Working on Christmas Elves

I'm in the studio working on a couple of elves this week and thought I'd show you what I have done so far.  This is the second elf I have ever sculpted that is popping out of a large Christmas ornament.  Like the Santa figure, the paper mache he is created from is pretty wet so it will be a few days before I can put paint on him, but I'm excited to see how he will look in full color.

He currently is sitting atop a tripod base and I'll see if I still like that when the figure and ornament are painted.

Hope you like the peek!
Laurie

Fa-la-la-la-la La-la-la-la

Well, I just had a pleasant surprise. I went to Flickr to upload my images and much to my surprise I found this lovely holly frame to put around my photos. It is cold outside, snow possibly on Sunday, holly frames available to "Christmas-up" the figures...all is good with the world. (It doesn't take much to make me happy!!)

Below is the finished Pumpkin-Elf, "Standish". I need my head examined for putting the hours into sculpting and painting his hat and boots, but I just couldn't resist. Unlike last month's "Elf in the Ornie", this hat doesn't have real jingle bells, these are made of paper mache and painted to look like bells.

"Standish" is another one of my Pumpkin Boys that loves all holidays. He doesn't deliver presents on Christmas day, but he does help Santa with the distribution side of things up at the North Pole. He checks the names and packaging of each gift (along with a crew of "elves", if you know what I mean *wink-wink*) so that Santa successfully delivers each child the correct toy and gift. It isn't like it use to be at the North Pole as they have even gone to bar coding! "Standish" takes his responsibility very seriously to assure that Santa doesn't disappoint the children of the world and is shown here holding a teddy bear (also paper mache) and candy canes (paperclay) to be packaged for....oops, that would let the surprise out!

"Standish" is one of the more dashing of the Lumina family members and is never seen without his full elf costume except when he takes his January vacation to the Caribbean....then it is strictly island shirts and shorts for this little guy.

"Standish" hopes as Christmas approaches that you have a joyous and loving holiday season and that he doesn't see your name on the naughty list!!

Have a great weekend!
Laurie

PFATT December Giveaway!!

Come join in the fun at the the PFATT blog for some wonderful December giveaway items....yes, giveaway items, and I have made a little something to make the holiday season just a little more cheerful!


As you know if you follow my blog, I believe that elves are born from ornaments. Below is little "Onslow" bursting from his ornament from both the top and the bottom with a small Christmas tree and Christmas gift present in the foreground. This is a 7" x 8.75" hand-painted original on 140 lb. weight watercolor paper, signed by me and created just for the PFATT December giveaway. How do you win this you ask? Click on the link above and go to the PFATT blog to register!!

Lots of wonderful things being given away this month by PFATT members (getting in the Christmas spirit) so don't miss the chance to put your name and email address into the giveaway for a chance to win some really lovely pieces!!!!

Good luck!
Laurie

2 New WIPs

It has been a busy week in the studio making paper mache clay, making armatures for hats and then building the hats, building faces, making elf shoes and boots and making bodies. Below is my first ever Pumpkin Elf. He will be a crossover piece from Halloween into Christmas and comes with an elf hat with balls on the tips and elf shoes designed in the same manner. He carries a teddy bear and candy canes and I plan on painting him in striped stockings with a little ornamental vest. The figures don't have much of a personality punch at this point....that will have to come with the paint.

I also roughed in several snowmen this week. The little fellow below has a carrot nose and an over sized top hat. and two "stick" arms. I think he gets a scarf today... he needs it to break up that large body of his.

That's how I work. I sculpt, set a piece down, work on another, then look back on the piece I worked on earlier and let it tell me what it needs. That little bit of separation during the creative process is very necessary for me to keep moving forward in the design of the pieces.

That's this weeks peek into the studio and my artsy little mind.

Have a great weekend!
Laurie

SpookyTime Jingles Updates Tonight!!!!!!!

The November update for SpookyTime Jingles is tonight at midnight!!! I have one little jingle, Phineas the "Elf in the Ornie", and two little spooky-jingles....


the "Christmas Count" and "Pumpkin Claus." These three pieces will be available tonight at midnight on that very special marketplace!!

We can all use a little jingle in our lives... don't you think?! Hope to hear from you at midnight Eastern time (11 Central, 10 Mountain and 9 Pacific).

Have a great day!

Laurie

Elf in the Ornie

"Elf in the Ornie" (where do elves come from?) is the new WIP I have going. I worked on him yesterday while the KHAS-TV news people were here talking to me about Halloween art so I should have a link on Wednesday, which might show the addition of the hand and shoulders to the figure. They were really smart to have me work while we talked so it was more conversational and less intimidating to have a camera in the room. They were both delightful and I feel so lucky to have had the chance to get a little snippet on local television. Because of the subject matter they told me that other NBC affiliates might pick up the interview as a human interest filler.


I was also interviewed on Tuesday by a local newspaper writer and the article is suppose to be in the Halloween edition next weekend. Of course the two cats weren't the least bit concerned with that interviewer and jumped on the studio table and drank from their water dish and behaved normally... very cat-like!! I had this little fellow's head loosely sitting in the cracked ornament opening and had to move it during the interview to insure I had a piece left to finish. Those two cats have an extreme interest in my art and what I'm doing!!! (They must know I pay for the cat food and kitty litter.)


I'm excited to have this piece dry so that I can put some paint on both the ornament and the Elf figure. I also plan to paint the front of the small base that the ornament will set on. Something new for me so we will see if it works!!

Well, I better get ready to set up for tomorrow's show!! Have a great weekend!
Laurie