Tuesday, March 13, 2018

“I like to work on a wide variety of things from cute and sweet to detailed characters and creatures. My work is evolving. Even my fairies have evolved over the years since the beginning. And the way I begin the creative process really depends on what I’m working on. If it’s a licensed ornament, and I already have an image of what the ornament will be, then I gather as much reference as I possibly can. I want to know how many buttons are on a lightsaber, or if there is stitching on a pocket, that sort of thing. I’d rather have too much reference than not enough!

If I’m working on my own design, such as the penguins unofficial series, then I just go for it and the sculpt takes shape as I work on it.

I would say my process is unique because I re-use many of my wax sculpts if possible. I don’t melt them down, but I’ll turn them into someone else.

If I’m starting from scratch, then I use a coffee warmer with a tin can on top to melt my wax to a clay-like consistency.

This way I can quickly rough out shapes and poses. I have three main go-to tools. One is a dental tool that I would be lost without! Another is a tool that Ken Crow made for me when I first started out of a portion of a razor blade and a dowel rod. And the last one is sand paper! I go through a LOT of sandpaper!

I think inspiration can come from many places. I think back to my own childhood when I’m working on my penguin ornament. But I’m also a people watcher. When I’m at a park with my boys, or helping out at my son’s school, I love to watch the kids interact with each other. I get a lot of inspiration for my Fairy Messengers from watching how little kids play.”