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Core Art Standards: VA2, VA3, VA11

CCSS: R2, R3, R5

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Carving Into History

Jethro Crabb talks about sculpting amazingly realistic wax figures

September 2025
Interview by Karen Grimaldos

Courtesy of Mina Milanovic

Crabb uses precise measurements to sculpt the face in clay.

Scholastic Art: What is your job?

Jethro Crabb: I’m a figurative sculptor who sculpts realistic figures. I have a particular interest in sculpting people’s heads and faces.

SA: How did you break in to this field?

Courtesy of Mina Milanovic

Jethro Crabb

JC: As a child, I was fascinated by sculptures in wax museums. After college, my goal was to work at Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum, a famous museum in London that has locations all around the world. To apply, I had to sculpt the head of someone I knew, so I sculpted my girlfriend. The museum liked my work and offered me a two-week trial period. During that time, I had to create a sculpture of a famous actor’s head using only photographs as a reference. I was competing against more experienced sculptors, but in the end, they offered me the job as a portrait sculptor.

Courtesy of Jethro Crabb

This wax sculpture shows Winston Churchill, who was prime minister of the United Kingdom in the 1940s and ’50s.

SA: What is your typical working process?

JC: Ideally, I have a sitting with the person I am sculpting. I use calipers [a special tool for measuring dimensions] and take hundreds of measurements of their head and face. I measure the space between their pupils and the widths of the nose, mouth, and ears to properly size the head. I also take photographs of the person from a lot of different angles. If I can’t have a sitting with my subject, I collect as many photographs of them as I can find. I enlarge the photographs to life size and take my measurements from those images.

Courtesy of Mina Milanovic

After Crabb creates the sculpture in clay, a molding expert makes molds of the head.

SA: How do you collaborate with other artists to make a portrait?

Courtesy of Mina Milanovic.

The mold is then cast in wax, which is approximately 2 inches thick.

JC: After I create the sculpture in clay, a molding expert takes molds of the head and body. The mold of the head is cast in wax, which is only about 2 inches thick, and the body in fiberglass. The molds then go to hair and coloring artists. The hair is usually real human hair that is inserted strand by strand. The coloring artist adds translucent layers of oil color to add color to the sculpture. It takes us about four months to create a single wax sculpture.

SA: What is the secret to creating a stunningly realistic wax sculpture?

Courtesy of Mina Milanovic.

Real human hair is inserted one strand at a time.

JC: In order to create a real likeness of someone, you have to begin by building the main forms that create the overall shapes of the head. If you get those big forms and shapes in the right place, you can actually recognize the person before a single detail is added. It’s pretty amazing.

SA: What advice do you have for a student interested in pursuing a career like yours?

JC: If you’re interested in sculpting in any capacity, just keep making—even if you don’t have exactly the right materials. It doesn’t really matter what you use. The most important thing is that you just practice.

Courtesy of Mina Milanovic

Why are photographs an important tool for Crabb?

How To Become A SCULPTOR

GETTING STARTED:
  • Create and sculpt with whatever materials are available to you.
  • Develop an understanding of form and materials.
  • Develop a portfolio of your work.

 

EDUCATION:

  • Many sculptors have a bachelor’s or master’s degree in fine arts.

 

SALARY:

  • Sculptors can earn between $70,000 and $130,000 or more, depending on experience, specialty, and location.

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