Feathered dragon

[Jimmi_B]

Alright guys yet another piece i need some advice on a sculpture
i've ordered some real feathers (the paper shows where i'm putting the feathers)
should i jsut glue the feathers on or stick them in the clay and do a long slow bake to prevent burnign the feathers. ideas?

[Mah ' Crub]

That is a very cool sculpt....if it were me, I would use the quills of the feathers to poke holes in the clay to mount them in, but I wouldn't add them until I finished baking....I would be afraid that the heat would ruin them...If you make mounting holes with the feathers quills and then lable them,{ so you know where they go,} and then bake, I would feel safer with that method.
Just my opinion.


Mah ' Crub

[Jimmi_B]

Yea thats been my original idea, maybe use some thread to secure them in groups

[SavageGoldfish]

Really liking the head on this guy, got a nice dinosaur like feel to it. The feathers will definitely be cool and a change of pace from most dragon designs. I'd agree with Mah`Crub that putting holes in before baking and then gluing them in afterwards is the best route. Superglue works wonders ;D

[Jimmi_B]

update of texture and feathers, i might try and find a away to make the rooster feathers stiffer, maybe super glue?

[acornboy]

You might want to try coating the rooster feathers in white Elmer's glue and see how it goes. It works pretty well for stiffening material. Very cool dragon so far.

-Sam

[Mah ' Crub]

I was going to suggest the same thing that " acornboy" said...try it on an old feather first though, just in case it doesn't work the way you want it too...also liquid starch works great too...try both.


Mah ' Crub

[zuckuss77]

I own cockatoo's and have other many other birds before and there are alot of different feathers to use.I would look on ebay and buy a bag if possible to try different ones.The peacock feathers i think in time will start to fall but a parrots wing feathers are thick and would work for the wing.Parrots cheeks feathers are very solid too but there head and body feathers are curved and small.

[SavageGoldfish]

Looks really cool with the feathers. As far as stiffening them, Mod Podge might be a good bet, you can thin it with a little water so it spreads easier and you can get a thinner coat.

My only criticism is that now that you've got some more clay and detail on him, the hind feet seem too large in proportion to the rest of him. Might want to try bulking up the hind legs a bit to compensate.

[Jimmi_B]

well i kind of got annoyed with the feathers so i decided i should get the normal leather dragon wings better refined before i get adventurous.
I'm using my pet lizard as reference for patterns and the such.
Any ideas or crits let me know :D

[PaintedKelpie]

I like how you made a nice throat on this guy. The antiquing effect (the black between the scales) looks really lifelike. :)

[SavageGoldfish]

He looks a bit on the skinny side, but you did an amazing job on the details and scale work. I can imagine how long all those scales took! You've got a great colour scheme going too, green and white always go well together. I bet your little buddy there is a very patient model.

[MadMcGlory]

Very nice, Don't give up on the feathers that easily as many people go with standard wings and feathers will really make yours stand out. The problem with the feathers you had pictured above is that they are way to big! find some smaller ones that colour match, the smaller the better as building up the wings with smaller feathers will be more realistic. As an idea look into taxidermy (sorry spellings not the best) and along those lines, I feel if you look around for the right feathers it will make all the difference and you wont be sorry I'm sure.

[Jimmi_B]

cheers guys
Fishy? cheers man, yea i have a strange fondness for the classic lean raptoresque dragons haha
he is untill he sees something edible moving in his enclosure!
McGlory, yea i found the smallest i could :/
i kept all the feathers so i have 1 idea... make a BIGGER DRAGON *insert maniacal laughter*
the scales

Here is an updated WIP i could really use some crits on the painting.

[MadMcGlory]

Yep I like the jungle colours your going for, I feel like the underside should have another lighter colour maybe like underside of the tail.

Also what about cutting the tops of the feathers, they way you'll have smaller ones and also to stiffen them I'd use simple wood glue as it dries clear and is cheep but test on one first just in case you dont like the outcome, you could also try thinning the glue with water making less gloopie.

[SavageGoldfish]

The paint job's looking great, really bringing him to life.

[Jimmi_B]

newest WIP of the paint job!
i'm thinking i might varnish it so his scales look nice and shiney and to contrast teh leathery bits

[JeffX99]

Great piece - love the pose. I agree that the feathers are worth another shot. My advice would be to avoid the "craft" feathers though, at all costs. Buy a skinned pheasant "pelt" or something along those lines...at least the wings. Mallard wings would be outstanding as they have those iridescent blue/green wing patches. Check fly-tying sources. You definitely want wing feathers for that guy. Down close to the body they get fairly small and fine for the secondary areas you indicated with paper.

[Rissa G]

I would definitely try going back to the feathers! It will give an interesting aesthetic to your dragon, and help give nice contrast to all the beautiful scale work that you have done. I almost would have suggested in the beginning to try sculpting the feathers yourself - and that may be a viable option still. Long and tedious, yes, but the results may be worth it. At least try some sample work to see if you like it or not. But regardless, go back to feathers!