HOW SMALL CAN I GO? MY NEW SMALL FAIRIES!

I just finished this "wee" fairy, and have decided she is absolutely the smallest fairy I can create! She is the second tiny fairy I have created since I scaled down my design of what I already thought was the tinest figure I could create and still be able to get a good face.

This may not seem small to those artists who create their tiny fantasy fairies out of clays, but when working with fabric, it is quite tiny. Her face measures .50" wide x .75" long. I've found it actually takes me longer to create a tiny fairy such as this than when working with a larger size figure.

Since I love a challenge, I will be creating several more in this size! To learn more about her, click on any of her photos.

The photo below shows the very first of my teeny, tiny fairies, and her face was even a bit smaller, which was almost impossible to do. It measured a little less than .50" wide and a tad more than .50" high. After attempting that size, I increased the face a wee bit.

2.75" high from her "seat" to the top of her head.

Here she is sitting with several of my other size fairies. The Fairy Bride on the left is my middle size fairy and measures approximately 4.5" high from her seat to the top of her head. The little yellow sitting fairy is what used to be my smallest fairy.

FEATURED ETSY SHOP - FEATHERWURM GRAPHICS

The Dour Fantastic - Dragon

by

FEATHERWURM GRAPHICS

When you visit Pearl's Etsy shop, FEATHERWURM GRAPHICS, you will not only find original artwork, cards and stationary, but some of the most whimsical figurines and miniatures. After reading Pearl's interview below, be sure to pay a visit to FEATHERWURM GRAPHICS.

You just might find a tiny creature there that you can't live without...whether it is in the form of a painting or a figure.

What led you to start creating your art/craft?

I try all sorts of new things, anything and everything, and sooner or later most things I try find their way to Etsy. I focus on sculpture as I really enjoy bringing to life new creatures and creations (and I enjoy creating things in miniature, I like tiny things!). I've been creating fantasy creatures for as long as I've been breathing, it's only ever seemed natural to just make more and more of them! My parents were a wonderful influence on me growing up, and I can only keep following their direction to find my own way, and just keep creating and being who I am.

How did you decide what medium you wanted to work with?

I work with many mediums, I enjoy being a jack of all trades (if a master of none...), since I work in theater, and often have to make do with what I can find. Through doing this, I've found out how to work with many mediums and styles, and continued to use them with my foundation in art to constantly try new approaches. I like to play with new stuff all the time, and I'm even looking into working with plastics and acrylic at the moment.

Little Laidly Worm (Wyrm, Wurm, Wyvern..)

What aspect of creating your art/craft do you find the most enjoyable?

I would have to say that the conception of any new creature is the most fun, deciding how it will look, seeing it come about, and developing its story and nature. I love to tell stories with my work, and in crafting many little creatures, scenes, and designs, I'm given the opportunity to develop new stories every day.

If you had to choose a fruit OR a vegetable, to describe your art/craft, what would you choose, and why?


I would definitely choose peppers! Hands down, as they're spicy, bright, and come in so many varities! Actually... that gives me ideas for new dragons...!


If you had to choose one other medium in which to display your “creativity”, what would that be, and why?

Well, I do use a lot on my own, but if I were to add a new one to my repertoire, I think I would choose cooking (a strange 'medium' I know), which I feel is a very fine art form, which as yet still eludes me. To learn to craft elaborate sugar sculptures and compose dishes and items that delight the palate would be a great joy to me. The art of scent and taste, be it perfume or confectionery is a realm I definitely wish to explore in the future.


What message, if any, do you want to convey with your art/craft?


There is always room for brightness, fantasy, and joy in the world, and not all things with too many teeth are as scary as they look.

What advice do you have for other artists/crafters?

Never throw away your old work, and don't undersell yourself. Your old work will show you how far you've come, don't look down on it, embrace it as a part of what you've learned. If it didn't work the first time, fix it and try again. And remember that your time and work are valuable, don't forget that.

Thanks, Pearl, for sharing your whimsical fantasy creations with everyone, and for giving us a bit of an "insight" as to what motivates you as an artist. It has been a pleasure to have you on DZFANTASY as a featured artist.

To learn more about Pearl and her FEATHERWURM creations, be sure to visit her links below.

FEATHERWURM GRAPHICS WEBSITE

BLOG

NAME THE "MERMAID" GIVEAWAY!

NAME THE "MERMAID" GIVEAWAY

Last month's giveaway from DZFANTASY was the "Name the Fairy" giveaway, and this month I've decided to have a "Name the MERMAID" giveaway.

The prize will be the sparkly, gold-green, fiber sculpted mermaid shown above. Read below to find out all about this month's giveaway:

START DATE: MAY 27, 2009

END DATE: JUNE 27, 2009 - 12:00 Midnight CST

OPEN: WORLD WIDE

PRIZE VALUE: $95.00

RULES/GIVEAWAY INFO:

1. Leave a comment in this post giving a NAME for the mermaid. At the end of the giveaway on June 27th, I will randomly select 5 entries, and these 5 entries will be added to a POLL, so that everyone can vote on their favorite "mermaid name". The mermaid name with the most votes will the WINNER!

2. Please be sure to leave either your email address, or a link to your email address, as the 5 entries which are selected to go into the poll will be notified by EMAIL ONLY!

3. Once the 5 entries are randomly selected for the poll, the poll will run for 1 week. Again, at the close of the poll, the Mermaid Name with the most votes will be the WINNER. The WINNER will be contacted by email, and I will then ship the mermaid to them.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me (Donna) at: dzfairies@msn.com

The "Name the Fairy" giveaway had 102 entries, and a lot of delightful names were entered. Hope to see a lot of entries and names for the "MERMAID".

ABOUT THE PRIZE:

SIZE: She measures 8" tall from the top of her head down to where her tail curves, and another 8" from the curve of her tail to the tip of her fins.

She is designed to hang on the wall. There is a loop on the back of her neck, and also one on the upper portion of her tail, so that she will balance correctly on the wall.

Her silky textured,fabric tail is gorgeous shade of green, and the fabric has sparkly chips of rhinestones throughout. Quite magical looking. Her tail is firmly stuffed with acrylic fiberfil. The fins have been top-stitched into a design, and have inner wire armatures.Her upper body and face are 100% silk tussah fabric. Tussah silk has a lovely sheen to it. It comes from wild moths, whose main diet is oak leaves.

Her face, has been individually hand-drawn, needle-sculpted and hand-painted which gives her, her own unique personality and charm! Her eyes and lips have been enhanced with a crystal clear lacquer, which gives her a very life-like look and shine.

Her beautiful hairdo was created using an Italian yarn, which is a wonderful mixture of soft, wispy eyelash, and colorful "poofs". It glistens and shines, so that the mermaid looks as if she just came out of the sea!Her accents are Swarovski crystals in her hair, along with a real sea shell, Swarovski crystal and shell necklace, and two strands of Swarovski crystals at her waist, along with another real sea shell. Oh yes, she also has a Swarovski crystal belly button. There is a total of 50 Swarovski crystals in her accents.

GOOD LUCK!

FEATURED ETSY ARTIST - TYE J. SCHLOER

FOREVER AND EVER

by Tye J. Schloer

4' x 6' Oil Painting

What a stunning creation by this artist!!

CLICK ON ABOVE PHOTO to learn more about it.

Let's welcome, Tye and his wonderful, fantasy paintings. Tye's shop on Etsy is called TYE J. and it is filled with surreal, colorful, imaginative paintings by Tye. You really must pay a visit.

The Lily Shower

CLICK ON PHOTO to learn more about it!

What led you to start creating your art/craft

I started to seriously draw at the age of 12, and started to paint by 10th grade. I had a very inspiring art teacher who gave me alot of encourgement.

How did you decide what medium you wanted to work with?

Well, I started out using acrylics on canvas, but I always wanted to learn oils. When I met my girlfriend in college, (shes my fiance now) she pushed me to use oils and gave me some real informative lessons. Since then, I've have been an oil painter.

What aspect of creating your art/craft do you find the most enjoyable?

Um, thats a good question. I think, for me, the best part is actually in the preperation before I start a major canvas. My favorite is building the stretchers, and stretching the canvas, you have to put in alot of good craftmaship if you want a nice looking canvas.

If you had to choose a fruit OR a vegetable, to describe your art/craft, what would you choose, and why?

I'm not sure on how to answer that one so I'll say fruit??

If you had to choose one other medium in which to display your “creativity”, what would that be, and why?

I am always a oil painter first and a spray painter second... but, I would choose spray paint, which I also do for fun on the streets. You can check my store to see what spraypaintings I have in stock, many for under $20.00. (had to get the plug in)

What message, if any, do you want to convey with your art/craft?

My art represents imagination, fantasy, magic, emotion, dreams, and any thing I can come up with. People always ask "how do you think of that stuff".....I really dont know...it just comes to me, like the wind.

What advice do you have for other artists/crafters?

Don't give up!!!

Tye, you have a wonderful talent and imagination! Thanks for sharing your work with everyone. Wishing you much success in the future! It has been fun having you out here on DZFANTASY as a featured artist.

THE WINNER OF DZFANTASY'S "LEAF FAIRY" GIVEAWAY IS.....

HEIDI OF CANADA!

CONGRATULATIONS, HEIDI!

Heidi's entry of March 23rd was randomly picked (by my husband), out of the 65 entries submitted for the above "Leaf Fairy" giveaway, which ended April 10th - at 12:00 Midnight CST.

A big "thank you", to all of you who entered and left such delightful comments. I always enjoy reading them. A new giveaway will be coming soon, so do stop back and enter. The next lucky winner could be you!

"JUNGLE SPIRIT" Colorful fiber sculpted wall accent!

" Jungle Spirit"

15" x 15"

Wall accent

by

DZFANTASY

I just finished designing and creating this colorful fiber sculpted wall accent using one of my favorite fabrics, a design from LAUREL BURCH called "Secret Jungle".

She was great fun to design and create with her silk fabric leaf setting. I've just listed her out in my DZFANTASY Etsy shop, so if you'd like to learn more about her, click on any of her photos.

MERMAID ON A REAL STARFISH!

ENCHANTING MERMAID

on

REAL STARFISH

I've been working on this delightful fiber sculpted mermaid for several days now, and finally she is finished! I've really been into the aqua and ocean theme with my last few creations. I love the colors!

Her starfish is real, and she is permanently cemented to it. It took several steps to get her firmly attached to the starfish using a big clamp and a special cement.

To find out more about her, click on any of her photos!

Her accents are Swarovski crystals (just love their sparkle!), and green, glass leaf beads, and a tiny glass fish!

"FLOWER FAERIE" Face pins...new design!

"Flower Faerie" face pin

My new fairy pin design

I decided I needed to try something a little different for my pin designs (so I don't get bored)....and the above photo shows my first little "flower fairy" face pin! They take about 2 hours to create, as the petal background is a crocheted rosette (which I purchased), which I have hand-dyed using silk fabric paints to match the faerie's hairdo. It is a bit messy, but I love to see the colors flow on.

Below is a photo, which I talked my husband into taking, while I had the pin attached to my sweater. It turned out rather well....so I told him he was hired!

Pin's Back

I'd love to hear some comments on my new idea...., so if you feel like letting me know what you think of this style pin, I'd really appreciate it. You can learn more about her by clicking on the top photo.

I just might have one of these "flower faerie's" as one of my monthly giveaways. What do you think?

"WILD CHILD" Butterfly Fairy...!

"Wild Child" fairy

This is my latest fairy, which I am calling "Wild Child", as she looks so whimsical and wild with her colorful wild hairdo. Now wouldn't it be fun to be a fairy and be able to flit and fly all over the place!

I just listed her out in my DZFANTASY shop on Etsy, so you can learn more about her if you click on her photo above.

I'M THINKING SPRING, FAIRIES AND FLOWERS!

It has already been TOO LONG of a winter here in Wisconsin....so I'm keeping myself busy creating new fairies and thinking of spring!!

This is my latest design, which I just finished creating for our daughter to hang on her living room wall next to a beautfiul large photo of a hibiscus flower in the same colors!

The fairy is the largest of my fantasy figures, and she measures 15" tall before sculpting her into her sitting position. She is a butterfly fairy, with large wings in the shape of butterfly wings.

The leaf is also the largest I have ever made, and is 100% silk, which I hand-dyed. The leaf is about 18" long and a 6.5" wide, at its widest point.

I had such fun making this one I think I just might have to make another!