How to Sculpt the Neck of an Eagle in Clay

An eagle is a powerful majestic animal that should display its strength proudly for all to see, even when it is a sculpture. When sculpting an eagle bust in clay, you need to be very careful with the neck. The thickness or thinness of the neck has a direct effect on the apparent strength of the sculpted eagle. The neck is also distinctly feathered, which can be a specifically intricate task when first learning to sculpt.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Started clay eagle sculpture
• Clay sculpting tools
• Work area on a Lazy Susan

1. Smooth the head of the eagle down into the neck and base of the sculpture. The neck should flow smoothly from the base of the skull and broaden to approximately 140% of the head diameter as it continues into the base.

2. Use your fingers to create slight flares in uneven rings around the neck. This gives the impression of a slightly ruffed neck, as if the wind were blowing, or the eagle had been moving its head. Keen in mind a wild bird will not have a perfectly groomed look, and may even have a few loose feathers you wish to recreate.

3. Sculpt the edges of each feather with the sculpting tools. Keep in mind the level of detail you wish to maintain throughout your sculpture. If you have added lots of detail to the beak and head, then you will need to maintain that level of detail through the neck feathers as well.

Tips & Warnings

• Decide in advance how detailed you wish to make the feathers on your clay eagle sculpture. If you wish to just leave the impression of feathers, you can do the majority of the modeling with your fingers. If you prefer to have very detailed feathers showing the individual shafts of each feather, then you will need to use detail scribing tools, and a lot more patience.