Laurence Le Constant started working with feathers as a clothing designer in Paris’s fashion industry. But it wasn’t until her grandmother passed away years later that she made her first feathered skull sculpture. The French artist made one in memory of her grandmother. Le Constant has created hyperdetailed feather works to honor various individuals ever since.

To create her 2019 Estella, above, she collects duck, peacock, and guinea fowl feathers from farms in Europe. She makes sure to never use feathers of endangered species. Then she designs delicate, vibrant patterns, gluing each feather to a skull-shaped resin base. She makes each work’s intricate pattern unique to symbolize the individual it celebrates.