Developing Play Bow Sculpture

This sculpture is a tribute to Sonny, our Cocker Spaniel that passed away in 2011. He is depicted life-size, in the pose we remember him most, happy and ready to play.
Below is a series of images showing the development of the body and hair.

Initially I roughed out the basic form, just to get the proportions and pose to match the vision in my mind.

Next is the long process of adding fur to the Cocker Spaniel.   It is very time consuming, but the curly bits of fur and especially the long curly ears are some of the defining characteristics of cockers. It has to look right.

Initially I lay down triangles of clay, then twist and layer them till the proper effect is achieved.  I am using a different kind of clay for the hair; it is a much softer clay that is easy to shape and generally nice to work with.  The reddish clay is much stiffer and requires warming first to soften it.  The stiffer clay is good for laying down the structure, as it stays fairly rigid at room temperature.  It can also hold detail better, but the fur doesn't need tiny detail.

The curly hair is mainly on the legs and underbelly. The rest of the hair is sleek and smooth. I read a post on a sculpture forum where a sculptor was having difficulty maintaining the essence of his sketches in the sculpted shape, and it got me thinking about my conundrum with the hair. The smooth sleek areas allow the muscle and bone to show the bold strokes of the pose, while the curly hair is full of minute detail that catches the eye. The curly bits have a great tendency to hide any subtlety in the shape, however. I really want to keep the form of the back and head plainly visible, as it makes you want to run your hands over the surface, just like petting a real dog. The trick will be deciding where the blend lines will be and blending the two areas effectively.

Back when I was an engineer, there was a saying: There comes a time when you have to shoot the engineer and ship the product. I kind of feel the same way with a work of art. Now is the time when I have to step away and call Play Bow done. I can keep finding little places that could use a little touch-up, a little shaping, maybe a slight change, to no end. Those changes would make it better, maybe, but really wouldn't improve the sculpture.

I signed it and called it done. Now for the work shifts to making a bronze.