How it's made: sculpting in epoxy

The original Miss Lizzie sculpture is made of two-part epoxy clay*, sculpted layer by layer over a lightweight armature. Epoxy turns rock hard only a few hours after mixing, which is a curse as well as a blessing. It takes a different approach than working in soft clay or wax. Here are some things that I have learned over the years: 

- Always wear gloves when working with epoxy, frequent exposure can cause a nasty allergic reaction to it (like your skin falling off, trust me, I've seen it). Try powder free nitrile gloves, they last long and don’t smell bad like the latex ones.
- Build the sculpture up in layers (like an onion) instead of working on one body part at a time. I find it easier to get the proportions right this way. 

- Don’t sculpt any details until you’ve got the overall shape and depth in all dimensions. If you need to correct an area (you probably will), it will hurt less if you don’t have to destroy many hours worth of detailing.

- A sculpting stand is not your friend when working in epoxy. Putting the sculpture on its feet regularly helps keeping the symmetry and balance on the right track. 

 

 

 

* I use Milliput Superfine White. Favorite sculpting tools? See here.

Abrantes painted by Sarah Bieber

Isn't he beautiful? This copy of Abrantes has been painted by young German artist Sarah Bieber. If you'd like to see more of her work (you do), go visit her website!

Miss Lizzie released!

Miss Lizzie is now available for ordering! You can get your copy in the Sculpture Shop page. The edition is open for 4 months, but there is a limit of 180 castings to make sure we are able to produce and ship all orders in a timely manner. With 180 copies there should be enough to go around, though. :)

I'm so looking forward to seeing the first painted copies pop up! And I can imagine she looks great wearing tack, so that's another thing I can't wait to see.

UPDATE 10/1: The original sales info for Miss Lizzie, for reference only.

Named after Lizzie Johnson Williams, the “Cattle Queen of Texas” (1840-1924).

Attentive, focused on her job, Miss Lizzie is working for your smile. Who doesn’t want a mare like this? 

She measures 11.8 x 6.3 inches (photo with measurements click here), or 30 x 16 cm (photo click here), traditional scale. Professionally molded and cast by Mountain View Studios. Hollow cast in white resin with wire reinforcements. If there is enough interest, a second version of Miss Lizzie with a short mane and a relaxed, show groomed tail might be released in the future.

A limit of 180 castings is set to keep it logistically possible for us to ship everything in time.

Ordering
Time payment options are available, see below. All prices include shipping.

United States $290 -  additional copies $285

Canada $295 - additional copies $290

Australia, NZ, Asia, Russia €285 - additional copies €265

Europe, within EU, 21% sales tax included €299 - additional copies €290

Please order your additional Lizzies on the same day as the first one, so we can combine shipping. 

Payments

Time payment plan at no extra cost, sign up for 3 monthly payments with the PayPal subscription buttons below.

Or, instead of the subscription, you can also choose an extended payment plan that works best for you. The rules are:

1. Use my PayPal.me page to send a non-refundable deposit of $60 per casting (or €60, please check what would be the right currency for your order).

2. You will receive an email to confirm your order.

3. Choose your own time to send payments. Your order must be paid in full before December 31, 2019. 

If you ordered Miss Lizzie on extended time payments, please use my PayPal.me page to send your payments. Just type in the amount, check the currency and hit 'continue'. 

Shipping

All prices include shipping costs. You will receive a tracking number when your order has been shipped. Shipping has started, the resins are being shipped in order of paid for in full. For US and Canadian addresses, your order will be shipped directly from the caster in Tennessee. All other countries: your order will be shipped to me first, so the package will be coming from the Netherlands.

I can't tell the exact time your order will be ready to ship. It depends on too many factors, like how many orders are ahead of your order, how busy they are at MVS, and of course your location.

Ready, steady...

Miss Lizzie will be released soon, before the end of February!