is this where i should post my art?

[random axe]

Nice negative space in the face, man.


Is it wearing a button-down shirt? 

[pdrake]

thanks

haha, yes, he is. it will have the name on the back and a floral pattern.

this is the rough sculpt. i make a mold of this then cast it in sculptor's wax. that gets refined and detail then a master mold made. this one is shiny because you need to seal the clay with a poly. the clay has sulfur which will inhibit the curing of the silicone mold. learned that the hard way.

[random axe]

Awesome.

[the other andrea]

Very! 

[pdrake]

thanks

well, almost 1/3 of the wax is smoothed and shaped. after that it gets wood grain, flowers on the shirt and the logo on the back.

it's now about 5% smaller, too. yay!

[vox8]

OK, the freaking thing has served it's special purpose.

For the whole schebang - see here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/113739532829154687841/ReproductionOfA16thCenturyOttomanElephantSugarSculpture?feat=directlink#

And here is a spoiler.

[random axe]

[mo]

  That's awesome. And a lot of work. I'll bet you got a little carried away, eh? Start off to make a simple elephant, and end up with a work of art. What are you going to do with him now? I know it's a him because of that one picture 

[vox8]

That's awesome. And a lot of work. I'll bet you got a little carried away, eh? Start off to make a simple elephant, and end up with a work of art. What are you going to do with him now? I know it's a him because of that one picture 

Actually the plans got scaled back in the process. Originally the head and back rugs were going to be out of sugar plate and the entire howdah was going to be a sugar sculpture. But my lack of professional sugar work ability combined with the heat and humidity of Georgia put the kibosh on that. I had to drop back 20 and punt.

Simple was never in the picture.

I have no idea what to do with him now. I have contemplated adding something like a table top on his back and taking him down to the local antique/consignment/home decor boutique and seeing if I can sell him. We could use the moolah.

I have also considered contacting the Istanbul Center in Norcross (Turkish Cultural Center) and seeing if they have any 16th century Turkish display's planned in which they would like to use him. The only reason I thought of that was that during my research I came across this site:
http://www.sugarmuseum.org/ottoman.html

and frankly I think mine is better.

[flipper]

[Lindsey Buckinghmof]

I really love him. I would love to take him home if it were practical. Nice, nice, nice.

[mo]

Putting a coat of exterior varnish on it might make it easier to sell as a lawn ornament or something like that. Hey, maybe insert a hose up his butt that runs through his trunk and squirts water out of the trunk 

Speaking of his trunk, looking at those pictures reminded me of this chicken wire sculpture I saw the other day. I can't imagine how the artist creates this stuff. The chicken wire doesn't look like any I've seen, and I assume that it must be some real thin pliable wire that's really easy to form.

[random axe]

I have no idea what to do with him now.

My first thought is to make him into a table lamp, but I actually often think of turning random objects into lamps, so I'm not sure of the clarity of my thought, here.

[vox8]

I have no idea what to do with him now.

My first thought is to make him into a table lamp, but I actually often think of turning random objects into lamps, so I'm not sure of the clarity of my thought, here.

Lamp has been in the discussion - but we would need a pretty big table for him. Or maybe I could put legs on the support board and make him into a table then lampamatize him.

hmmmm .....

[Lindsey Buckinghmof]

Fra-jeel-eh!

It's a major award!

And I'm kind of amazed by how many different kinds of chicken wire there are, mo. Impressive. I'm sure there are a few that are well suited to sculptural work even on a small scale.