Tunnelweb Spider

The tunnelweb spider is native to parts of New Zealand. This arachnid is in the tarantula family and has given frights to many Kiwis. 

Fittingly , this 1:20 scale model was sculpted for a halloween party.

A range of materials and objects were used in its creation. 

The fangs are deer antler. The eyes a combination of lightbulbs and door knobs. The hairs are skewers and toothpicks. The body is polystyrene coated in plaster.

The Process

This beautiful yet nightmarish creature is one of a kind. Creating intricate webs it lays dormant waiting for its meal. 

At 1:20 scale, i felt that this larger than life beast would be the perfect totem for a horifying haloween night. 

Being the inspiration behind the spider 'Shelob" which features in the lord of the rings films, i wanted to pay homage to this creatures legacy and leave people stunned in her web.

 Just like her prey.

The sketches were blown up onto plywood so i could form the polystyrene around a hard centre to increase strength and reduce carving time.

I built up layers of polystyrene on the plywood forms. Expanding foam is the best adhesive for this and can be usedd to fill any voids. 

I then began carving and shaping the form of the Abdomen and Cephalothorax.

The Eyes were dry fitted an arranged before being set in place with expanding foam. 

Plaster was then coated on the polystyrene and finished by sanding and carving details.

Builidng the fangs was interesting. The main body of the fang is called the chelicerae. These were carved and fastened to the cephalothorax before the fangs themselves were added. Points off a deer antler were sized and then attached to these chelicerae.

I could then add the final layers of plaster and start building the legs.

Each leg is made up of 6 sections which i decided to sculpt seperately. This helped me keep each leg to scale and gave them all a more natural look.

After shaping each block i drilled holes down the centres and threaded each piece onto rebar which i had marked for their placement. 

Bending the rebar after each piece was added allowed me to form the legs into positions i wanted. Expanding foam helped to strengthen it as well as provide material for the joints.

I carved down each complex joint and then started adding painted toothpicks and wooden skewers to emulate the spiny hairs these critters are famous for.

i assembled all the parts on site and started hanging the sculpture. It needed to be hung so it didn't vibrate from the dancing and music. This also addedd to the illusion she was hanging in her web waiting to attack.

The stage around the sculpture was decorated with spiders webs and 'consumed' objects. The aim was to make it feel like you were entering her nest.

She was then projection mapped an illuminated with lights. 

I'll have a full process vieo available on my youtube channel before too long.