Yule Fairy Swap... The Beginning

So, as I previously posted, after a glass (or maybe two) of wine I decided to join in a swap that my friend and fellow artist Patricia Hedegaard is hosting. We need to make a creature or fairy of some sort and also put together a gift box of goodies. After joining I actually sent myself an email reminding me that I joined the swap!

I am always hesitant when I create things for others. I love my art, I enjoy what I do but it has only been recently that I have become confident enough in my abilities that I have started to create things for others and *gasp* started creating things to begin to sell. (My Etsy store will hopefully be open after the holidays- we'll see)

Here is what I have so far.

The colors are so much prettier in person. They are cream,cranberry and a sage green. The thread is a close match to the fabric but for some reason the green fabric looks weird in the picture. The head in the picture is one that I sculpted previously, I am not sure if I will use it for this project.

Here are some other items I pulled together to work with for the costume. I love costuming though it freaks me out. I am not a perfectionist but sometimes I really want to be. I have coordinating beads, wire and fantasy film for her wings. Of course before I costume her I need to create her.

The problem with figurative sculpture is that you start out with a great idea and an image in your head of what you want to do. Then, as you work on your sculpture it starts to come alive and take on a personality all it's own. It sounds silly but after a while you really don't have too much say in the matter when it comes to things such as hair and eye color, clothing or even how they are posed. The little being you've created really lets you know if it doesn't like what you've picked out. If it disagrees with your choices things can really start to go wrong and if you try sculpting a girl when your creature is really a boy - yikes, let's just say - it isn't pretty!

So, I have an idea for what I want to do with this project and we shall see what I end up with. 

Here is another head that I have started for this project. She is coming along nicely. We'll see how she looks with eyes. I'll make at least 2 more of this size being and see which one likes the clothes I've picked out for the swap, after that... who knows what I'll end up with. All I know is I have until Thanksgiving to get her done, after that I'll be cruising in the Caribbean with my man!

Check back soon for an update on her progress.