Black Rhino Bust

Black Rhino Bust in Lime Wood.

My latest project is a black rhino bust.  I haven’t carved one of these for quite a few years now, and the last one I did was from plywood.  I decided to carve this particular piece from lime wood, which did mean I was limited in size (with plywood I can keep layering up the wood as in my Bull which I carved quite a few years ago now.) In the photo you can see the plasticine maquette that I sculpted first (to sort out the details of the piece) along side the large piece of lime that I would be using. This large, 6 inch thick slab was supplied by Tools and Timber who I can thoroughly recommend.

I wanted to try something different with this bust, so I carved in a looser way and used different tools to finish the piece including an old chain saw blade.  I wanted to achieve a more random result as a more random finish can sometimes be more natural than a perfect finish.

Initially, I sculpted a plasticine model (or maquette) in order to get the basic design upon, before starting on the wood.  Obviously, once wood has been removed, there is no going back, each tool stroke is a commitment.

The photo here is after the bulk of the carving has been completed and before the staining. Whenever possible I prefer to carve with traditional hand tools (woodcarving gouges). There is a time and a place for power tools when speed is critical, but I personally dislike the noise and dust that they can produce. Also, some of the more aggressive power tools just mean that you can make mistakes more quickly.

Black rhinos are critically endangered. In the 1900s there were probably several hundred thousand living in Africa. In the 1960s the numbers had decreased to around 70000 and by the early 1990s the number had dipped below 2,500 – numbers are currently estimated at around 6000.  Black Rhinos are also known as hook lipped rhinos, which seems a much more accurate name.  Their top lip is a prehensile appendage which they use to browse trees and bushes.

White rhinos (the name, I believe, is derived from “wide lipped”) have flat lips which are more suitable for grazing the grasslands. Three species of black rhino are extinct including the Western Black Rhino which was declared extinct in 2011. Black rhinos have a reputation of being more aggressive than white rhinos, and when we were lucky enough to suddenly come across a black rhino (hidden among some trees) when on a walking safari in South Africa, it must be said that the guide was noticeably apprehensive and backed us off very quickly and quietly to quite a distance.

The final photo here is of the completed Black Rhino Bust, after staining with water based ink and then coating with a matt sealer. To see some more photos as well as a 360 degree video of this piece, have a look here or click on the image. If you are interested in purchasing the Black Rhino Bust and would like to discuss options for the base or if you have any other questions, then please contact me.

#rhino #blackrhino #rhinosculpture #carving #wildlifeart