Here is the sequence of construction for a kangaroo i built...................... it is over 4 foot high and weighs about 180 lb.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 cheers andrew

Niiiice, good looking roo. Know a bloke that regularly makes birds out of scrap but nothing like this.

Looks like a feisty one. Excellent!

you have a gift.

Thanks for sharing this.

 

dw

hey andrew i like this one i particularly like him from the back! he has  alot of power. and i love his kind of mudguard haunches :) fab :) the pictures done like this are great - would be great in time lapse photos - your work would make compelling animation! lots of work to keep stopping and photoing though...

thank you Aden , Jim , Trinculo and Beth

. yes  it is a bit of a drag doing the photos but im happy that it gives me a permanent record i can refer back to.

cheers 

Andrew

nice job andrew

thank you Dick,  glad you like it.

andrew

I'm always amazed when guys can do stuff like this from "found" parts. My mind just doesn't seem to work that way. Very nice.

thanks DSW . My mind doesnt work that way either until I have a few   ( toomany) beers

cheers

You must have a gigantic parts pile to constantly come up with such interesting pieces.

You must have a gigantic parts pile to constantly come up with such interesting pieces.

Yes Jawno the pile is big  and always growing, but I have also had a few years looking at the junk thinking: "what can I make with that ?"   I then start a new pile for "that"sculpture and slowly add to the new pile when I see something that is in the right shape and scale . when i have the key components , i then make a start . For the roo the key components were feet , belly and the steering box for the head. All the other parts are secondary as they can be made from many different shaped objects.

cheers and thank you for your interest in my art.

thats very interesting that you have different piles for different ideas - its kind of a long game plan? i like that - might be an idea that will help me!

Thanks for sharing your work.

thank you Beth and Eddie.  My next project is a peacock . it will be a collaboration with my wife Daphne . She will be making  multi coloured discs of glass that I will turn into part of the feathers  of the tail,  as well as some beautiful glass discs for the chest area. this hould be a real hoot!                            Im hoping that the rusty metal and coloured glass work well together. Im thinking maybee some copper and wood might  'ease' the transition from rusty steel to glass.

mmmmmm...................................... .we shall see

. Andrew 

thats going to be fun andrew ! ive got to make two peacocks myself in new year - but they are to be fairly flat and wall mounted and are to be made on a bit if a budget! i think your sculpture will be beautiful - peacocks have some lovely details, that sticking up bit on top of the head, the eye shapes in the feathers, the big body tiny head ratio, the size and shape of tail, all things that will look great i rusty steel and glass - i reckon those two materials will look fab in your style of working - ill look out for it!

BRILLIANT!!! He made the wife and I laugh this morning. Well done, he looks fab.

Exelent art sclupture made from scrap iron.Watch i hear that kangaroo can kick :D

Beth , I am interested in tour 2D ? peacocks .Please post progress as you get started. sounds great!

Thank you Johnny and Natkova .......Yes not all  Kangaroos are cute ,their feet can be deadly . When chased by dogs their favourite instinctive act is to head for water . wait in about 1 - 1.5  metre depth . As the dogs swim towards them they balance on their tail ,then grab the swimming dog with their sharp claws on their  hands' .they then hold the dog underwater whilst disemboweling the dog with multiple strikes with the  sharp,  bone like big toes of their feet . I live on a farm and my father lost two of his best sheep dogs this way . the kangaroo held each of his dogs under the water as they swam to the kangaroos position in the dam shallows . My father grabbed a long handled shovel and waded in the water  to hit the kangaroo so it would release the dogs. as he swung a lethal blow to the kangaroos head  he saw a violent splash of water on his left and right  side at  chest height. Only after the dogs surfaced ,  drowned and mutilated did he realize how close he had been to becoming  yet  another  casualty.  

great job! love it!

great job! love it!

Thanks Mate !   I will start the Peacock thread in a few days  ( its only in my mind at this stage ) cheers  andrew

woah andrew that kangaroo tale is fearful... am quite shocked by that - knew they were dangerous but thats really much more stronger and co-ordinated than i thought they were.. as for the 2d peacocks of mine i kind of meant yours are properly in three dimensions, whereas flat things ( to hang on side of house) are kind of 2d. in my head :) so mine will sit flat to a wall. the lady who ordered them wanted some real ones but her husband wont have it, so she wants two metal ones to hang by a tree near her very amazing old house. she may want some more, i would encourage her too, they could be everywhere... :)

I love the roo Andrew and look forward to pics of more of your work.

 

It's one thing to know kangaroos are dangerous on an intellectual level and another entirely to know it on a first hand experience (gut) level. I'm thinking if I lived in kangaroo country I'd be packing a pistol at least. Is it legal to carry a weapon in Au or Oz?

 

How about putting your general location in the header so we won't have to ask?

 

I know for sure I wouldn't let one of our dogs go down without a fight. Family is family.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

Totally cool, that's one spunky kangaroo. I am always amaze with your work and talent. Thanks for sharing that horrible story, learned a lot and I feel bad and sorry for the dogs. Glad that your father was safe. 

Thanks Beth , Frosty and Camero . I live in Urana  in the state of New South Wales.  My father told me that the incident with the roo was when he was about 25 (before i was born ) We have lost other dogs the same way . You cant keep your dogs on a chain all day . If they are 'working'sheep or cattle and they spot kangaroo they instinctively want to chase them . If your not paying attention or too slow to catch them this sort of accident can happen . it is not the dog or the roo,s fault but rather the owner not training or controlling the dog ;properly . I was quite distressed once when I saw a friend beat his dog badly when it wanted to chase a Roo . He said that the dog would never chase a roo after that beating (and that that beating might save the dogs life one day ). Dont like that option either .

Kangaroos are protected by law so we cannot shoot them legally even though some species ( Eastern Grey) are in plague proportions . I guess you gotta pay attention to whats happening around you ,.

cheers  andrew