Christmas Elf

Finally finished my elf......I put many hours into this little guy. He's 9" tall, with sculpted head, arms and lower legs. The body is needle sculpted with a wire core and is gently posable. His hair is a rich auburn kid angora mohair, which I hand dyed myself. I re-worked his eyes several times. I'm not happy with the results I've gotten with acrylic paints and varnish, they don't seem to give the eyes enough depth. I've been working with some new mediums and experimenting. I think I've come up with a combination that looks much more realistic using glass paints, metallics and a two part epoxy glaze which simulates glass, it even wells up in the corners of the eyes. I also applied real hair eyelashes, one by one.

Costuming:

I used a mini print metallic brocade for the vest, a mini stripe corduroy for his knickers that have little gold buttons on the cuff, black suede for his elf boots and belt, all with tiny buckles. And a black velvet cap with antique style button and feathers.

His stack of presents is decorated with miniature candies....a candy cane, ribbon candy and peppermints.....all topped with a bow.

Click on the finished photo for a closer look. I've also included a photo of all the pieces before he was assembled.