Animal Artist

A reptile the size of a giraffe towers over an adult man. Its head is nearly 10 feet long. With its giant wings at its sides, it looks like it could take off at any moment. But this creature has been extinct for 66 million years. It’s called a pterosaur (TER-uh-sawr).

The ancient animal is a statue made by Jim Burt. He’s a sculptor at Blue Rhino Studio in Eagan, Minnesota. Burt works with a team to make realistic sculptures of animals, people, and landscapes for museums and zoos.

There is a reptile the size of a giraffe. It towers over an adult man. Its head is nearly 10 feet long. It has giant wings at its sides. It looks like it could take off at any moment. But this creature has been extinct for 66 million years. It’s called a pterosaur (TER-uh-sawr).

The ancient animal is a statue. It was made by Jim Burt. He’s a sculptor at Blue Rhino Studio. It is located in Eagan, Minnesota. Burt works with a team. They make realistic sculptures of animals, people, and landscapes for museums and zoos.

Burt has built everything from bears and dinosaurs to ancient humans. He works with scientists to make sure he gets every detail right. “You need to have a good handle on animal anatomy to do this job well,” he says.

Burt starts each sculpture by building a smaller model of the final animal. First he bends metal rods to form the skeleton. Then he adds layers of clay on top. With each layer, he sculpts more and more detail.

Burt places the finished model in a device called a CNC machine. The machine shoots light at the model to measure its exact shape. Then the machine cuts a life-sized copy of the model from a block of lightweight foam. 

Burt has built statues of everything from bears and dinosaurs to ancient humans. He works with scientists. That is so he gets every detail right. “You need to know animal anatomy to do this job well,” he says.

Burt starts each sculpture by building a small model. First he bends metal rods to form the skeleton. Then he adds layers of clay on top. With each layer, he sculpts more and more detail. It looks like the actual animal.

Burt places the finished model in a device. It is called a CNC machine. The machine shoots light at the model. That helps measure its exact shape. Then the machine cuts a copy of the model. It is life-sized. The machine uses a block of lightweight foam. 

The artists give the foam figure a tough protective coating. They carefully sculpt details like wrinkles in the skin. Finally, they add fur, hair, and feathers one by one.

Every sculpture has its challenges. Building two life-sized pterosaur sculptures was one of Burt’s toughest projects yet. The animals’ heads were about as large as their bodies. Burt had to balance the sculptures carefully so they wouldn’t tip over.

The work paid off. Today the towering sculptures stand in a museum in the Middle Eastern country of Kuwait. “Challenges bring out the best in our work,” says Burt. “That’s when it’s the most fun.”

The artists give the foam figure a tough coating. This protects the figure. Then they carefully sculpt details like wrinkles in the skin. Finally, they add fur, hair, and feathers.

Every sculpture has its challenges. Building two giant pterosaur sculptures was one of Burt’s toughest projects. The animals’ heads were about as large as their bodies. Burt had to balance the sculptures carefully. That’s so they wouldn’t tip over.

The work paid off. Today the sculptures are in a museum. It’s located in the Middle Eastern country of Kuwait. “Challenges bring out the best in our work," says Burt. “That’s when it’s the most fun.”