I started with a cardboard base for the curved shape of the staff head. One piece of thin cardboard was not enough, so I attached another with masking tape.The staff needs to be sturdy, so I cut into the dowel rod with a dremel tool and a hand saw to get a notch deep enough to put the tab into. I secured it with wood glue and put more masking tape on to reinforce the base.
Next is the fun part - I used HILTI expanding insulation foam to cover each side of the template. Note: wait for the foam to dry and harden completely before you turn it over to spray the other side.
Once the foam is completely dry and hardened, you can begin carving the basic shape. I started off with flat surfaces and then carved into that to give the top a rounded look. I want it to look like the curved section is part of the dowel rod, so I was careful to keep them around the same size.
The foam ended up with a few air bubbles, so I went back and filled in the empty spots. Once that is dry I will carve back down to the correct shape and move on to the handle of the staff. As you can see in the reference image at the top, the handle is not straight, so I will be using the insulation foam to imitate the structure.
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