[Rivet Gallery packed on opening night, photo by MatthewLee]
[Petawawa & Madawaska (below the adorable snail) surrounded by awesome plush creations, photo by MatthewLee]
12.24.2008
Plush Art Show: Stuff This 2, Part 2
The opening night of Stuff This 2 was a grand success (check out this article by Bryan Coffee of Tomopop)! Lots of people showed up, and lots of plush were sold, including my little Petawawa. :) The show will be held until December 31st, so if you missed out on it there's still a chance to check it out before its over. If you can't make it in person, the plushies can be bought online. Just shoot Rivet Gallery an email with the plushie you're interested in, and they'll hook you up.
[Rivet Gallery packed on opening night, photo by MatthewLee]
[Petawawa & Madawaska (below the adorable snail) surrounded by awesome plush creations, photo by MatthewLee]
[Rivet Gallery packed on opening night, photo by MatthewLee]
[Petawawa & Madawaska (below the adorable snail) surrounded by awesome plush creations, photo by MatthewLee]
12.07.2008
Plush art show: Stuff This 2
Two weeks ago I mentioned that my plushies will be in Stuff This 2, a plush art show at Rivet Gallery in Columbus, OH. The show is open from now until December 31st (if you're in Columbus go check it out!). I created two original one-of-a-kind plushies for the show. Here they are:
Madawaska
Madawaska is a wandering nesting spirit. She spends her days walking through the forest waiting for birds to nest in her hair. When a bird family has chosen her head as their nesting ground, she finds a safe place to stand under the shelter of a taller tree. She listens to their conversations as they prepare their nest on her head and quickly becomes up to date on all the latest bird gossip. The Swallows always chirp about the grand pine tree that the Blue Jays live in, the Swallows squawk about the grain stash the Chickadees hoarded without sharing, and the Cardinals simply chatter about how pretty they are compared to any other bird (the Finches do not agree with this one bit). Currently she is the proud hostess of three brand new robin eggs. The Robin parents are already discussing what Universities they want their young ones to go to, as well as whether or not to put them on a strict worm and moss diet.
This is the first time I've used non-traditional elements on a plush toy (the straw nest and feathered collar) but I felt very strongly about using them. Even though those elements are not handmade by me, I think they give an extra detail to her overall design. I love the spotted pattern on the feathers. Her teal eyes are from a new colour of felt I went bonkers over when I found it at a fabric store (some colours of felt are super hard to find). They echo the striking blue of the robin eggs in the nest, making her appear friendly to potential nesting birds. ^_^ Madawaska is currently on display and for sale at Rivet Gallery.
Petawawa
Petawawa is a ballerina for The Animaltown School of Interpretive Ballet. In one performance she played the role of a fawn who pranced, jumped and twirled to a beautiful violin solo. The moment on stage was so empowering for her that from that point on she knew she wanted to be a deer. She made a hooded deer cape and practiced her graceful fawn dance moves before she tracked down a small herd of deer. She performed her prancing fawn steps for them and they were convinced she was a one of their long lost deer spirits (mostly because she knew the secret hoof shake) and accepted her into their clan. Petawawa was so overjoyed with happiness that she jumped up and cheered, but as she did this the ribbon on her hooded cape became loose and it fell off. It was revealed to the whole herd that she was really just a girl in a cape. Petawawa was crushed as her dreams of becoming a deer were ruined. Fortunately the herd of deer were so impressed by her prancing that despite her being human, they accepted Petawawa into their fold. Sometimes Petawawa finds it a pain to sleep in the field at night and she says it's hard to eat grass and bugs, but overall she is extremely happy of her new life with the wandering deer herd.
Petawawa is my love for deer transfused into doll form. I also really liked the idea of a doll wearing a deer cape. The antlers are stuffed, and the cape is fully lined with super cute Japanese fabric of a rabbit and raccoon. The maroon and dark pink felt fabric are also part of the super rare colour stash I recently found. I think she really looks like a ballerina with her pulled back hair and ruffled collar. (Her eyes are both the same colour of light pink even though they look like two different colours in the photos). I LOVE the fabric of the raccoon getting set on fire (LOL), and I was so happy I had an excuse to use it again! ^_^ Petawawa is currently on display and for sale at Rivet Gallery.
Inspiration. These plushies were inspired by several things...
1) Animals. Obviously I'm super into deer, but I've also been really getting into other animals, especially birds. I also love rabbits, hedgehogs, raccoons, chipmunks (they will be a part of the "Animals" series)... and pretty much any kind of northern wildlife that lives (specifically) in my home country of Canada. I drew the original ideas for these two when I was on the train. You can see my original sketch here.
2) Cocorosie. American sisters who live in France and make the awesomest music ever. I have been listening to them obsessively lately, especially their song "Animals" (you can listen to it here). I love these lyrics in particular:
3) Nature. Both Madawaska & Petawawa's names are from locations in Ontario, Canada near the area I would go camping with my family during the summers of my childhood. I have very fond memories of roughing it amongst the Canadian wilderness. I was also inspired by the scenery and nature I saw when I visited my parents in Nova Scotia a few months ago. I'm usually into bold colours, but when I was coming up with ideas for these two plushies, I decided to try a softer palette. I'm sure it's from being in Nova Scotia. See for yourself... here's what I captured when I was out there:
(Click HERE if you want to see the rest of the pics from my trip.)
If you are in Columbus, OH stop by Rivet Gallery and check out the show. If you can't make it, you can still check out the plush art online here. :)
Madawaska
Madawaska is a wandering nesting spirit. She spends her days walking through the forest waiting for birds to nest in her hair. When a bird family has chosen her head as their nesting ground, she finds a safe place to stand under the shelter of a taller tree. She listens to their conversations as they prepare their nest on her head and quickly becomes up to date on all the latest bird gossip. The Swallows always chirp about the grand pine tree that the Blue Jays live in, the Swallows squawk about the grain stash the Chickadees hoarded without sharing, and the Cardinals simply chatter about how pretty they are compared to any other bird (the Finches do not agree with this one bit). Currently she is the proud hostess of three brand new robin eggs. The Robin parents are already discussing what Universities they want their young ones to go to, as well as whether or not to put them on a strict worm and moss diet.
This is the first time I've used non-traditional elements on a plush toy (the straw nest and feathered collar) but I felt very strongly about using them. Even though those elements are not handmade by me, I think they give an extra detail to her overall design. I love the spotted pattern on the feathers. Her teal eyes are from a new colour of felt I went bonkers over when I found it at a fabric store (some colours of felt are super hard to find). They echo the striking blue of the robin eggs in the nest, making her appear friendly to potential nesting birds. ^_^ Madawaska is currently on display and for sale at Rivet Gallery.
Petawawa
Petawawa is a ballerina for The Animaltown School of Interpretive Ballet. In one performance she played the role of a fawn who pranced, jumped and twirled to a beautiful violin solo. The moment on stage was so empowering for her that from that point on she knew she wanted to be a deer. She made a hooded deer cape and practiced her graceful fawn dance moves before she tracked down a small herd of deer. She performed her prancing fawn steps for them and they were convinced she was a one of their long lost deer spirits (mostly because she knew the secret hoof shake) and accepted her into their clan. Petawawa was so overjoyed with happiness that she jumped up and cheered, but as she did this the ribbon on her hooded cape became loose and it fell off. It was revealed to the whole herd that she was really just a girl in a cape. Petawawa was crushed as her dreams of becoming a deer were ruined. Fortunately the herd of deer were so impressed by her prancing that despite her being human, they accepted Petawawa into their fold. Sometimes Petawawa finds it a pain to sleep in the field at night and she says it's hard to eat grass and bugs, but overall she is extremely happy of her new life with the wandering deer herd.
Petawawa is my love for deer transfused into doll form. I also really liked the idea of a doll wearing a deer cape. The antlers are stuffed, and the cape is fully lined with super cute Japanese fabric of a rabbit and raccoon. The maroon and dark pink felt fabric are also part of the super rare colour stash I recently found. I think she really looks like a ballerina with her pulled back hair and ruffled collar. (Her eyes are both the same colour of light pink even though they look like two different colours in the photos). I LOVE the fabric of the raccoon getting set on fire (LOL), and I was so happy I had an excuse to use it again! ^_^ Petawawa is currently on display and for sale at Rivet Gallery.
Inspiration. These plushies were inspired by several things...
1) Animals. Obviously I'm super into deer, but I've also been really getting into other animals, especially birds. I also love rabbits, hedgehogs, raccoons, chipmunks (they will be a part of the "Animals" series)... and pretty much any kind of northern wildlife that lives (specifically) in my home country of Canada. I drew the original ideas for these two when I was on the train. You can see my original sketch here.
2) Cocorosie. American sisters who live in France and make the awesomest music ever. I have been listening to them obsessively lately, especially their song "Animals" (you can listen to it here). I love these lyrics in particular:
- I always knew that I would spend a lot of time alone
No one would understand me
Maybe I should go and live amongst the animals
I'd spend all my time amongst the animals
And on the tracks I would go they lead to the sea
To be amongst the animals
3) Nature. Both Madawaska & Petawawa's names are from locations in Ontario, Canada near the area I would go camping with my family during the summers of my childhood. I have very fond memories of roughing it amongst the Canadian wilderness. I was also inspired by the scenery and nature I saw when I visited my parents in Nova Scotia a few months ago. I'm usually into bold colours, but when I was coming up with ideas for these two plushies, I decided to try a softer palette. I'm sure it's from being in Nova Scotia. See for yourself... here's what I captured when I was out there:
(Click HERE if you want to see the rest of the pics from my trip.)
If you are in Columbus, OH stop by Rivet Gallery and check out the show. If you can't make it, you can still check out the plush art online here. :)
12.06.2008
Etsy: Little Red Riding Hood plush doll
Little Red Riding Hood is another plush doll I made for the Crammed Organisms plush show. I decided to leave Red as-is (ie: no re-vamp like the others) and I've just listed her in my Etsy Shop. I had *a lot* of fun writing her backstory (maybe a little to much fun!). Here she is:
Little Red Riding Hood
Little Red Riding Hood skipped happily through the woods on the way to her Grandmother's house. All of a sudden she tripped on a gnarled tree root and landed right in the Gingerbread Men Village. She had never seen so many Gingerbread Men up close, and they all smelled delicious! Red knows the #1 rule in Fairytale Land is: "Thou Shalt Not Eat A Fellow Fairytale Creature (Even If They Are Overwhelmingly Delicious And Would Make a Good Snack)". But Red was quite upset from falling and thought a little taste of gingerbread would help her feel better. Besides, just one bite couldn't hurt that much. Red scooped up three Gingerbread Men and put them in her basket. They were cheering with excitement because they thought she was going to take them berry picking. Then she scooped up another Gingerbread Man... and started eating him! (The horror!) You can imagine what happened after that. Unfortunately, the Gingerbread Village has never been the same since. Red has now earned a reputation of being a menace in Fairytale Land (so much that she has been nicknamed "The Red Menace", and she is banned from certain areas, especially the Whipped Cream Fairy Grove). Even The Wolf is rumored to be afraid of Little Red. Who knows what to expect of an impulsive Gingerbread Man Eater! And I thought she was just a cute little girl in a red cape.
Red's hooded cape is tied together with a ribbon, and it is also completely removable. Her Gingerbread Men can also come out of the basket. The one who has a bite on his head is secured to her hand (for easy chewing -- NOM NOM NOM!).
"Oh noes, I was eated!" exclaimed the Gingerbread Man.
Little Red Riding Hood is for sale my Etsy shop.
12.04.2008
Etsy: New Deer + Early Christmas Present
I've listed two new deer in my Etsy shop, and they're both in colours that have never been available before!
Elegant Eggplant Deer
Elegant Eggplant Deer loves to cook and bake vegan meals for her friends. She is planning on opening the first vegan restaurant in Deerville, and wants to name it: "The Elegant Eggplant" after herself. It's well deserving because her food is to die for.
Elegant Plum Deer
Elegant Plum Deer crochets the most elaborate doilies you've ever seen. She makes them for all occasions and even gives them to her friends for their birthdays. Some of her friends have accumulated quite the doily collection because of it.
Early Christmas
I bought an Anna Chambers plush from the Luvable Hugable 2008 show as an early Christmas present to myself. Hee hee! Anna is one of my favourite plush artists as well as a huge inspiration, so to finally own an original creation of hers is sooo exciting. Isn't he so amazingly cute!!!
Foggy by Anna Chambers
Elegant Eggplant Deer
Elegant Eggplant Deer loves to cook and bake vegan meals for her friends. She is planning on opening the first vegan restaurant in Deerville, and wants to name it: "The Elegant Eggplant" after herself. It's well deserving because her food is to die for.
Elegant Plum Deer
Elegant Plum Deer crochets the most elaborate doilies you've ever seen. She makes them for all occasions and even gives them to her friends for their birthdays. Some of her friends have accumulated quite the doily collection because of it.
Early Christmas
I bought an Anna Chambers plush from the Luvable Hugable 2008 show as an early Christmas present to myself. Hee hee! Anna is one of my favourite plush artists as well as a huge inspiration, so to finally own an original creation of hers is sooo exciting. Isn't he so amazingly cute!!!
Foggy by Anna Chambers
11.29.2008
Etsy: Re-vamped Doll Plushies
A few weeks ago my handmade dolls returned from the Crammed Organisms plush show. I decided that a few of them needed a re-vamped look before they went up for sale in my Etsy shop. Yesterday I braved surgery on them and I think they look much better with my signature doll eyes. (For curiosity sake, this is what they looked like before their transformation.) I also decided to re-name them! Introducing...
Ophelia The Nurse & Thorn the Bear
Ophelia really does have the best intentions, despite what others might say. She loves her little bear buddy Thorn, even though he is constantly getting hurt on the playground. Nurse Ophelia is always there to care for his wounds and bandage him up. Once I thought I heard maniacal laughter coming from her room, but she says I was just imagining it. I'm not sure if she's being entirely true because rumour has it that Ophelia is an escapee from a mental institution.
Ophelia's overall colour scheme was inspired by one of my favourite musicians, Emilie Autumn. The nurse outfit is inspired by the Gothic Lolita fashion sub-culture*. I also find anything medical related slightly disturbing, so I thought a crazy nurse would work with her overall look.
Duchess Lucinda & Pearl the Rabbit
Duchess Lucinda is the most proper girl you will ever meet. She dresses in the most expensive lace, frills and ribbons she can find. She insists on wearing her white top hat whenever she goes on a walk through the flower gardens. She has been to the Opera and has sailed on a grand ship, but the thing she most looks forward to is having High Tea with her little rabbit buddy Pearl. They sip imported loose leaf teas from a faraway land, eat delicate Victorian sandwiches and discuss topics like proper etiquette and whether or not Lucinda should learn to play the violin. I don't think the Duchess realizes that she does most of the talking and eating while Pearl sits flopped over on the chair.
Lucinda was inspired by everything sugary sweet, my fascination with anything Victorian, and of course the Sweet Lolita fashion sub-culture*.
Both of them are now for sale in my Etsy shop.
* (If you are interested in the Gothic Lolita fashion, there is an excellent book for sale at Amazon.com. They also carry the FRUiTS fashion books. I love these books -- I have the whole set.)
Ophelia The Nurse & Thorn the Bear
Ophelia really does have the best intentions, despite what others might say. She loves her little bear buddy Thorn, even though he is constantly getting hurt on the playground. Nurse Ophelia is always there to care for his wounds and bandage him up. Once I thought I heard maniacal laughter coming from her room, but she says I was just imagining it. I'm not sure if she's being entirely true because rumour has it that Ophelia is an escapee from a mental institution.
Ophelia's overall colour scheme was inspired by one of my favourite musicians, Emilie Autumn. The nurse outfit is inspired by the Gothic Lolita fashion sub-culture*. I also find anything medical related slightly disturbing, so I thought a crazy nurse would work with her overall look.
Duchess Lucinda & Pearl the Rabbit
Duchess Lucinda is the most proper girl you will ever meet. She dresses in the most expensive lace, frills and ribbons she can find. She insists on wearing her white top hat whenever she goes on a walk through the flower gardens. She has been to the Opera and has sailed on a grand ship, but the thing she most looks forward to is having High Tea with her little rabbit buddy Pearl. They sip imported loose leaf teas from a faraway land, eat delicate Victorian sandwiches and discuss topics like proper etiquette and whether or not Lucinda should learn to play the violin. I don't think the Duchess realizes that she does most of the talking and eating while Pearl sits flopped over on the chair.
Lucinda was inspired by everything sugary sweet, my fascination with anything Victorian, and of course the Sweet Lolita fashion sub-culture*.
Both of them are now for sale in my Etsy shop.
* (If you are interested in the Gothic Lolita fashion, there is an excellent book for sale at Amazon.com. They also carry the FRUiTS fashion books. I love these books -- I have the whole set.)
11.27.2008
Etsy: New Deer + HOLIDAY SALE!
One of the things I love about American Thanksgiving is that it kicks off the holiday spirit (I was just watching the Macy's Day Parade for the first time on TV... they really go all out!). This weekend also kicks off the shopping season with tons of sales. So, I decided to hop on the holiday bandwagon and offer a bunch of plushies in my shop at a discounted price. I've listed a selection of deer, white rabbits and dolls which are ALL on sale. So, if you're looking for a special handmade gift for the holidays, you might find something in my shop!
I've also listed two new style deer in my Etsy shop:
Banana Blueberry
Banana Blueberry Deer is a successful interior decorator in Deerville. She loves to decorate in a retro design scheme with very bold colours. Her favourite addition to any room is a hanging bubble chair.
Orange Fizz Deer
Orange Fizz Deer works in a soda shop where he sells all kinds of sodas from around the world. His favourites are Jarritos from Mexico, Spetzi from Germany, and Orange Crush from the USA.
11.20.2008
Plush art show: Stuff This 2
I made it! My move from Toronto > LA was relatively painless (which was nice for a change!). Lucky (my tuxedo cat) was a great traveler (considering the drive took 5 days!) and I think he likes being back in LA too. I'm a 10 minute walk to the beach, and I really like the animation studio I'm working at. Life is good!
I am so excited to be a part of the second annual plush show Stuff This 2, hosted by Rivet! I *love* the pieces (and the artists) that were in the first show, so being a part of the second show is such an honour. The opening night is December 6th, and the show runs until December 31st (check it out if you're in Columbus, OH!). I really wish I could be there to see the plush art in person, but unfortunately I won't be able to make it. I will be revealing my pieces for the show in 2 weeks, so stay tuned! :)
I am so excited to be a part of the second annual plush show Stuff This 2, hosted by Rivet! I *love* the pieces (and the artists) that were in the first show, so being a part of the second show is such an honour. The opening night is December 6th, and the show runs until December 31st (check it out if you're in Columbus, OH!). I really wish I could be there to see the plush art in person, but unfortunately I won't be able to make it. I will be revealing my pieces for the show in 2 weeks, so stay tuned! :)
11.09.2008
Plush Art Show: Crammed Organisms Book
I finally received my copy of the Crammed Organisms book! It features work from over 120 talented plush artists who all participated in the Crammed Organisms show back in June 2008. It is available in Crammed Organisms' Etsy shop for $35.
I have two pages in the book. The first page features my plushies that were in the show...
...and the second page features some of my drawings, my other plush creations, and my studio in LA!
Next blog entry will be from my new apartment in LA. I think my kitty suspects there's a move in his near future! ^_^
I have two pages in the book. The first page features my plushies that were in the show...
...and the second page features some of my drawings, my other plush creations, and my studio in LA!
Next blog entry will be from my new apartment in LA. I think my kitty suspects there's a move in his near future! ^_^
11.03.2008
Blog Update
• I'm moving back to LA to work on an Animated VFX Film, and I'm super excited about it! It means a break in my Etsy shop, sewing and blogging for a little while, which I'm not too happy about, but not much can be done about that.
• My friend Danny Z made a really nice post about me. Thanks Dan! :) Check out his website, he's got superb drawings and commentaries.
• Urban Nostalgia made a lovely post about Silver Icicle Deer, who now lives with her. :) Check out her blog, she's got really nice crafty stuff on there!
• I was working on an Alice & The White Rabbit project, but now I have to shelve it for a while due to the upcoming move. I decided to share an in-progress pic of them anyways. Hopefully I'll get to finish them off someday!
[I still need to finish sewing along the edges of Alice's hair, the white rabbit needs his hands attached, as well as stitching along the edges of his body.]
• Scot from Valley Of The Dolls sent me some copies of my winning photos on the promotional stickers for his doll shop. I think they turned out pretty good.
• My friend Danny Z made a really nice post about me. Thanks Dan! :) Check out his website, he's got superb drawings and commentaries.
• Urban Nostalgia made a lovely post about Silver Icicle Deer, who now lives with her. :) Check out her blog, she's got really nice crafty stuff on there!
• I was working on an Alice & The White Rabbit project, but now I have to shelve it for a while due to the upcoming move. I decided to share an in-progress pic of them anyways. Hopefully I'll get to finish them off someday!
[I still need to finish sewing along the edges of Alice's hair, the white rabbit needs his hands attached, as well as stitching along the edges of his body.]
• Scot from Valley Of The Dolls sent me some copies of my winning photos on the promotional stickers for his doll shop. I think they turned out pretty good.
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