Making 3D Portraits with Lots of Screws

“Most people are drawn to the portraits because they have something different about them (from a distance especially). Seeing them in person is a whole different feel than seeing the photograph. They have a sense of depth that the photo can’t capture.”- Andrew Myers

Meet Andrew Myers, one of the most patient modern-day sculptors around. This Laguna Beach, California-based artist goes through a multi-step process to create incredible works of art you almost have to see (or touch) to believe. He starts with a base, plywood panel, and then places pages of a phone book on top. (Cool fact: He’ll use pages from his subjects’ local area.) He then draws out a face and pre-drills 8,000 to 10,000 holes, by hand. As he drills in the screws, Myers doesn’t rely on any computer software to guide him, he figures it out as he goes along. “For me, I consider this a traditional sculpture and all my screws are at different depths,” he says.

One of the most challenging parts is getting rid of the flat drawing underneath because he then has to paint over each of the screw heads, individually, so that in the end, the sculpture looks like an actual portrait.

Look through these photos and you’ll notice that the real magic happens when you see these pieces from an angle.

Update: I got in touch with Myers to ask him a few questions about this very different type of sculpting. Read that brief interview below.

Andrew Myers, the Artist

How does this form of statue change from your regular work?
These items are definitely a travel from my typical graphics. For decades I had been building in brown, doing figurative, story kinds of function. The twist art was created mostly because I was used out on the story function, but also because I’m always in search of a “better” statue. It has been challenging for me to follow one design of function as I always usually discover something more exciting. Actually, before I got the visibility on the twist art, I had regarded getting a separate from that to engage in something else.

What do you wish others will get out of these pieces?
When other individuals look at this function, I wish they can see the quantity of imagined and function that went into each element. I experience I have used everything I’ve acquired over the last several decades, such as statue, artwork, development etc, to make something that I had never seen before.

What’s next?
Right now I am in a business move, so I haven’t had enough time to function on the art aspect. However, I have some excellent programs for the long run, including a lot of fasteners and huge statues (hopefully community art).