The clothing is taking longer than expected. There were a lot of small movements in the reference photos that change the wrinkles and tension in the clothing and require that I interpret the movement more consciously rather than simply visually from the referernce. I am taking the extra time to really consider the body language under the cloth. The other challenge is that the boys were posed with their weight on the opposite feet from the original design maquette. While at first glance is may not seem too important, the result is that instead of leaning in with closeness, the boys have a bit of a separation or leaning away from one another that decreases the intimacy of the moment. But that what an artist is for - to create what is in the heart more than what is captured on film. So I am using my maquette in addition to the provided photos to recreate that feeling.
Next I will sculpt the same amount of detail into the clothing of the smaller boy, paying close attention to the wrinkles and movement in the fabric. While I will do more refining of the shape of the arms, I’ll hold off of the hands until the final bowl arrives from the family.
There was also a change made to the head and neck this week. There was a bit of stiffness and a tad too much bend in the neck of the older boy that was giving a feeling of too much energy. This tilt made it just a bit harder to really see the boy’s face - a very slight change to the pose and attitude means that it will be that much easier to connect with the face and eyes for the viewer. The work needs to be caring but effortless - and act of sharing and bonding. So I did a bit of reconstruction that has it back on track for that feeling.
I’ve roughed in a bit of the ‘lilypad’ ground under the boys and placed the beginnings of the bible and baseball in as a starting reference point.