Ask an Ice Sculptor anything

47 Questions

Last Answer on July 19, 2020

Great answer to my Q! (ps there's a 3D games guy on this site, maybe ask him some Qs!) Another: What sculpting skills are the first to diminish with age and make it harder to stay on top of your game? Dexterity? Strength? Patience? Love for the art?

Asked by Stew about 10 years ago

Great question Stew! And a particularly relevant one, as I've not answered your question in a timely fashion, for related reasons! When I was regularly working on my large ice sculpting blog (now reborn, although it's still but a baby), I spent a lot more time online working on ice resources. That made it easy to answer questions like the ones in this thread. However, ice sculpting puts a lot of wear and tear on the body if you do it by hand, and decades of ice sculpting took a toll on me. I'm not going to get into the specifics, but right around when I stopped answering questions on this thread... Read More +

397 Votes

How do you keep sculptures from melting?

Asked by Jake over 4 years ago

Hi Jake! Well, the simple answer is, you don't. Lots of people have asked if we use a special kind of ice (sort of) or if the display tray keeps it cold. But really the only thing special about the ice we use is that it's purer and clearer than most ice. (That means it's more dense though, so it does melt more slowly than regular ice.) And the display tray does nothing to keep a sculpture from melting. It's only there to keep it in place, control the water melting off the sculpture, and possibly help light it up or show it off. Because it's at the bottom of the sculpture and cold air falls, it couldn't really help the sculpture from melting,... Read More +

391 Votes

What do you do to protect yourself from extreme cold temperatures?

Asked by Jim over 4 years ago

Thanks for your question Jim! To start with, I'd say that I don't spend much time in extreme cold. Although, if you ask people here in New Orleans, they'd probably disagree with that! They start breaking out the parkas whenever the temperature drops to the low 50s, lol. (With the high humidity here though, it does feel colder when it's cold.) I usually work at only about 19?F. It it gets below 15, I start having trouble with my ice cracking unexpectedly and then I have to open the door or adjust the thermostat to warm things up.

So far, the coldest temperature I've faced was -29°F. That was when I arrived at the Fairbanks airport during... Read More +

390 Votes

At a recent ice event, my first, I saw blocks of ice with beautiful pictures sketched into them, some even in color. Upon closer inspection I discovered these pictures were etched on the inside of the ice block. I saw no seams, how'd they do that!?

Asked by Nicki about 9 years ago

Hi Nicki, thanks for your question! Really, without seeing the sculptures, I couldn't say. However, there are a few ways this could happen. Possibly, they froze drawings into the ice blocks while the blocks were being made. But if you're saying that the designs were sketched into the ice, then that doesn't sound like what they were doing. MAYBE you missed the seams, or even looked in the wrong place for the seams. I'm not saying that's what happened, but I couldn't know for sure without seeing them. Sometimes, seams are very difficult to find. Even knowing what I do, I sometimes can't find all the seams in a complicated sculpture if a sculptor... Read More +

389 Votes

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Is that you in the photo?

Asked by Jake over 4 years ago

Hi again Jake! Yes, that's me. And the ice and snow in my hair isn't just for frosty looks. That all came off of a sculpture while I was sculpting with power tools. Usually it's the angle grinder that throws the most snow, but other tools do too. You sculpt for a while in a small walk-in freezer and it looks like a snowman exploded! Snow is everywhere. It's not as bad as glitter or sand at the beach, but it's close ;)

Coincidentally, I tried to change my pic just a couple days ago. But it wouldn't let me. If it lets me next time, this answer won't make as much sense, lol

Thanks again for the question Jake!

386 Votes

What are you listing to in your headphones?

Asked by Kaylee over 4 years ago

Hi Kaylee, thanks for the question :) Honestly, I couldn't tell you for sure, but I can narrow it down. When I'm sculpting, I might be tired and a little cold, so I'd be listening to some sort of music that will energize me. That could be lot of things too; I like rock, hard rock, alternative, country...not too much hip hop or rap, but even some of that sometimes. The main thing I'm looking for is to get my blood pumping and keep me going. I always know that I'm too tired to sculpt when I can't stay warm.

If I'm not particularly tired, but I'm also not working on something terribly difficult, I might be listening to an audiobook or... Read More +

382 Votes

What percentage of your work is for private parties vs. corporate events?

Asked by Jackson almost 10 years ago

Hi Jackson, thanks for your question! Ok, the simple answer is 50/50. Weddings, for example, are a big part of most ice sculptors' events and corporate events are nice because they don't always happen on a Saturday, like private events tend to. Plus, they often have bigger budgets and are looking for a big wow factor. The 50/50 ratio fluctuates a lot however, even for specific sculptors. That's partly because trends come and go. Like ice luges, for example. When I first started sculpting, we didn't do those. But then, they became a big deal. Corporate events probably started using them first, but then later, weddings started incorporating... Read More +

381 Votes