FiSele

FiSele is from a clan best described as "warrior monks"; they've managed to purify and crystalize various types of magic to be stored and used at the will of those who are trained to call upon them. It takes a great deal of mental and emotional control to be able to build up enough will to direct magic of such powerful purity, but that's why they're started young. FiSele bears the proud marks of several years of study and practice with the crystals that have since quite literally become part of him. The headdress is worn for formal and spiritual affairs, though its origins are from the days when war was commonplace. The anklet is simply a gift from his mother upon reaching maturity, though he simply wouldn't go anywhere without it.

There comes a point in every project (hopefully, at least) where "Why am I doing this?" is answered by, "Oh that's why." FiSele is the product of 30 days of work. Not including days off, or days when I was working on commissions (in part to save my sanity)--30 days of working. This is mildly terrifying. What used to be a whole lot of yarn, stuffing, wire, a bit of clay and assorted beads have finally become something I only half-planned about halfway through the process of creating the body. As my creations will do, he took on a life of his own and I simply went with it.

Let us address the size of this guy, first. Large. Very large. Stupidly large. That was actually kind of an accident. I... am going to need to find a place to put him. He's roughly 19 inches long from nose to tail, and the wingspan is about 47 inches when they're fully spread. Luckily he can just wrap those wings around him, otherwise I would be completely screwed for space.

The wings turned out much, much heavier than I was anticipating. There's springy braided wire beneath, so they're stable; but they can't hold up under their own weight. After braiding apparently about 50 inches of wire or so, I then created a crocheted wrap for it. Then was actually insane enough not to use fabric and save myself many days of work, but crocheted the webbing as well. While heavy, it works, and it wound up looking better than I thought it would. I'm still entertaining the thought of building a little stand for each of the wings after a few tests, but we'll see how far that goes. He looks perfectly content to have them resting. And speaking of wings, the interiors are lightly highlighted with blue and purple iridescence, while the exterior and wingtips reveal spines. These can either be in a resting or defensive position. On the inside of each are crystal cases that hold dormant power when he may need to call upon them to enhance magic he's already mastered. Important things, these.

Look at them legs! I'm happy with how they came out. The front legs/feet are my favorite, as I just love the way the claws look with the toes. Don't judge me. Granted, I adore the back legs too. They are as they are because that's... just how they are; but also I recall, many many years ago when I was just starting to play with sculpture, there was one very loud person who told me the feet were too big. I have since taken pride in making big feet. Mmm, happy artistic "screw you"s. Anyway, clearly the legs are stuffed in such a way that they can support him in a standing position, but can also be bent to allow him to sit or crouch.

So. Many. Embellishments. Holy crap I don't know why, it just happened. Swarovski crystals as far as the eye can see! And a few of those glowy acrylic "materia beads" too, which come across quite well in a few pictures. Yes, they do glow in direct light. Painfully, at times. But the crystal sparkles!

And of course my creations need their own jewelry. I mean, come on. The headdress started off as a piece of wire and... evolved. Obviously. Just enough sparkle and twist to keep it interesting, I think. The wire itself is relatively soft, so it can be reshaped if someone for some reason wants to. I don't know why you would, but I am not judging you. Directly.

This is the first time I've made my own eyes. It seemed appropriate, somehow. Just baked a couple of polymer clay disks with the middle scooped out, and mixed myself some paint from iridescent pigments. The purple pigment was also used to highlight FiSele's belly. A light blue was used on the wings, but... it's almost invisible in the pictures. It always has to be something, I know.

While it's not terribly clear in the pictures, his upper and lower jawed are wired for a number of expressions. His ears also have a thinner wire in them which will allow them to stay in place. And of course he has a tongue, because... well, how else would he taste his food? Pft, seriously.

(For Sale)

Cora Septa

There is a little island that you won't find on any map. This is because no one who goes there comes back. Now, this isn't as bad as it sounds--most people, even map makers, find this island to be so close to paradise that they never want to leave. It has long, stretching beaches and tropical areas, and it has snow and ice up in the mountains, and everything you could ever want to do can be done peacefully and amongst friendly people. But... well, yes, some get themselves "disappeared". The natives call her Cora Septa, and she is the guardian spirit of the island. Before you can live there, you must bring her a gift (food, mostly) and indulge her in a little conversation. (Between you and me, she loves tea and cookies. She can't actually eat them, mind, as she is a guardian spirit, but her gift is more the energy of someone else enjoying a good meal and having a decent chat.) People must climb the southern mountain to her cave (which is really more like a lovely vacation home on the inside) and call to her politely, asking if she might like to have a bit to eat. Those who demand her presence or are simply rude are never seen or heard from again. They're no loss, I assure you. She's a brilliant conversationalist and enjoys crosswords, even if she requires someone else's helping hand to fill them in for her.

So all of this was going through my mind as I was finishing up building this little shiny bit of insanity. She totally started out as a "I need to do something different" project, with no ideas in mind at all. Yes, I really crocheted dragon wings. Let me repeat, I crocheted dragon wings. I don't ever want to do that again. Ever. So obviously I'll probably make another pair in a couple of months. I lost track of how many days I was working on this. All I know is that she was finished at 1:00 AM. ...Yeah, I gotta stop doing that.

She stands at 7.5 inches in height, and has a wingspan of about 9 inches currently. The stone in her chest is green obsidian from a pendant, and no picture could do justice to how interesting it is. There's a crack within the stone that gives it a glowy "X" which I thought was fun. The metal itself is rose copper, and the band around her mouth and forehead piece are also rose copper from the very same pendant. Her "horns" are just twisted copper wire, and her "thumb claws" along with the claws on her feet are glass beads. Her eyes are lightly marbled jade beads. Due to being constructed out of thick yarn, she's extremely sturdy; not to mention, there's one skeletal wire that shapes the wings, so they can be re-posed... carefully. Oh, and she is made entirely of awesome, thank you very much.

An extra note on the feet. ...I love how the feet turned out. I just do.

(Sold)

Zaida

Oh sure it may not look much like camouflage now, but when Zaida sneaks out after a rainstorm and everything is brilliant, vibrant green, she's barely noticeable. Winter is really "not her thing", but that's what the joy of hibernation is for. She prefers sweet tea with lemon and tea biscuits whenever possible, but fresh fruit is always welcome.

Made on commission as a birthday gift. Due to mail error and the fact that schedules just kept getting changed, she arrived at her destination very late indeed--but she arrived. She is currently being very well taken care of, and that is the truly important thing. Ironically enough, "zaida" means "fortunate one" in Arabic. I sure can pick 'em.

Trema

Not exactly one to pull back and hide in a crowd, Trema's intentions are generally centered around having fun. Life is but a dream, experience the joy, don't let the bastards grind you down, a little bit of color and shiny is all you need. And the occasional sweet treat.

Another something a little bit different. I guess you could call it "freestyle" but then I don't know what I don't do that couldn't be considered "freestyle", so anyway. ...His tail reminds me of the Hylian Shield.

(Sold)

Tivona

Tivona's just a young thing, barely old enough to fly, but she's desperately curious about the world. You can see where "jewel dragons" get their name from: those bright, rich colors and the sparkle of what could only be treasure. If you are so lucky as to discover a jewel dragon, don't make the same mistakes our ancestors did, those mistakes that drove the dragons away in the first place; don't cage them, don't treat them as a spectacle. Give them plenty of care and plenty of space and a little dark space to hide every so often. They are so delighted to catch the eye and wonder of humans, but every once in a while they really do just like to nap.

Why must so much beauty come with so much pain? Ah, because I just had to push myself to see if I could do this. And I did. And it hurts. Anyway, Tivona was clearly worth the countless wire scratches/stabs, aching hands, sore wrists, sore neck and a few curses as colorful as she is. The result is pretty spectacular for a test run. Me and my "learning experiences", I swear. Her wings are a synthetic silk-like material that's sheer when held up to the light, glistening deep green on one side and black on the other. It was irresistible with beads that mostly have blue and purple hues, with only occasional greens. Her eyes are tiny Swarovski crystals (naturally), and she's actually remarkably poseable--though caution would be advised as she is also incredibly delicate and would eventually break with too much movement. Think "jewelry with toy properties" rather than "toy with jewelry properties".

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Tetse

No one ever accused him of settling for a little flair. Nope, not an ounce of desire to remain hidden away. There is nothing but bright, vibrant flash and a sweet tooth that could not be described in human tongue. Though he is kind enough to ask if he might have some, first. And if you seem reluctant, only then will he mesmerize with that tail of his.

I definitely wanted something a bit different and dramatic. And I also wanted a tail that didn't look so organized and was more "free form" and "open". Well... I succeeded enough to be happy with him.

(For Sale)

Teine

Blue is excellent, of course. But a nice fiery red with orange, yellow and gold was quite needed. I tried a few slightly different techniques on Teine, and she turned out surprisingly well (just don't tell her I said that). Granted I'm not sure if I will re-use some of the techniques, but she's just as lovely, stable and flexible as the others. And so very, very bright.

I sort of accidentally made the catch look a little old and rusted, too. I was going to correct this... then I decided that I kinda liked it. Sorry guys, guess you're stuck with it.

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Suki

So perhaps there is something to being utterly aware of moving with grace, not of showing off but of simply showing. Suki is humble by nature, elegant and demure--but when she catches an eye, she can't help but invite a long look. She swims with hardly any effort, simply flying through the ocean, catching an eye and leaving a smile.

This poor girl. I had started her body before the craft show in November. And then all of that happened, everything after happened, and I finally got back to her with no idea of what I was going to do. She seems to think it was worth the wait, and so do I. Subtle, but not. Not at all. Mint green and ivory, both tinted with the same subtle shine to make them blend... and boy she took a lot of effort. But as I said, so worthwhile.

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