Knowing that this guy was going to have some bulk, I wanted him to be weighted down well. So the frame started with steel pipe and wire, covered with chicken wire.
The frame was first coated with a sort of paper mache' using paper towels (the good kind so they don't fall apart wet) and gesso. That combination dries to a tough plastic-like skin.
Next, the body gets fill, structure, and strength from another type of paper mache' called Celu-clay. It is essentially ground up newspaper and dry glue. That dry mix is mixed with water to form a workable clay that air dries rock hard yet light weight.
The intent in finishing was to create a look like old tarnished bronze. So first a metalic bronze coat of paint was applied. Then a translucent green gel was rubbed on.
Initially, the critter made a conversation piece in my office in the old theater. Then it found a home in the outdoor gardens in Mahtomedi. As of 2015, it is in need of a little restoration work due to weathering, and then a new home at our new home.