A Hug in Sheep's Clothing
Blamo makes wonderful, innovative toys that happen to be my favorite, so I was extremely excited to hear that Toy Art Gallery was curating a Blamo show! I didn't know it was a custom group show until I saw the little HUG sculptures, and was invited to participate in it. I have been meaning to work my yarn into other toys, so not only was this an incredible opportunity to try, but it was an honor that my first custom would be a Blamo piece.
Lately, I've been hooked on wolves and sheep for some reason, and since I knew I wanted to disguise my HUG as something, I thought it would be punny to make him a sheep. I used extra soft yarn like I did for a previous lamb, and built around the HUG's body. It was important to have the HUG visible underneath, so although the outfit is clingy to his body, not sealing it completely makes it possible to remove him if desired.
I struggled with the concept of the sheep fooling solely the viewer, versus, the sheep fooling a companion as well as the viewer. Since it was my first custom show, I didn't want to over or under do it. However, I realized my forte is in storytelling, rather than purely character, so it would make sense for me to do a scene.
I think I was inspired a few months ago when I biked passed a woman walking her sheep on Melrose. It was a bit of her that gave me the idea for a modern day Mary had a Little Lamb. Like all the girly pieces I make, I always give them accessories that I want. In this case, she had to have amazing kicks and a rocking dress. I brushed out her hair like I did with my Blanka, and had fun styling it to perfection.
Lately, I've been hooked on wolves and sheep for some reason, and since I knew I wanted to disguise my HUG as something, I thought it would be punny to make him a sheep. I used extra soft yarn like I did for a previous lamb, and built around the HUG's body. It was important to have the HUG visible underneath, so although the outfit is clingy to his body, not sealing it completely makes it possible to remove him if desired.
I struggled with the concept of the sheep fooling solely the viewer, versus, the sheep fooling a companion as well as the viewer. Since it was my first custom show, I didn't want to over or under do it. However, I realized my forte is in storytelling, rather than purely character, so it would make sense for me to do a scene.
I think I was inspired a few months ago when I biked passed a woman walking her sheep on Melrose. It was a bit of her that gave me the idea for a modern day Mary had a Little Lamb. Like all the girly pieces I make, I always give them accessories that I want. In this case, she had to have amazing kicks and a rocking dress. I brushed out her hair like I did with my Blanka, and had fun styling it to perfection.
I'm very happy with the outcome and super thankful to be in this wonderful show! All the artists did a fantastic job, and all the new Blamo pieces completely melted my heart! It's definitely one of my favorite shows to date. Everything will be on display till December 30th, and I highly suggest you check it out if you can : )
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