Shiny Things Gallery | Search
Total matches for crochet: 97
Chocobo Chicks, first wave
My first made-to-sell batch of just-hatched chocobo chicks! ...And they all still look hungry...
(Sold)
Chauncey
Chauncey's a shy fellow who seems to prefer quiet activities like puzzles. (You don't think chocobos can like puzzles? Shows what you know.)
The product of ten full days of work. There was a moment of panic when the yarn I'd been using for his legs and feet disappeared without a trace and seems to have been discontinued and sold out everywhere, so... I tried another kind for the beak. It actually worked better than expected, plus forced a slightly new method for the toes. Well, different is good.
Another giant chocobo, this guy sits at just short of 18 inches in height to the very top of his crest (while sitting, as he doesn't stand), 10 inches from chest to tail, and 9 inches at his widest point. 10 days. Sheesh.
(Sold.)
Date: 13 January 2012
Cecil and Jean-Luc
Cecil (left) is spunky, energetic, and all-around the kind of chocobo you'd want at your side. Until you find out that he will do anything for a tuna sandwich. Long story.
Jean-Luc (right) tends to be, maybe... a little over-serious. It's not that he can't lighten up, it's that it takes time. Or someone falling down, that'll do it.
(Sold)
Caroll
Likes: adventure, playing games, making new friends
Dislikes: people with no sense of fun, cloudy days
Named for Caroll Spinney (a.k.a. Big Bird). The name just kind of popped into my head while I was looking at him, go figure. Caroll's eyes are a very dark purple, by the way.
(Sold)
Aozora and Andrel
Aozora is the younger one, growing into himself and trying to find himself a place in the world. You know how it is; you feel like your feet are the biggest thing in the world, your tail feathers aren't quite straight and you've got a growth spurt every week, seems like--but he'll be just fine with a little guidance.
Andrel is quite incorrectly labeled as "bad-tempered". She is perfectly good-tempered, thank you very much; she simply doesn't suffer fools lightly and tends to be quite protective of her herd. Be polite and respectful, and there will be no problems.
(Sold)
Amilia
Likes: twilight (the time of day, not the sparkly vampire-fest), still water, apples
Dislikes: bananas, sparkly vampires
Decidedly far too calm-looking to have been an "Albedo".
(Sold)
Ahren
Likes: the sound of rushing water, chasing butterflies, long afternoon naps
Dislikes: horns, being woken up rudely
I swear, my camera is completely against dark-colored yarn.
(Sold)
FiSele
FiSele is from a clan best described as "warrior monks"; they've managed to purify and crystalize various types of magic to be stored and used at the will of those who are trained to call upon them. It takes a great deal of mental and emotional control to be able to build up enough will to direct magic of such powerful purity, but that's why they're started young. FiSele bears the proud marks of several years of study and practice with the crystals that have since quite literally become part of him. The headdress is worn for formal and spiritual affairs, though its origins are from the days when war was commonplace. The anklet is simply a gift from his mother upon reaching maturity, though he simply wouldn't go anywhere without it.
There comes a point in every project (hopefully, at least) where "Why am I doing this?" is answered by, "Oh that's why." FiSele is the product of 30 days of work. Not including days off, or days when I was working on commissions (in part to save my sanity)--30 days of working. This is mildly terrifying. What used to be a whole lot of yarn, stuffing, wire, a bit of clay and assorted beads have finally become something I only half-planned about halfway through the process of creating the body. As my creations will do, he took on a life of his own and I simply went with it.
Let us address the size of this guy, first. Large. Very large. Stupidly large. That was actually kind of an accident. I... am going to need to find a place to put him. He's roughly 19 inches long from nose to tail, and the wingspan is about 47 inches when they're fully spread. Luckily he can just wrap those wings around him, otherwise I would be completely screwed for space.
The wings turned out much, much heavier than I was anticipating. There's springy braided wire beneath, so they're stable; but they can't hold up under their own weight. After braiding apparently about 50 inches of wire or so, I then created a crocheted wrap for it. Then was actually insane enough not to use fabric and save myself many days of work, but crocheted the webbing as well. While heavy, it works, and it wound up looking better than I thought it would. I'm still entertaining the thought of building a little stand for each of the wings after a few tests, but we'll see how far that goes. He looks perfectly content to have them resting. And speaking of wings, the interiors are lightly highlighted with blue and purple iridescence, while the exterior and wingtips reveal spines. These can either be in a resting or defensive position. On the inside of each are crystal cases that hold dormant power when he may need to call upon them to enhance magic he's already mastered. Important things, these.
Look at them legs! I'm happy with how they came out. The front legs/feet are my favorite, as I just love the way the claws look with the toes. Don't judge me. Granted, I adore the back legs too. They are as they are because that's... just how they are; but also I recall, many many years ago when I was just starting to play with sculpture, there was one very loud person who told me the feet were too big. I have since taken pride in making big feet. Mmm, happy artistic "screw you"s. Anyway, clearly the legs are stuffed in such a way that they can support him in a standing position, but can also be bent to allow him to sit or crouch.
So. Many. Embellishments. Holy crap I don't know why, it just happened. Swarovski crystals as far as the eye can see! And a few of those glowy acrylic "materia beads" too, which come across quite well in a few pictures. Yes, they do glow in direct light. Painfully, at times. But the crystal sparkles!
And of course my creations need their own jewelry. I mean, come on. The headdress started off as a piece of wire and... evolved. Obviously. Just enough sparkle and twist to keep it interesting, I think. The wire itself is relatively soft, so it can be reshaped if someone for some reason wants to. I don't know why you would, but I am not judging you. Directly.
This is the first time I've made my own eyes. It seemed appropriate, somehow. Just baked a couple of polymer clay disks with the middle scooped out, and mixed myself some paint from iridescent pigments. The purple pigment was also used to highlight FiSele's belly. A light blue was used on the wings, but... it's almost invisible in the pictures. It always has to be something, I know.
While it's not terribly clear in the pictures, his upper and lower jawed are wired for a number of expressions. His ears also have a thinner wire in them which will allow them to stay in place. And of course he has a tongue, because... well, how else would he taste his food? Pft, seriously.
(For Sale)
Date: 29 November 2011