Dec 28, 2015

LIFEGUARD



This is the ornament we just exchanged for 2015.  This came from an idea I've had for several years of producing a model kit of a typical Lifeguard Station.  This particular style from Avila Beach seemed perfect to turn into an ornament.  I managed to make sixteen of them, as once the parts were designed and being cut, it made sense (at the time) to use the material to it's full extent.  The door opens and the panels slide up and down, depending upon the season. 
These measure 2.5" square by 5" tall. 
Most are in private collections.

Armored Car


This is the ornament for year three of the exchange.  These cars were inspired by a paper model kit from the 1930's, produced in Germany for kids to cut out and glue together.  I traced the images and did quite a bit of cleaning up so the parts would actually fit together.  I can't imagine any kid having fun trying to build this paper armored car as originally printed...
I scaled the parts down to ornament size, actually the size that would accommodate "O" rings for the tires and copper tubes for machine guns.  They're laser etched and cut from thick copper paper and thinner gold paper.
The shading of the rivets and panel lines was done with eye shadow.  It worked like pastels but had a shimmer to it that my pastels don't have. 
They measure about 3" x 4" x 2.5"
Most if not all of these are in private collections now.

Oil Can Fire



These are the ornaments from year two of our exchange.  I made about the same amount as the first year, knowing that I needed as many as nine of them to give away, plus spares in case some didn't turn out so well.  These are plastic tube cut to length with laser cut rings to give them the correct profile.  I added battery powered LED lights to the bottom that can be turned on to give the look of a lit fire.  The bottom photo hopefully shows the glow. 
I was thinking that you might find these at Christmas tree lots to keep the workers warm and in a good mood.  Each one is about 3" tall and most are in private collections now.

Bulldog Rocking Horse






This is the first effort for an ornament exchange with work colleagues four years ago.
I had the sculpt of my Bulldog Cafe project 3D scanned and had one print at a smaller scale produced.  I made a mold of it and cast about 12 of these in light weight resin. I painted them to try to mimic old world glass ornaments and added the details to turn them into toys.
They're about 3" x 4" x 2" and are all in private collections now.