Sculpting human figures is one of the trickiest things the team are asked to do. With its translucent aesthetic and the challenge of achieving sufficient depth, shape and tone, it’s obvious that ice doesn’t naturally lend itself to the complexities of human features. Nor is it like sculpting animals where generic features are perfectly fine. As human characteristics are more specific to each individual person they have to be carved extremely accurately. If they’re not, the sculpture won’t look like its real life counterpart at all.
Method for sculpting human figures
In order to get as close to reality as possible, the subject is measured up and photos are taken from every possible angle. Sometimes the team are lucky enough to get a mould of the subject’s head. By its very intricate nature, sculpting human figures is far more time consuming than other projects, so a mould and precise dimensions can act as an indispensable guide.
Above you can see a sculpture of Jean Claude Van Damme for Budweiser. Check out some of the team’s other human figures.