It took a long time deliberating to decide how to detail the princess's face. Full facial detail would be too real while a round circle with features drawn on would be too cartoon-ish. I settled on proper facial form with nose, cheek bones, etc but with the eyes drawn on as circles and a sweeping smile drawn on for the mouth. This was a perfect compromise that matched the book illustrations.
Once the face was complete I added a base coat to build up hair volume and added a wire mesh for the crown's foundation.
Once the face was complete I added a base coat to build up hair volume and added a wire mesh for the crown's foundation.
A layer of Winterstone was added to the crown. During sanding one day later I inadvertently bent one of the prongs. Fortunately Winterstone is more forgiving than natural stone and I was able to make a successful repair. My big, clunky fingers had a heck of a time fashioning icing in the gaps between the crown's prongs. Every time I smoothed the finish of one prong with the skin on my finger, my fingernail would accidentally slice a scar line into an adjacent prong trapping me in a cycle of eternal rework.
To make the disheveled hair I applied a smooth layer of icing and carved swooping lines into it with a plastic knife. Drawing the lines in a downward direction was pulling the body out of the princess's hair so I switched to pulling the knife in an upward direction. The combined chaos created the proper impression.
From a artistic perspective I preferred to have the fingers somewhat open while waving but individual fingers are weak and prone to breakage, especially in the hands-on environment of the library. Closing the fingers into a tighter wave was prudent.
The paper bag is the last area to finish. It's almost time to go shopping an find a suitable stone cover for the base.
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