Pounamu Weta Sculpture – wip #1

Pounamu Weta Sculpture – wip #1

I’m starting a new commission today – a sculpture of a NZ tree Weta on a carved wooden base.

I’ll make the body and head of the Weta out of dark Pounamu and the legs and antennae out of silver (which I’ll patina black/grey).

I plan to make the base out of a dark wood (swamp Rata) and carve it into a realistic decaying log/branch.

The first step is to get a large amount of photos of weta so I know what they look like from all different angles.

After that I’ll make some sketches and start building a 1:1 scale rough model of the whole pieces including the base out of wood/clay and metal.

This allows me to work through the composition and proportions of the different elements before I start the final carving.

I’ve attached photos of a few different sculptures like this that I’ve made in the past so you can get a feel for the style.

More soon
Aaron


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