The Evolution of a SnipPet: Sweet Tooth, Step 1 - Concept and Sketch

I thought it would be fun to take you through the steps of my design process. I will take photos of each phase and post them here along with a description of any supplies and techniques used. It will be sort of a SnipPet tutorial. I always say that I am a terrible teacher because I don't explain things well, so this will be beneficial to me as well.

In the past few months, I have started to sketch out my more complicated pieces. It is extremely helpful to map out the concept first and get the position and proportions correct so that I can build an armature based on the sketch. I used to let my designs evolve more organically, but I have seen a marked improvement in my work since I have begun to plan my ideas out a bit more strategically.

This particular piece has been brewing in my brain for awhile. I wanted to do another blue cheshire cat on his way to the Mad Hatter's tea party with sweet treats galore surrounding him. Have you seen the movie Chocolat? It's my all time favorite!!! Well, if you have, think of the scene where Comte de Reynaud (Alfred Molina's character) finally succumbs to Vianne's delectable chocolates and ends up in the display window rolling around in the chocolates devouring as many as he can shovel in. That was another part of my inspiration for this piece. Then, i decided that the cat needed to be carried along to his destination, but wasn't sure how that would work. After I saw the Alice movie, I fell in love with the Red Queen's frog butlers and thought they would be perfect attendants for the cat! So, here is the sketch that I will work with to build the armature. The two frogs will be at each end but I did a forward facing sketch to allow me to get the sizing and shape right once i start sculpting.



Stay tuned for Step 2. I am hoping to get going on the armature early next week.
In the meantime, here is a teeny sneak peek at the Mad Hatter piece that I am finishing up for the Spookytime Jingles update. This little friend will be sitting on his head.