From Palm Tree to Deer Sculpture

I had noticed the shape of the palm tree trimmings for a while when it dawned on me that I could recycle them into a sculpture of some kind. So I set out to collect most of the cuttings from the trimming I did of one of our palm trees on our property. What came out was a nice sculpture of a leaping deer.

Step 1: Tools and Supplies

I used the following (see images):

Hot glue gun and glue sticks

Hand Drill

Spade drill bit (see image)

Staple gun (and staples)

Hammer and nails

White kite string

zip ties

old base of a broken fan (see image)

20-pound tree branch cutting (@ 6 inches thick by 3.5 feet long)

a couple of thin tree branches to use as antlers

Step 2: Set Tree Branch to Base

I first drilled a hole at a 30-35 degree angle using a spade drill bit sized to the diameter of the end of the pipe where the deer will be held up by the base (see image). This is what will be the underside/belly of the deer and will make it so that the deer will appear to be leaping.

Step 3: Mold, Press, Pry, Tie, Glue, Hammer and Shape

Next comes the molding, pressing, shaping, prying, tieing, wrapping, hot gluing, hammering and stapling into a head and neck. once I felt good about the head s shape and size, I did the same attaching the pieces that would become the body of the deer. This is a trial and error process of adding and subtracting individual to larger amounts of the stems that make up the palm cuttings. the hind legs were already in the shape I needed and were very easy to attach, while the front legs needed to be broken, bent and duct taped into the position I preferred. the tail was easily added and hot glued into place. Voilà, you have a leaping deer for your yard!

Comments

[BrendaH3]

Gorgeous! Makes me wish I had palm trees out in the northern American West.. ;)

[rhernand64]

Thanks for the kind words. Maybe you can see the possibilities in other natural things around where you live? I often see fallen tree branches
and twigs that can be made into something. Leaves can be bunched into shapes and forms as well. Be creative and have fun with it without the need to have something come out perfectly. It is usually in the defects that I see potential.

[mariam1329]

This is so creative and perfect for the holidays!

[rhernand64]

Thanks, if you get the chance, take a look at some of my other "instructables". Roy:)

[fishhead455]

Rarely, as an artist myself, do I applaud another artist lightly...but if I had
forty hats I would take them all off to you. Wonderfully inventive and
totally pleasing. Thank You.

[rhernand64]

Wow, thank you for the kind words. It is nice knowing someone appreciates to effort to make something out of what would normally be thrown out. :)