Pottery Pets - Hand sculpted to your design

I start with a lump of clay and an idea of what I intend to make. Or if it's to be a commission I will have several photographs in front of me, and because I will have already had some contact with my client I will also have a good idea of the pet to be sculpted. It's nice to know something about the personality of my subject and is often a help in deciding on the position of the finished sculpture.

Because modeling takes time and the clay dries each time it's exposed to air, I cover each model when I'm not working on it, to slow down the drying process.  
As the porcelain dries, the texture becomes more like leather, so the process moves on from modeling by hand to sculpting with tools and I can really get down to work!

The features and fine detail of each sculpture are all done at this sculpting stage. If the clay dries too much I keep it moist by spraying a find mist over it.  During the drying, each model has to be hollowed.  Tools are used to scoop out the inside.  Once a model is completed to my satisfaction, it is slowly allowed to air dry fully before it is fired in the kiln.