Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Things are coming along.

Here are some images of items that I am working on at the moment. I have mentioned before that I don't do drawings of the pieces that I create. I have found that if I design it first that I am held, no trapped, in finishing the piece "the way it should be". There are also the engineering problems that arise. How do I attach the back of the case while still being able to dress the the figure and paint the background. I am figuring this out at the moment with two very large portrait rattles that I am working on. There are no pictures of them because I forgot to bring them down to photograph.

This large brass shade will be turned into a parade lantern. On the left are four figures with their own treat pails. I have to paint the heads, build up the bodies with batting, and then dress them. I am in the process of figuring out the background and how to attach it so that each side is recessed but the interior will allow a battery operated tea light to be inserted. Oh, I forgot... there is the handle to sort out as well. There is a lot of behind the scenes work for each piece going on. The way I work is more like solving a puzzle, when the puzzle is solved the piece is finished.

This large head is resting on a paper covered wire tree. The finished piece will be a costumed figure holding a Hallowe'en tree all ready for the future owner to decorate.

The last picture shows some of the heads ready to be sanded and painted.

I must get back to work.

3 comments:

Heidi Steiner said...

Hi Len-
Love your blog and website. Your holiday work is wonderful!!
Heidi

Len said...

Thank-you Heidi, I appreciate you taking the time to tell me so.

Unknown said...

What a shame about the server going down and losing all of the data! I've been looking around here on your blog and was wondering how you make your hollow treat buckets, etc. Do you mold them? I've been doing it the old fashioned way of paper strips around a balloon, then fortifying it with more paper mache once dried. Love your work as usual and it's good to see you blogging again! :-)
~ Deb