Early armature and later claywork

Here the early stage of the steel and wire for the smaller Collie

progress  is good for the  Collie boy...the  pins help with the key points

Portraits of the heads of two Collie Dogs

Here the first images of two lovely Collie Dogs

Key front views and profiles

Sculpture Portraits of Two Unique Dogs

Some dogs are one of a kind...and  here are  two !
Meet Bella and Sam  who are to be  captured in clay and cast in Bronze

First the supporting frame needs to be made

The first look at the armature for the pair

The design is so that they can be displayed to sit next to each other - or seperately

This is Sam's profile - you can see the more upright position

A long journey ahead to make the friends

Here a glimpse of the two together in their earliest stage of clay

Sam looks a bit strange without his chest and  head developed, but his back line is coming on

you can see the wire support for the front leg added.

You can see Bella's head is turned slightly to the  viewer, and her shoulder is beginning.

Sam's chest is now developing, and the beginnings of his face and  those  wonderful ears are sketched in.

Now some of Bella's coat is being built up on her left side, her ears are also sketched in, her jaw line is starting to be developed, more coat is needed on her chest

Much more work and we have a sequence of views of the different sides

Here is Sam

Horse Sculpture Portrait Commission in Bronze

That Special Horse  now celebrated in Bronze

Horse Portrait Sculpture details

The Clients have seen the finished sculpture - an emotional time - and the clay has been taken to the foundry.

The reins and martingale have been added and the details to the mane and nose are finished.

Now for the reins and other fine work

Many long hours have passed and the details of the drop nose band bridle have been carefully made and applied.

How much better the horse sculpture looks with the mane added.

You can see a patch on the neck that needs working in, and that more has been done to the character of the mouth and nose.

The eyes have been made and added, and some of the horses unique expression and special attentive look, little by little defined.

We are a long way from the bent steel rod, here the developed front view.

The Making of a Faithful Companion

The Very Beginning






after consultation with the client, designing the armature and setting all together.


The above image is important to the particular pose of the piece, and although many images will be studied during the making of the portrait sculpture, this photograph captures an essence the client wants to celebrate.

Steel rod bent and fixed....a long way to go, but already the sculptress has in her minds eye the finished pose, and next the wire support for the clay is added, and the first build up of the top line profiles begun.

Wire is added down the nose and then clad with the first clay, working towards the profile under the throat.

More clay is added moving towards the top profile.

The lines of the bridle are sketched on as a quick reference.

First build up of the neck muscles and the jaw bones and cheek...






Second build up of neck and nose bones and early sketches of positions of nostrils and ear.





Working on the details of the bones of the front of the nose

Bringing the offside of the sculpture up to the shape and detail of the nearside, but always checking with the images of the horses offside to keep accuracy.