Have you ever looked at a piece of art and wondered how it came to be? From marble statues to the most exquisite paintings, all the way down to murals on the street, these pieces require patients, talent, and passion. How did these artists bring their works to life?
It’s quite amazing hearing the process that different artists go through. When it comes to sculptures, many processes and visions are different. But when it comes to hot-cast bronze animals and the road to their creation, we take specific steps. Keep reading to learn more about making bronze sculptures by hand—specifically those found here!
Important Disclaimer
The sculptures you find on this site first come from an internal vision. Getting it to come to life, of course, requires tools, handiwork, and a long process, but the most important tool is the mind! If you ever try something similar—or art in general—don’t discount the power of your mind to get things going!
Drawing and Refining
Before any hands touch clay, the first step is getting that vision on paper. Even getting some sort of idea down on the page helps. Attention to detail begins at this step of the process and continues throughout. This is essential since more intense and precise details result in an even more in-depth finished piece.
Clay Sculpture
From there, it goes to clay sculpting, again paying close attention to detail. The goal is always to captivate, which means homing in on the little things and making them as clear as possible, whether sculpting animals in bronze or something else. Once we feel the sculpture is complete, we hollow it out to an inch thickness and fire it in the kiln.
Once set, we use paint (silver, copper, or bronze) to emphasize specific details and highlight dimensional effects.
Casting and Finishing
After the clay sculpture is ready, it’s time for the next step. The bronze casting process can take between eight weeks and four months to finish—just for one piece! Lost wax casting is a slow and steady process that results in a one-of-a-kind work of art.
We cast each piece into 100-percent hot-cast bronze and sometimes aluminum. This part of the process occurs at a foundry, a studio that specializes in casting a variety of metals. That bronze or aluminum heats to around 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit and dissolves the wax shell of the piece, taking the shape of our beginning sculpture. From there, we chip away the thinner protective ceramic shell, revealing our metal-casted sculpture!
Patina Process
Giving the piece an aged look is known as the patina process. We create an aged piece by utilizing different chemicals or using a heavy flame to control the highlights or shadows of the sculpture. And with that, it’s complete.
Want to know more about how handmade bronze sculptures are made? Take a look at our website and see just what we’re talking about!
