While painting my living room around my wire wrapping table my painter, Kerry, started admiring my wire and asked me if I could make a pendant of an outline of a horse’s head, possibly using the “vintage bronze” wire for the mane. Intrepid as always I said that I’d have to think about it a bit but didn’t see why not.
Over the next few weeks I cogitated on the project and eventually went on the Internet and found some outlines to adapt. I traced up an amalgamation and, somewhat to my surprise, managed—on the first try—to make the outline in 18 gauge round “bronze” wire, hammering it to firm up the connection of the ends and add some texture. I then added a few pieces of “mane” (5/8″ pieces of 18 gauge square “vintage bronze” wire with the ends hammered to reveal the copper core).
Horse Head Pendant WIP (Work In Progress) Click on the picture to see a full-size image.
Kerry returned to put cabinets and shelving in my garage and I showed him the “rough draft.” A bit to my surprise he approved it in full. I then had to replicate my work this time with a full mane—not just a few sample pieces—and a larger and lower eye. This last part seemed to be the trickiest as moving the eye seemed to want to throw off the whole line of the face. After 4 tries I came up with an outline I deemed acceptable. I then made about 40 pieces of “mane,” including a few made of the 18 gauge round “bronze” wire and attached them, using my hammer and steel block to “tame” them so that they “fell” as a natural mane would. As a final step I sealed the mane with clear nail polish (to keep the the bare copper from oxidizing).
I’m pleased with the final pendant though the line of the face could be, well, better. Hannah, however, really liked it once she figured out what it was—at 7 years old a pendant without a chain can be a bit of a puzzler. Once I explained it to her and we put it on her choice of carmel colored rattail it was very well received.
(Remember you can click on any picture to get a full sized image.)
The final pendant nestled in its box. The cording will be picked out by the recipient.
Pendant Colse-Up
Pendant reverse side (though it could also be the front).
