Children's Bronze Portrait Sculpture
Commissioning a bronze portrait of a child is a decision which could reward you and your family for decades to come. The value of owning bronze portraits of your children or other family members is vast and only increases as the years pass. Capturing a moment in time in an incredibly personal and precious way and creating a bespoke piece of art to be treasured for generations.
When sculpting a portrait I aim not only to create an accurate likeness but also to imbue the sculpture with some of the personality of the child. This often reveals itself as a fleeting expression - sometimes nothing more than a half-smile or glint in the eye.
I like to keep my clients involved and updated throughout the whole fascinating process of creating a bronze children’s portrait. From the first sitting through the clay sculpture process, moulding and finally casting into beautiful bronze and colouring the piece. After contacting me using the button below or by email at mail@sculpturecommission.com to discuss your ideas the next step is to arrange a sitting.
Sitting
Whilst I am able to sculpt children’s portraits solely using photographs, it is ideal to have one or two sittings from life. Typically I would either arrange to visit your home or host you at my studio in the Surrey Hills. During the first session i will take many photographs from different angles and ideally some basic measurements. I also like to start roughing out the main shape of the clay portrait during this first sitting. This helps me establish the main proportions and shapes of the sculpture by directly comparing it to the subject.
Often this gives me enough information to create an accurate portrait. If possible I like to arrange a final sitting towards the end of the sculpting process. This allows a direct comparison of the nearly finished clay portrait sculpture with your child. I can then make any necessary adjustments before the clay is moulded.
Clay Sculpture
I use a water based clay to create the model for my bronze children’s portraits. Built up and sculpted slowly by hand I use the reference photographs and measurements taken in the sitting to shape the form of the head sculpture. Once the clay head has taken shape I will send photographs for your approval. It is at this stage that we can arrange a final sitting and make any necessary adjustments to the sculpt.
Moulding
Once the clay sculpture has been approved I will make a negative mould of the portrait using silicone rubber and jesmonite. This mould is taken to the bronze foundry for them to produce a wax copy.
Bronze Foundry
There are several stages in order to produce a bronze cast from a wax copy. Firstly a ceramic shell mould is made of the wax. The wax is then melted out of the mould and molten bronze poured in. The ceramic material is then chipped off the cast which is repaired and tidied up ready for colouring or patination. I like to involve my clients in the final stage of patination. A huge range of colours can be selected from for the colouration of the bronze and it is fascinating to visit the foundry and see the dramatic process of applying the colour with flame.
Payment and Prices
Every commission is unique and prices vary according to size and specific requirements. I normally take one third payment in advance, one third on approval of the final clay sculpt and the final third on completion of the bronze portrait. Please contact me using the button below or by email on mail@sculpturecommission.com for up to date prices.