Surprise!

[nid_dabeille]

I finished my Surprise Family!  (Jack, Stephen, Sophie, Diana.)

Disclaimer:  I did not make the bodies.  I just dressed and adorned them They're just standard little wooden manikins.  (Where did the spelling "manikin" come from?  What happened to "mannequin"?  Anyway, these are called 4 1/2" wood "manikins.")  (My art supply store was having a huge going-out-of-business sale, and they were only $2.50 each!  How could I resist???)

Surprise!!!

An unfortunately typical scene.  (Jack underestimated his own strength.)


A more pleasant scene.  Diana sans base, because with it she positively towers over Stephen, especially with her outre' hair.

ETA:  As a joke, I made Stephen a temporary wig out of my cat's fur, but when I tried to photograph him wearing it, the cats became very interested.  In fact, Nemo ended up carrying it off in his mouth and destroying it.  I didn't mind.

For more pictures (including closeups of the fabulous wigs, and Stephen wigless and also with his messy!wig, see my photobucket album.  Do it!!!

Comments

[grace-poppy.livejournal.com]

Yay, thanks! I used acrylic paints, some just artist acrylics, some house paint, some that were meant for painting on glass, I think... Quite a variety, but all acrylics. Oh, and some permanent marker, actually. It was hard to paint all the moving parts and have them still move nicely without scraping the paint or getting jammed.

Kitties!!

[grace-poppy.livejournal.com]

And I'm glad you like Jack's hair! It was so hard to make it NOT look girly!

[ldhenson.livejournal.com]

Hee, all right then. But I hope he apologized properly afterward, maybe found Stephen an interesting fish or something.

[grace-poppy.livejournal.com]

Um... I'll get back to you on that one!

[grace-poppy.livejournal.com]

So, what kind of vest are you thinking of? He is wearing a vest, after all.

I tried out some wood stain, but eugh. It just isn't quite right. I kind of like the color his vest is now, beige-ish like the one in my icon, just the natural wood color (plus dirt from handling).

But I keep thinking maybe I need to do something MORE! Because of YOOOOUUUU! *frets, doubts*

[rosamundeb.livejournal.com]

*is evul*!!!

Maybe a powder green one?

[grace-poppy.livejournal.com]

Hmm... No. Too difficult. It's hard to paint their round bellies! I had to buy special dark blue paint for Jack, and it still wasn't very successful.

[grace-poppy.livejournal.com]

Is this (http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r18/graceewhite/surprise%20family/stephensillywaistcoat2.jpg) what you wanted, you madwoman? (and this. (http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r18/graceewhite/surprise%20family/stephensillywaistcoat1.jpg))

[kitmarlowe.livejournal.com]

These are adorable :). I love how Jack has knocked Stephen's wig off in his enthusiasm. How did you do the wigs?

[rosamundeb.livejournal.com]

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!!!!

[soho-iced.livejournal.com]

Very impressed with these and your creativity and handicraftness in general! (And would have said so earlier, sorry: have been away and am working my way through all the good stuff on my friends page.)

[esteven]

They are great! This must have been very early in their acquaintance because Jack is still quite slim. ;D So far we are having a wonderful time. Stephen Bear was hard to get out of the Victory's orlop and Jack played around with a cutlass. In the end they visited friends in Bath and today they had a good airing because we went for a walk through the fields from Petersfield to "Ashgrove"

I think your Jack, Stephe, Sophie and Diana would have enjoyed that too.
Thanks again for making them and posting those photos

[grace-poppy.livejournal.com]

Is that a joyous squee?

[grace-poppy.livejournal.com]

Aww, sounds like you and the boys are having a wonderful time! (And I'm glad Jack is getting a chance to take some excercise!)

I'll admit that I HAVE carried Stephen around in my purse a few times... But only when I was going shopping for something for the poppets and needed him for size. Without his wig, he's the least fragile (and the most impervious to accidents, which are many.)

[grace-poppy.livejournal.com]

Thank you! The wigs were really challenging but fun. I made them out of braid trim and fringe. If you click on my photobucket link, there's a picture of the trims I used.

[grace-poppy.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I'm quite proud of them, must admit. :D

[rosamundeb.livejournal.com]

That's a scared EEEEEK! *L*!

"Let's get Stephen and tie him up in a pretty bow!" *G*

Ummmm... just forget about the weskit idea. He'll have to go topless.

[grace-poppy.livejournal.com]

I just got your postcard! Thank you so much! It was such a sweet surprise! :D I'm glad you're having such a good time. Ah, England...!

[grace-poppy.livejournal.com]

Haha!

But he IS wearing a waistcoat! It just happens to be the same color as wood! It's like the one in my icon!!!!! *points emphatically*

Actually, I tried this (http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r18/graceewhite/surprise%20family/stephenbrownwaistcoat2.jpg) and showed Gilly, but she and Vilja declared it to be too fancy for him. It's really hard to find Masculine Ribbon. Everything looks girly, sigh.

[grace-poppy.livejournal.com]

And another pic. (http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r18/graceewhite/surprise%20family/stephenbrownwaistcoat1.jpg)

[rosamundeb.livejournal.com]

Ooooooo!!!!! *likes*

[rosamundeb.livejournal.com]

They're silly - I like it!

[grace-poppy.livejournal.com]

Really? yay!

[grace-poppy.livejournal.com]

Grrr, between the three of you, you'll fill me with DOUBTS! Aieeee!

I just can't decide what to do.

[artyartie.livejournal.com]

I'm so very behind in posting but these are absolutely darling! You are so wonderfully crafty, and you put your skills to such good use.

Even though your kitties are very, very naughty, they're still adorable. But Stephen would do something like make a cat hair wig...