TO THE RIGHT is my first commissioned sculpt. It sprang off a fun piece I made and gave to a friend last summer: Dobby the House Elf's great uncle, "Flobby" (his new owner renamed him "Seebo"). Since it's a descendant of Uncle Flobby, it's Dobby's first-cousin-once-removed, "Dibbly". They're all inspired by the Harry Potter books and the movie, but the ones I make are not mentioned in those works. They are strictly from my own imagination.

He was intended as a Christmas gift, but I haven't heard yet how he was received. Anyway, he was fun to make -- hee hee... they ALL are!

The Harry Potter Christmas Swap

The person I sent the Harry Potter swap items to has received them, so now I can post a photo or two of each.
The theme was anything Harry Potter Christmas. So, I made two more tree ornaments -- since ornaments are so much fun! I scoured through all seven movies (DH2 took place after Christmas, remember?) to find images I could work with. Originally, I thought about doing one for each year, but as it was, doing only 2 ornaments was plenty of work. I went with first and last: one from HP and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry's first C'mas at Hogwarts, and the first in his life when he actually received real presents) to HP and the Deathly Hallows, part 1. That's where Harry and Hermione visited his parents' grave on C'mas Eve.





The first ornament shows Harry trying on his new Invisibility Cloak, and saying, "My body's gone!" as only his head still shows. There was an unsigned note with the gift, so I included that under Harry's head. It says, "Your father left this in my possession before he died. It is time it was returned to you. Use it Well."

The second ornament I made was the Wreath of Christmas Roses, which Hermione conjured to lay upon the grave of James and Lily Potter, in the graveyard at Godric's Hollow. It's not a precise replica, but gives a good idea. The wreath in the movie is lovely, but rather dark in every photo I could get of it.





So, that is the extent of my holiday ornies for now. I am currently working on a House Elf, and it's a commissioned work! My first one for sculpting!!! It's just a head, like the ones I did last summer as gifts for friends, but one of those friends wants to give one as a Christmas Gift to someone she knows! Hence, the commission! :)

Group Ornament Swap, 2011

Well, this year I was in an elf-head mode, I think... These are the two ornies I made for the group ornament swap. Can't post the Harry Potter Group swap yet, as those have not yet been received, that I know of. Later, I guess....

Holiday projects

I have some new projects upcoming for the holidays... and SO many ideas for other sculpts that will have to wait until next year. The holiday projects are ornaments for the holiday swap in my sculpting group, and ornaments or other ??? for the Harry Potter Crafts group. I haven't decided yet; it's early, but I won't put it off! These things take time, and I don't want to be late mailing them out, early next month. And I want them to be GOOD. I'll post more, later.

Eowyn

I do intend to make two of these, the second one probably next year, though I have the armature done for it. It's Eowyn, Shieldmaiden of Rohan, and niece to King Theoden, in Lord of the Rings. She looks more or less like Miranda Otto, who played Eowyn in the movies. I have taken a few liberties with her dress and accessories, since I can't possibly duplicate, but I'm fairly close.
When we first meet her, Eowyn is a rather sad Lady of the Court of Rohan, though quite lovely. There is a scene in the movie where the court villain and Eowyn's brother are discussing her. She turns to face them, perhaps aware they're talking about her, but not knowing exactly what. That is the moment that inspired this sculpt. It's a posable art doll, so I could put her in other positions, such as seated, or holding a sword, as she does in another scene.

This doll is about 18" tall, not counting the base. The base needs a bit more work, but I needed to show completed photos of the doll itself, by today. So these are a few of the pics I took last night.

My swap partner received her package later in the same day I posted the previous entry. I've been posting pics in other places, but forgot to put any here!

The theme of the swap (for the Harry Potter Crafts group) was simply, "Hogwarts". My swap partner considers herself a Ravenclaw, so to me, what better says both Hogwarts and Ravenclaw, but The Gray Lady? She's the ghost of Ravenclaw Tower!

She hangs by a cord, replacing the worse-for-wear wire seen in the photos... so, she actually flies! (OK, well... sort of flies!) The photos are not in the same order I uploaded them in, hmph! She is wearing pantaloons (what I love to call koochie undies) that are made from real silk chiffon. Her overdress is the same fabric I used for Swiff's overdress (see below, bottom of page) also the bit of ribbon trim down her bodice. Her hair is mohair that I dyed in the same solution as the silk.

OK... the art show didn't happen, at least not for me. I've been sick for two and a half weeks, and was being seen by a doctor as the show was opening. Getting better now, but the first two weeks were rough; I even lost time from work. Won't go into the gory details, but it was nasty. Almost gone now. I'll make a point of volunteering for the next art show, though. I was getting psyched about this one. It was a small show, great for taking a first step and "getting my feet wet." Next time, for sure!

I did manage to finish an HPC swap item, and mail it out. For some reason, she doesn't seem to have gotten it yet, and I'm getting concerned. I won't post it here, since it wouldn't be fair for you to see it before she does, right?

Progressing slowly on the current posable doll project. She's all constructed, and now needs to have her costume finished (close!) and some accessories, before I wig her. She's human, not a fairy, so there'll be no wings on this one. What I'm dreading is finishing her shoes. I formed her feet to accommodate a bit of a heel to her shoe, and now I'm sorry I did! Well, I'll just do the best I can, and we'll see where that takes me! She'll be Eowyn, from LOTR, The Two Towers. This is the scene where she's in her uncle's castle, being watched by Wormtongue. I have a lovely green fabric that will suffice for her green dress. Her hair will be Tibetan lamb, which I've already dyed, but cannot apply to her head yet. I want to do another of her, in my favorite scene of the movie: Eowyn's slaying of the Witch King of Angmar, in Return of the King. LOVE that scene! But for now, this one will have to suffice. I still tire quickly.

Well, I've gone an' done it now!
Done what, you ask?

The local art group (Saco River Art League) is having a small show in my town, and I went and registered for a table! Omagawsh! This should spur me on to finish stuff now, huh? When I have the table set up, I'll take a pic of it all, and post it here. Til then, I doubt I'll have much time for posting. It's less than two weeks away!!!

Next project?

Well, I have a new doll started, and ideas for a few more. Furthermore, it's time I finished a number of WIPs (Works In Progress) that have been languishing for ... well, way too long. So... that's where my head is right now; these are all in the style and technique that Wendy Froud uses and shows on her dvd. (I don't have the second of her dvds, but have been told the construction techniques are the same as the first one.)
The first will be Eowyn, the shieldmaiden of Rohan, niece to the King. In fact, I'd like to do two of Eowyn: one in a lovely dress, as the sad noblewoman of the court at Edoras, and one in (almost) full armor, after she has removed her helmet to show the Nazgul (boooo, hissssss, booooo!) that she is a woman. My favorite scene of the whole trilogy! However, she does ruin it very slightly by swinging that sword like a chick. But hey, it's a damned big sword! (Claymore?) I can cut her a bit of slack for that. Still love the scene!
There will likely be others completed before she is, so look for them first!
~Janet

It arrived!

I can show off the July project now! She has received it (and loves it) so I can post photos of it where I please.
There is a scene in the movie, "Deathly Hallows, Part 1" where Ron returns and seems to be hoping for Hermione's forgiveness. We know what he's been through, and if we haven't already, we surely forgive him in this moment. As the woman he's wronged, Hermione needs a bit more time to forgive him ... but we forgive her that, too. He's dirty and wet, beleaguered and bedraggled, and all he can muster for her is this sweet, silly smile, a bit of pleading in his eyes, and one word, "Hey..." So I named the piece, "Hey..." He is holding the sword and the destroyed locket; he has his rucksack, and is standing on a snowy bed of leaves, with which he's about to get attacked when Hermione loses her temper at him. There's a snow-laden, fallen branch in the background. I've used a lovely, fine glitter on the snow, but it doesn't photograph well. The glitter just looks like dirty spots in a photo. I'd like to change the order in which the pics are displayed, but cannot find a way to do that, sorry.

Not yet.....

Just ITCHIN' to show off the piece I worked on in July. I felt quite good about it! Right now, it's on its way to its new owner, and I can't show it off until she sees it first. Only good manners, right? It was part of a swap for one of my Yahoo Groups.

Have started several armatures for art dolls, and just doing them has given me an idea or two for a series (or 2). First, I want to FINISH up some others that were started a year or more ago. One doll was just waiting for me to find an accessory I had made. I wasn't looking forward to making another, but found it a few days ago! The finished piece (just a few final touches to go, now) will possibly be posted next.

Been up to no good...?

I've been creating, yes! Just haven't been finishing much. I do have a number of things that are just finished, or nearly done now. So I should be posting more soon. One of my projects has been to work on an old block of La Doll air-dry clay. It was a little hard at first, but reconditioned beautifully. I've used it for making heads, mostly generic House Elves. These can be pendants, tree ornaments, whatever. I'm keeping Dobby for myself, and giving the two generic ones to friends. I've started another Dobby, plus a Winky... but they're not very far along. There's also an angel head, and a juvenile elf, probably for C'mas. Photo of Dobby isn't that great; need a new one. Meet Dobby's Great-Uncle Flobby, who discovered the flobberworm, and Kreacher's second cousin once removed, Twitcher. Not as unpleasant as Kreacher, but nervous and easily confused.

I'm truly sorry for the advertisements in the Playlist music! They came along for the ride, and since it's all for free, I can't really put up a fight about it, can I? I do NOT endorse some/many/all(?) of these products, so please accept my apologies, and try to ignore them. They're only about 30 seconds each.

Last Hippocamp, for awhile!

Too bad blog posts are backwards; were it otherwise, this would make more sense. I made three hippocamps as gifts, and would not post photos of them anywhere until they were received by their new owners. Well, all have found their way to their new homes, so they can be shown here. This one is actually the last delivery to be confirmed, and so the last one posted, but will be read in reverse. The yellow and purple hippocamps are also part of this project. They were a joy to do, and seem to have made the recipients happy. I hope so, because the kindnesses extended to me by these wonderful people made ME very happy! I'm sure I cannot repay them enough, but little hipps are a good start, maybe.

'Nother update

A second hippocamp has found its way to its new home, so I can post a pic of this one now. I used papers instead of fabric for the ones I've just finished. The bodies are Sculpey Ultra-light polymer clay, and there are various paints, glitters, and other embellishments, all over.

Updates

Been working on many things, just not finishing until lately. Finished some hippocamps, only one of which I can show now. The Retreat piece is inching along nicely, almost done. Hagrid has skin at last, and the neglected thestral will get some more attention soon. Here is ONE finished hippocamp, given to a very dear friend, who shall for at least now, remain anonymous. It just doesn't photograph really well; there are some sparkles that the camera couldn't capture. It does fairly scintillate!

I've also started a new piece, heaven help me! A rather LARGE one, inspired by a dream I had some time ago. You'll see........ ;)

Art Retreat piece

In the midst of work on Hagrid and the Thestral, I left for an Art Retreat given by Jean Bernard and Sherry Goshon. WOW!! What a fabulous group of people there! The project we made was for me, a personal statement. Others put their own spin on the basic concept and came out with unique, personal statements of their own. I'm not done yet, but here are a couple of WIP photos. Yes, I'll post pix of the finished piece, in time.

More on Hagrid

Got Hagrid/Robbie wrapped, and he looks HUGE, but that's partly due to the fluffiness of the wrapping. Once he has 'skin', and a bit of needle-sculpting, he'll look more in proportion. I have measured the total figure in 'heads', as an artist should. It works out!

OK, been working on both Hagrid and the thestral but the progress on the thestral is 'less than exciting', since it's mostly legs, hips, shoulders. The framework under all that still shows in some limbs, so it just looks awkward. However, the Hagrid piece is starting to look a bit like Robbie Coltrane! I'm hoping it will be close enough for jazz, as they say, once the face is covered with the right kind of hair-stuff. I think the likeness is close enough to continue. If it fails, then I can remove the hair and at least the outer clothing, and turn the piece into something with another theme. He looks older in the photos, due partly to the lack of hair, and partly because the chin is so wrinkly, like an older man. But the beard will cover that, and eyebrows will help a lot!

This will take a lot of batting to fill out the figure, but it'll be worth it. The head is nearly three inches tall, which will put the finished doll about two feet in height. This is very tall for most art dolls. But, after all, Hagrid is a half-giant!

No news is good news... right?

I've been inching along with Hagrid and the thestral, not much progress of interest. I think the thestral needs some corrections in the legs, but should double check first. Made cookies the other day -- now, THOSE were interesting! (Interesting, at least enough to make a little oinker of myself with them!)

Friends are losing husbands or coming close to losing them. I suppose it's only a phase of life, but it's upsetting. Especially now.

Cold and snow are getting old and boring! Spring always comes, eventually. March is the most difficult time of year for me, anyway. I also have the retreat piece to prepare for, so that will keep me occupied for awhile. More pictures with progress will have to wait til another entry.

More Hagrid and Thestral progress

I've decided to make a Hagrid Art Doll, so I've been looking at photos of Robbie Coltrane to get a good foundation for a likeness to the movie Hagrid before the hair and beard go on it. Made a couple of sketches of Coltrane.









The Thestral is inching along, though I've made more sketches of that too. Found a fascinating bit of information in the Special Features section of the dvd, where the making of the Thestrals was explained. There was a maquette (?) made in their art department, and the camera panned all around that. It really clarified some of those odd skeletal structures for me. So, that piece continues its progress, though slowly.

Watched "The Quiet Man" and now I'm thinking of sculpting a classic scene from that movie! Heaven help me!!!

Thestral and Hagrid

Did a sketch of Hagrid, my favorite character from the Harry Potter series.

I paused the dvd at the point when Hagrid is telling the Dursleys that Harry would be attending Hogwarts under the finest headmaster Hogwarts had ever seen, "Albus Dumbledore!" He says it with fierce pride and loyalty, and it shows on his face (Coltrane does a fine job portraying Hagrid) and that moment is SO quintessentially Hagrid! It's just a quick sketch, but I may have caught a little of that. I was having ink problems, so did the sketch in multiple pens and colors (2 black, a purple and a red). Not altogether a good solution, but not horrid either. The photo makes me see things I didn't see on the paper, so I may change a little here and there. More than likely, I'll make more sketches of him.





A bit of progress on the thestral -- the head is baked, but there'll be some tweaking yet.

Thestral, anyone?

I don't usually post photos of WIPs (Works in Progress) but for this project, I might as well. If you have watched the Harry Potter movies, and seen the fifth in the series (or read the book) "Order of the Phoenix," then you know about Thestrals. They are nearly skeletal, almost spectral, bat-winged horses, which can be seen only by people who have witnessed death. The movie special-effects folks did a fantastic job (Phantasmic?) representing them. I may not do it justice of course, but I'll likely come close enough to at least the literary description of thestrals. I have at this time begun the armature, and I'm working on the head. There is already more on the body than this, my having bulked it out a bit more with Sculpey Ultra-light. The wings are taped together just to keep them out of the way, and the tail has already been extended considerably. I keep fussing with the leg positions, and nothing about them is certain yet. I played the movie and made a number of sketches first... very helpful!!!

DOBBY

I made a Dobby ornament, for a gift. He's gone now, but I did take some photos. He's wearing four hats, and dangles three sock charms, all polymer clay. His little shirt is stiffened fabric from an old tee shirt. He had an unusual effect on me: I want to make MORE Dobbies!