Sculpting “Lady Peppy,” Part 1 – A Shih Tzu Dressed Like a Character from Downton Abbey

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The real Peppy would never allow me to dress her in a hat and fancy blouse like Lady Edith from Downton Abbey…

…but I don’t think she’ll mind if we use her for a model. When the sculpture done she may be a tough critic, though… 🙂

This is the first video in a three-part series. You can find the second video here. and the third video here.

In the video above, I started the portrait of Peppy using my sculpting form, and altered it quite a lot to make the skull look more like a Shih Tzu. (This project was one of the ideas that inspired me to add the neck and shoulders to the face-sculpting form. The other project, not yet started, is Pan.)

Then I sculpted Peppy’s face with foil, and used Magic Sculpt for the only parts of her face that will actually show after she gets her fur and clothes.

Finally, I covered her with paper mache clay, and she’s now drying in front of a furnace vent.

In the next post, I’ll use the crochet thread that was left over from making the mane on the horse, and give Peppy those crazy eyebrows, a mustache, and lots of fur. Then it will be time to dress her up like Lady Edith.

Or should she get her clothes first, and then her fur? I haven’t decided yet. 🙂

Links mentioned in the video:

• The photo of Lady Edith that I’m using for Peppy’s clothes. (It’s the second photo under the headline “work edit.”
• Paper mache clay recipe.
• The sculpting form, now with neck and shoulders.
• The website that shows what a Shih Tzu looks like without so much fur.
• Magic Sculpt epoxy clay.
• Or use my air dry clay recipe.

Be sure to watch for the next post, when Peppy gets her fur and clothes.

The Steps for Sculpting Peppy the Shih Tzu, Part 1:

1. I printed out the pattern for the sculpting form, and removed the section around the eyes and nose. You could skip the sculpting form if you want to sculpt your Shih Tzu portrait with just foil.

2. I added foil to the inside of the form because it doesn’t hold up well after you remove some of the pattern pieces.

3. Then I pushed down on the top of the scull to make the skull much shorter. I used lots of masking tape to put it back together.

4. I cut the form along the bottom of the skull, all the way around.

5. I put the head back on at a slant. It now looks very close to the Shih Tzu drawing I made after looking at the Shih Tzu website, shown below.

6. I sculpted the forms with foil and two foam balls. Then I mixed up a small amount of the Magic Sculpt for the eyes, nose and mouth.

7. I added a little water to the Magic Sculpt so I could make it very thin, and then sculpted the features, including Peppy’s lower teeth. These are the only features that will show after all the fur is added.

8. I added about and inch of cardboard to the bottom of the form to help make the sculpture look more balanced. The small bag of sand used to weight the sculpture was put back inside.

9. I cut the head off again, and moved it further back. This puts the back of the jaw line in the right place, and the muzzle is no longer pushed too far forward.

The extra depth at the back of the sculpting form will be used for Lady Peppy’s new had.

10. I added the ears.

11. I used a knife to add paper mache clay to the entire form, except for the parts of the Magic Sculpt features that will not have any fur attached.

She now looks like the photo below, and will get her black fur and clothes when the paper mache clay is dry. Be sure to watch for that post so you can see how she turns out. 🙂