The other day when I was putting on some small detail work my friend asked what in the heck was I doing? "Working on details" was my reply. "Everyone LOVES details." And this sculpture of a US Marine Honor Guard has a lot of them. There are Marine emblems of different sizes on the belt buckle, cap, buttons on the jacket and collar. In addition to all of the detail work that had to placed just right, there was symmetry to deal with, something that is always challenging on a sculpture. Feet together, shoulders square, eyes straight forward. It's all of these little things (as well as the big things like composition and the silhouette) that make a sculpture really good. If there is symmetry involved it needs to be done really well. If there is detail work such as emblems those also need to be nicely done. Details such as those help bring people closer to the sculpture and connect people allowing them to admire the sculpture for a longer period of time. And the goal is always to capture peoples attention for the longest period of time.
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| Honor Guard Presenting Arms (US Marine) by Sutton Betti, detail |
