Wood chip sculptures

I write with joy and pride for our craftsmen, who are capable of not only shoeing a flea, but creating something that no one has ever done before. It’s just that here, unfortunately, such achievements take place quietly, at most they will be shown in the news once... It’s a pity, because many directions, “sculpture from shavings” in particular, are not just interesting, but innovative, here it’s time to patent the technology, open a studio, Organize master classes and exhibitions, eh... I hope all this will happen, I really hope, because it’s beautiful and great!

And the Krasnoyarsk master, an ordinary school teacher ordinary provincial high school(I don’t know for sure, maybe Trudovik))). He is 55 years old, during his life he managed to try to do a lot of things with his own hands - there was wood carving, wickerwork, ceramic art, there was even furniture production. But apparently I wanted something “different”, to repeat the lightness and naturalness of my exhibits – animals and birds. So that if the feathers are fluffy and airy, if the wool is fluffy and with fluff.

This is a sable, white and fluffy, with 30 thousand “hairs”

The material was found unexpectedly - it turned out to be wood shavings, at first simple, then, based on trial and error, specially prepared. Ordinary chips have a fragile structure, and in order to achieve plasticity, Sergey Bobkov I came up with the idea of soaking wooden blocks in water for several days. He mainly uses Siberian cedar shavings, but sometimes adds beech and willow. The chips are removed in a special way rolling, can you imagine how it smells in his workshop? ...

The photo shows how complex his sculptures are - every feather is in its place, of the right size and shape. In addition to being beautiful and luxurious, it is also anatomically as accurate as possible - the master studies the habits and anatomical features of his eagles, eagle owls and sables. Sometimes it takes up to six months to create one particle sculpture; The fur of a sable, for example, consists of 30 thousand fibers, and for an eagle it took about 7 thousand different feathers.

Sergey Bobkov says that his work is the complete opposite of stuffed real, dead animals. The scarecrow is the result of death, and its shaving figurine is birth, a whole philosophy results.

The master exhibits his creations, but only occasionally and so far only on a very local scale. But he has big plans - he hopes that in his home country they will notice and support him, help him open the planned art center (with exhibition hall, a large workshop, a hotel for visitors who want to study, just admire or buy something). I really, really want everything to work out, and oh Sergei Bobkov learned not only here, but also abroad, because there is something to be surprised and admire.

The first research in the field of a new direction in art, the unique technology of which, by the way, Sergei managed to patent, began nine years ago, when the sculptor was 48 years old. One day he noticed unique properties wood shavings, which could help him create something special that goes beyond existing ideas about creativity. Thus, the master noted the texture, plasticity and diversity of shades of the wood material. In addition, it is natural, affordable, and does not lose its original aesthetic properties over time. Without shelving the idea, Sergei set to work, and as a result, the first masterpiece was created - a life-size bird made of wood shavings, captured in a typical dynamic pose.

Before this, the artist managed to try large number crafts - weaving from wicker, making ceramics, artistic wood carving and even furniture production, but the creation of extraordinary sculptures from wood became truly close to him. The exhibits exude astonishing naturalness and lightness: realistically fluffy wool seems to be bending under a light breeze, and feathers, airy and light, can instantly come to life and soar into the sky. Over almost ten years of his work, the master has produced a whole collection of animals and birds, the likes of which are unique in the whole world.

According to Sergei, doing what most people can do is not interesting to him, but finding your own way and creating something unusual is a completely different matter, it is very inspiring.

Long before you start creating new sculpture, over the course of several months, the master thoroughly studies the subject of interest to him. He studies textbooks with descriptions and photographs of the chosen animal or bird, and also monitors their habits and characteristics in their natural habitat until he becomes a real expert on this topic.

The history of making chip sculpture begins with the creation of a plasticine prototype, which is an almost complete three-dimensional model, serving as a kind of “mannequin” for taking measurements, which are later transferred to the tree.

The base of the future product is cut out according to the created sketch from blocks of wood, which are then covered with wool or feathers. The technology of production and processing of wood chips represents quite complex processes. Since ordinary wood shavings are a very fragile material, Sergei has to achieve elasticity and strength by soaking the wood in water. Then the thinnest plates are cut from the wet bars, which dry for some time between the pages of school textbooks.

And finally, the material is ready, and soon a skilled carver will turn thin plates into fur, down or feathers. Each element is approximately 5-8 cm. For greater realism, Sergei processes them with cutters and scissors so that the external similarity is maximum. Wooden feathers and fur are glued with pinpoint precision by the hands of a master to the “body” of the future sculpture. The beak and claws are also made from shavings glued together from several dozen layers.

According to Sergei Bobkov, shavings are suitable for this type of art various types wood, but he prefers to work exclusively with Siberian cedar.

Manufacturing unusual sculptures forces the artisan to spend 14-18 hours a day in his workshop, working tirelessly. Complex, filigree work that requires many skills, strength and inspiration brings Sergei only satisfaction and joy. It takes the artist approximately 4-6 months to create one chip masterpiece in the form of a large animal or bird. The sculptor claims that it is especially difficult to work on figurines of fur-bearing animals. For example, a pair of martens, for the fur of which the master needed 150 of the finest shavings, he created for 8 long months. Sable wool consists of 30 thousand fibers, and for the plumage of an eagle it took up to 7 thousand plates of wood shavings. The artist did one of his last major works - two capercaillie - in tandem with his 21-year-old son Artem.

Because of their striking external resemblance to their “models,” chip products are often compared to stuffed animals. However, the artist does not like this statement at all, because his works are the complete opposite of stuffed dead animals - they symbolize life and bring only beauty and goodness to the world.

A collection of sculptures by Sergei Bobkov is exhibited in the village school, where, in addition to local residents, tourists and vacationers from the nearby resort "Krasnoyarsk Zagorye" often come.

The master has not yet dared to sell the most large-scale creations, which is absolutely not surprising, because it is very difficult to say goodbye to a creation on which more than six months of work have been spent. Small sculptures such as wooden flowers and cute owls are available for purchase. For example, now on the sculptor’s website there is a composition of three owls for sale, the cost of which is 150 thousand rubles. For comparison, it is worth noting that for one of the most beautiful works of the sculptor - a statue of an eagle - they offered 3 million rubles, but Sergei refused this offer.

The talented Sergei Bobkov has grandiose plans for the future - he dreams big art center which will include exhibition hall, a workshop and a hotel for those who want to learn the intricacies of this type of art or simply admire already created masterpieces.

Unusual sculptures are created by Sergei Bobkov from the village of Kozhany. His artwork they look so realistic that it is impossible to guess that these masterpieces are made from ordinary wood shavings. The 53-year-old Russian was even able to obtain a patent for making sculptures from sawdust, since his technology is unique.

The artist works as a teacher in a rural school. He was creative all his life: he worked with ceramics, weaved wicker baskets and even made furniture. But it was the “waste” wood that became the main material for his sculptures.

The artist became interested in wood shavings when he was 48 years old. He was interested in the unique properties of the chips: texture, variety of shades and plasticity. So Sergei Bobkov realized that this particular material would help him create something unique. It is worth noting that the material is also inexpensive and natural; the durability of wood is its additional advantage. Sergei developed a unique technology and created his first masterpiece - a life-size owl made from wood shavings.

The artist himself says that he is not interested in doing what others can do. He loves to create something unique because that is what inspires him.

The models for his sculptures are birds and animals. At first glance, the sculptures cannot be distinguished from the real inhabitants of the forest, the artist notices every little detail so accurately. Before starting work on each sculpture, the artist spends months studying the habits of the animal and its anatomy.

The craftsman has an unusual and rather complex manufacturing technology: he soaks it for several days wooden blocks in the water and only after that begins to create his masterpieces. With surgical precision, Sergei Bobkov creates the necessary forms from wood shavings. This technique is necessary so that the wood does not crumble during the creation of sculptures. For his works, the artist uses exclusively Siberian cedar. The thinnest slices of wood are kept under pressure (between the pages of books). For this process, Sergei often uses school textbooks. The base of the sculpture is cut out of several glued blocks of wood according to a special sketch, which is also made by the artist himself. And after that the sculpture begins to have feathers or fur. It is worth noting that the master glues each fluff, each feather manually and separately. To create the beak and claws from the shavings, he has to glue the shavings on top of each other. The number of layers can reach up to one and a half hundred. The artist himself notes that the most difficult thing to work on is the figures of fur-bearing animals. Sable wool, for example, consists of 30 thousand fibers, and to make the plumage of an eagle it took 7 thousand plates of shavings. Over latest works The artist does not work alone; his 21-year-old son Artem helps him.

Each job takes Sergei Bobkov at least six months of daily work. The artist works on his sculptures seven days a week, 10-12 hours a day. He spent about 8 months on two martens. But the result of this work is fascinating. The sculptures look like they were made from feathers and fur rather than wood shavings. Animal fur really bristles with fluff, and the feathers are as light and beautiful as real ones. Many compare Sergei Bobkov's works with stuffed animals for their amazing accuracy and naturalism. However, the master does not agree with this comparison, since stuffed animals glorify the death and killing of these very animals. But the artist puts into his work a rethinking of life, the creation of something “living” from the inanimate.

It is worth noting that Sergei Bobkov’s works cannot be bought; the master says that art is not for sale. He was offered 17 thousand dollars for the eagle sculpture, but he refused to sell it. Complete collection The artist stores his works in his studio. The collection can also be seen in the village school, where it is on public display.

However, Bobkov nevertheless put up a separate collection “Amber Owls”, which includes as many as 3 sculptures, for sale; it can be purchased for 150 thousand rubles. The artist cannot part with larger-scale works, because he spent more than 6 months of his life on them.

The work of this talented school teacher is admired by people all over the world. And he himself hopes to someday organize a large art center, where one can not only admire his works, but also learn this exquisite form of art.

I am delighted with the creativity of this man and gladly post his work. This is a sculpture made of... shavings. The works represent life-size figures of animals. The texture of the chips, its warmth and depth of shades, allows you to create a vital composition. The animals are dynamic, fluffy, varied in tones and shadows, it’s amazing how good they are!

Siberian sculptor, an ordinary school teacher at an ordinary provincial secondary school, which is located 207 km from Krasnoyarsk, with a keen sense of nature and his favorite material - wood.

Sergey Bobkov received a patent for his work. In total, he has about 15 sculptures made from wood shavings. It takes Sergei Bobkov from 4 to 6 months to create each sculpture. For example, it took him eight months and 150 thousand pieces of Siberian cedar sawdust to make two life-size martens.

Ordinary shavings have a fragile structure, and in order to achieve plasticity, Sergei Bobkov came up with the idea of soaking wooden blocks in water for several days. He mainly uses Siberian cedar shavings, but sometimes adds beech and willow. The shavings are removed, rolled in a special way, can you imagine how it smells in his workshop? By the way, his works presented at exhibitions are not for sale. Only souvenirs are sold, mainly owls, which rare tourists happily take apart.

Here is his website:

It's never too late to find and show your talents. A real confirmation of this is the story of a 55-year-old labor teacher at an ordinary provincial school, Sergei Bobkov. His life and creative path takes place in the village of Kozhany, Krasnoyarsk Territory, Russia. He became famous not only in his native village and throughout the country, but also abroad as a talented sculptor who creates stunning three-dimensional artistic products from wood shavings. For several years now, the artist who has found his calling has been delighting people with incredibly realistic creations in the form of various animals and birds, the feathers and fur of which are replaced by the thinnest wood plates processed in a special way.

The first research in the field of a new direction in art, the unique technology of which, by the way, Sergei managed to patent, began nine years ago, when the sculptor was 48 years old. One day he noticed the unique properties of wood shavings, which could help him create something special that went beyond existing ideas about creativity. Thus, the master noted the texture, plasticity and diversity of shades of the wood material. In addition, it is natural, affordable, and does not lose its original aesthetic properties over time. Without shelving the idea, Sergei set to work, and as a result, the first masterpiece was created - a life-size bird made of wood shavings, captured in a typical dynamic pose.

Before this, the artist managed to try a large number of crafts - weaving from wicker, making ceramics, artistic wood carving and even furniture production, but the creation of extraordinary sculptures from wood became truly close to him. The exhibits exude astonishing naturalness and lightness: realistically fluffy wool seems to be bending under a light breeze, and feathers, airy and light, can instantly come to life and soar into the sky. Over almost ten years of his work, the master has produced a whole collection of animals and birds, the likes of which are unique in the whole world.

According to Sergei, doing what most people can do is not interesting to him, but finding your own way and creating something unusual is a completely different matter, it is very inspiring.

Long before starting to create a new sculpture, for several months the master thoroughly studies the subject of interest to him. He studies textbooks with descriptions and photographs of the chosen animal or bird, and also monitors their habits and characteristics in their natural habitat until he becomes a real expert on this topic.

The base of the future product is cut out according to the created sketch from blocks of wood, which are then covered with wool or feathers. The technology of production and processing of wood chips are quite complex processes. Since ordinary wood shavings are a very fragile material, Sergei has to achieve elasticity and strength by soaking the wood in water. Then the thinnest plates are cut from the wet bars, which dry for some time between the pages of school textbooks.

According to Sergei Bobkov, shavings of various types of wood are suitable for this type of art, but he prefers to work exclusively with Siberian cedar.

Making unusual sculptures forces the artisan to spend 14-18 hours a day in his workshop, working tirelessly. Complex, filigree work that requires many skills, strength and inspiration brings Sergei only satisfaction and joy. It takes the artist approximately 4-6 months to create one chip masterpiece in the form of a large animal or bird. The sculptor claims that it is especially difficult to work on figurines of fur-bearing animals. For example, a pair of martens, for the fur of which the master needed 150 of the finest shavings, he created for 8 long months. Sable wool consists of 30 thousand fibers, and for the plumage of an eagle it took up to 7 thousand plates of wood shavings. The artist did one of his last major works - two capercaillie - in tandem with his 21-year-old son Artem.

The talented Sergei Bobkov has grandiose plans for the future - he dreams of a large art center, which will include an exhibition hall, a workshop and a hotel for those who want to learn the intricacies of this type of art or simply admire already created masterpieces.