I made this for @thanate in the Dotee Swap. I was inspired by her theme “denizen of an enchanted forest.” After scrolling her (meticulous!) pinterest boards, I wanted to make a creature that invoked trees, mushrooms, and moss. I came up with this little tree creature. Maybe it’s a little dude hiding in a kind of hut or stump, or maybe all that is the body itself. Why should I decide? It can be whatever it wants! I’m calling this an art doll because it is a true mixed-media project.
The body/base is a stuffed tube of brown alova suede, and the face is a fussy cut section of a flower fabric that had a tree bark-ish vibe and color.
I took a bunch of small twigs leftover from another project.
I wanted them to look mossy and old, so I used some different embossing powders to get that effect (three greens, sepia brown, white, and a touch of mustard yellow).
I like how oyster mushrooms cluster, so I made a bunch out of paper clay.
I needle felted a little “wig” and some leaves for embellishment.
I thought that was all I would do, but then I realized it needed a little Spanish moss to finish it off properly.
The face piece is hand stitched on the machine stitched body. I used safety eyes and added some pigment around them to give them more depth. It can be free-standing or hang with a yarn loop.
A few other embellishments, like some flowers I colored with ink, a pinecone charm, and a metal bead crown, helped visually balance it out.
Overall, I really loved this little creature in the end, and hope it’s happy in its new home!
Thanks for taking a look!
