Mini Moai Statue

Easter Island is a Chilean island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. Easter Island is famous for its 887 extant monumental statues, called moai, created by the early Rapa Nui people. More Info

Since I have not done any kind of carving and did not have any carving tools, I choose Moai statue as simple design.

I will share how i carved using simple sanding files

Step 1: What Do You Need ?

Material

• Cardboard
• Plaster of Paris
• Sanding files
• Sanding paper ( 220 GRIT)
• Tape
• Acrylic paints

Step 2: Mould for the Block

• Create a template for box 3.5" x 2" 1.75" as shown
• Use tape to fix the sides

This will be our mould to cast a "Plaster of Paris" block

Step 3: Casting

• Sometimes plaster of paris may contain pebbles and stones
• Mix 2 part of plaster of paris and 1 part water
• Stir is well and pour into the mould
• Try to get air bubbles out
• Leave it to dry for 24 hours

Actual time to dry is around 20 minutes, But the block is not stable for curving . leaving it out for 24hr for best results

Step 4: Carving

• Free hand draw the Moai status views on each sides
• One can wet the block to avoid dust during carving
• It is easy to remove bigger blocks first and then work with finer details

Step 5: Shaping

• As in the picture, I got the basic shape first
• Slowly remove and shape finer details
• I did not filter the PoP, so found a pebble while carving

Step 6: Finishing

• I am using acrylic paints, using brown, gave a base color to te statue
• Use Black color to give highlights for joins, nose, mouth etc
• Green for moss like look
• I used a sponge to get the textured moss effect
• Use clear coat or PVA glue to coat the statue and leave it to dry for 24 hrs
• Add soft cloth below to avoid scratching your table etc

Please share comment on improving this further and comment, if you like this