my horse head ice sculpture, probably from 1997 or thereabouts, at a New Mexico racetrack on Derby Day
my horse head ice sculpture design
updated some when added to its on 4/19/23
I’ve always like to draw and sculpt horses, but I find them to be very challenging, much like people. I originally did this piece for a Kentucky Derby event at a Jockey Club in New Mexico. This particular horse has a little bit of an Arabian look with the dished face, but it also takes traits from other breeds. In the bottom half of the design, you’ll see that there’s plenty of room for a logo, a message, or whatever in the pedestal. This piece might also work as a knight chess piece as well.
this is an old design, but apparently I didn’t get around to making a nice drawing for it until 2009.
horses are hard
Many artists are intimidated by drawing or sculpting people. I tend to think it’s because everyone knows what they’re supposed to look like, so everyone knows when you screw up.
People aren’t quite as intimately familiar with how horses should look, but they’re still hard. I sometimes don’t know WHY they can be difficult to sculpt and draw, but I know that I often fall short of the graceful and elegant vision that’s in my head when I’m creating. However, I’m not going to get anywhere by not trying. At least with ice sculptures, you know that all your mistakes are going to melt away pretty soon 😜
how about on a cnc machine?
My horse head ice sculpture would be challenging to design and sculpt on a CNC machine. For now, I would still tackle this by hand. (Keep in mind also that I have a small machine.) However, I might use the CNC to add some cut lines to my ice so that I didn’t have to use a template.
for more info and some guidelines
If you have any questions about my horse head ice sculpture design, email me or comment below. (It might not let you though.) If you would like to use this ice sculpture design or any other design on this site, please check the design usage guidelines. The design collection page lists designs on the site.
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