blade sheep shearer

[scrapartoz]

hi all,
got a possible comish' to do a man shearing a sheep using ' shears' ( a bloody big pair of sissors) tis is for a tiny outback town in north Western Queeensland Australia. ( 2500 Km away)
i think this might be a bit harder than the eagle and hare. Im keen on a 50s look with a James Dean hairdo but about 45 - 50 yo. just started on the face. Im making him 'too pretty' at this stage . need to break his nose from a few bar room brawls and avoid symetrical beauty .
(This is difficult.) Am goi8ng to do a bit of a try at caricature . big jaw . missing teeth. will post a few shots next weekend. Im really worried on how to do a half shorn sheep in scrapmetal????????????? . I had writers /artist block but now am keen again. where are all you expert thinkers ?? HELP !!!!!!!
any suggestions welcome!

[fritchie]

Congratulations. The sheep usually are hogtied on the ground when this is done, right? Or sometimes in a tight pen, like cattle. I'd guess on the ground. Or will the man be in the act of catching the sheep? Lots of good things to visualize.

[grommet]

Congrats! sounds fun, especially for a scrap guy.
Me, I visualize a sheep of the best gears and mechanicals, that blushes occasionally, surrounded by a fluffy pile of springs.

http://www.google.com/images?rls=ig&...w=1113&bih=919

[Mack]

You say a possible commission...how does that work? You have to send along some drawings of your ideas and they give the OK? Yes?

[scrapartoz]

thanks fritchie and grommet. the picture is starting to form.i think the shearer will be leaning over with the sheep on its back held between the shearers knees with only the upper hindquarter un shorn.
Mack i said a'possible comission" because they want me to build it but they need a government grant to pay me. They wont know if the grant is approved till April next year. i decided to start on it as I believe i could sell it elsewhere or will want to keep it 4 myself. anyway im so glad to be back in the manic metal maddness after a good break.

[Mack]

Shearing looks like a rough job on the back! Looking forward to seeing your work. Good luck.

[The Forge]

I am sure that there are plenty of photos of that on the web. Sounds like a great opportunity. Be careful with this one though, to create a specific piece for a 'could be commission' is a good way to get screwed. Without a firm price on a contract, you could spend a lot more of your time creating it than you actually will get paid for.

[scrapartoz]

thanks mack and forge. yes im not sure if the money will appear. but i am my own worst critic so if i do build this shearer good enough to sell.... then i wont be disapointed if i get to keep it as i will be thinking that it looks ok.
there has also been a renewed intrest in this shearing history nationaly and an old '100 stand shed' ( one that has the infrastructure to continually feed sheep to 100 shearers all day) operates for the public on a big week long event. The biggest drama they had was finding enough sheep for the week and car parking for the unexpected 1000s that turned up to see it in action. I think they might buy it if I offered it.
thanks again.a

[scrapartoz]

well i made a start........ that i hope will be the hardest step. it can be a real pain trying to find a piece of scrap with the right curves for a face. i am going a little Disney with this one ( looks a bit like a pirate ) Im going to exagerate a bit. Im going to have so much fun with the sheep ( I am thinking ---demented / anxiety attack )
Im not happy about the eyes yet. The broken nose and cracked/ split bottom lip work for me with regard the character and lifestyle of the subject.
I finally found a use for the cheap crappy Chinese MIG welder I bought : it did a great job on the beard stubble because the earth / ground? connection was so poor on the rusty surface it gave this wunderfull effect.
Anyhoo Ill do the sheeps head next ..... should be a hoot!!!!!!!!!!!
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[jOe~]

Damn dude, better than expected start!

[Mack]

Great start! Cracked lip works. I get the idea that this is a rough bunch that do this for a living...probably have nice soft hands though, with all that lanolin!

[rika]

Nice start, Scrap! I really like the texture (beard). I somehow doubt that this was the hardest step.

[scrapartoz]

thanks Joe. I was not sure how it would turn out but I can now see the style I must now follow in order to finish this piece.
Mack... yes even today as a proffession these folk are a very hard living bunch prone to excess in all areas. They are regarded highly as an important part of our history and many songs and stories of our recent cultural past reflect the battle of the downtroden worker ( shearer ) fighting for better pay and condition from the wealthy land barons. This adversarial attitude is still very much alive and well in the shearing industry.
RIKA- I like the beard also... it was an accidental discovery using gassless MIG wire on a rusty surface. i noticed spatter on the nose whilst welding up a few holes and liked the effect so used it.
I will start sheeps head today . hope to post a shot tonight

[scrapartoz]

heres is the start of the sheep. had a few scale dramas as available parts not right size (lips , ears) but i think it will be ok. Once all the welds and grinds rust evenly the appearance will improve.
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[obseq]

Exceeded my expectations by and far! (Must have been from you speculating into the sculpture.net abyss on how to capture the face )
Fantastic start.

I have to add that the gregariousness of the "shearer" is oddly unsettling.
I wonder if this effect will diminish as the face is further refined, but I hope not.

[Mack]

Fantastic work on the sheep's head!...you captured that 'dreamy sleepy' look in the eyes. And really inventive work overall.

[jOe~]

OK, now you've really done it. I can't wait for more.

[grommet]

captivating....

[scrapartoz]

thanks everyone for the encouraging words. one of the problems with this is that i should not do too much detail on the heads. ie they have to look crude / rough because its got to match the rest of the subject. so i dont think it will become any more refined. if i try to make it close to reality i get too many problems finding parts the right size and a single irregularity stands out as a blunder. thanks again . i hope to post more shots in a week or so.a

[scrapartoz]

Seasons Greetings to all. Ive done a bit more of the sheep. its being a bit troublesome. The wire gives a rough guide to the dorsal line. She (ewe) is looking a bit "horsey" in second shot. might have to reduce the exagerated neck curvature ? When i have added the more 'pear' shape hindquarter and legs this 'horseyness' may diminish. There will be further distraction when the bent over shearer holds the ewe. Im thinking twisted , biased , compressed, flattened and non symetrical spine/ musculature for both shearer and sheep will further add to the "fun" of getting this piece out of my yard.

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[scrapartoz]

slow progress. the cogs are the unshorn long wool. the shorn wool will have to look more smooth. thanks for the idea of using cogs grommet.
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[grommet]

amazing like always scrap.
Not that I'm getting bored with your wizardry, but could you fall in a puddle or something, just once?
Kidding of course; it's a pleasure seeing your work in progress.

[Giotto]

Scrap,

As I have said...you have talent...and your work makes me smile, you are a national treasure. Here is another take on sheep....all made from telephone parts.

G

[scrapartoz]

thanks Grommet. Ive spent a fair bit of my life in that puddle you mentioned so i'd be happy to stay dry for a little while longer.(lol)
Giotto--yes those sheep are fantastic I can just imagine the day that artist looked across his desk at his telephone and saw a sheeps head looking back at him. I think that particular model telephone also won many artistic awards for design excellence.

[ironman]

Hey Giotto, Those sheep look phony to me!!!!!!!!
Jeff