The Making of the Portrait of Opal

The real Opal has a habit of sleeping with her chin on her paws, and it seemed a good pose to capture her in.

The sculpting was begun in clay...

cast in plaster for finer detail (shown is the mold just before casting)...

and then, at the foundry, cast in wax for final finishing.

Just after the pour...

and being approved by the model herself.