If you have ever walked along a riverbank or sea shore and seen a piece of driftwood that looked like art, did you wish you knew how to turn it into a driftwood sculpture? The process is easy and enjoyable, and there are a few ways to go about it, depending on the type of driftwood sculpture you wish to make. So let us begin with that walk by the water.
Finding the Perfect Driftwood
There’s something magical about nature when it mimics sculpture. You feel as if you’ve stumbled across a miracle. A twisted driftwood, found just before it begins to rot, has that magical feel. It may be part of a fallen tree, a limb that you could break off. Or it may be drifting loose already. Knock it gently against a rock to confirm whether the driftwood has started to rot. If chucks break off, the wood is rotten and will not make an enduring driftwood sculpture. See also if ants or other insects fall out as you tap the wood. If so, the insects were there first. Finders keepers.
Drying the Driftwood
Before the driftwood can begin its transformation into a sculpture it must first dry. Place the wood in a dry, warm location to air-dry slowly. Direct heat will dry the outside before the inside has dried, and the driftwood will crack. Therefore, be patient, wait a few weeks. Like mother nature, your driftwood sculpture requires patience. Once the driftwood is dry it will feel light, and its wet wood scent will be gone.
Turning Driftwood into Sculpture
It is up to you how feral you wish to keep your driftwood. You may wish to leave the edges wildly cracked, or snap the cracks into a more artistic pattern. Either way, the wild, snapped off feel must remain for your driftwood sculpture to seem authentic. Next, depending on the condition of the bark, you may wish to leave your driftwood in its natural condition. Or you may wish to strip the bark off and polish the wood gently with sand paper.
Staining Your Driftwood Sculpture
Whether you have kept the bark or not, you should coat your driftwood sculpture in wood conditioning. Apply several coats if the surface of the sculpture is rough. Next, stain the driftwood sculpture with the hue of your choice. The more feral the sculpture, the more you should adhere to its nature hues, and avoid adding any gloss. The more tamed your driftwood sculpture, the more you can augment its beauty by means of additional coats of stain and gloss.
Displaying Your Driftwood Sculpture
Some driftwood sculpture can stand without support. If not, you may wish to display your driftwood sculpture on a bed of sea sand. Otherwise, use fine sand paper to lightly sand off flat areas on the bottom of the driftwood sculpture to create balance. Alternatively, drilling small holes, two on each side, will allow you to stick small twigs into the holes, to form small wood legs on your driftwood sculpture. Staining the legs to match the sculpture will help them disappear from sight. (Note: it is best to make these preparations before the staining takes place, so as to condition and stain these areas of the driftwood sculpture as well).
