Human Figure Sculptor

You’re walking along a bustling sidewalk in New York City when you see a crowd snapping photos. Is that Rihanna!? The famous singer is standing perfectly still—almost like a statue. That’s because she is one! You’ve arrived at Madame Tussauds, a museum that features extremely realistic wax sculptures of famous figures. The company has locations around the world. Its collection in New York City has more than 200 wax celebrities, including Beyoncé and Harry Styles.

To craft these artworks, Madame Tussauds employs figurative sculptors like Jethro Crabb. This type of sculptor specializes in depicting the human form. These artists have to have a strong understanding of anatomy—the structure of the body. “As a figurative sculptor, your subjects are people, so you need to know how the body is put together in order to create a sculpture that feels real and believable,” says Crabb.

Crabb has worked with Madame Tussauds for nearly a decade. Recently, Science World spoke with him about creating sculptures so lifelike you might try to strike up a conversation with one.

How did you come to work with Madame Tussauds?

As a child, I was fascinated by sculptures in wax museums like Madame Tussauds. After attending art school, my goal was to work there. To apply, I had to sculpt the head of someone I knew and send the museum pictures of both the sculpture and the real person to compare. The museum liked my work and offered me a two-week trial period. During that time, I had to create a sculpture of a famous actor’s head using only photographs as a reference. In the end, they offered me a job as a portrait sculptor, constructing models of people’s heads.

How do you go about creating a wax sculpture?

Ideally, I sit down with the person I’m sculpting. If that’s not possible, I collect as many photographs of them as I can find. For either situation, I use tools called calipers, which have two adjustable arms, to take hundreds of measurements of their head and face. I measure the space between their pupils and the widths of the nose, mouth, and ears. All these measurements provide me with reference points to build up a 3-D design. Then I create a detailed sculpture of the head in clay. A molding artist coats the head in a rubbery material called silicone. When it dries, the clay is removed, leaving behind an empty silicone mold. Hot wax is then poured into the mold, forming the sculpture’s head. The wax head then goes to hair and coloring artists. The hair is usually real human hair that’s inserted strand by strand. The coloring artist adds translucent layers of color to the sculpture. It takes about four months to complete.

What is the secret to creating a stunningly realistic wax sculpture?

You begin by sketching the overall shapes of the head, like the skull and jaw. The underlying bones and muscles of a person’s face create those proportions and basic shapes. If you get those big forms right, then you can recognize the person before a single detail is added. It’s pretty amazing.

How did you learn about human anatomy?

I gradually built up my understanding over time. I studied human anatomy books, took anatomy courses, and learned from other sculptors. The more I sculpted, the more I learned where to fill in the gaps in my knowledge. If something didn’t look right, I knew I needed to go back and study the anatomy more to gain a better understanding of what was going on underneath the surface.

Do you have advice for students who want to be figurative sculptors?

If you’re interested in sculpting, just keep making. It doesn’t really matter what materials you use. The most important thing is that you practice.