…a guest blog written by Bournemouth University Student, Will Thorborn
Creating the Fen Raft Spider (Dolomedes plantarius) has been an interesting experience for me as it was my first time producing something for a live client.
Whilst liaising with my client, Buglife Programmes Manager Jamie Robins, I felt at ease to ask questions regarding the spider; he assisted in sending me useful information and facts that gave me a better understanding of this creature’s biology, character and how it should look.
The Fen Raft Spider is a large, native, semi-aquatic spider with a rich brown or black body with white or cream stripes along the side, You may have even heard of it as a result of recent headlines, the “UK’s biggest rat-sized spider is back” and “Giant fish-eating spiders continue to thrive in Norfolk” and whilst it is one of the largest spiders in the UK, it is not the size of a rat and its diet may consist of small fish.
I chose to sculpt the Fen Raft Spider to improve my sculpting skills; it is a rather complex shape which required a lot of patience and accuracy.
Process of creating the Fen Raft Spider Model © Will Thoburn
I began by planning out how large the model would be and believed a 3:1 scale seemed like a reasonable size. The real-life spider is around 7cm and I didn’t want to take away the realism of it by making something ridiculously large.
I laser cut a body and abdomen using thick acrylic, this would act as the base for the sculpture which I could build upon. I used terminal blocks as the main connectors for the legs, which I used brazing rods for, since both were strong and robust enough, which would fit in with the objective of producing something that could be handled by people.
Once attached and fixed together I began sculpting Milliput (a two-part epoxy putty known for its precision and strength) around the base materials to create the recognisable shape of the spider. I realised I had gone larger than anticipated when sculpting the body, so decided that I would carry on working with that size instead of the original 3:1 scale. I believe this worked out well as it meant I could add more detail to my model. Using black beads for the eyes also worked out well as it gave much more life to the sculpture.
After painting the spider the desired colours, I finished off by puncturing hog bristles into the legs and flocking hairs onto the main body, which really brought it to life.
Overall, I was very impressed with the result. I believe the model I created really captured the main features of the spider I was going for.
Find Will on Instagram to see more of his art: @will_thorborn
If you would like to use your creative skills to support our work, please do get in touch. We’re always on the look out for innovative ways to share our love of bugs with a wider audience; just send us an email with the subject “Buglife Creatives” to [email protected]
Main Image Credit: Fen Raft Spider Model © Will Thoburn
