Realistic Bald Eagle life-size & life like replica sculpture

After seeing some realistic bald eagle replicas, I decided to make an attempt to fabricate my own raptor. My expertise is sculpting with clay. I will do my best to share all the steps with the viewers. No parts of any raptors will be used for this project. All feathers will be from legal birds such as chickens, turkeys, geese and any other feathers I can locate. If I cannot find the eagle skulls and talons (feet/claws) I will sculpt them. Advise from experts is encouraged.

North American Bald Ealge

The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle. Its range includes most of Canada and Alaska, all of the contiguous United States, and northern Mexico. It is found near large bodies of open water with an abundant food supply and old-growth trees for nesting.

The adult Bald Eagle is mainly brown with a white head and tail. The sexes are identical in plumage, but females are larger than males. The beak is large and hooked. The plumage of the immature is brown. Bald Eagles are not actually bald, the name derives from the older meaning of the word, "white headed".
wikipedia.org

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Bald Eagle head sculpture using clay

This is the look I am seeking. The bald eagle mouth's partially open showing its tongue.

The bald eagles images below show how I compare the profile to my clay sculpture.

Almost perfect profile of the bald eagles head.

bald eagle head clay sculpture comparison

This image shows where I need to modify the clay sculpt. The back section of the mouth needs to be further up, closer to the eye. Moreover the lower section needs to be angled clockwise.

This is what I have as of now, the images to follow will have the mouth corrections and perhaps he eyes added. I a have not decided if I want to make the upper beak narrower. I will study additional images to see what I like best. Some eagles appear to have larger beaks.