Sculptural Sustained Investigation #2

This is the second sculpture in my sustained investigation series. To continue with my theme of endangered birds I created a yellow-crested cockatoo. This also happens to be one of my favorite birds and is critically endangered in the wild with their numbers still decreasing. I decided that this would be a good bird for my project because if its conservation status. This creatures need someone to fight for them because we need them although many people don't realize that.

The materials I used on this sculpture are sculpey, wire, and acrylic paint. The entire bird is built from the sculpey clay. The feathers in the wings wrap around a wire that also goes into the bird to keep them in place because they are so delicate. The acrylic paint is used as a finishing touch with I used to add yellow highlights on the bird's face, chest, and wings.

This was mostly touch and go process. I built the main body of the bird and one of the wings first. The wing seemed a little floppy so I baked it for a few minutes to harden the wing. After that I made the other wing, attached, and added the signature crest at the top of the head. I bakes it again, glued it to a piece of foam board, and then added the paint to it. I think I did a better a job this time because less pieces broke off when I took it out of the oven and it definitely looks like a yellow-crested cockatoo.