My latest work is a small bat-eared-fox therianthrope. The clay original will be used to cast a limited edition of bronze pieces. I've documented some of the stages of the process with images (below), including some of the foundry stages.
The clay maquette needs to be firmly supported...I use an adjustable steel frame with an attached wire and steel structure inside the piece.
Early stage of clay work...tricky to get the legs exactly as i want them with the wires running through them...not much margin with such a small piece
Basic clay structure nearing completion in Durban studio.
Almost complete
Final detailing is pretty much done and she is ready for the mold-making process.
A layer of clay is added around the piece to define the boundary between the 2 mold-halves. Silicon is then applied to the one side to meet the boundary layer.
Once the silicon has dried the clay boundary is removed and silicon is then applied to the second half.