This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Australia, which closed in 2021.

Beard Art Takes On A Whole New Level With This Viking Creation

Beard Art Takes On A Whole New Level With This Viking Creation

Meet Isaiah Webb. Actually, meet Isaiah Webb's beard -- famous for its ability to morph into a host of wild and wonderful shapes.

Nothing appears to be too much for the Incredibeard -- not even when tasked with creating a design fit for a viking.

Twentieth Century Fox Australia tasked San Francisco-based Webb with crafting a Viking-inspired beard to celebrate the launch of 'Vikings' season three on DVD and Blu-ray in Australia.

The result?

Death by beard.

The Beard Axe, of course.

"This specific design took about two hours, maybe a little bit over," Webb told The Huffington Post Australia. "Usually it only takes us about an hour and a half or so."

Webb started experimenting with his beard (which he hasn't shaved in over 15 years) when his wife suggested he grow it out in order for him to get involved with competitive bearding.

"My wife was like 'you should try growing it out'," Webb told The Huffington Post Australia. "I was like, 'I don’t know -- I can’t compete with these guys' but women get what they want, don't they? She said 'I want you to grow your beard out' and I was all like 'well I guess this is happening'."

"Then one day she was messing with my beard, and whatever shape she put it in, the hair stayed like that. She said 'You have to get on this, you have to make an Instagram page'.

"So I said, 'ok, let's try it'."

"Every couple of weeks we just kept doing it, and over three years, without missing a beat, every two weeks we pump out a new design."

Webb credits his wife for the actual beard sculpting, but says most of the ideas are his (though he often shouts out for fan suggestions on his Instagram page.)

"There are two types of creative people in this world -- you have people with a creative mind, who are able to transform that creativity into reality with their hands -- and then you have the people who have creative minds but don't have the ability to do anything about it. I am that person," Webb said.

"I come up with a lot of ideas. For the most part, I'd say I do the majority of idea-supplying, but my wife is the one who can take that idea and make it real. I will draw some silly stick figure and then she'll say, 'ok, let's see if we can actually shape this.'"

Unsurprisingly, things don't always go to plan.

"We’ve had so many disasters," Webb said. "There have been a few times where it just wasn't coming together, and I've had to wash it out -- which is a big ordeal -- twice before the third attempt. You can be looking at a four to five-hour range for a design.

"It's very uncomfortable physically to have this thing pasted to your face that smells of chemicals. Then you have the pulling and tugging of the hair -- I'd say it's similar to actors who have to sit through hours in the make-up chair for prosthetics.

"I think with those designs, eventually we scrap the idea. When it's not working, it's not working. You have to say, 'OK, I'm frustrated, you're frustrated -- let’s move to something different."

In terms of product, Webb says the Axe Beard took up "maybe three-quarters of a can of tall hairspray" while a normal creation might take "half a can per design."

"Yeah, we go through quite a bit of hairspray."

Keen to see more of Webb's Incredibeard? Check out some of our favourite creations below.

The hit drama, VIKINGS season 3 arrives on Blu-ray™ and DVD on Wednesday 21 October.

Close
This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Australia. Certain site features have been disabled. If you have questions or concerns, please check our FAQ or contact support@huffpost.com.