As a result of the snowy and rocky terrain, Inuit artists work with limited resources to produce their sculptures. While stone is the most common material, artists make use of other natural sources, such as dried whale bones, ivory from tusks and teeth of local animals, muskox horn and caribou antlers.
The artist will often travel long distances to gather stone, which must be hand-cut as dynamite will destroy the integrity of the stone. Once the artist has the stone, a rough image is cut out. The artist uses a medium file to further draw out details, and a small file to produce the finer details of the work. The work is then sanded and soaked in water.
The Inuit people are not homogeneous, and art varies from region to region. The art of Baffin Island is noted for its realistic depiction of animals, though often setting them in heroic or mythological scenes, whereas the region of Keewatin offers unpolished finished products to create a natural effect, often depicting maternal scenes.