Starting the Guardian Dragon Sculpture with this concept sketch.

The theme of scroll shapes form the basis and are repeated throughout this design starting with these brass cutouts.

The wings are mirror images. I drill all the 1 mm holes to secure the brass ribs on the copper sheet and then cut them out.

I decided to make the body out of two parts. Just getting a feel of the balance and weight.

With a project like this, I like to keep everything at an equal level of finish-ed.
So I don't want the head to lag behind the level, so I drew out some real life templates out of cardboard. The inside ribs of the wings are lying next to the clamps, waiting to be filed and fitted.

Now I develop the decorative details on the head and the horns. I am also working on the eyes. Always very difficult to get right and also very important. I think I use the eyes made out of acrylic. I still want to use a lot of LED lighting in this model.

Another thing that I'm slowly introducing into a sculpture is light.
So I ordered some different colours of the tiniest LED lights I've ever seen.
Superbly small and they work on about 6 volts with the resistor included.
This perspex model of the eye lights up at the frosted sides. The lights would be inside the head, behind the eye.

Adding some more detail on the belly and titanium scroll work on the tail.

I positioned the wings and drilled and tapped two holes to lock in the final position. So I was at the stage where I could actually hang the second stage of this project from the dragon. Just to see where I am going with this, and everything looks OK.
I like the balance and the concept.

I want to file a scallop effect over the whole body. There is a lot of filing on this piece. Fins, again in a scroll pattern, made in copper with brass ribs complete the body. The copper parts are cooked on a fire to achieve the red orange hues.

Conceptually, I basically decided to make a nest with three dragon eggs, one that has already cracked open to expose a baby dragon.

Cutting slits resembling cracks into the eggs and working on the lighting.

Crystal holder repoussé. I sort of sink the fabricated parts into the center.
The fabricated part will have holes drilled in each crystal box where the led will fit in.

Pulling the diorama together slowly but surely with a lot of trial and error and testing patina. 

I used the brass bass as the master form for folding some 1 mm copper sheer. I highlighted the copper with droplets of brass creating a golden painted effect.

Holes are drilled for the LED lights which will  give the crystals that otherworldly glow. 

The final version of teenage dragon helping mom look after the eggs and baby dragon. 

The baby dragon, hatched out of an egg.

I made some brass chain in a scroll pattern to pull all the shapes together. The twisted steel hooks forged out of 6mm square stock hold the nest.

In the home stretch baring some final touches. The stand is made out of Rhodesian Teak.