br />
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Note the toothpicks sticking out of his point of shoulder and point of buttocks above. They are there to show me how much he needs to be bulked up. The clay should be built up until the top of those toothpicks are even with the clay. I have a way to go, don't I? :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFgghMimfcPh9gRdOVo_snrIt9YqxYm4-yDYC959IftbGiuQ2yAW0bLtcCWQ-Y7xkQC39jlZYa6FYzKgjESxzFhPWHGWIAquOTEu3t9vW-QOZ9qd-oxGbwigOf4W-j_uuIJjOXGw/s1600/1_29_11+stopping+point.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFgghMimfcPh9gRdOVo_snrIt9YqxYm4-yDYC959IftbGiuQ2yAW0bLtcCWQ-Y7xkQC39jlZYa6FYzKgjESxzFhPWHGWIAquOTEu3t9vW-QOZ9qd-oxGbwigOf4W-j_uuIJjOXGw/s400/1_29_11+stopping+point.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After adding more clay and blending it in, pressing it so it will be hard and strong and there won't be any "surprises" (depressions where there shouldn't be depressions) in the future, and adjusting the armature a bit (I moved his tail and two of his legs - in pressing the clay on, they got out of place a bit), this is the result. His neck is too thick and his body not thick or long enough, but my hands and shoulders aren't as strong as they were prior to surgery, so I have to stop here for now. Thankfully, I'm getting stronger and gaining stamina every day - it's just taking longer than I want it to! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm happy with where Nanning is now. I could see the "portriat" emerging from the beginning, but I'll bet you can start to see it now. If you noticed the working board is up on something else, I have a 2x6 under it at the moment that has a turntable on the bottom, so it's easier for me to turn the piece to work on it. When I get "Tolt" off my big sculpting table and no longer need to use the crock pot to soften my clay, I'll move Nanning to the sculpting table.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
That's it for now! Hope you learned something interesting from me today!</div><br />
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</a>Lynda Sappingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03503845190279881755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29017187.post-76077446445473354352011-01-25T16:18:00.000-05:002011-01-25T16:18:42.825-05:00Finally making real progress!And it's about time! There was a setback when I started working and realized the armature wasn't as tight inside the plumbing T as it needed to be, so I had to remove the clay that I'd put on already and add more toothpicks until it was nice and tight. It felt tight when I finished making it, but in moving it around some to get it mounted on the pipes, I guess some toothpicks shifted and it loosened. There's also the fact that my arms and hands are just not strong like they were pre-surgery, so it was as strong as I thought I could make it before. Now it's fine. I stripped some clay away and shoved in more toothpicks and made sure it's secure, then covered the armature with clay and added a bunch more, so now it's starting to look like something! It still has a serious case of the uglies, but it's making big strides forward now. I can see the horse developing and the beauty of his form in all this mess. It WILL turn out all right, I promise!!<br />
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Some pictures to help you see what's going on:<br />
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</tbody></table>Above is the armature I'm using - heavy wire wrapped with thinner wire running through a 1/2" plumbing T. Yes, one set of legs is done with copper wire, the other with aluminum - I ran out of aluminum wire the right size and copper's all I had to substitute with that was the same size.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG0u-3G_3BZfP-maLQwrrW_ocC-Z7tmt5gcQ6jxKvYYCKLIFiLm00Y6HwMDRtZ39vBUl1dR0SWBGB1RM9RYh3yy8JX3dmff5nlFSE9aO1v1u10P6iMzFii67Kh0iLmiiKUBI0mVA/s1600/1_24-11+Laying+on+HARD+clay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG0u-3G_3BZfP-maLQwrrW_ocC-Z7tmt5gcQ6jxKvYYCKLIFiLm00Y6HwMDRtZ39vBUl1dR0SWBGB1RM9RYh3yy8JX3dmff5nlFSE9aO1v1u10P6iMzFii67Kh0iLmiiKUBI0mVA/s320/1_24-11+Laying+on+HARD+clay.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
This is how the armature looked yesterday before I realized it was too loose in the plumbing T. I had to cust off a lot of clay from the pipe area - the mid-part of the horse was totally clay-free when I got done cleaning clay off (it peels right off, being a hard clay, once you cut into it enough to give you a hand-hold.)<br />
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If you've followed my work before, you'll notice the horse is floating in mid-air rather than having the wires attached to the working surface, which is my normal way of working. This piece is the maquette for a life-size bronze of Nanning 374, a 17 hand Friesian stallion. There will be no bronze "grass" under the life-size to save weight and expense, so the maquette has to be made the same way. By floating it in mid-air on a pipe with a coupling in the middle, I can take the piece off the support pipe, attach a plumbing T to the bottom of the pipe, slide a chain suspended from the ceiling through that plumbing T and hang the piece upside down so I can do the detailing on the belly and so on without having to turn myself in to a pretzel to do so. Yay! <br />
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This is today's work after I strengthened the armature. This is Classic Clay Hard and I normally use Classic's soft clay. Yes, it looks exactly like the clay I normally use - it's the same brand, but two hardnesses harder (how do I say that more sensibly?? And I call myself a writer! Argh . . .). Classic offers two colors, this tan and a milk chocolate color. I have trouble seeing details and defects in the dark color, so I stick with this light color.<br />
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See the red crockpot at the left? I have a glass bowl inside the crock and water in the crock itself so the bowl acts like a double-boiler. I put the clay my hubby sliced for me (using a blow-torch-warmed machete and a lot of upper body strength, bless him!) into the bowl (the sliced clay is in the red-topped box behind the crockpot), then set the crockpot on "high" and keep the lid on tightly. Within a short time, the slices of clay are either nicely malleable, or so soft they're mush, depending on how thick they are! This is the only way I can work with clay this hard since I have carpal tunnel. Once all the clay needed is on the armature, I'll use sharp tools to carve it, and if I need it to be soft, I can aim a light at it for a little while or use a hair dryer on it for a few seconds to warm and soften the clay, or I can heat my tools, whichever seems the best at the time.<br />
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Car manufacturers use hard clay in their originals of new cars so they can carve the clay with a sharp tool and get a mirror-like finish on the clay. That's how hard "hard" clay can be! <br />
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I have to press it on and smooth the edges and beat it with the flat side of a big wooden tool or a wooden paddle to make sure it's applied as densely as possible. Once I've built the clay up to approximately the size of the horse's profile, I'll start bulking out the body more until it's as big as it needs to be. Then the fun begins - I start carving away what isn't a horse! <br />
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More later! As always, I welcome questions. If you're confused or just want more information about something, please let me know.Lynda Sappingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03503845190279881755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29017187.post-49221309255365064262011-01-12T20:46:00.000-05:002011-01-12T20:46:40.895-05:00Armature AngstI had this great idea (well, I thought it was a good one anyway) to build the maquette for the life-size on an armature that wouldn't need plumbing to hold it up. Hopefully, it might even stand on its own three feet (one foot's in the air in the pose the owner's chosen). I built the armature out of twisted aluminum wire as I normally do, but put the wires through a galvanized connector rather than a plumbing T since I planned on this one not being mounted to a working board. I thought the way I was making it would make it possible for me to lay it in my lap and work on the belly without any pipes in the way, so I could get the detail better.<br />
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I built the armature and shoved toothpicks in the connector (shown above) to keep the wires from wiggling, as I normally do with a plumbing T in my usual armature. Then I wrapped it all in black duct tape, which is not something I normally do, but I thought it might be a good thing to do this time (this keeps my fingers from being poked by the toothpicks while laying on the clay). After that, the wire was coated with Bondo so the legs wouldn't be as likely to bend as they usually are. I started adding clay that had been warmed in a crock pot used as a double boiler (clay inside a glass bowl sitting in water in the crock). That was all fine. (First photo below shows the Bondo-covered armature in the seat of my chair for contrast - and yeah, those are my legs and feet at the bottom of the picture, LOL.)<br />
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After covering the armature with clay (but nowhere near as much clay as it would be when it's finished), I tried standing the horse on its feet to see how sturdy the legs were. They <i>weren't!</i> Argh. I was hoping the Bondo would be a big help but it just didn't make them as strong as I thought it would. <br />
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Luckily, this is a Friesian and as such, he has thicker legs than something like an Arabian or Quarter Horse, for instance. So I built another armature with heavier wire which would be difficult to use on a horse with finer legs. I haven't put Bondo on it yet, but now I'm thinking it just won't work the way I want it to, so I may not Bondo it at all. <br />
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Shown at right is the horse I'm sculpting and the pose he'll be in. I printed the picture out at the size the bronze will be and arranged the wires on the picture to get the size and shape adjusted. From there, I put a wire between the front legs and between the hind legs to spread them the width they should be, keeping the wires high enough that they stayed inside the body. You can see those cross wires in the picture above (where the armature is covered in Bondo).<br />
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With only about 1/3 of the clay on it that it will have in total, I realized the weakness in my shoulders, arms and hands due to my shoulder surgery and long idleness while recovering is going to be a serious problem. The piece is so big (1/6.5 life-size of a 17 hand horse) and already so heavy, working with it in my lap or on a table is just not feasible at my current strength level. I probably wouldn't injure myself, but I'd certainly wear myself out a lot faster trying to move around a piece that heavy. So, this armature method won't be the one I use - this time. Perhaps in the future when I'm stronger, I'll try it again.<br />
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I've decided to try an armature method another friend told me about. It incorporates plumbing the way I normally use it, but also has a way of unscrewing the horse from the support post, then screwing a plumbing T on the bottom so I can hang it upside down and work on the bottom side of the belly without twisting myself like a pretzel to see under the piece. In this method, the horse is suspended in air - his feet aren't attached to the working surface the way they are in my normal armatures. I now have all the plumbing parts I need and a chain to hang from the ceiling. I just have to get my husband to hang the chain for me before I actually need to use it (probably next week). <br />
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I'm not looking forward to redoing the second armature I built yesterday (the one with the heavier wire) but I think it's in my own best interests due to the atrophy of my muscles while recovering from surgery to use an armature method that's self-supporting. I'm less likely to injure myself and more likely to be able to work longer hours if I don't have to lift that clay every time I want to move it. My sculpture stand spins around so I can sit in my chair and turn it to get to all sides. It's also the kind that cranks up and down rather than having to be lifted up like my old stand, so I don't have to worry about lifting the piece until I want it to hang from that chain upside-down. I should be able to lay it on its side to get it attached to the chain - at least until I get the detail on the horse's sides nearly finished, but by that time, the underside of the belly should be finished. <br />
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I think this method has a lot of promise. Keeping my fingers crossed that it works well for me! I'll post pics of the new armature - or perhaps the piece in progress - once I get it going (Friday, most likely).Lynda Sappingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03503845190279881755noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29017187.post-42730352982367998042011-01-07T22:08:00.000-05:002011-01-07T22:08:43.919-05:00The Rest of the UPS storyGot an e from my shipper tonight. He found out that there is no actual UPS "lost and found" site. It's an internal setup for USP investigators only. He still can't understand why they couldn't match the information about my claim with the piece sitting on their shelf. Oh well. All's well that ends well - and do get Google Alerts on your name! It's a real help! Lynda Sappingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03503845190279881755noreply@blogger.com0