Shiny Things Gallery | Other Shiny Things | Fisher Totem
I was commissioned by an old, dear, and remarkably supportive friend for something of a wearable fisher totem. Initial thoughts were simple. So we all knew it had to unravel into sparkly delightfully chaos, right? Of course it wasn't really that bad; the work was greatly enjoyed, I learned a heck of a lot about fishers/"fisher cats", and even managed to teach myself a few additional techniques which I'll be using in the future for other critters, but the waiting for various beads and things to come by mail was very unfun. I'm also pretty sure I caused any number of panic attacks through progress shots, since this wasn't something that actually came together and looked anywhere near finished until it was about 90% done. But do let it be said that when I am graciously "overpaid" for a project, I will earn every last penny.
Since this creature was designed to be wearable and super sturdy, there are a number of reinforcements, both internal and external. While still a touch "squishy" as my beaded critters tend to be, there's a lot more general firmness and lack of flexibility to this one. I also wound up using four different colors of beads, from light golden brown to dark brown (and the main coppery brown color of the body is, of course, comprised of discontinued beads, argh!), mimicking the natural color variations of fishers. As to be expected, no camera is rarely able to actually reflect as much, as getting the light "just right" usually results in over-bright and fuzzy images. Fun for everyone.
As for the harness, well... an embedded bail was just weird and uncomfortable looking, y'know? And I'd already sort of been thinking about what I'd like to do for a harness/bail combination, so when I got permission I just ran with it. The wire is stainless steel (and VERY STURDY ow my hand), and the little silver eyes are indeed sterling silver.
Overall, I'm happy with the result (though clearly the commissioner's happiness is sort of key, too). It would not have happened without an extremely patient and encouraging commissioner who had faith in me even through my seeming ineptitude and many mentions of internal screaming. Heh.
Since this creature was designed to be wearable and super sturdy, there are a number of reinforcements, both internal and external. While still a touch "squishy" as my beaded critters tend to be, there's a lot more general firmness and lack of flexibility to this one. I also wound up using four different colors of beads, from light golden brown to dark brown (and the main coppery brown color of the body is, of course, comprised of discontinued beads, argh!), mimicking the natural color variations of fishers. As to be expected, no camera is rarely able to actually reflect as much, as getting the light "just right" usually results in over-bright and fuzzy images. Fun for everyone.
As for the harness, well... an embedded bail was just weird and uncomfortable looking, y'know? And I'd already sort of been thinking about what I'd like to do for a harness/bail combination, so when I got permission I just ran with it. The wire is stainless steel (and VERY STURDY ow my hand), and the little silver eyes are indeed sterling silver.
Overall, I'm happy with the result (though clearly the commissioner's happiness is sort of key, too). It would not have happened without an extremely patient and encouraging commissioner who had faith in me even through my seeming ineptitude and many mentions of internal screaming. Heh.
