Carving a Baby Groot From Wood

by makeorbreakshop

33K19829

Intro: Carving a Baby Groot From Wood

Everything is turning green and we needed some new planters for our garden. Instead of buying a new one I made one that looks like Baby Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy out of Cedar!

Tools

STEP 1: Finding the Right Piece of Wood

The idea for this project came from a real popular 3D model of Groot that many people have 3D printed and turned into a planter. For mine, I wanted to make it from actual wood (that's what Groot actually is right...?)

I grabbed a log that would fit the size from the lumber stack and sketched out the general shape of the head.

STEP 2: Rough Out the Shape

Using a hatchet I cut out the rough shape. I tried to speed up the process with a chainsaw but didn't have a great way to hold the log safely and my chain was pretty dull. After about an hour of work (and a sore arm), the general shape of Groot started to emerge.

STEP 3: Power Carve the Bowl in the Head

The top of the head needed to be carved into the shape of a bowl. I used a cheap power carving attachment from Harbor Freight to cut out a lot of material with the angle grinder. If you do use the same attachment be sure and turn the guard on your angle grinder so that it will be between your fingers and the blade in case of kickback!

STEP 4: Carve Out the Features

I used a combination of a Dremel with various bits, chisels, and sandpaper to carve the face. I took my time only taking off a little bit of wood at a time. Unlike sculpting with clay, you can't add material back...without lots of gluing.

STEP 5: Burn in the Details

Now for the fun part! I used a process called Shou Sugi Ban which is burning wood to create a protective coating. Instead of turning the entire piece black I used it more like black paint to create details and definitions in the carving. I could sand back the burned sections with a wire brush, Dremel tool, and sandpaper to get the desired look.

STEP 6: Add Details to the Eyes

To make the eyes pop I carved out a little white section to mimic light being reflected in the eye. I also sprayed them with several coats of shellac to create a glossy surface.

STEP 7: Add the Organic Stuff

The last part was the addition to moss on top of the head and a plant on the inside. You could use a previously potted plant inside the head or add soil and plant a new one!

STEP 8: That's It!

I loved how Baby Groot turned out! This was my first attempt at any type of carving and I can see a whole lot more of it in the future!

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21 Comments

StewieWorks 4 years ago

finally one that isn't 3D printed! Great work. Thanks for sharing :)

Mimikry 4 years ago

so cool!
But I'm terrified of this carving - thing for the angle grinder, looks like it would make horrible injuries... and I'm a big fan of my skin and flesh :D
I have to find a less dangerous alternative ;)

snowf7 4 years ago

"bantam_earth" entered one made from a coconut shell. It might be less dangerous.

snowf7 4 years ago

Find a farmer who is replacing old wooden fence posts that have rotted out from the top. We used to try to reach into them when we were little kids because birds used to use them for nests. If you were to cut the post off with enough of a base to support a plant, it would make a great Groot.
You could also try to make a paper/cement planter. Good luck.

LeslieGeee 4 years ago

I LOVE Groot!! Thank you for sharing your instructable :) thinking an old round fence post might work to and just use chisels and a dremel :)

snowf7 4 years ago

If you know a farmer who is replacing old fence posts that have started to go hollow from the top down, it would save you a lot of time.

LeslieGeee 4 years ago

I have fence posts that need replacing and would be perfect :)

Kink Jarfold 4 years ago

Fantastic! So professioanlly done for a first carving.

ToutEstDIY 4 years ago

That is creepy... but in a good way ! It's like baby Groot is gonna come out of the soil and cuddle you Haha !

AnandM54 4 years ago

Creative idea and did it friend !!

trave1ots 4 years ago

Very creative and nicely human presentation. Hopefully we will see more from you.

justme45 4 years ago

what are you going to be selling them for <3 Love them!!! you did an awesome job!!

jon_chalk 4 years ago

It looks so adorable. Beautiful work. I do agree with Mimicry about using an angle

twelveoaks 4 years ago

Did you drill through the bottom for drainage in the planter bowl?

MasonO1 4 years ago

Plans from stodoys are awesome I think.

WiseC 4 years ago

I love it!

mgauffeny 4 years ago

In french : "Je s'appelle Groot" .... It's very Nice... good Job ...

jessyratfink 4 years ago

So cute!! I love how this looks compared to all the 3D printed planters I've seen :)
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