Pinecone Head

My true Colorado spirit is being unleashed! That’s right folks, my next sculpt is a pine cone headed marmot/ chipmunk!  Part of the Tree Spirit Series, she’s a seedling child with a nose for moist, fertile soil. Her bright eyes and lively nose show her excitement for finding the best earth to nestle into so she can start her next transformation. Like the marmot she is snugly, adorable and bold. I haven’t figured out a name yet so for now she’s “Pine cone Head” haha. When I look at her I can see the influences of Tolkien, Froud and Chuck Jones on me, she’s a little bit of all of them.

My assignment for this character was a low price point, environmentally friendly small sculpt for San Diego Comic-Con. I’m trying to find something I can sell for $45-50. I’ll also be doing $20 pieces but I’ll talk about them more in my next post. Here’s the quick sculpt for Pine cone Head in clay:

I’ve never used paperclay but thought it might fit the bill for quickly sculpted, “green” one offs. The base will be up-cycled jar lids. I’m thinking of using a base because paper clay is very, very light and this will add some weight and balance. Also because it will help me and other people pick them up a lot with out messing up the paint. Basically they add stability and longevity to the piece. I will paint this little thing once it dries BUT I just found out you can mix acrylic into paperclay to tint it! Since efficiency is the name of the game in low price point pieces I will definitely try this out. The paint job on these creatures will be much more simple that my normal paint jobs. This little piece is the very first time I’ve ever used paperclay! It’s a rough but I think I’ll get better the more I get a feel for the clay. Here’s Pine cone Head in paperclay:

Paperclay peeps, if you have any paperclay tips for me I’m all ears!

Onwards,

Lyla