here’s my cherub and vase ice sculpture design. It could use a little work, but it was fine when I used it that one time :/
updated 10/31/23 with the flowers + ice video from Ice Pro and 4/8/23 when I tweaked things a bit while adding it to the new site
my cherub and vase ice sculpture
This is an old design that appeared in NICA’s On Ice newsletter, although I don’t know when. I found it recently when I was looking for other designs. I’ve only used it once, but with a big Valentine’s Day coming up, a cherub and vase ice sculpture could be useful.
how it looked in the newsletter
Here’s the original text from the design:
“Cupid & Vase”
by Dawson List, Ice Dragon Ice Sculptures, New Orleans, LA
A client’s request resulted in this new design. The wings are taken from the thickness of the block. They are then aluminum welded (see last issue’s Cool Hand Luke article) to raised surfaces on Cupid’s back. As long as your ice is cold enough, the wings can be welded on after the main sculpture has been set up, thus making transport easier. Cupid’s left wing is hidden by his head in the illustration.
I could have done better...
Okay, apparently that was it, but a couple notes on the the original text. You’ll notice that Cupid’s left wing is partly visible; that was just added. Also, you won’t find a Cool Hand Luke article on this site, but that info is in the aluminum welding entry, which IS on this site.
There are some problems with this design and I can’t remember how I addressed them ten years ago. The cherub’s left leg and foot would be a challenge. Since he has wings though, maybe he doesn’t need a left leg and foot? Seriously, the position of his upper torso would indicate that his left leg should stick out some from the back of the carving. It’s possible for his legs to be together, but it’s awkward. There are two other ways to address this: either make it a one-sided piece or have the leg stick out some, either by using a VERY thick block or by adding a piece of ice on the back.
If I were designing this piece now, I would probably have the cherub looking up at the spot for the flowers so that I could get a profile of his head and therefore a better silhouette. Incidentally, I usually leave just a flat surface for flowers and then advise the florist of the size of the flat space and point out that the arrangement should droop a little at the bottom to hide the ice/flower juncture. Generally, the arrangement that the florist then provides is in a flat plastic tray or plate. I place a folded cloth napkin flat on top of the ice and then put the arrangement on top of the napkin.
Finally, I keep switching between Cupid and cherub. Cupid is the Roman god of love. Cherubs are actually not at all what most people thing they are: babies with wings. The babies with wings are technically called “putti.” (singular is putto) I know it’s confusing, but MOST people think that the babies with wings are cherubs/Cupid. So we’ll just pretend that’s correct 😬
here’s how you can add flowers to the ice vase, from Joe Rimer of Ice Pro
is a redesign in order?
Reading through the old text, it seems like this design has some issues. A redesign may be an order. Especially if I could find a specific use for this design, which could happen, I’d definitely be up for redesigning this sculpture. I think it has potential and could be a nice addition to the right event. That’s the nice thing about a blog: it’s flexible. Things can change when they need to.
So hopefully, I’ll get a chance to redesign this sculpture and fix the problems. But don’t hold your breath 😉
for more info and some guidelines
If you have any questions about this piece, email me or comment below. 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.
You might also find photos and info from this entry on the ice sculpting secrets facebook page and you can comment there as well as below. Thanks!
