TwentyOne Equine: Tip Tuesday: Medallion Process

I started a new medallion today, one I hope to cast once he is complete! I have sculpted medallions before, but I haven't taken any to the level needed for a successful casting run, and they were just left as OOAK pieces. I thought I would share my process with you, as part of my 'Tip Tuesday' feature. A late Tip Tuesday, obviously!

I start by finding inspiration. Today, I wanted to recreate a gypsy vanner stallion that lives at the yard I used to work at, Dylan. I looked about my files for some photos of him with his head in the position I wanted.

I crop the files to focus on his face, filter them to black and white (which makes it easier to see the shadows and volumes), and print them out for easier referencing. I then get my idea down on paper. I trace his silhouette and features from my computer screen, making sure it is the size I want my medallion to be. I decided to try a background or 'frame' to add interest and make him more sturdy.

To begin sculpting, I lay a transparent sheet (such as a polly-pocket wallet, a large baggie, or the like) over the sketch and apply my material, in this case 'SuperSculpy', onto the plastic wallet, covering up the sketch and making the shape of the horse. This photo is maybe an hour into the sculpt, he has the basic contours, but no features or detail. There's no point adding wrinkles and whisker bumps when there's nothing correct to put them on. I use my fingers to push the clay into place at this stage.

I then just keep applying the sculpy and building him up. Study your references really hard, and then study them some more. Below are some images from about 3 or 4 hours in. They are all taken a few seconds apart, the only change is the direction of the light source. Move your work into different lights, it'll pin-point areas you need to work on and help make sure it looks good from other angles and positionings.