Making a Prototype

Today I wanted to get an idea of what I might be making so I decided to make a prototype of an ant in a small scale.  Sometimes its nice to see the proportions of an idea and what you could do with it. That's where prototypes come in handy.

The little ant I made was using similar techniques as I used on my larger ant and mantis.  It was nice to try out a few ideas and it helped me get an idea of both the look of an insect as well as point out issues. I am not super happy with the head but I really like the legs and body. The felt I used was not quite right, and I think playing with the colours to mix several. The strength of the skeleton I have constructed (I know its ironic in an insect) supports the weight well and allows lots of posing.

The prototype will be handy now for me to think about uses for the insects, how they will photograph, props needed, packaging, etc.  So its a worthwhile exercise. But for now the prototype will leave me to research and sketching mode for idea development.

I am going in the near future to make a Phasmid (a leaf insect) so today I also took some photos of a lovely Phasmid we have been baby sitting for the school holidays.  These photos will be super handy when I get to making this wonderful creature. They are endlessly fascinating.