I can’t imagine why I have never thought of sculpting a dipper before. All my life I have lived in close proximity to dippers. Not only that, but, they are one of my top ten favourite birds.
I saw a small dipper on the river Derwent a few weeks ago, very early one morning. It was sat on a stone in the middle of a small stream that fed into the Derwent. The pose was so perfect and typical of a dipper.
The bright white chest shone in the morning sun and the slight reddish brown on the rear of the bird was more noticeable than normal.
I felt an urgent need to sculpt a dipper. I didn’t bother with any drawings or templates, because I just felt as though I knew the bird so well I could do it freehand. The only thing that troubled me was the feather patterns on the wings. When I had finished the bird I compared it to my usual methods and quite frankly it looked like all my other birds in style.
Now that it is finished and ready for the foundry I look at it with some pride. I love it.