I’d been asked by Northwood Fairy Trail to create a Troll’s right hand to accompany the left one sited beneath their “Troll’s Bridge” last Summer (see picture below).
Being a good six months after I’d completed the first one, my biggest concern was making sure the second hand matched the first in size and character; luckily, as well as having plenty of photos, I had the scale drawings from the left hand ~ meaning I could make a decent attempt and making a pair.
Using another huge piece of sweet chestnut, I began by roughing out the vague shape using my rudimentary chainsaw skills. With the knowledge that I had to “match up” as best I could, there were some parts of the hand that caused me a bit of a headache ~ places where I definitely could’ve done without the wood having natural dips and hollows. Having said that, the good thing about Troll’s hands is that they are twisted and gnarly, so you can be afforded some artistic license!
The carving is the easy part ~ now comes the tricky stage, transporting it to the site (in a ditch, under a Troll’s bridge!).