Cary told me that one of the things she wanted for Christmas was a lion sculpture (actually, she has been saying she wants one for a while now, but I figured Christmas was as good a time as any to start one).
This is the 4th real sculpture I’ve done, so I’m learning as I go. For some reason, work on this one is going much faster than the others. I started this sculpture at about 7:30 PM last night, and in about three or four hours, this is what I have so far:
I’m going for a stylized look for the mane — more along the lines of a marble sculpture than a real lion’s mane — so I’m experimenting with layering tapered ropes of clay to make the fur. Right now, it looks a little too “ropey”, so I plan on blending and smoothing the ropes together before I’m done. I think the face is a bit too long, and I need to add detail to the back legs (the left front leg is still missing). Cary wants the lion to be reading a book (reminiscent of the many lions scattered throughout Venice that we saw on our honeymoon), so that part will come last. I don’t know that the lion will be reading the book so much as “lying next to a book”, but I imagine that will suffice.