In progress: Bone carving: stag beetle 20012-ongoing

Stag beetle as of November 24, 2012.  Note that the beetle has the beginnings of a torso under the top plates.  My friend went hunting and donated deer vertebrae.  I boiled and bleached them, wired them together and carved them to fit together.  

This unfinished stag beetle project combines bones from two different animals: The mandibles are antlers from a small deer, and the under-torso of the beetle is comprised of deer vertebrae that have been shaped to hold the other pieces together.  

Sliding into the vertebrae behind the mandibles are two pieces of cow bone that form the main plates that connect the head to the wing plates.  The wing plates (the outer shell that opens to expose the wings) as well as the back plates are all cow bone as well.  The design that I've carved into the different sections is all of my own design, but clearly the inspiration comes from Celtic knot designs.  

Below you can see the main parts that I have up to this point and in each succeeding picture more of the pieces fit together to form the body of the beetle.  I just recently got some more deer vertebrae that will form the main body of the beetle.  

Will Worsnopp, Dickinson College, Bronx High School of Science, Sidney Central School, carving, powercarver