I wrote, a few days ago, about feeling my way through adapting skin-on-frame boatbuilding techniques to bird sculpture. When I wrote this piece I was sure that I had rounded the corner and had mastered stretching a fabric skin on a bird shaped frame.
I was wrong.
I finished my last work session applying a coat of spray shellac (ick) to the skin so that it would be ready to paint when I got back into the studio. I paid for my impatience. I sprayed the fabric with water to shrink it. I applied the shellac before the fabric was completely dry and the moist areas sagged badly.
Today I stretched on skin number three. Rather that stretch it on dry I sprayed the fabric with water before I stretched and attached it. I found a moist skin was much more forgiving and tightened nicely. After the entire frame was covered I dried it thoroughly with a heat gun.
I wanted to avoid water based finishes. I was worried that the sking would absorb the moisture and sag again. Today I brushed on a coat of old-school linseed oil based varnish. I love the smell of linseed oil. It brings back memories of ancient antique stores (before the days of antique malls) and of my mother’s Pennsylvania Dutch decorative painting. I applied the varnish six hours ago and it’s no drier 
than it was when applied.
While waiting for the varnish to dry I worked on the metal components of this northern cardinal. I dipped the beak, mandible and crest in mueratic acid to remove the galvanizing (zinc) and to etch the surface to accept paint. Out of the acid bath the parts are all bright and shny, but over the next few weeks, the unpainted parts will develop a beautiful patina.
When I was in middle school my father purchased a heating and cooling business. In those days heating and cooling shops still had a full scale sheet metal shop. I was assigned to this shop from the 
beginning (I was to learn the business — never did.) and cut my teeth making all kinds of interesting sheet metal things. On my first say my mentor. Eddie Bryant, showed me his badges of honor — many missing fingers — and warned me not to ever try to catch metal that was falling off a bench. Within a week I had slits across the legs of my jeans at the height of our benches from sheets hanging over the edges.
I pulled from these long lost skills to cut and form the beak, wings and tail for this cardinal. I’m not quite sure how I pulled it off, but I am pleased with the results. Using a piece of steel (actually I sacrificed a heavy steel ruler) a hammered at the lines 
between the feathers. I was able to define the lines and shape the entire wing.
These parts have all been acid dipped and I hope to get them painted in the next day, or so.
I really enjoy reading your post about your artistic processes & the new methods you employ in your art. Thank you for recommending the Hugh Laurie album. I checked it out from the library & enjoyed it immensely.
I’m a teacher … I share. When someone pays a lot of money for my work I want them to see the research, development, mistakes and pain behind the work. I also want young artists (or older emerging artists) to understand the pain that goes with creating.
(It’s really not pain…It’s an expected part of the process. Twenty years ago, a failed attempt like I’ve described here would have led to rage. There’s no reason for rage. The creative process is about trial and error.)
I’m glad you liked the Hugh Laurie album. I don;t usually go for slick ultra-produced albums, but Hugh knows what’s what!
I almost like the wooden frame without a skin better. Could you stain the wood before beginning, red for a cardinal, blue/gray for a jay for instance, and still have the graining visible? In the end it would be an ensemblage of wood and metal.
While I appreciate your point it is the skin-on-frame that fascinates me. I love to paint and am really excited to paint and distress these birds. This prototype has some sloppy/gloppy areas that I don’t mind covering. When I’ve perfected my techniques (There are several.) I do want to explore more exposed wood….perhaps a window or openings to the inside…or…half the body covered and half exposed. I’m not sure…the possibilities are endless. My concern, now, is that I have time to explore this technique and still turn out carvings.
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