Looking back eagle

[ClayB]

This is another project off of Robb Barr's video series (available through Hidcrafter). This eagle is made from one piece of leather, carved, embossed, filled with putty, folded in half and formed into a 3-D sculpture. I haven't painted it yet, but one side is to be painted as a bald eagle, the other as a golden eagle. I am going to attach a few in-progress pictures of the project to give you some idea of the process, but if you want to try it, you really need to get Robb's videos. Robb had some really great ideas for leather projects and his videos give pretty good instruction on how he created them.

Here is the eagle with all the carving and feathering finished, ready to be painted.

This picture shows the one piece of leather that is used to create the eagle. The carving, beveling and embossing are finished. The eagle on the left is feathered, the one on the right not.

A closer look before feathering.

A closer look at the feathering.

The seams. The seam on the beak is rubbed and burnished to try and get it as smooth as possible. The feathers are fluffed to try and hide the seams there. Hopefully, painting will hide the rest of the seam.

Edited December 28, 2008 by ClayB

[hidepounder]

WOW Clay! That is really something! It's amazing what guys with talent can make out of leather! Can't wait to see it finished.

Bob

[jbird]

Thanks Clay

your a master of the art thanks for posting it I looked at the home page and that was great so I will give it a try

Josh

[mendedbowl]

Wow!! clay that's fantastic! a true work of art in the making...

i hope to see more pics of the progress.

did that video come with a starting pattern?

ken

[leatheroo]

hey clay, what a great piece, i thought we hadnt seen any work from you for a while, but it certainly was worth the wait...looking forward to seeing the finished piece.

[ClayB]

Thanks you guys. Robb was the master. I couldn't have thought this stuff up on my own, or figured out how to make it work. His videos come with the tracing patterns, and he goes through the carving, embossing, coloring etc. step by step. I have had this video for several years and didn't try it because it was pretty intimidating even for me, but it turned out a lot better than I expected for a first attempt. I would encourage anybody that is interested in one of his techniques to get a video and give it a try. You'll probably find that once you see how it's done, it's not as intimidating as it seems.

[CitizenKate]

That is turning out beautiful! I like your choice of backgrounds for it, too. Looking forward to seeing more progress...

Kate

[Crystal]

Amazing how that all comes together. Beautiful work! I have to say I think the beak is unbelievable. That came out really sharp. Can't wait to see it finished!

Crystal

[ClayB]

Ok, pics aren't the greatest, but here it is colored. Now I just have to decide how I'm going to display it.

[sodapop]

very cool clay!!

darryl

[Crystal]

Yeah - wow. Looks fantastic!

Does it still have it's stick? Not that I'm a fan of complicated things... ... how about some kind of mount with a mirror - then you can see both sides at the same time? And no - I have no ideas on how to actually do that.

Thanks for taking the time to show the in-progress pics.

Crystal

[Dags3777]

That is absolutely stunning, it's amazing what creative hands can do. A1. Darryl

[Colman]

Clay,

Awesome work of art!

Johnny

[Brandon]

I have most of his videos and I must say that yours is almost equal!

[ClayB]

Thank you all for the nice comments.

Brandon, I have had the opportunity to look at a lot of Robb's work at his sister's house, and when you see it up close, you realize that pictures just never do it justice. His attention to detail and his coloring are really amazing.

Kate, the background for the pictures is supposed to be a purse, but I keep putting that off. I just needed something to cover up my bench cuz things get a "little" messy when I am working on something.

Crystal, the eagle does still have the stick up his........ um, well the stick is still there. The stick is there to mount the eagle to something. One of Robb's suggestions was to drill a hole in an antler and have the eagle sitting on that. I like that idea. I've got a lot of antlers out in the barn so I'll have to see if I can find a suitable one. Then it will just be figuring out where and how to set up the mirror. If I ever get it done, I'll post another picture. Until then, It makes a great handle to hold the bird with and chase people around the house and peck at them (remember the movie The Birds?")

[yaklady]

So you're torturing your kids with your vicious eagle? Good for you! The next eagle you make should have the mouth open so it can get ahold of them.

I made one of these in Robb's last complete class. I must say, you are much better at feathers than I am. I curled my beak a bit too tight, and now the poor eagle can't open his mouth. He must be starving by now! During our class, one of the students put a hole (for the rod up the eagle's . . . well, you know), and a groove for a mirror in a thick chunk of sandstone. That way the mirror is always there. I like the antler concept. An eagle would rather eat a deer than a rock.

Very nice job, Clay. The coloring is great!

Kathy

[CitizenKate]

Kate, the background for the pictures is supposed to be a purse, but I keep putting that off. I just needed something to cover up my bench cuz things get a "little" messy when I am working on something.

LOL Yeah, I was thinking yesterday I bet that old screwdriver has some stories to tell.

Those eyes are incredibly realistic-looking.

Kate

[Tina]

Simply Love your eagles Clay,

ther're sooo realistic and the feathers...Superb

[King's X]

Amazing, sir!

Happy New Years greeting from Round Rock, TX