Post by lizpurlo on Apr 4, 2010 23:14:06 GMT 1
This is my contribution to Lorraine's great idea!
I am an equine sculptor, and I specialise in limited edition models of native ponies, especially Welsh. I find ponies, cobs and heavy horses with their intelligent and cheeky personalities far more interesting to model than glossy show or dressage horses - though as a lifelong National Hunt fanatic I'd never turn down the chance to model a big battle-hardened steeplechaser!
Everything starts off in plasticene, like this -
I make my own moulds, and cast in either bronze resin (popular for trophies) or white resin - and the white casts I hand over to a painter friend who transforms them with airbrush and acrylics into this -
This is a Section C mare, Parvadean Delight.
Before starting a new model, I need to meet my pony subject. I take over twenty measurements, such as withers to shoulder, shoulder to elbow, and so on; I work mainly in one-tenth scale so I can keep checking to make sure my model's proportions are about right. I need lots of photos from odd angles too! And I like to get to know the pony - is he friendly, confident and cheeky, or shy and unsociable? I like to fix a mental picture of him in my head which I can recall when I'm working on his model.
'Harmony' in plasticene.
It takes a long time to make a complete pony model and if I finish four in a year, I'm doing really well. So I never do one-off portrait commissions nowadays, as they'd be so horribly expensive - once I've made the model and its mould, it's as easy to turn out fifty casts as one.
Highland Pony in bronze resin.
I've just finished a limited edition of fifty Highland Pony models for the Equine Grass Sickness Fund, and I'm proud to say that they've raised over £5,000 for the Fund. I'm hoping to produce another model for them fairly soon; having lost a beloved four-year-old to GS in 1992, it's a cause dear to my heart. I'd like to do a racehorse for them - we did the chaser Miko de Beauchene in 2008 - here in plasticene -
and painted.
I also do a few pony heads - this is a painted Sec B head, which makes a really nice trophy in bronze resin. These are £45 each - the head measures about five inches excluding the base.
I sell mainly through my website www.hendersonsculpture.co.uk and I also do around five tradestands a year. Coming up soon are Lampeter Welsh Stallion Show on April 17th, then Glanusk at the Royal Welsh Showground on May 1st. Please come and see me if you're going to either of these! My biggest event of the year is the Fayre Oaks Sale in September at the Royal Welsh Showground, where I usually meet my overseas customers (at least a third of my output goes to Holland, they're huge Welsh Pony fans over there) and take orders for Christmas.
Tradestand at Fayre Oaks.
If you're interested in finding out about the technical side of mould-making and casting, please add a post - I'm happy to point anyone in the direction of suppliers and information.
10% to the IH charity for any sales resulting from this exhibition.
I am an equine sculptor, and I specialise in limited edition models of native ponies, especially Welsh. I find ponies, cobs and heavy horses with their intelligent and cheeky personalities far more interesting to model than glossy show or dressage horses - though as a lifelong National Hunt fanatic I'd never turn down the chance to model a big battle-hardened steeplechaser!
Everything starts off in plasticene, like this -
I make my own moulds, and cast in either bronze resin (popular for trophies) or white resin - and the white casts I hand over to a painter friend who transforms them with airbrush and acrylics into this -
This is a Section C mare, Parvadean Delight.
Before starting a new model, I need to meet my pony subject. I take over twenty measurements, such as withers to shoulder, shoulder to elbow, and so on; I work mainly in one-tenth scale so I can keep checking to make sure my model's proportions are about right. I need lots of photos from odd angles too! And I like to get to know the pony - is he friendly, confident and cheeky, or shy and unsociable? I like to fix a mental picture of him in my head which I can recall when I'm working on his model.
'Harmony' in plasticene.
It takes a long time to make a complete pony model and if I finish four in a year, I'm doing really well. So I never do one-off portrait commissions nowadays, as they'd be so horribly expensive - once I've made the model and its mould, it's as easy to turn out fifty casts as one.
Highland Pony in bronze resin.
I've just finished a limited edition of fifty Highland Pony models for the Equine Grass Sickness Fund, and I'm proud to say that they've raised over £5,000 for the Fund. I'm hoping to produce another model for them fairly soon; having lost a beloved four-year-old to GS in 1992, it's a cause dear to my heart. I'd like to do a racehorse for them - we did the chaser Miko de Beauchene in 2008 - here in plasticene -
and painted.
I also do a few pony heads - this is a painted Sec B head, which makes a really nice trophy in bronze resin. These are £45 each - the head measures about five inches excluding the base.
I sell mainly through my website www.hendersonsculpture.co.uk and I also do around five tradestands a year. Coming up soon are Lampeter Welsh Stallion Show on April 17th, then Glanusk at the Royal Welsh Showground on May 1st. Please come and see me if you're going to either of these! My biggest event of the year is the Fayre Oaks Sale in September at the Royal Welsh Showground, where I usually meet my overseas customers (at least a third of my output goes to Holland, they're huge Welsh Pony fans over there) and take orders for Christmas.
Tradestand at Fayre Oaks.
If you're interested in finding out about the technical side of mould-making and casting, please add a post - I'm happy to point anyone in the direction of suppliers and information.
10% to the IH charity for any sales resulting from this exhibition.
Gosh those are truly wonderful Liz well done 
