I know it’s well past Krampusnacht and nutcracker season, but after is when I had time to focus on this guy! And you better grab a seat, because focus I did and there are A LOT of photos!
The original is a blank reindeer from Michael’s. I removed some parts to refashion and/or reposition.
And now that I’ve shared the 360 and the history, how about many, many detail shots with many descriptions!? You bet!
Dat face!
I did a bit of reading and LOTS of looking at images old and new. I learned that Krampus almost always has chained wrists, sometimes the chains are broken. I didn’t have a satisfying way to do that exactly, so I gave him shackles on his wrists and had him carry a chain in his left hand. In his right he’s carrying a bell. I but the bell on the chain so it wouldn’t block clear few of the belt “buckle” which I LOVE.
I read how originally/traditionally the Krampus has one goat hoof and one human foot, but also saw lots of images of him with more monstrously demony feet so I decided on one hoof and one monster foot. I added decorative upholstery tacks to the base for some added interest down there.
His pack has its own post (UPDATED! Miniature Woven Basket), because it felt like its own mini-project. It put a bundle of switches in it for torturing the bad kids, but left room for him to kidnap them, too! At the last minute it occured to me to make sure to position the switches so that they wouldn’t interfere with the nutcracking mechanism, even though this is NOT a real nutcracker and would not actually crack nuts if put to use. It’s very soft wood, etc.
I did some deliberately crude carving: I made a tail out of balsa to cover the nutcracking lever and then cut away the original antlers to make horns. I also carved a bit on his nose and ears, but the ear carving ended up covered in fur.
A few-to-several years ago I was keeping track of the materials and tools I used for projects and I decided to try to do that again for awhile. Boy, was this the project that made that a bit of a big deal!
MATERIALS: Felt, felt ribbon, ric rac, embroidery floss, paints fack fur, chrome plated chain, bell, balsa wood, vintage button, *DAS air dry clay, brass chain, cardstock, twigs from yard, leather, aluminum tape, decorative upholstery tacks, contact adhesives, wood glue, felt glue, fabric glue, googly eyes, pigment ink, cardstock, Stain & Seal, saddle soap, waxed twine, bakers string, graph paper, pencil
TOOLS: Sandpaper, craft knife, razor blade, coping saw, wire cutters, needle nose pliers, chalk marker, paper, embroidery, and fabric scissors, embroidery needle, wax carving tools, drill/bits, paint brushes, forceps, palette, craft stick, probe, rulers, guillotine cutter
*Other than the nutcracker blank, the DAS was the only thing I bought for this project!
You know how much I enjoyed making him over the last couple weeks! And the silly bits I love just as much as the nice and evil bits! Like how his head fur looks a bit like an 80s jhery curl. And googly eyes! HA!
, I’m not that naughty, haha.