Creating a bronze finish for the dog portrait.
Bronzes do add a look of elegance to a sculpture and creating a bronze finish with paint is a pretty simple process. What I like most about a bronze finish is that it does not take long at all to complete the paint up of the sculpture.
I’m by far a better sculptor then painter so the bronze technique is an easy way for me to “complete” a project. I do from time to time paint a sculpture using technique other than the bronze finish but the process usually takes me more than a week to complete and I am running short on time for this project.
* This sculpture is created with Super Sculpey.
The first step in painting is to prime the sculpture (which helps the paint stick to the clay ). I normally use an auto primer when I prime my sculptures. After the primer dries I then paint the sculpture black.Tip: If you use black primer it is easier to paint the sculpture black. | |
My preference for the bronze paint is the Duncan Ultra Metallic UM 953. It is a little bright but I will tone it down in some of the later steps. | |
The key is to leave some of the black paint showing through. You do not want to completely cover the sculpture with the bronze paint. | |
Here is a picture of the sculpture with the bronze base. The bronze is a little bright for my taste so I’ll tone it down a little in the next step. | |
I’m going to add a wash to my sculpture. I mix the black and bronze paint together with a lot of water. The goal is to get the consistency of milk with the paint. When you apply the paint to the sculpture it will run down the sculpture. I like to keep the paint dark so that the settles well in all the creases.Now doesn’t that look nasty… | |
Here is a picture of what the sculpture looks like once wash has been applied. The bronze has been dulled down to a nice finish. |
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Amazing!!!
Thanks so much for this information. I have been searching for three days. So happy to have landed here..thanks much! sincerely ED
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thank you for your suggestions, found it real interesting however, I wish I knew where I could get the bronze paint in England. I am re-bronzing a ceramic sculpture of a writer for someone. I have used car primer grey, then bronze spray, as you say a little garish, shiny. wonder what i can do? Please suggest a black paint I could try that I can purchase in England.