The animals · Birds
Feathers Are a Casting Problem
Parrots, raptors and companion birds. Feathers look like fine detail and behave in cast metal like a trap.
Four or five good photographs is enough to tell you whether this will work, what it costs, and how long it takes.
.999
Fine silver, hand-poured, made in the USA
1 of 1
The design is retired after casting. Yours is the only one
2004
Casting solid metal since
Approved
You see and sign off the design before any metal is poured
Detail that fights the material
A photograph of a bird is thousands of individual feathers. Cast silver cannot hold that, and attempting it produces a surface that looks scratched rather than feathered. Good bird sculpture resolves feathers as groups and planes — which reads correctly from a normal viewing distance and looks far better than a failed attempt at every barb.
Personality in a bird lives almost entirely in the head — the angle it is held at, whether the crest is up, how the eye is set. A technically accurate body with a generic head reads as a species rather than as a particular bird, and owners notice immediately.
What we need
- Side profile and front, with the wings folded.
- Head detail, including beak and eye — the recognition points.
- The pose: perched, wings spread, or in flight.
- Crest position for species that have one, which is expressive.
- What the bird will perch on, since that is part of the piece.
Deciding the perch
A bird needs something to stand on, and that element is part of the composition rather than a base bolted underneath. A branch, a ring, a stand — each changes the posture and the silhouette considerably.
It is worth deciding at the start rather than at the end. A perch chosen after the bird is designed tends to look like what it is, which is an afterthought supporting something that was designed without it.
How we handle it
- 01Resolve feathers as groups and planes rather than individually.
- 02Design the perch or base as part of the composition.
- 03Send the design for approval before casting.
- 04Cast in .999 fine silver, hand-poured, one of one.
- 05Retire the design after casting.
Decide the perch early. A bird needs something to stand on and that element is a real part of the design — treating it as an afterthought is how a good bird ends up on an awkward base.
Said plainly
Where we stop
Color is the whole identity of many parrots and silver has none of it. A scarlet macaw in silver is a beautiful object and it is not a scarlet macaw, and that is worth being clear about before you commission.
FAQ
Common questions
- Can you cast individual feathers?
- Not every one. Good bird sculpture resolves feathers as groups and planes; attempting every barb looks scratched.
- What about a colourful parrot?
- Silver has no color. It will be a beautiful object and it will not read as a scarlet macaw.
- Wings open or folded?
- Either. Open wings are more complex and more fragile, and we will discuss it.
- Does the perch matter?
- Yes, it is part of the piece. Decide it early rather than late.
How it works
The Photographs
photos needed custom pet statue commission
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Size & Metal
silver pet statue size weight cost
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Turnaround
how long custom silver statue take
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Memorial Pieces
pet memorial silver statue after loss
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What We Will Not Do
custom statue limits what cannot be done
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Next step
Run it both ways before you decide.
No credit check and no obligation. Tell us what you hold and what the money is for, and if selling is the better answer for your situation you will be told that first.