Made by Lisa Anne
“Whimsy” came to me on a whim….
I had been thinking about making something tall, as my studio space has very high ceilings. Having made some more “fantastical” creatures lately, I thought why not do a giraffe? But, needing to stretch my boundaries at this point as I am moving into more whimsical and “made up” critters, I felt I could really loosen up and have fun with her!
She is essentially newborn-sized. I have her standing next to an upcycled 6 foot tall mannequin piece I did a couple years ago for scale.
Armature of her legs and neck were made with the help of foam piping insulation (gotta love the hardware store!). I was thinking about using pool noodles, but felt they’d be too thick.
I basically built her literally from the ground-up. In fact she was totally headless for most of the process, as I was sculpting her head separately (shhhh…usually while on Zoom meetings!). Attaching her head after her body was finished but not yet decorated provided a very good learning exercise, and worked out quite well, actually!
Although she is very “straight” in aspect of her pose, I did tilt her head a bit, so she can look at the viewer, eye-to-eye.
Her body was covered in original paper clay, but her hooves, tail, and head I did with silky smooth clay, so I could get it very smooth and/or very detailed where I wanted it to be.
Acrylic paint, fabric, crocheted yarn mane and such complete her colorful body.
My studio ceilings actually are much higher than Whimsy….but I’m not sure I’ll attempt a taller critter. There’s only so much standing on a ladder I want to do!
I just love your giraffe! All the color draws your eyes all around the piece. Just a whimsical and fun giraffe. Great job!!!
Gorgeous work! Love your piece of art!!
I love your giraffe so fun
Congratulations Lisa. Whimsy is stunning. I love that you think outside the square. Your use of paint, fabric etc is inspirational
Thanks, Fran!
I love your giraffe and your mannequin. It helps to have a point of reference about the height. The giraffe colors are magnificent. Thanks.
Wow! What an impressive giraffe. I love all the color and inventive characters that you give to your creations. Maybe you could make a pterodactyl-type creature and then hoist it up to take up that extra space by the ceiling? It could keep your dinosaurs company. 🙂
Oh…fantastic!
Another great idea to add to the “to do” list.
Thanks, Jonni!