Posh Paper Mache Bl**dy Big Blue Tit!

The Blue Tit is an energetic little garden bird, instantly recognisable for its bright blue cap and sunny yellow chest. These acrobatic wild birds are a firm favourite among British birdwatchers and nature lovers, often seen darting nimbly through garden trees and shrubs in search of their next meal. Their cheeky demeanour and playful presence brings a cheerful splash of colour to your backyard which will brighten your day.

Despite their small size, Blue Tits are remarkably bold, curious, and full of personality, assertively visiting garden feeders and cosy nesting boxes set out by enthusiastic ornithologists. In spring, their unmistakable high-pitched calls and nimble antics provide a joyful, playful soundtrack to gardens across the UK. Simply watching a Blue Tit cling upside down as it pecks enthusiastically at its dinner is enough to put a grin on anyone’s face!

So if a little one is so much fun, why not make a bl**dy big one?!…was my general thought process…

What better than a gigantic, unmissable bright blue and yellow feathered friend as a feature designed to stop you in your tracks when you are wandering around a craft show? Or even a fleet of humongous dazzling blue tits gathered in a garden to create an eye-catching feature?

It’s bl**dy big for a blue tit, isn’t it?!

Sometimes my creative ambition can get ahead of itself, and the thought of making several more blue tits having constructed the initial one was no longer that appealing - not to say that it still won’t happen in time. Cutting the chunky piece of wood which made up the feet was quite tough to do as I don’t own a band saw and instead used my jigsaw, so it wasn’t my favourite task. If I was to make another bird, I would plan to add footless legs that could be stuck into the ground to support the body weight, or perhaps even make a hanging version, which would be fun. (I actually really like this last idea, so watch this space!). This would be dependent on having perfected the water-resistant qualities of the materials that I use to make it worthwhile, which remain under trial - I currently know that a properly varnished sculpture will last two to three years outside, but I am working on having them last indefinitely. This is a good example of the kind of troubleshooting and creative problem solving that goes into the development of a new sculptural design! Working on the theory that I can make any size of sculpture using the sculpture methods that I have developed, this definitely won’t be the last gargantuan sculpture that you will be seeing…I have plans…

In any case, the prototype “Bl**dy Big Blue Tit” was created and proudly shown off at the RHS Spring Fair 2025 in Malvern, where it drew many an admiring glance before making a second appearance at the Autumn Fair where it happily found its rightful owners and forever home.

Take a look at a short video showing the process that I went through to create this oversized sculpture below.