Today is the Autumn Equinox – a fitting day for the final post of my Green Man Autumn Automaton project, which started in Autumn is Coming and was continued in Automaton.

While the mechanical parts are hardly the most complex things in the world, they were incredibly difficult to achieve. This is completely down to ignorance and inexperience, but this is one of the most enjoyable projects I have worked on in a long time.

The problem-solving involved was really challenging and refreshing, and although it is rather crude, I am so proud of the finished piece. I also like that it has a very different aesthetic to the sorts of automata that you usually see, which are often mostly wood or tin.

The other really satisfying element is that I am so used to just testing out little ideas and sketches, and never really developing them into anything concrete. This is fine, as I feel like I am still only beginning to develop my creativity, but actually to have created a finished piece that, for all its flaws, could be viewed and enjoyed by people, feels really good.

The Green Man declares that Autumn has begun by striking the earth with his staff. Keep an eye out for the little rabbit poking his head out of the undergrowth. Nature abounds wherever the Green Man walks.

I can’t really wait to get planning on the next project!