Saltamontes

     Saltamontes is spanish for grasshopper. This week I completed a new machine towards the alphabet book. Here is the process:

Rough sketch from a photo I took on our trip out west.

Beginnings of machining. I like to study the forms of the different body parts and then imagine how they might be materialized and connected.

Wings are often difficult to conceptualize because there is so little structure.

For the grasshopper, I saw a palette of oranges, reds with bits of green. I like the contrast of those colors and felt that they were also representative of the insect. 

Dramatic lighting.

Nearly finished. I decide to add some black to the leg, reflecting the actual animal. Then I will work on glassing.

Here is the last photo I made before I shipped it off to the printshop. I'll post the finished piece when I get the image from Henco. Thanks for looking.