In the Studio #4: FAIRIES!!!

Heyyy kids! It's Spring Swap time again! And you know what that means - it means Cyra's taken on a new and somewhat complex project that she's never done before and sharing her successes and failures with the world!

So this is my third Spring Fling. My first year I went for something simple - just a pretty violet unicorn with some swirls, who I named Delilah (as I kept screaming "Why why why" when working on her... she had a bum hoof and I dremel-ed a bit too deep into her boy-parts.) For whatever reason I can't find any pictures of her. 

Then last year, I decided to do a winged horse, who was named Crispy Bacon. "Why 'Crispy Bacon'?" you ask? Well...

I tried to lower his leg by first holding him over a candle. His leg flopped for a moment and he was promptly taken to the burn unit. His crisped bits were sanded down, though, and he turned out fine. I also ripped some wings off a Safari fairy, repainted them, painted him, and assembled. 

Look at the glossy goodness. He then flew away to... Texas, I think? Either way, he flew home, and his mom loves him.

This year, I'm trying all sorts of new things. I don't usually get any ideas until I find out who my partner is, then the gears start moving and breaking and come loose only to fly all over the place. This year I got a victim from Canuckistan Canada! As usual, I had an idea in a few days. I decided on a fairy pony (which differs greatly from a butterfly pony, like Crispy up there). But this time, I wanted to make my own wings. Don't be fooled, those wings on Crispy Bacon may look simple, but they were a pain in the rear to paint (having OCD doesn't help).

So, how does one make fairy wings? Let me go off track for a moment. I'm a big fan of Emilie Autumn. I was searching her videos on Youtube a few years ago and found a segment she did on a DIY show on HGTV years ago. It was how to make fairy wings (and sushi soap). 

So with that in mind, it was off to the races. I snagged the body I needed off eBay (although he came with two other horses. Their fates are yet unknown.)

Since yesterday was freezing out, I did most of my work inside. So, prep work it was. First step was to sand. Luckily this guy had no seams, but I still wanted that darn logo gone. I was cast into the dungeons went into the basement (my studio space is in a small room with a bird and a guinea pig, and I don't want them breathing in any yuckiness), sat on the steps, and sanded.

Let me tell you, this guy STUNK. I was sanding away and my goodness, did he reek. I took a look at how the paint was coming off (yellow, then white plastic underneath) I wondered if he may have been painted over. Still not sure. Then I decided it was time to clean the ponies.

Whenever I get new horses, be they bodies or for my own collection, I like to wash them, especially after sanding. This allows me to get off any dust left over, and really, I have no idea where these horses were before they got to me. For all I know a little kid stuck them up their nose. So they get a bath.

It's a simple process. I turn on some warm water (not hot. I'm always worried that if it's too hot, the horses will melt or something. Plus my hands are sensitive), then put dish soap on a toothbrush and scrub. Dawn works very well, and the toothbrush is usually some off-brand that I got from my dentist's office after my last visit.

"Ahm all soapeh!"

Then after that, rinse, and dry off with a clean towel. I just use a washcloth.

"Now ahm a green burrito!"

While scrubbing, I noticed something else on my body... chestnuts.

I don't recall seeing these on any other SMs, but then again I don't always have the best memory.

Now that the ponies were washed and dried, it was back to the drawing board - quite literally, as my desk is a drafting table.

(I suppose they think that by hiding behind a paint barricade, they'll be safe. That's certainly true of the Schleich and the rearing Arab in the back - the Arab's from my own collection.)

Now it was time to make the wings. I made a rough sketch on a post-it note, and held it up to the model to see if it would be the right size for him.

Looks good to me! I got out my pliers, straightened out some wire, and went to work. In the meantime, I came up with a nickname for this fella - Crocker. I don't know how many of you remember the show Fairly Odd-Parents, but I used to watch it all the time. If you watched it, certainly you remember the fairy-obsessed lunatic teacher, Mr Crocker.

Also, now would be a good time to mark where you want the wings to be. This way you'll know where you want them positioned when you go to drill. My victim being black, I just used a white oil paint pen.

I found the process of making wings to be challenging, but I kept a few things in mind while working that I think I should share:

1. Be patient. Nothing great is going to happen quickly. Take your time with it.
2. Don't strive for perfectionism. If both your wings don't line up perfectly, that's okay. Wings in nature aren't always perfectly symmetrical.
3. Remember what fairy wings are - organic and natural. Allow for some bumps and kinks in the wire.
4. Don't fight the wire. It works with you, but it also has a mind of its own.
5. You can fix it later. Wire is malleable and you can always go back and tweak it at a different time.
6. This is the most important - have fun. If I've learned nothing else as an artist, I've learned to have fun working. I could compare a piece I've done and hated the process of, and a one I've had fun with, and the fun one will always turn out better. Another thing to remember when doing these swaps is that they're all about fun, and they're not a contest. Some people simply put paint and glitter or nail polish on a pony and send it off, some people hack apart horses or turn them into completely different creatures altogether. Don't sit there and say "But [name] did better than I did!" Just do whatever you think your victim will like, whatever you like, and everyone will be happy.

It was a slow and tricky process, but eventually it came along.

Looks good! Now to hold it up next to the pony and see if it will work.

And it does! I cut the other end and twisted the wire together. I left a long twisted bit so I could have something to shove in the holes in his back once they were drilled.

Now onto the second wing. I just held the first wing up to it and tried to replicate the shape. After first playing with the wire, much to Stormy the Bird's confusion, because I'm a mature adult.

Again, I'm going to stress that you shouldn't strive for absolute perfection and symmetricality here. They're not going to both turn out the same. And I think the little differences make them look good - it shows that they're hand made.

Alright, time to put them up to the horse and make sure they're okay.

As you can see I just used masking tape to hold them both in place for a minute. I thought they looked good, so I marked which wing was left and right and set them aside.


Stay tuned for part two!