Winter is Going, Long Live the Spring

       So, yes, the title is evidence that I have jumped on the proverbial band wagon and now count myself among the Nights Watch or whatever GoT fans call themselves. Starkers? Ned-Heads? Either way, expect some fan-art of a wolfy persuasion, soon.

        Oh BOY! A post! Let's see what I have been up to in the last months of winter and the reluctant first weeks of spring...

       Well, i guess reluctant is the word for this first project, or maybe just delayed, as I was genuinely excited to make a 3-D duck sculpture (one of my favorite animals and a beloved childhood pet). This mallard here was a commission from a good guy in Des Moines, who I met over the Thanksgiving holiday at Market Day. The duck was fun to cut, okay to sand, a joy to paint, and a pickle to assemble. In the end a foot broke off in shipping, but by all reports he reattached it without any drama.

        I then started production on new plaques and animal heads. This photo looks pretty, so I am sharing it. Metal leafing is one of the more random skills I've picked up over the years, but I'm happy to put it to use.

       Next came a rush order on a set of nesting dolls from a dear friend, for her fathers birthday. The tricky part was finding a set of eight dolls (that's as low as she could get the family, even with spouses painted back-to-back on a shared doll). I found a set of ten on ebay and ditched the smallest (about a centimeter tall, no joke) and side-lining the largest (a 12" monstrosity) for a future project. 

       The quality of the wood was better than the dolls I regularly use, but hard to draw on without denting - it was soft birch, I think. Shipping was funny, as I had to charge the client an inflated fee for quick delivery, only to find after they came (one day turn-around!?) that they shipped from Chicago, about two miles from my door. Lesson learned: Always read both shipping addresses!

       In the end, papa was reported to have said that they were the best gift he had ever received. That's what I aim for.

       Next I started a screen printing class at Lill Street Art Center, which I highly recommend for all of your art-centering needs. What an amazing place. I wish I had started there years ago, as our time in Chicago is waning (more on that later). This was my first screen, which we made by cutting a vague shape out of paper and masking the screen.

       I annoyed the teacher by going too complex with what was supposed to be a simple shape, with no great amount of detail, but it was only a five week class and I wanted to make something I could be proud of!

       The next layer used the same stencil, but augmented it with contact paper (blocking a stripe or portion of the stencil). 'Not too much detail,' said the teacher. Again, Ben no listen, and I aaalmost got my just desserts, but managed to pull it off (pun!) after much sweating and blushing.

       Layer three is where the detail is supposed to come in, as we were able to actually draw the third image. Listen to your teacher, kids! I'm a bad example, working against my own kind. This is the third layer on its own, which started as a test, but I liked it, so I made three. 

All together, now! I like it, it's neat, and screen printing is the coolest. I'm in my second session now and getting to do a lot more with it. Like this!

       *Shoom, shoom, XCK!* Yep, first chance I had to do something of my own design, start to finish, I went nerdy. I can't help it, I have a problem... If you, too, suffer from nerd-itis, I've got about fifteen of these Return of the Jedi themed prints, which I'll try to post soon in the shop. 

       Lastly, this little commission came through, another from Des Moines, I love me some Iowanites! Adventure Time/Star Wars mashup, she says, and I take the job, no question on that one. I loved how it turned out, so did the client, and everybody wins! More screen printing news to come. Next up is a certain winged rodent, the fellow with pointy ears and a grumpy disposition... until then, thanks for reading, and e-mail me at benrum@gmail.com with any questions!

Beasts of Burden

Here I am again making the mistake of finding the time to post about a show AFTER the opening - but at least I brought pictures!

If you follow me on twitter (@benrum) or instagram (benrum), then you already know that I have a show of hunting trophies hanging at The Inkling Shop in west Lakeview, in Chicago. It's a great little shop with a lot of local art on display and for sale, and I am proud to count myself among the ranks of talent that they represent.

This is the second round of wood cut 2-D/3-D hunting trophies I have made. They are fun to work on, and in the opinions of myself and the cheery people I tend to surround myself with, they just keep getting better! One factor that really upped the quality on these was my newly purchased combination belt and disc sander. See the nice bevelled edge on that giraffes mount? That's all belt sander, right there!

It was a really fun night with a pretty nice turnout of friends and strangers, and I again wish to convey my gratitude to everyone who made it out. Thanks, y'all!

True to form, I finished the zebra a few hours before the opening, and like most of the last-minute pieces I've managed to squeeze in before deadline, he kind of stole the show... though he can't old a candle to the tyrannosaur! Good show, great people, fun times, HOORAY!

 

Magic Dance

The OTHER coolest (nerdiest, most fun for me and the client) order I got this holiday season was this, a set of nesting dolls in the likeness of the crew from the movie Labyrinth. I ask you, how could I turn that down?! I got the order just two weeks before Christmas, and had a few things to finish up first, but I was determined to make it happen, and I did, with just a few sleepless nights. I delivered them on the 22nd of December, just before leaving for my own holiday down to Kansas to see the family. These were so fun to make, and got a good reaction as I posted production photos on Instagram (I'm benrum, if you'd like to follow me).

Frankie, the client, and I had met at Renegade Craft Fair in September, and when he emailed me I remembered him wigging out over the Alice in Wonderland dolls I had made a few years ago (I showed him photos). He was very excited to give these to his girlfriend, and I hope she was just as excited to receive them. I know I was to paint them!

I think my favorite comment on Instagram was my cousin Margo, who asked if the infamous Bowie Bulge would be its own, separate doll. Great idea, but I went in another direction, just in case.

When we talked, Frankie agreed with me that, although Jareth is the main guy in the set, Ludo made more sense as the largest doll, as it wouldn't really make sese the other way around. After that it was an easy and logical descent to the protagonist, Sarah, Hoggle, one of the more prominent Goblins, and baby Toby.

Rock... friend.

 

It is always fun working in details like this snake, the owl on Mr Bowie's back, and the crystal ball. Those details are half of the fun when designing from a movie or series that I love, for someone who will catch and appreciate the little jokes.

One big, happy family/kidnapping-villain/nice-monster/turncoat-troll... Thing.

For all of the fun I had painting the others, this guy remains my favorite. He's the one who screams "Shut up, shut up, shut up!" when the horned goblin asks, "did she say it?" I love that part, though it spooked me out when I was a kid.

So... That's that! There's my fancy logo on the bottom, and I close the book on yet another Christmas miracle. Hopefully she liked them!

 

Smaller on the Inside

Anyone who has known me more than a few minutes knows that I'm a proud, self-proclaimed nerd, and any nerd worth their weight in ewoks knows that now (more than ever) it's a great time to be a nerd. I've been a Star Wars guy since my geeky little eyes first focused on a light saber, and the X-Men come second only to Batman in my superhero heart. One thing that managed to elude me (along with most of Star Trek until the oh-so-controversial latest movie franchise) was Doctor Who. It's one of those names that I have heard talk of for as long as I can remember, and remarkably more often in the past few years. So, after last March's C2E2, after meeting maybe twelve people in any array of Whovian costumes, I decided to give it a shot. I was not disappointed.

And then... I got an email from a woman named Bridger through my etsy shop, asking if I could make a set of select doctors, the largest nesting doll painted like the Tardis. My first thought, which I pretty much insisted on, was to make a box for the Tardis, as I had seen it done on a nesting doll and wasn't that into it. She liked the idea, and that free'd up the little doll to make room for a Dalek! Which is just awesome... In my humblest opining.

So, if you didn't know, these are the doctors, from smallest up, the First Doctor (William Hartnell), the third Doctor (John Pertwee), the fourth (and fan favorite as far as I have learnt) (Tom Baker), the fifth (Peter Davison), and she then skipped a few to my most familiar Doctor, the Tenth (David Tennant). They were fun to research, watching old episodes out of order on YouTube to sketch costumes, and just as fun to paint.

Evil... Tiny, tiny evil.

My friend and Doctor Who sponsor (he was so patient while I resisted the call of the nerd for two years or so) Josh signed off on likenesses, and helped me catch details that I may have over-looked left to my own devices.

Details, for instance, like the celery stalk on the lapel..

...Or how much more amazing the Fourth Doctor would be with his helpful companion, K-9 along for the adventure.

 

I was sorely tempted to paint the first Doctor in black-and-white, but I didn't want to have a stylistic break in the set, so I settled for a muted photo.

 

That's it! Here they are all nested up and ready to ship (almost). I didn't get a photo of it, but the inside of the Tardis, as tempting as it was to do something REDICULOUS, like a pop-up-style expanding interior (truly bigger) or mirrors (apparently bigger), I went with sparkly black felt to protect the passengers and give a cheap illusion of space. The recipient of this very nerdy and generous gift was reported to be blown away, which is exactly the reaction I was hoping for!

Thanks for reading, and have a happy new year! Time to go watch some Doctor Who!

the hunt

       Hey there, reader! I'm taking a break from the insane work-train I've been riding for the past week-or-so to show you all what I have been up to, and what I'll be hawking this (black) Friday in Des Moines Market Day special event! I have never travelled for an event like this, so I'm equal parts excited and nervous that it will be a bust! 

       Hey, that was an almost tangent to the photos I have to share! I don't know if these qualify as busts, but I've been making these 'hunting trophies' for a few weeks now, and have enough to feel that they won't easily go over-looked at the event. Check them out! 

       Some of you may have met this noble giraffe before, he and the tiger were made for the Renegade fair in September. Everything else here is new. I used the back yard as a photo studio today, because the fence is closest thing we have to a rich, maple wall, where I guess real hunting trophies might hang. Also, the cloudy day gave me good even light, reflections on the gold and silver leafed plaques are a bugger! 

Sad Rhino is sad. It could almost be a meme!

The glittery deer was a mess to make, but all of the glitter is sealed, so no leavings to worry about!

This friendly croc has the coolest shadow, which you can catch in the group shot below.

Sleepy elephant is sleepy. Sorry, running out of jokes! All of these were cut from birch plywood with my handy scroll saw, and sanded lovingly to a clean, smooth finish. Josh helped. Thanks, Josh!

I love the cross slotted construction, and it shows best on the elephant - his ears look really cool sticking out from the plaque. The gold and silver really add to the 'trophy-ness' of these pieces and, though leafing is kind of a pickle to get right, the work is fun work.

I bought white flocking powder to dust the deer's white parts and antlers with (it would be fuzzy to the touch) but didn't have time to tinker with it for this series. It will have to happen with the next round.

The little fox is so cute, but I think his ears, when viewed dead-on like this, are so funny.

Who could behead such a cute little fox?!

The tiger is the only one who's still awake. Eye's wide open and teeth bared, this one is was the first, and also the only unfriendly one in the bunch.

Each one comes with the my logo on the back, just in case you forget where it came from!

       Of course, they look best in a group, so if you are going to order one, why not order three? These are currently available by inquiry or in person at Market Day, where I'll also be selling masks, prints, and hand-made Christmas ornaments, of which I have no photo right now. Soon! Or check my Instagram feed- that's where you can really keep up with my day-by-day progress on new pieces. 

       Oh! And if you aren't in Iowa, I've got a few events coming up fast here in the windiest of cities. Sunday, December 2nd I'll be at Santa Sunday at 7341 N Claremont, hosted by Margaret Mary grade-school. Then the next weekend, Dec 7th, 8th and 9th I'll be spending three LONG days at the Lakeview Christmas Market, at Ashland and Belmont. That one should be a real treat, with food vendors and artists and crafty-types, all inside a HUGE heated tent. Come out and see me!