I gave the back legs of this sandblasted guy a soak in vinegar and water to remove some investment material, and accidentally created a patina example. Check out the different patches the legs. The vinegar darkened his legs, forming a patina. The spots where I held him without gloves didn’t darken as much, due to the patina being impeded by skin oils. The spots, like the claws, where I’d just taken a grinder to, patinaed as well, but went golden. Fascinating! This is why it’s best to sandblast a piece right before patinaing it, to give yourself a clean spotless surface!
Sandblasting is also useful for spotting surface flaws, which is why I sandblasted this guy even though I wasn’t ready to patina him.

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Most of the tiny ladders failed to cast. I’ll get a chance to cast some more soon, so it’s no big deal. They were a tricky propositions

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Number four is a weird round beast holding his tail. It will be fun to watch these guys develop as I work on them.

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I’d waited until the piece was nearly complete, with the heads firmly attached, to hang it vertically. I didn’t like the result at all! They were far too static. I took a gamble and sliced them off, doing far more adjustment than I normally do at this stage. I’m already feeling better about the piece, though it’s alarming to hold all the unattached parts up to make sure it’s working

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The black drips are a departure for me, but I very strongly feel like it’s the right thing. It’s nerve racking and invigorating to go out on a limb like this. The image of the bold drips had been floating around in my head for a while.

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