I like the way the hair spills now. She is looking more believable now. There is still fussy work to be done. In a piece this size, a quarter millimeter difference in a shape can ruin the form. I still need to attend to her left wrist and one eyelid.
Although I liked the hair in the drawing, in metal it is out of control now. A haircut is in order. I'll take a little off the back.
The assembled pieces are carefully carved and chased with engraving tools and chisels. I've taken care to keep a spacial relationship with the layers of the composition.
The details are beginning to be roughed in. Certain areas have been corrected by moving metal around with a blunt chasing tool.
The volume and the subtler shapes of the form are coming along. This is a self developing process for me. Though things are always planned ahead, the working causes changes in the execution.
I was inspired by the color of oxidized copper to create a small brooch. The reclining woman will have a spill of red hair. She will be sculpted in fine silver, a mighty pale complexion. The background will be a dark black shakudo and the rim will be gold.
The pieces are cut from heavy stock...
...Carefully fitted and inlayed...
And are ready to be welded together!
These are designed to show a nice pair of pearls as dangles. They might otherwise be obscured by hair. The gold beads on the rim of the trumpet give a nice little sparkle.
As mentioned previously, the teapot has inspired some other use of the same technique. Here are three starfish which enjoy the same granular treatment. I've also created them as earrings.
I was fascinated by the hobnail pattern of an old iron teapot that I have and I thought that it might look nice in gold. After a bit of carving, I came up with this miniature. It has inspired some textural work on some earrings as well.
