The product design was fairly challenging mainly due to the proportions of a Flamingo.  This was something I quickly found out at the start of the design,  like most of my projects  I started in 2D with a pencil sketch and then moved into Adobe Illustrator to design the product in basic orthographic views.

I didn’t want to compromise on the overall look by making the flamingo legs overly thick, ideally with the fun of Alice in Wonderland, I wanted to make them appear as spindly as possible.  To make this possible I designed a simple metal frame, like all of my prop designs, the flamingo breaks into parts.  The legs slot into a weighted metal base then the flamingo body drops onto the top of the legs.

By using a metal framework I was able to keep the overall design very fine.  It was also used to reinforce the neck of the flamingo.  I created a basic 3D model which was used to mill out of polystyrene.   Sculptors worked into this, creating the stylised feather texture and refining the facial features.  Once the sculpture was ready, it was coated with a strong plastic skin.  Then the Flamingo was painted based on my design.  I added a finishing touch by created lifelike eyes for the flamingo.  I  did this by painting an eye on Photoshop, I then printed this onto vinyl and applied it to the back of a large glass cabochon.  This was then glued into the flamingos head making for a very fine and amazing effect.