I find it interesting and satisfying that a number of our readers are also artists who use this site for inspiration. It is good that artists don’t shy away from this subject matter simply because of people who assume a malevolent intent on the part of artists or publishers. For many of us, young girls inspire awe, both in their form and their personality.

One of our artist readers is a sculptor and was generous enough to share a piece of work inspired by another artist shared on this site, Georges Guérard. This sculptor specializes in sculpting children, both boys and girls.

Completed sculpture

He allowed me to show off his work and wonders which of his friends may also frequent this site can say they saw his work on Pigtails in Paint. Given the times, the artist requested that I not share his name and we did our best to interpret his text which had to be translated from French.

Wax Draft

As for the technique, I sculpt in wax, which is easier for me than clay. When the wax sketch is judged to be finished, with all the details completed, it is embedded in plaster, leaving the base of the feet sticking out of the plaster which will harden around the wax. The plaster is put in the kiln, which melts the wax and causes it to flow out through the feet of the statue.

Plaster showing cavity

The cavity left by the wax is filled with molten tin. The raw tin is very shiny but soon gets a dark patina.

Finished work before patina