Progress is incremental!

    Below are two photos taken after a three-hour session yesterday, June 10.  The wings don't look too much different from the last post, despite the time investment.  I have to get used to this.  I know I am making progress, but I have to be patient.  It will all come together in the end.

    The top photo shows the underside of the wing, with the median coverts defined right up to the leading edge of the wing.  These feathers have been outlined and contoured with a small diamond ball, and smoothed somewhat using the brass bristle brush.  The lower photo shows the top of the right wing, once again with the median coverts defined and contoured.  

    I carved feathers into the leading edge of the wing, which was slow and time-consuming because of the shape of the edge and the care I had to take.  At the "wrist", where the outer part of the wings starts to curve backward,  I carved a few elongates feathers that comprise the alula.  These feathers are attached to the first digit, corresponding to our thumb, and can be controlled separately to affect the flow of air over the wing.  I may free the edges of these feathers so that they show up more, using some thin pointed carving bits and/or a wood burning tip.

    Now that the right wing is covered with feathers, I will use the lessons I have learned from the right wing to thin the left wing, and shape and define the feathers, taking care to make the wings match with respect to the borders of the various feather groups.

    A preview: once the wing feathers are smoothed and the edges defined as well as I can, they will be textured.  The coverts will be textured using a thin disc-like burr to create the thin lines suggesting the structure of these soft feathers.  The primaries and secondaries will be textured with a wood burning tool to simulate the shafts and vanes of these stiffer feathers. Burning in the texture provides the impression of a stiffer feather. I will then go over the entire surface with a stiff brush to remove any stray fragments of wood, sand it lightly, and ready the surface for the application of a sanding sealer.  I won't seal the bird until all of the carving and texturing is done on the wings, head, and body.

    It's a long process, but the results will hopefully be realistic plumage once the bird is sealed, sanded, and painted.

    I may post less often, so that more progress is done between my entries, but will continue to document even the incremental stages with photos.