The Herald of Spring is complete!

He's painted, he's primed, he's grinning & he's ready for Spring! Too bad winter is just starting!

The Herald of Spring was a Round Robin Collaboration with doll artist KyEliza, from Etsy. She made the Herald himself, on his vintage spice tin. I made the Herald's mechanical insides, & the three little elves. We are both so proud of our little guy!


Here's a close-up of the three elves. Their job is to fix up the Herald after the long winter so he's ready to announce the Coming of Spring. Unfortunately, only one of them is actually working! Green Hat on the left here takes his job very seriously. He's found a gear that has popped off & lugging it back to its spot. Pink Hat over on the right tries, but he's rather clumsy! He was trying to fix a spring, & it popped off! So now he's stuck, dangling until someone can help him. That someone won't be little miss Yellow Hat in the center - there's a certain question she's been asking the daisies, & I'm afraid we're not going to get any work out of her for awhile!

So what happens to the Herald now? Well, he was only one of many collaborations going on this fall, in a challenge held by the Etsy Dolls & Miniatures Team. The other sets of partners have been busy combining their styles into one doll as well. As the challenge is wrapping up, I'll round up some photos of the other pieces. There are some creative partnerships going on! Stay tuned!

Elf 3's Grand Entrance

For Round Robin Collaboration: All 3 elves are here!

Here's the third member of the worker elves' party. The prince has stepped out of the shot for this one & no wonder - her hat isn't finished yet! It still looks a little odd, & the prince is a little too worried about bad press to be seen with her quite yet.

There! Hat done, shoes tipped, she's ready for work, if you can convince her to leave her flowers for a moment. There's a certain question she's been asking the daisies for a while now, & I'm afraid we're not going to get any work out of her just yet! Oh, look - the Prince has come back. You may want to cover your ears, though - as he may begin to serenade, as he's heard that all princes are supposed to do.

Next up: all three elves in place around the Herald's mechanical innards.

Day 2 of Elf-making

For Round Robin Collaboration with KyEliza:

The final day (hopefully!) of Elf-making begins. I'm all set with my tools, a huge stack of candy corn (the kind with the pumpkins) & a massive Beijing Starbucks mug of Awake Tea (yes, it's legal!).

Well, the Princess & Jester have wandered off (so hard to keep their interest), but the Prince has hopped over to watch. Probably because this third little elf is a she - and a very opinionated she, too. I was going to dress her all in pink, but apparently this is not a pink sort of elf. I think I've convinced her to have a pink collar & belt, but we'll see.

Elf 2 Peeks In

For Round Robin Collaboration:

The second little elf in the series is making his way tentatively into the world. You'll notice the Jester has wandered off. Don't worry, he's not still sulking, his memory isn't that long (tiny head, tiny brain, tiny attention span). But the Penny Princess has been lured out to watch the proceedings, no doubt by this elf's cultured fashion sense (his use of pink).
The little green sticks are his legs, & the wee pink dots are his shoes (he'd better not lose one - I'm not making him another!). The string I'm holding in the photo is the beginning of his arms. It's actually 3 strands of 6-ply embroidery floss. One end is taped to the table, & I hold the other end while I glue a thin piece of wire to the strands. Can you see the wire? (Ok, squint!) I'll cover it with another 3 strands of floss, then roll it to form a circular tube. Presto! Arms.

Elf 1 Makes an Appearance

Today is Elf Day for me - I'm making the three elves that will go into the Herald of Spring (see earlier posts to catch up!), & I'll be posting my progress all day long. Check back often! You never know what trouble a 1-inch elf can get into!
Here's the start of the 3 little elves who will be repairing the Herald of Spring (Round Robin collaboration with Kyeliza). Another little Jester I'm using for scale is looking rather disdainfully at the 3 heads before him. He doesn't remember that at one point he was just a head, too!

We're getting farther...the Jester has stuck around long enough to see this wee one get dressed in his purple & green striped tunic. Arms & legs are beginning, too. But it seems the Jester does still have reason to laugh - this elf is bald, & has no cap! Elves without hat or hair are often laughed at in the world of Penny People, I'm afraid. I've yet to teach them otherwise.

Aha! Hair, real arms & legs, pointed shoes, and...well, the beginnings of a cap. Apparently the elf doesn't feel quite presentable yet - you'll see he's turned away from the prying eyes of the camera, & is staying out of eyesight of that opinionated Jester.

He's here, he's here! Now, where did that Jester go? Probably off sulking because he doesn't have a daisy belt buckle. Oh, well - One elf, ready to work! He's all set with a tiny gear he's trying to find the perfect spot for. Unfortunately, he's the only elf that will actually be working, as you'll see. His two companions to come may be more trouble than help in getting the Herald of Spring oiled & primed to make his big announcement!

On Voting & Elves

I'm wearing a sticker with a peach on it, proclaiming "I'm a Georgia Voter!" We were able to vote early in my state (Yay Georgia!), & I've never seen such numbers of people out to vote! Maybe it's because I grew up as a military kid, maybe it's because I've travelled quite a bit, but hitting the button to cast my ballot always makes me stand up a little taller & appreciate my country a little more. Whatever your opinion is, get out & express it! Go vote & wear your sticker proudly!

OK, on to the Herald. Ky has sent me her piece, which means I've got this joyful little fellow sitting on my desk with no innards. That would be my part. Which is how I ended up in the local hardware store, contemplating if hex nuts or stop nuts have more intrinsic beauty to them. There are a lot of fun things in hardware stores! No clue what other people do with them, but I've got everything I need to build the Herald's mechanical innards.

Here are my sketches for the three little elves that will be tuning up the mechanics on the inside of the Herald. Each elf will be one inch tall. I've got work to do!

A First Look at the Herald of Spring

Ever wondered how a doll begins?

Kyeliza's sketch of the Herald of Spring, our Round Robin collaboration.

Her completed piece - isn't he great! Notice his polka dot sleeves & the wonderful hat! Ky's ability to do faces is just amazing - he's so jovial!

So, now I have this incredible piece of artwork sitting on my workdesk, waiting for me to add my bit. Talk about pressure! Want to see how he turns out in the end? I'll be posting my sketches tomorrow, & the work I've started.

Round Robin - The Herald of Spring

The Etsy Dolls & Miniatures Team is holding a Round Robin event! We've each been paired with other Dolls & Miniatures artists to make a piece together to celebrate Spring (yes, we know it's fall - we're planning early!).

My partner is the wonderfully talented Kyeliza, who makes whimsical dolls out of vintage spice tins. You have got to check these out - they're incredible!

So how do Spice Dolls and Toothpick Dolls go together in a collaboration? Not sure. But Spice Dolls & Penny People go together beautifully! Our piece is "The Herald of Spring." He'll be one of Ky's spice dolls with the front of the tin cut out to reveal his mechanical innards - gears, springs, cogs, the works! Tiny 1" Penny People will be industriously at work, oiling & cleaning the gears to prepare the Herald for his big Announcement of spring's arrival. He's the Herald of Spring, showing his springs!

Keep watching for sketches, progress photos, and the finished product!

Oh, and if you haven't stopped by Etsy's shiny new Dolls & Miniatures category, make yourself a cup of tea & head on over! There are some quite talented artists running around in there!