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Incredibly Realistic Animal Sculptures Made of Pipe Cleaners

California-based artist Lauren Ryan skillfully constructs life-like animal sculptures using nothing more than pipe cleaners (also known as chenille stems). The bent, curled, and woven into one another to produce these remarkable figurative structures. The fuzzy materials also add to the believable texture of each creature, mimicking the respective animal's fur.

The sculptor's subjects range from a lone wolf and an exotic okapi to a nearly extinct thylacine and the fictional spirit creature known as Okami Amaterasu. Constantly improving on her technique and trying to stray from using additional materials. Ryan says, “I never use glue (to me  that is like cheating), and only occasionally use scissors.” In addition to honing her craft, the self-proclaimed animal lover seeks to represent some of her favorite members of the animal kingdom who are lesser known creatures.

Lauren Ryan: deviantART | Blog
via [Ian Brooks]

All images via Meg Biddle.

Pinar

Pinar Noorata (she/her) is the Editorial Director at My Modern Met. She is a writer, editor, and content creator based in Brooklyn, New York. She earned her BA in Film and Media Studies from CUNY Hunter College. She has worked at major TV, film, and publishing companies as well as other independent media businesses. She also runs her own art & culture newsletter called The High Low. She first joined the My Modern Met team in 2011 as a Contributing Writer, pitching and publishing articles about a wide range of topics. Her expertise in visual media lends itself to in-depth analysis of varied art forms, including but not limited to painting, illustration, sculpture, installation, design, and photography. Pinar has a particular affinity for spotlighting up-and-coming artists, affording them a platform and offering a voice to lesser-heard individuals looking to break through, especially BIPOC creatives. She has helped multiple artists make a name for themselves and reach a wider audience over 10+ years as a writer and editor (both through long-form articles and short-form videos). When she isn’t writing, editing, or creating videos herself, Pinar enjoys watching films and TV, reading, crafting, drawing, frequenting museums and galleries, and volunteering at her local animal shelter.
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