During the pandemic, I discovered a quirky and fun way to help me build worlds and create story threads and this involves making and playing with miniatures. On a morning walk during lockdown, I found a plastic wombat figurine on the side of road. I took the wombat home. This figurine magically spoke to my imagination. Not only after, I made him a cottage from bark and cardboard, a piano and then, a boat.
After a time, I found myself using my quirky and rustic miniatures as sets and models. I took photos and used them for sketches.
I’m not the first artist to use miniatures, including dollhouses, as part of their creative process. Beatrix Potter, for example, used.a dollhouse made by her editor, Norman Warne (Denyer 2009). Norman had a love of carpentry and made the house especially for his niece. Beatrix used her sketches of the house for her iconic story, The Tale of the Two Bad Mice.
Over time, this practice has helped me bring the worlds of my imagination to life and weave stories. In my latest vlog, I share some insights into my process.
The Tale of the Two Bad Mice is available for purchase on AMAZON. And if you would like to learn more about Beatrix Potter’s life and creative process, I can recommend Susan Denyer’s book, At Home with Beatrix Potter. the book is available from Amazon.
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