Netsuke Fox Priest

Ne·tsu·ke

ˈnetso͝oˌkē/
NETSUKE are miniature sculptures that were invented in 17th-century Japan to serve a practical function (the two Japanese characters ne+tsuke mean "root" and "to attach"). 

Traditional Japanese garments—robes called kosode and kimono—had no pockets; however, men who wore them needed a place to store their personal belongings, such as pipes, tobacco, money, seals, or medicines. Their solution was to place such objects in containers (called sagemono) hung by cords from the robes' sashes (obi). The containers may have been pouches or small woven baskets, but the most popular were beautifully crafted boxes (inrō), which were held shut by ojime, which were sliding beads on cords. Whatever the form of the container, the fastener that secured the cord at the top of the sash was a carved, button-like toggle called a netsuke.

So this is a pretty cool project I am finally getting traction with some 3D esoteric modeling.

Below is a fully 3D Model of this character. Ready for manufacturing in any media.

I intend to make a full Chess Set of Netsuke Animal Characters. Think it will pay extra homage to this incredible art form from Japan.

CLICK HERE TO SEE OTHER NETSUKE FIGURES

Escher Dragon Reimagined

M.C. Escher Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898-1972) is one of the world's most famous graphic artists. His art is enjoyed by millions of people all over the world, as can be seen on the many web sites on the internet.

He is most famous for his so-called impossible constructions, such as Ascending and Descending, Relativity, his Transformation Prints, such as Metamorphosis I, Metamorphosis II and Metamorphosis III, Sky & Water I or Reptiles.

I've been enamored by M.C. Escher since I was a child. I've re-imagined one of his works his 1952 Dragon wood engraving print.

M.C. Escher's Dragon 1952 Wood Engraving
(Click on the image to see more detail)

My workflow is a little unique. I am converting 2D quality art into a reimagined version.

In this case I was able to use M.C. Escher's incredible detail of shadow and contrast of dark vs light to create a 3D Surface Model.

More detail of my 3D Model
(Click on the image to see more detail)

I was able to get a part cast and the initial casting results were mixed. Lot's of nooks and crannies.

My plan is to create a Necklace that is moderate in size and send it to the M.C. ESCHER Foundation as an honorary piece to show how much detail is actually in M.C. Escher's work. 

For information on this famous DRAGON work of art, you can find it described in the following Wikipedia article
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_(M._C._Escher)

CLICK HERE TO SEE MY EARLIER EFFORT ON THIS BELOW INCLUDING MY WAX CUT PIECE FROM THE 3D SURFACE