I was sort of flip browsing some old photos on my drive while revamping my web pages extensively the last two days and I came across some 35mm photos of took of the building from the fire escape way back in 1979. One of the designs I photographed caught my eye again as it has a number of times over the years and I decided to take my large scanned copy and fix it in Gimp to eliminate the angle of view. Next I fixed the proportions and lastly I managed to scale the size of the original by using a couple of photos, one happened to be a photo…

Today’s progress shot:

I have begun adding the mask to the backer now and roughing it out.

Now with about 140 pounds of clay pressed into the form and having used the template to form the concavity and the 2″ flat crown, I have the backer section moldings’ shape in the clay and ready to begin probably to-morrow on adding the mask portion to this.

Now that I have the size determined that I want my model to be, I have my form ready to begin shaping the backer section first with it’s concave face. I decided 26″ wide, with the shrinkage of the clay the dry model will wind up around 24″ wide. The form will create the rectangular shape of the backing portion behind the mask, the mask will need to be completely modelled free-hand onto it similarly to the way the horse-head model was. A 1918 photo taken when the Commodore was under construction, that’s Grand Central Station on the left and this view was made before the elevated viaduct on Park…

Now that the horse head model has been finished, I am thinking of making smaller version of the Commodore Hotel copper cornice mask: Casts could host an authentic looking, interesting and effective green copper patina on them using either a variety of paints as I used to do, or with one of the real metal and chemically treated coatings by sculptor and patina expert Ron Young whose book on bronze patination I have. Ron Young is highly regarded throughout the world for his knowledge and use of metal patinas. He is the author of the two books on the subject: “Methods for Modern Sculptors” and “Contemporary Patination”.

Now pretty well dry:

Nearing completion now, the left ear is not shorter than the right even though the photo makes it appear it is- the head is turned slightly towards that direction. Left to do now mostly is mane detailing and then overall surface cleaning and he’s done. And now he is completed and drying:

Horsehead model progress 12-8-2013 I did some more work on this today and started refining the left side of the face (not shown) and after using the hoist to get it standing vertically on the work bench I was able to remove the wood form and rough hollow out the head and back. Now laid back on the form’s backer and bottom board I’ll be finishing it up shortly and by then I can hollow the back out a bit more when it gets firmer than it is now.

I am mainly working on the right half at the moment, the cornice I decided to hollow out from the top rather than the back as when an eventual mold is made of this the hollowed out top of the cornice will be molded and that will reduce the weight of casts. The casts will have those hollow compartments on the top but since this would be on the wall above the eye the compartments would never be seen.