Materia Bracelet Commission

Finished commission for a materia bangle.  Leather made to look like metal, lined with soft black suede.  Took an insane amount of time, but that was partly the fault of work schedules and… well, partly my fault.  I did suggest the “sword strike” and “wounded materia” and, well, you’d be surprised how long it takes to figure out how to make things look broken but still be exceptionally strong.

That was the idea: make it look like metal but be flexible, but let it be flexible while still being strong enough to last for years.  Now, I knew a bit about leather working before this, but… I learned a lot.  I broke a lot, destroyed a lot, and learned a lot.  Then I got a dremel and things went so much faster.

I’m not gonna downplay it: I love this.  I love how it tells a story.  I love how you could find it on the ground somewhere and know that what you held in your hands was something beloved.  And shiny as hell, let’s just cover that now.

Also.  When a commissioner is as excited about a commission as you are, even the most painstaking process is fun.  This whole experience, while absolutely work, was a blast, and I learned so much.  There are already plans to make use of this knowledge, indeed; but this particular design belongs only to one.

Ewan

Ewan's shy.  Really he is.  It's just that when he gets the opportunity to shine, he turns out to be a charisma bomb.  He'll play just about any game quietly, but give him a chance at something action-y and he'll be making the kind of moves and commentary that'll have a whole room enamored and laughing.  Well, if you can understand chocobo, that is.

To say that I "went a little overboard" may be an understatement.  I think I rocketed straight to the sea floor only to rip through the molten heart of the planet and emerge on the other side.  But, you know, shiny results!  So beyond just spending however many days (over a week; I refuse to figure out more) making this poseable chocobo with wired legs, head, neck, wings and tail, I spent several weeks hand-sewing and hand-beading his blanket, headpiece, those two decorative "front flaps" (I r a artist I no wurds), all of the various bands for the saddle, then of course formed the saddle and panel armor from scrap leather, added several layers of iridescent gold pigment, and finished off with a little decorative gold chain with three lovely Swarovski crystals and a couple of tail pieces comprised of glass beads and gorgeously dyed jade.  I feel as if I succeeded in... something.

A note on the leather panel armor: it's not so much the weight but the way the weight is carried that makes it necessary to adjust his legs so he's not going to go tumbling forward when the armor is on.  The "tail pieces" are actually counter-weights to help alleviate that problem, but adjustment is still necessary.  There's a whole bunch of stylish combinations to be achieved from all of these pieces, so of course Ewan's set to be a star in any situation.

Very soon he'll be on his way to join Desert Bus for Hope's lovely crowd of awesome goodies.  More on that soon.

Ren

Ren is really quite fond of showing off.  He's got a bit of a habit of overdoing it sometimes, so what he really needs is a companion who can balance him out with a little "common sense".  Of course, this doesn't mean there can't be some mutual showing off.  I bet he could out-perform any human on Dance Dance Revolution--if only they made a chocobo-compatible version.

So I was trying something.  I wanted the look of my "classic" chocobos with a little more internal structure and... here you have Ren.  His legs and toes are wired as usual, but there's extra poseability in his neck/head, tail and wings.  He is a touch "bejeweled" as well, with a number of secure glass beads for a touch of sparkle.

Of course the "way more than a touch" of sparkle comes from that parade ensemble he's got there, a beautifully deep midnight blue real silk velvet hand-sewn with an assortment of glass beads and 98 real Swarovski crystals.  Ninety-eight.  I really wish I hadn't figured that out.  Luckily I lost track of how many weeks this took altogether, but my hands are currently trying to scream the answer at me.

Ahem, point being.  This guy will be off to Desert Bus for Hope headquarters very soon.  More details as the date approaches.

Custom Journey Cuff

At last, this custom Journey cuff commission is complete and in the hands of its rightful owner!  Whew.  It features a personalized design and a 14ct gold bar clasp.  As well as… *pauses to do the math*  2,611 beads.  Woven together over the course of 8 days (HOW DID I DO THAT).  I wish I hadn’t just figured that out, but it sure explains why my hands and wrists still hurt.

Regardless, I’m gonna get a little sappy here.  The fact that I had a request for a personal symbol just… makes me so happy.  This game, Journey, was an incredible adventure.  Impossible to describe or explain.  It inspired me to make my original Journey Cuff, which in turn inspired someone to have me make their very own unique Journey cuff.  Sure my hands are going to need a a little more rest before I get to my next project, but… I’m honestly moved.  To my commissioner: thank you for the opportunity.

To thatgamecompany: flOw, Flower and Journey all have the honor of being “I just need this every so often" games.  I can’t wait to see what you come up with next.  I’m there, whatever it is… but it’s gonna take me a few years to be able to afford a PS4.  Just sayin’.  Take your time.

Pillars of the Triforce

No matter how long it is lost or hidden, there are always those who keep the memory of the Triforce.

Wanted to try a little something different along the lines of my Triforce bracelets.  Of course this turned out far more complicated than I'd hoped and for strengthening purposes I had to backtrack a bit more than I'd planned--but it worked!  Love those green breads.  Too bad they keep climbing in price.  Gah.

As for the name, well... the gold connections looked like pillars.  I know, what a special significance!  And, you know, 9 pillars, 3 pieces of the Triforce, 3 x 3...  It made sense in my mind, somehow.

(For Sale)

Pillars of the Triforce

No matter how long it is lost or hidden, there are always those who keep the memory of the Triforce.

Wanted to try a little something different along the lines of my Triforce bracelets.  Of course this turned out far more complicated than I'd hoped and for strengthening purposes I had to backtrack a bit more than I'd planned--but it worked!  Love those green breads.  Too bad they keep climbing in price.  Gah.

As for the name, well... the gold connections looked like pillars.  I know, what a special significance!  And, you know, 9 pillars, 3 pieces of the Triforce, 3 x 3...  It made sense in my mind, somehow.

(Sold)

Lady Abigail

Lady Abigail (or just Abby to her friends) is still a little new at this.  Oh, she knows how to march, knows every whistle and command, can walk in step or run ahead and around.  It's the whole armor thing that she has yet to get used to.  Her handler thought it might be a good idea to get her started with something custom-made, something unique and personal.  Hey, even chocobos like to feel special.

I'd been thinking about making a fully-wired, completely poseable chocobo for some time now.  I just hadn't actually given in to such insane ideas until now.  The reception to my Desert Bus chocobos was just so good that I felt I should really push myself and rise to the ridiculously complicated challenge.  But I'm glad I did!  The result is lovely Abby with a wired beak, head and neck, legs, toes, wings (all of her primary feathers are also wired) and tail.  And she has claws!  I've been wanting to put claws on a chocobo for years!

And then, after all that, I decided she needed armor.  (Because I'm kind of unsmart.)  So... I went right for some scrap leather I've had for years and started cutting.  Well that was a learning experience, but seeing as how the result makes me extremely happy, it was worth the work.  Stylized forget-me-nots are the flowers that grace Abby's armor, and once I figured out how to firmly secure rhinestones to leather, I couldn't resist having some "flower buds" on her helmet/mask.  Both pieces of armor attach easily with little handmade hook and eye findings and chain, and it's really easier than it looks.

She also needed that lovely blue velvet blanket.  Yes, real silk velvet.  Yes, it attracts light colored fuzzies like crazy, but it's SO SOFT and shimmery and yes.

And of course she's my chocobo, so she needed a touch of bling.  I beaded her a couple of wired "anklets" and then decided her wings needed a little sparkle, so I made her some "wingbands" too.  She seems to like them.

Abby's a big girl.  In her "natural" pose, she stands 12 inches high to the very top of her crest.  With her tail up, she's 6 inches from her chest to her tail, but with her tail extended out that measurement jumps to just over 10 inches.  Fully extended, her wingspan is 15.5 inches.  She can quite solidly support a Square-Enix action figure bareback, and can easily support the lighter ones with full armor on.

She's playful, sweet and loves her greens.  But she won't turn down a slice of cheesecake.  Just so you know.

(Sold.)

Shyguy Bracelet

I don't know why, I'm just a sucker for Shyguys.  You can imagine how happy Yoshi's Island made me, then.  They're bouncy and colorful and make delightfully terrible noises--what's not to love?

(For Sale)