Clara
is the wee fairy I made for the "Forming Friendships" 3D-Doll-Puppet
Form Challenge" in the 'Mixed Media Art on Facebook' group.
My partner is the fabulously talented Gary Warren Niebuhr: http://artthou-gniebuhr.blogspot.ca
Must say when I got the pairing I was a little scared, he's just SO good!
Clara was a pain... as many fairies can be...
*I* had a vision in my head...
*SHE* and my Muse had other plans.
Her base is 2
1/2" wide and at her absolute tip-top with the base 4 1/2" high.
She was
made from a boppy dancing bug/flower that was solar-powered
but the curtain dropped on it and knocked the butterfly off.
This lil'boppy Butterfly had been in the Studio window bopping away along with 3 of it's compatriots for almost 2 years now, always bringing a quick grin upon seeing them jiving away no matter what else was going on. It had helped keep my spirits up through some pretty tough times the past few years and a summary execution via blind seemed so cruel... So I've held on to it in hopes that it would one day prove to be useful. This felt like the right time, the goal being to include a little bit of ourselves and in the project and all.
So Clara
was Born!
My vision had her sitting in a very Zen like style X-legged and Om-ing away. After over a dozed re-draw, cut outs, attempts and just *urg!* she just.wasn't.happening that way... She wanted to take flight (maybe...lol). Once the decision to have her flying happened it only took 3 re-draws to get her down small enough to work on the base and 'stem'. This is where the shaky hands of my disability drives me bonkers... Usually I avoid working so small or precise but Muse had other plans.
Started by taking it apart and removing the 'leaf' portion of the mechanism then re-assemling to make sure there was still suitable movement. Then disassembling again, sanded all the outside parts (Pot and Butterfly) and painting them black. Seal sprayed that, then sponged silver over and sealed again. The wings I hand painted some veins on.
The top of the base was covered in scrunched mulberry paper rescued from a greeting card and I made the flowers from other papers on the same card. The butterfly ribbons were boy #2's idea, to "match her wings".
I wrote the poem, printed and inked it...
Reads:
Clara is a Fairy who recently earned her wings...
She has a tendency to fall and crash into things...
If you see her slip, fall to the right...
Please, give her a boost over to the left...
So she can re-start her flight!
Clara is a Fairy who recently earned her wings...
She has a tendency to fall and crash into things...
If you see her slip, fall to the right...
Please, give her a boost over to the left...
So she can re-start her flight!
She 'falls' right and can be re-set-up. 
Clara's front was drawn on heavy cardstock and hand-colored, glued to thick chipboard, cut out with an eXacto knife then sealed with 3 coats of spray. More cardstock was glued to the back and her backside drawn to match the front... extra care taken to match the dress fold, hair etc... hand-colored then also sealed with 3 coats of spray. 3 coats of spray?! You ask: To keep her looking 'fresh' if she should get played with often. Many lil'fingers tried her out here. Amazed at how my 4 boyz and many of their (mostly male) friends wanted to play with her. My boyz were sad to see her off... boy #3 even helped with the packing because he wanted her "extra safe on her trip". The final touch on Clara herself was a spritz of shimmery thread-yarn rescued off a scarf.
She arrived at her new home in some unpleasant weather I hear, but safe and sound!
Props to postal services on both sides of the border:
Clara the lil'Celtic-Canadian Fairy is now a resident of the good ol'US of A.
Meet Clara...
Two of butterfly's remaining friends...
Still happily bopping away in the dawn light.
Top Views:
*gasp* Fairy Bum-age:
The exchange...
Received this fabulous (Not little! shhhh... He's apparently sensitive about his height...) guy from South of the Border. Thank-You to Gary!
The boyz are absolutely enamored with him and were full of so many questions about him.
Thankfully, now I can show them Gary's write-up:
He has taken up star residence in the cabinet with our best-est Steampunk paraphernalia.
3 comments:
So nice to meet you Clara!! What a lovely story!! Its been such a fantastic experience! Thank you for sharing your tale of Creation!! :D
Fabulous creations from both you and Gary.
Thanks for making something special for me. Clara likes her new home tucked amongst all my other art finds. She appears to be happy and is capable of understanding everything I say! :)
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