There is a cookie exchange planned as well as an ugly sweater contest. The one that I'm actually taking part in is the door decorating contest...because no one wants my cookies! We have several departments in our office so at least four doors are involved. I am the group department's secret weapon!
Meet Handsome, my reindeer.(Not a professional photo.)
There is a window in the door to my office. We had debated putting a scene from Rudolph where the Abominable Snowman puts the star on the tree but that didn't feel right...I looked up images of real reindeer for inspiration.
Reindeer are really funny creatures. Their tongues are all over the place when they run!
They have the cutest goofy smiles too.
I sketched out this smiling reindeer and decided it was too cartoony. Sometimes photos are the only way to do an animal justice when it comes to the spirit. Like this guy looks really happy pulling that sleigh of kids.
I have always considered Reindeer to have some sort of regal essence. They are the only animal that can fly a big guy in a red suit around the world in one night after all. They are like the special ops team for the animal kingdom when it comes to delivering presents.
Anyway, I wanted to create a look of a reindeer inside a stable which would utilize the door window.
I remember when I was a kid that there was a reindeer stable set up in the old Summit Mall. I thought it was so cool! The Hamburg Fairgrounds does something with real reindeer this time of year too...
Christmas A.D.D. I tell ya!
So the finished product: (Not a professional photo.)
I had created "wood" paneling. We have red glitter reindeer ornaments up there as well as glitter snowflakes. I had wrote all our names in glitter glue. I made the basic chemistry mistake of oil and water don't mix. So the glue wouldn't stick. I blotted and outlined the names with sharpie to salvage the paper.
My coworkers were certainly impressed.
Handsome took some time and major elbow effort. He accompanied me through four hours of doomsday specials on the History channel as well as the Shawshank Redemption movie. I had not seen that movie yet-it was good! I agonized over little details for two hours and then he was done. (There are about 6 hours previous in sketching and foundation color.) So around 14 hours spent? A way to spend a Saturday! This oil pastel was drawn on 18x24 paper-the largest one I have with oil pastel to date. I caved and used tissue to blend the background because of the amount of layering I had to do and the size of coverage. I usually only use my finger tips. I wanted to save those on this one. (I don't like paper blending sticks, there is something about connecting with the medium for me and getting the texture I like.)
Handsome the Reindeer will be posted on Etsy when its time to sell.
Merry Christmas!
Love,
Jessie
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