Tatanka

Tatanka

I hate to admit I am fascinated with buffalo, their beauty as well as their power.

I am also a texture loving sculptor so the buffalo is one of my favorite animals to depict because of their woolly hair.

This bull was done much the same way the other large laying down buffalo (Keeper of the Sacred Spirit) was, with the blue contractors foam and on a pipe armature set into a large board (remember it has to support the weight later of the mold) with a flange.

Remember how I said previously that I really enjoy heating my Chavant and creating hair with anything handy by swiping the warm clay. This is the very case in point, I used an old scratchy washcloth to create the curls and projections that give this guy his character.

This is also a good example of how to utilize your mirrors in the corner (remember I said that my studio had a corner where two mirrors were placed where with my pedestal placed just so I can view the piece in several directions at once. It is critical to get an animals eyes evenly distributed on either side and balance the piece of sculpture.