Trout Sculpture

[Essential Iron]

Hello Everyone

 

I’ve been trying to add a sense of motion to my work and this was one of those “I wonder how that would turn out?” exercises. The trout are 10 to 12 inches long and the whole thing is around 20 inches wide. What techniques do you use to capture motion or life or reality? I’ve been out of the shop for a couple months and it’s time to get back at it.

 

Thanks

 

John

 

 

[Frosty]

Welcome aboard John, glad to have you. Beautiful sculpture and it has a nice sense of motion already. I'm thinking if there were stream elements they might increase the sense of motion.

 

It already has a nice sinuous bend like it's getting ready to strike the dragon fly.(?). As I'm visualizing swimming fish I think the tail fin is a little more fluid even in a hard stroke(?) the tips could have a little lag or back  bend(?)

 

Sort of like a person's hand when they're slapping someone. At the beginning of the strike the hand is bent back at the wrist a little and only snaps forward at the moment of contact. Every joint is a force multiplier so to attain a max speed catch dinner a fish's tail would have that little back curve and snap forward at the best instant to impart the most force to the strike.

 

Does ANY of that make sense? My mind is really going today for some reason and I cherish things that make me think.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

[ausfire]

You have achieved a good sense of motion with the body shape of the fish and the wrap of the plant around the log. A lovely piece.

[swedefiddle]

Frosty, how would you know what a hand is doing when it slaps someone???? :) :)

just kidding!!

 

Great Fish!!! Great show of motion, how about sound effects????? :) :)

Some things, you have to allow the viewer to imagine.

I have no trouble seeing the current!! and the little spash when the dragon fly left upstairs!!

 

Neil

[Essential Iron]

Thanks for the replies. Frosty, it does make sense. I agree, I had considered some type of plant life flowing in the current close to the bottom but couldn’t come up with anything that worked. I really like the idea of visualizing each element completely to an extreme point in movement. “As I'm visualizing swimming fish I think the tail fin is a little more fluid even in a hard stroke(?) the tips could have a little lag or back bend(?)” Even if I don’t use that extreme moment, it makes me think through all the motions involved. And you’re right, the tail should have had a bit more flex. I’ve used more of a big picture - stop a moment approach but I look forward trying this. Always good to get hear how others approach things. Ausfire and Swedefiddle, Thank you for your kind comments.

[Frosty]

Frosty, how would you know what a hand is doing when it slaps someone???? :) :)

just kidding!!

 

Great Fish!!! Great show of motion, how about sound effects????? :) :)

Some things, you have to allow the viewer to imagine.

I have no trouble seeing the current!! and the little spash when the dragon fly left upstairs!!

 

Neil

 

If you made suggestions to as many artists as I have you wouldn't have to ask.

 

We have a new Cabellas in Anchorage and they have a big fish tank with large trout in it on a back wall. Abby, Deb's service dog enjoyed watching them for a couple minutes but I stood watching for maybe 15. I used to watch fish swim at the pet shop too, their fins in motion always intrigued me.

 

Funny how a weird little fascination can turn out to be relevant down the road eh? I think it's even funnier that I was able to watch probably 35 trout between 8"-20", rainbows to browns. Now I'm looking at a sculpture with that memory less than a month old.

 

Frosty The Lucky.