As I begin work on a new commission bracelet destined for down under, titled Australian Moons, I'm back to sculpting tiny birds directly into silver.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVhLeq4pKIuUSuNMC6vwAjKOcEVd0DxEnxvTT8W7df9Kh7lYb_eHC-EFcaQxjlDgwJi6-SVAWo8WPj3DO6HzdGjePgFtHQQ3wEQKuCa9cTlZPZw-EJ2fYxvoxO38vfNLKY5mp40w/s320/fd357df7a86f4891aac416b512a7b6bb.jpg) |
Northern Saw Wet Owl from wmburkhardt.tubmlr.com |
After years of practice, I can make plenty of generic birds with no guidelines. But sometimes I want a bird of a particular type or in a specific pose, as I plan for how the pieces will be combined with branches and leaves on the surface of the jewelry. In that case I usually search online for an image that captures my vision. The adorable northern saw-whet owl shown above was taken from a Pinterest board provided by the client.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK6RTa7ME5m8_u2utVj_pQsCMHnlAMreBmSFl1IYW_EbgNmDHfHVdRqz4c2OxTCtDb4j7J63PhYG6Y-o-cBCbWK-CrzGh3642Lahz8HlPjmVp-hBzOndcV2DIlO99RVNt1fzfCRA/s320/owl.jpg) |
polymer and silver clay versions of the saw whet owl |
If I've been sculpting a fair bit recently, I can usually work directly from the photo into silver clay. If it's been some time since I worked on birds, or if it's a new bird I haven't done before, I may need to practice a bit. To find the best way to do the simplified model in clay, I may work in polymer in a larger scale before moving to silver. This lets me work without worrying about clay drying, which is the biggest working issue with silver clay. I can smooth and refine and work out the steps needed to get the look with maximum impact using minimum marks and available tools.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLn4mjQpmXjyDUQP3lJG6i1CaUqVVv8WqDYcdbZFWqViHoTul3I0PIRzroZ2etnyV8nloBymoN4XVdgk6erF5ZRJNWh5qtc0eHWarhKmi85su-dpJ3D7QLDydNgi2e47u0aFTJzA/s320/7d15dfbdc3ac3d5cfbae0f69bce34782.jpg) |
blue fairy wren |
Another request for this bracelet was a blue fairy wren, which I remember being totally captivated by on my visits to Australia.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDVVIrJC-yFZjyXtD-O7duvXhRLoMvAcYL4yS_PsZau1rPup3q4n3M4Aw7SmRlZVvRJK8NkF6dIPw5Zna9qj2DBsKI1g4mzLiws1vSs56Hn0htz2-5lEs3L8GyQHMwpwG1DPFmfA/s320/fairy+wren.jpg) |
silver clay fairy wren |
The first version of this wren wasn't fat enough, but this wren has been celebrating Thanksgiving far too much.
Also in today's collection headed for the kiln after some refinement: a rufous hummingbird and a green headed tanager. Hopefully I'll have enough birds to start working on the treetop scene layout tomorrow.