That's one big beetle!

I've been working on my large beetle and have some photos to share.  A previous post described the beetle and some of the technical issues that needed to be addressed.  Here, you'll see a bit of the progress I've made.  Some real beetles from NM are acting as my models (thanks guys!) and I've spent a lot of time measuring and photographing them. 

The basic body of the sculpture is made of felted sweaters, my favorite medium.  The core is roughly shaped with some yarn wrapping, then final shaping is done with extra layers of felt.  The body will then be covered with black wool and, finally, black leather.

The key to this sculpture is the legs.  I'm using a stiff wire core, bent into a rough narrow hairpin shape.  The open, rounded ends allow screws to attach two leg segments together to form a joint.  Each segment is covered with yarn, so that I can attach wool padding.

When you take a close look at these beetles, you notice that the leg segments are not round, nor flat, as most people might think.  Each segment has a particular 3-D shape and is replicated by wrapping and stitching wool to the yarn.  Each segment is then covered with black leather, stitched in place by hand.  I've taken a bit of artistic license and stitched with blue thread instead of black.

Each segment is attached to another with small screws, washers, and stopnuts.  The assembly will allow the joints to move freely, but still have some stiffness to hold a pose.

A future post will show the completion of the exterior and close-ups of the head.  It's been fun working on this beetle, but I have to admit, playing with real thing is even more fun.  Perhaps I'll post some videos of my guests at work.