Regal Asian Elephant

LiDoña Wagner Regal Asian Elephant inspired by the book Elephant Company.

A number of people asked to see the final version of my elephant stick sculpture, now titled Regal Asian Elephant. Since I shared earlier how I used oatmeal boxes for the feet and gold ribbon and bells for the saddle (known as a howdah), here I will focus on making the nostrils and attaching the ears.

LiDoña Wagner Regal Asian Elephant: Howdah, Tail and Feet

I punched holes in the sides of the paper mache boxes I'd made for the nostrils. To attach them to the stick I threaded twine through the holes and over the stick, adding two metal beads as I did so.

LiDoña Wagner Regal Asian Elephant: Nostrils Inside

To decorate the exterior of the nostrils, I used a strip of gold ribbon from the saddle to cover the twine knot. Tiny purple beads were strung on gold elastic thread; then the beaded strings were tied aound the stick.

LiDoña Wagner Regal Asian Elephant: Nostrils Outside.

It took some time to figure out how to attach the ears. I used bright yellow burlap ribbon to couple the two ears together, then glued dark purple decorative paper to the backs of the ears to hide the burlap ribbon. The ribbon had holes, so I threaded twine through the top of both ears and tied them together over the stick. Because the ribbon was not as wide as the ears, their ends bend outward.

LiDoña Wagner Regal Asian Elephant: Saddle and Ears

Voila! An imaginative person can fill in the body of the elephant between all of the decorations - tail to hump to feet to ears to trunk to nostrils - adorning this highly beloved African and Asian animal. Sorry, no ivory tusks because they have been stolen by despicable poachers. Please join in efforts to protect this endangered occupant of planet Earth.