The Three Little Pigs....and One Big Bad Wolf

If you have followed my blog for any amount of time, you know that Halloween and Christmas are my favorite characters to create.  Soon I will be filling this space with posts about ghosts and ghouls, Santa and Snowmen, and lots of other holiday characters.  I thought I would take some time today to show you a few 'non-holiday' characters, just for fun.

I've always loved the story of the Three Little Pigs.  I have two very specific memories of that beloved classic.  You might think these are stories from when I was a very small child, but in fact, I was 'older' in both of them. 

In the first one, I am 12 years old, a 6th grader, and it's Thanksgiving in Nebraska.  My aunt and uncle have come from Texas to spend the holiday with us. It's my 'duty' to entertain Brent, their three year old son.  He's a good little boy, and he loves to be read to.  Quickly he latches on to The Three Little Pigs.  I would not be exaggerating when I say I must have read that book at LEAST 50 times in three days.  We even had two versions of it....one where the pigs get eaten, and one where they run away.  He liked the one where they got eaten the best, and I couldn't fool him into reading the other one---just for variety. 

Fast forward to my 15th birthday party.  One of my good friends celebrates her birthday just 4 days after mine, so we throw a joint slumber party at my house.  (What were my parents thinking?)  Sixteen teenaged girls, up all night, giggling!  My sister is visiting with her 3 year old son, Jeremy, an adorable little boy who loves to entertain.  At three, he could recite the story by heart, his favorite part being the 'I'll huff and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house down."  At which point he would blow the house down, and my friends would squeal with laughter! 

So, when I set out to create this set of pigs and the accompanying Big Bad Wolf, it is with some fond memories in my heart. 

 

These pigs have been running around, squealing, in my head for a very long time.  I finally took some time this spring to let them out! 

 

The First Little Pig, as we all know, was not willing to work very hard.  He just wanted to dance and play.  He made his house of straw, because it was the easiest way to do it.  Since this pig was all about frivolity, I decided to dress him in white shorts and an orange shirt with a frilly collar.  These are NOT work clothes!  

 

The Second Little Pig was willing to work only slightly harder, to build his house from twigs.  So his clothes are a little big more rugged....cargo shorts and a striped t-shirt. 

 

 

We all know, The Third Little Pig was smart and a hard worker, willing to spend lots of extra time building a house the Big Bad Wolf could not blow down.  Laying brick is very hard work, and you need to be dressed accordingly.  He wears overalls, work boots, and has a bandana tied around his neck to wipe away the sweat. 

 

 

Of course the collection would not be complete without the Big Bad Wolf.  I love the way this guy turned out!  He has lots of sharp teeth and long claws.  He needed a 'prop', and I consulted my friend Marian, to see if it seemed tacky to add a jar of BBQ sauce.  She has the same quirky sense of humor I have, so she thought it was a great idea.  Turns out, everyone I've shown this to agrees!  YAY!!  What's pork without BBQ sauce, right?  (Does this put you in the mood for barbequed ribs??)

 

I'm really happy with this collection of beloved story book characters.  I'm glad I took the time to make these.  If nothing else, they will be a good conversation starter at my upcoming shows! 

 

Speaking of which, fall shows begin in less than two months!!  I'm beginning to feel the panic, and it's seriously "crunch time" in the studio.  I have lots of wonderful new characters to show you!  Right now, I'm working on Christmas ornaments!

 

I hope you have a great day! 

Lisa







Finished!

A couple of days ago I showed you a work in progress here.  Today is the big reveal.  What did she turn out to be?

 

Meet Little Red Riding Hood!  Did you have any idea that is who she was? 

 

I had a lot of fun creating this piece.  I've got so many storybook characters rattling around in my head, asking to be made into whimsical little art dolls.  Now that there is no real holiday season I'm preparing for, I've decided now would be a good time to grant some of those wishes. 

 

This Little Red Riding Hood is sort of a cold weather version.  She is wearing long sleeves, striped stockings and fur-trimmed boots.  Her darling pleated skirt is made from paper and topped with a black velvet vest that laces with tiny black satin ribbon.  Her signature fashion statement cloak is hand sewn from red wool felt and tied with a red satin ribbon.  I love her curly auburn hair, tied into pigtails.  She wouldn't be complete without a basket of sweets for her Grandmother. 

 

 

Little Red Riding Hood is not yet available in my etsy shop.  I'm hoping to have her listed soon, along with a Big Bad Wolf.  Stay tuned!

 

What other storybook characters would you like to see me create?  I'm always open to suggestions.

 

The sun is shining here today!  YAY!  Maybe it's finally spring!!

Lisa

 







Another Fabulous Honor!

I have some more wonderful news to share.  I've been published in ANOTHER magazine!  YAY!!

I subscribe to Art Doll Quarterly, and have for a couple of years.  I'm always inspired by the creative work of the amazing doll artists they feature.  I've pondered submitting some work of my own, but never took the leap UNTIL this past summer.  In each issue they put forth a 'reader challenge' in which they suggest a topic and ask readers to submit dolls for that category.  The last challenge was calling for dolls inspired by book characters.  Well.  I could do that.  I had the perfect dolls in mind to submit....my Wizard of Oz characters!  So off they went.

Dorothy (with Toto in her basket), Scarecrow, Tinman and Lion followed the Yellow Brick Road to California.  And then I waited.  And waited.  And waited.  The dolls were sent in June.  I hadn't heard anything, but knew they had arrived.  No rejections though, so I was optimistic.

 

Then, a couple weeks ago my winter issue arrived.  I had it in my head that the Book Character challenge selections would be published in the spring issue (I'm not sure why), so I wasn't expecting what I found.  I was flipping absently through the pages, and suddenly was seeing dolls with names like Hester Pryne, Pinocchio, The Princess and the Pea, Pippi Longstocking.  It took a few seconds for it to register in my weary brain (I had just arrived home after a 5 hour drive) that these were, in fact, book characters.  Just as it hit me, I turned a page and saw this:

 

 

There they were!  In the pages of Art Doll Quarterly magazine!  MY Wizard of Oz dolls!  OMG!!  It was rather exciting!  I showed husband David and he snatched it out of my hands to have a look.  Yep.  MY dolls!  YAY!! 

 

 

I was a little bit surprised that I wasn't notified ahead of time, but hey, WHO CARES!!  It was thrilling to see my work on the pages of such a wonderful publication, in the company of so many talented artists.  My one disappointment is that the tip of Tinman's funnel hat is askew.  Something must have happened in transit, but he still looks great.  I'm so pleased!

 

If you are out looking for the magazine, here is what to look for:

 

 

It really is a beautiful publication.  I'm so honored to have had my work chosen for this challenge.  I think I won't be so hesitant in the future to submit more of my work.

 

Thanks for letting me share my excitement with you all! 

 

"We're off to see the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz!"

Lisa

 

Oh, yes, my Wizard of Oz characters are available in my etsy shop.