Mortimer The Book Explorer ... OR ... Kyle Made a Weird Bookmark

Why hello there readers and fellow bloggers, long time no see. ^_^

Meet Mortimer! He’s an Explorer. He loves books. He is a Book Explorer! (It’s a bookmark, or is it?)
What I’m saying is that I created a classy eyeball person with ambition, and then made him into a delightfully weird laminated bookmark for you to enjoy, and quite possibly get creative with yourself. - As it turns out the average size of a standard bookmark is almost equal to a very tall 1:12 scale (dollhouse size) human, so while I was photographing Mortimer he wandered around the studio a bit.
 
If anyone wishes to bring a copy of Mortimer home and use him in weird photo ops, by all means please do. (and feel free to let me know what you’ve come up with!)  
#mortimerbookexplorer Wouldn’t be a bad tag for your pics, just sayin’. 

Ok, but how do you get a copy of Mortimer? 
 
Well here’s the thing: Because this was a weird/random project, I printed and assembled these neat bookmarks in-house. 
Depending on feedback, I can make many more runs of Mortimer and his friends to come, but for now there are only 12 Mortimers available. 
 
3 ways to snag one for yourself;

1. Head on over to ART247 in Lockport NY. There are some for sale just outside of studio 233
2. My Etsy shop, under the *NEW* Misc. Fun! section.
3. Now that you’ve read this far - This post is actually a giveaway announcement! *gasp*

That’s right, I am giving one of the very first copies of Mortimer the Book Explorer away to one of my lucky Facebook followers! 
To be entered, head on over to my Facebook page and hit the like button - You can find a post with the details there.

This is my first online giveaway ever and if it goes well I might just do it again, so share this post to make this giveaway happen and to get Mortimer out there exploring the books and world I would imagine he’d love to see! #bykylelefort #art #giveaway #bookmark #eyeballpeople #characters #dollhouseminiatures #artstudio #lockportny

* The 2016 Gingerbread House Series *

~*~ The 2016 Gingerbread House Series ~*~

Ha! You thought I wasn't going to get this year's tiny gingerbread houses done, but you were wrong! Here they are;

 I wasn't up for polymer clay and all the baking though, so this year I went up in size a bit and sewed a gingerbread pillow village + 3 gingerbread pillow friends. Brown flannel coated in Polycrylic for the gingerbread. Once again I used puff paint for the frosting and polymer clay was used for the candy details. I doubt the tiny dollhouse people would want to eat these, they're meant to be throw pillows or plush decor items this time around.

No scene at the moment, I just finished these today at home and I haven't quite figured out a good way to sign and date them yet..., I will figure that out after Christmas.

Speaking of Christmas, if you missed it on Instagram, my fern buddies have gotten into the spirit;

 And if you celebrate the holiday, I hope you have gotten yourself into the spirit of it too (or at least finished with presents - avoid being that eleventh hour shopper, it does not sound like fun to me). 

As of typing this it is just a few hours until Christmas Eve, and I am officially done working. Time to take a break and spend time with my family.

Merry Christmas, and if I don't hear from you until then - Happy New Year too. ^_^

A little Fall Mischief

A family member had a couple of huge ferns that needed somewhere indoors to over winter. I offered to house them in the art studio this year. The ferns are turning out to be a lot of fun so far....

 

 (originally posted on Instagram)

 

Happy Halloween!

 

 And believe it or not, I actually got a lot of work done in the studio yesterday too. ^_^

Undersized Urbanite - The Surrealism House

Hello fellow miniaturists, bloggers, lovers of all things dollhouse, random visitors, voters, and other special guests! It's that time again - The big reveal for Undersized Urbanite!

As stated in my WIP posts, my dollhouse did not get as 'done' as I had hoped, but I do have a pretty interesting exterior to show off, so here we go;

Now for close ups;

I think that the egg carton mosaic turned out beautifully

The re-design for the new front door was a last minute miracle. A big Thank You to one of my "Mantis" prints, which I decided to cut up for the cause (to be fair, it was a damaged print, but I just couldn't throw away those pretty metallic colors - planned to use it throughout the house actually).

I know that I changed my color scheme from gray to purple halfway through sketching out the mosaic siding, but I'm still not sure what possessed me to start painting clouds on the purple after that - It did turn out really well though,...

...So well that I decided to paint the top floor sky blue and keep those clouds going. ^_^

What house wouldn't be complete without some trippy racing stripes, right? XD

And then finally, I give you a little bit of Steampunk, 

because I can't stop going back to Steampunk (it's fun).

So there you have it - The exterior of My Surrealism House. ^_^

---

There are a couple other things I did get a chance to work on, but they're part of the unfinished interior, but you know what? I'm going to show you anyway (Why not?);

Did you notice all the gold accents on the outside of the house? Well I got the idea for that while I was attempting to get the inside of the house painted. This painting/mural on the third floor is a mix of green, copper, and three shades of gold metallic paint. No sketching, just painted whatever I felt like painting.

And on that third floor, I also started a pond. It's acrylic paint with a few coats of Polycrylic to get the water effect. (I was hoping to add ducks - maybe someday) The green around the pond is more of the "Mantis" print - I was hoping to cover at least half of the floor with those shiny sea-foam tiles I was making (again, someday...). Oh, but what's with the puddle on the unfinished second floor hardwood? I'm glad you asked!

 I don't know if it was ever mentioned here on the blog, but one very rainy weekend last fall I walked into the art studio to find a huge puddle on the floor and rain pouring down in through the ceiling. It was just traumatic enough that I won't forget it anytime soon, but thanks to the studio visitors (some of which are friends now) who didn't seem to think a flood made the space any less awesome, that day was also just entertaining enough that it made it into this project. (Of course, I'm sure there was not actually a duck pond on the roof -it's more fun to to think about than cold Fall rain though).

I even made sure the ceiling is leaking.

Maybe I'll hold onto to the house and complete the interior next year, maybe when I have some time I'll keep working on it just for fun, maybe I'll finish it for an upcoming show - who knows? - For now though, this project is finished. As with any other year, I would like to say Thank You to Christina over at Little Victorian, for hosting Undersized Urbanite once more (Thank You!).

 Best wishes to the other entrants, hopefully you all finished in time. Can't wait to see everyone's entries. I think voting is open to everyone, so if you're reading this I encourage you to head on over to the official contest page and pick your favorite dollhouse.

Call For Entries - Mini Halloween Challenge!

Back again this year - My mini Halloween Challenge!

Last year I waited to see if anyone else had something planned first, but I thought about it - If there does happen to be another miniatures blog out there hosting a friendly challenge, just enter both. Or make two entries, I sure enjoy seeing all the cool things people come up with, Don't you?

This is a really informal challenge, so don't go crazy with it, just have fun!
(And this isn't a requirement, but if you're reading this and want to post a link to this challenge on your blog/sidebar so more people will see it, I would really appreciate it.)

Here's how it works;

1. Make a miniature scene for Halloween.
-You can make miniatures, buy them, re-purpose stuff you have lying around-Use whatever you want.
-Scale does not matter, but your work has to clearly be in miniature.

2. Take a picture.
-You can keep your work, we all just want to see it.

3. Leave a comment for me at the bottom of THIS POST, where I can find it.
-I need your name/screen name,
-a link to the photo you want me to post,
-and a link to your blog or website (if you have one)

4. I will make a super special Halloween post displaying all of your wonderful work.

No prizes or anything, this is just for fun. ^_^
-If you needed an excuse to make something for Halloween-You've got one now.
-This is a great way to advertise your blog/website-links will be publicly posted under your photo.
-And if you aren't a miniature artist, but maybe want to give it a try, this is a great no pressure way to start.

DEADLINE: Sunday October 26th. 
I'm in New York, so remember that there's a time difference if you live somewhere else, if you live west of here, get your entry in early. I will accept entries if they're a little late, but on time works sooo much better.
I plan on having the entries all posted on the 27th or 28th, time permitting.  
1 photo/entry per person, please.

And a quick note about Copyright (I'm a designer, I can't help it);
By giving me any photos/info to post on my blog, A). You are guaranteeing that it is your work to post and in good faith I will post it as such. B). You are giving me permission to use your photo/entry on my blog. Aside from back linking to the Halloween post in the future, or otherwise using post content like any responsible blogger would, I'm not going to use your work without further permission. You will be credited for your work, and you remain the Copyright holder of your scene design and the photo that you took.

That said, this is the internet, so you are more than welcome to add a watermark to your photo-Just don't make it so distracting that we can't enjoy your work.

If you're looking for some mini inspiration, Click Here to check out what everyone came up with last year.

Anyone interested, you have about 3 weeks to make something. Can't wait to see what you come up with! ^_^

The Curious Concepts Project: WIP "Colors"

I've been working on "Colors" (still a working title), so it's time for an update;

 As a reminder, 

This is the sketch I'm painting over.

I traced over my lines in Photoshop to create selection paths. 

You can't see the paths themselves here, but I used them to add in the colors,  

Navy Blue, Purple, and "Silver", which you can see.

Not sure if I've explained this enough yet, but all those shapes/colors are on different layers, one of the perks of using a computer. When I work on digital paintings I can go over AND under what I've already painted in. I can also hide and reveal layers as needed.

Used a soft edge brush tool to add some stars.

A texture brush + the burn/dodge tools.

More burning and dodging. The stripes were given identical textures, 

so you couldn't see them very well until I started shading.

Because you can never have too many dots, 

I used a hard edge round brush and made this spotted pattern.

And it's hard to see here, but I painted a layer of texture onto the ship.

Used the paths again to remove the purple spots

 from anywhere they weren't supposed to be.

Took the round brush and switched the edges back to a soft setting. 

Then I selected the Dodge tool and went over each of the purple dots, 

so now they look round and dimensional instead of just flat purple.

Hard to explain this part. 

Basically I took the original purple lines and blurred them. The selection paths were used to keep  the lines' edges from blurring too. I added a new layer of blue underneath, again using the paths so nothing else in the image would be affected. The blue is showing through the purple a little now.

Painted in some shadows behind the ship and large striped shape at the top.

I also did some more shading.

It's not finished yet, but the next time you see this, it should be. :)
(and I will have figured out a real title-might ask Vitt what she thinks)

Should I Call It a Thank You Sale?

Thank You to all of my followers/customers this year (and all years previous).
You are a BIG part of why I can continue making small things. And Illustrations. And artwork in general.

As Thanks, from now until the New Year, everyone is welcome to take 10% off orders placed at my Etsy shop.

At checkout, just enter coupon code: SAVE10TODAY

Etsy Shop; https://www.etsy.com/shop/KyleLefort

-----

I am planning on having an after the holidays catch up mega-post up soon (loaded with neat pictures and everything), but I didn't want any of my blog readers to miss hearing my Thank You, or the coupon. So you're getting this post first.

Talk to you all soon,

~Kyle

The 2013 Mini Gingerbread House Series

Here they are, ~*~ The 2013 Mini Gingerbread House Series. ~*~ , by Kyle Lefort

(If you're new, I'm Kyle- hi)

The "Big" difference from the last two years-these are quarter scale.

Here, check out the size difference from last year;

One inch vs. Quarter inch. Neat, isn't it?

So why the dramatic scale change? Well, I sort of made an unofficial promise to some local people that I would give quarter scale a real try this year. And try I sure did. Consider this the official opening of the Quarter Inch Scale Minis section of my Etsy shop. Not sure if I'll have time to make anymore quarter scale anything for a while, but it's a start. ^_^

Miniature Halloween Challenge!

One of the things I love about the dollhouse miniatures blogging community is the occasional friendly blog challenge. Read through my reading list of blogs that I follow and I haven't seen any for Halloween yet this year, so maybe that just means that it's my turn to host one. ^_^

I don't have much time for miniatures this month, so I'm just going to have to enjoy the hobby by encouraging you guys. This is a really informal challenge, so don't go crazy with it, just have fun!

(And this isn't a requirement, but if you're reading this and want to post a link to this challenge on your blog/sidebar so more people will see it, I would really appreciate it.)

Here's how it works;

1. Make a miniature scene for Halloween.
-You can make miniatures, buy them, re-purpose stuff you have lying aroung-Use whatever you want.
-Scale does not matter, but your work has to clearly be in miniature.

2. Take a picture.
-You can keep your work, we all just want to see it.

3. Leave a comment for me at the bottom of THIS POST, where I can find it.
-I need your name/screen name,
-a link to the photo you want me to post,
-and a link to your blog or website (if you have one)

4. I will make a super special Halloween post displaying all of your wonderful work.

No prizes or anything, this is just for fun. ^_^
-If you needed an excuse to make something for Halloween-You've got one now.
-This is a great way to advertise your blog/website-links will be publicly posted under your photo.
-And if you aren't a miniature artist, but maybe want to give it a try, this is a great no pressure way to start.

DEADLINE: Sunday October 27th. 
----Edit since even I am running late, I will definitely accept late entries.
I'm in New York, so remember that there's a time difference if you live somewhere else, if you live west of here, get your entry in early. I will accept entries if they're a little late, but on time works sooo much better.
I plan on having the entries all posted by the 30th. 1 photo/entry per person, please.

And a quick note about Copyright (I'm a designer, I can't help it);
By giving me any photos/info to post on my blog, A). You are guaranteeing that it is your work to post and in good faith I will post it as such. B). You are giving me permission to use your photo/entry on my blog. Aside from back linking to the Halloween post in the future, or otherwise using post content like any responsible blogger would, I'm not going to use your work without further permission. You will be credited for your work, and you remain the Copyright holder of your scene design and the photo that you took.

That said, this is the internet, so you are more than welcome to add a watermark to your photo-Just don't make it so distracting that we can't enjoy your work.

For some mini inspiration, here is a photo of my entry for Mini Mod Pod's Halloween Challenge last year;

You've still got about a week, so get creating!

Can't wait to see what you guys come up with. ^_^

Time For the Show!

This is just a quick post to let everyone know that this weekend is,  


The 33rd Annual Dollhouse Miniatures Show and Sale!

Again for anyone interested:
It’s being held by the WNY Miniature Enthusiasts at the
Hearthstone Manor in Depew, NY
- September 29, 2013. 10am-4pm.
(their website; http://www.wnyminis.com/)  

I just closed up my Etsy shop for the weekend, and am currently in the middle of getting everything together and packed up for Sunday.

Haven't had the chance to respond to any of the comments I've received since my last post, but I read a few in my inbox. It sounds like I might be visited by some of you at the show (awesome), so if you are planning on going to the show here are some things you might want to know;

1. If you read my blog you will probably know which booth is mine
   (The Steampunk House will be there, and my name will be on all sorts of stuff)

2. There are going to be two women at my booth (my mother volunteered to be my helper this weekend) If you're wondering which one is me-I'll be the younger, less talkative one that looks like she's been up late working on miniatures the past few nights. Apologies in advance if I come across as grumpy. (I'm also not a morning person, but I'm hoping my excitement for this show keeps me friendly all day)

3. Since many of my blog readers aren't using their real names/real photos - If you stop at my booth to say Hi, I'm 99% sure I will not know who you are. So feel free to mention that you read the blog. ^_^

I'm trying to photograph everything that I've made, new for the show, but that hasn't really happened yet. What I have managed to photograph so far is already in my DevianArt gallery for those interested. Maybe I'll make another blog post full of photos tomorrow, we'll see. For now though, it's back to getting ready for Sunday!

The 33rd Annual Dollhouse Miniatures Show and Sale - I Will Be There!

After about 2 years of saying, "I need to get into some [dollhouse/miniatures] shows", I was finally directed to one within driving distance here in  western New York. I think it was a relative's coworker that knew about this one (my local miniatures network seems to be growing).

The 33rd Annual Dollhouse Miniatures Show and Sale!

It’s being held by the WNY Miniature Enthusiasts at the
Hearthstone Manor in Depew, NY
- September 29, 2013. 10am-4pm.

(Here's their website; http://www.wnyminis.com/)


I found out about the show in August, so I figured that I was too late for this year, but after talking to two very nice ladies involved with the show-they found room for me, so I'm in! I will be one of the vendors at this year's show. ^_^

As soon as I thought that there might be a chance to be a part of this show, I started working on some new miniatures. I was getting a bit anxious waiting to hear back, I'll admit to that. If you're following me on Tumblr, you probably saw the post I made about making things and going sir crazy, so it's not like that was some big secret. Once I got the official notice that my application was accepted I posted again on Tumblr and Facebook, but I held off on the blog until I had something new and finished to show off.

Well...

1:12 scale pumpkins were going to happen with or without this show,
but the pottery is definitely a new addition.
I have dozens of bowls already, and I always planned on making more of this pottery because everyone seems to like it. Finally had the motivation.

There are also white pumpkins on the way, a few more pottery pieces waiting to be sealed, some furniture (some I made, some I'm painting), and whatever else I manage to turn out in the next week or two. I've got 8 feet of space to fill, but only about 3 feet worth of sale ready miniatures (inventory + my Etsy listings). So the more I can make the better. Every miniature thing I'm working on right now is strictly for the show, and oh, a quick heads up ---> My Etsy Shop will be closed the during the show (Sept. 29th).

I'm making plans to take The Steampunk House with me this year too. Provided I have room for it. Not for sale of course, I love it too much. I just think that some display pieces would be a good idea, and it's been packed up in the basement all summer. It would be nice to put in on display somewhere for a while.
(btw - Undersized Urbanite starts Sept. 30th this year, the day after this show-Good timing Christina ^_^ )

I've got a ton of work to do, so I'm going to get back to that. If you're going to be in the area, miniature show, September 29th - You should go. :)

Catching Up on Life - And Other Things

In an effort to finally get caught up on blogging, I'm making this one catch-up post about the many of things I feel like I need to blog about, so that I can mention it all and then move on with everything else I should be doing. If you're not into what you're reading, feel free to scroll down until you find something more interesting. ^_^

(I would also like it known that I have just about caught up on my blog reading, but to catch up on my reading-and everything else-I really couldn't leave comments on many of them. I do read them all though)

1. Update on the Market I took my work to;

I'm not saying it went badly, but it could've gone better. Compared to the last time I had a booth somewhere, I think I was more prepared and professional, I even remembered to take photos of my setup this time;

There was some wind, and the tear down had to happen in the rain, 

but it all held together pretty well.

Because I was basically trying to sell my work in the same location as last time, and I already know it's not a great market for my work, I really wasn't expecting much, but the one sale I made more than covered the entrance fee and quite a few people took my business cards, so it wasn't a loss.

Honestly though, I wish I had more of a budget for shows. I'd like to try some outside of Lockport, but I keep picking paying my bills over entry fees and other overhead. Stupid me, right? I dunno, I'm hoping that either I finally snag a long term job in my field or this freelance designer/artist/craft-person thing I do starts getting more regular business. Getting to the point where even a minimum wage job anywhere wouldn't be a terrible option, but it's going to take tons of time away from what I actually want to do, so I keep dragging my feet on that one.

2. Every year my church has this sale called, "Trash and Treasures", which I can only describe as a great way to clear all the junk out of your house(donating it to a church) and a great opportunity to get some neat stuff for dirt cheap (other peoples' junk-that you want), because unlike a garage sale, the church is the seller AND they're in charge of donating/recycling/giving away/throwing out whatever is left when the sale is over.

I love going to Trash and Treasures, but I purposely skipped it this year, waaay to much budget breaking temptation. The sale goes on during a yearly picnic/car show that I volunteer at, which makes avoiding it tricky, and wasting money at the picnic really wasn't any better that spending it at the sale, so instead of what I usually do at this thing, I skipped it and stopped by afterwards to help clean up (which went well with the church people because they have a tough time getting volunteers for that).

Well, my Mother did volunteer during the picnic and she spent some time at the sale, where she found and bought me this;

It's a weird little house! (That blue disk is a turntable/base for the house to sit on) I say it's weird because it's a bird house at the top, the front is one big out of scale tole painting, and it's part lazy Susan. I like it. A week before all this I was looking at the Steampunk House thinking about how much I enjoyed Undersized Urbanite and wishing I had another house on hand because, whether or not that Challenge becomes a yearly thing, bloggers are always coming up with things that a spare house would come in handy for. Now I have one. (Thank you Mom!) 

3. Clay-A-Palooza!

This was already a few weeks ago, so I'm going to save some time and direct you to a journal explanation I posted over on DeviantArt >>> Here.

 

Here's the results;

 

Miniature Pumpkins,

micro miniature pumpkins,

 

And micro miniature Penguins!

Out of season stuff, but it's what I felt like making. And look how tiny it all is! It's all up on Etsy now if anyone's interested. (The photos are linked to their listings).

4. After seeing my new micro miniature penguins, someone placed a custom order for some equally tiny charms.

 

If anyone in the U.S. wants to a custom order of miniatures/jewelry pieces, 

Seriously, just ask.

The order was for 4, I ended up making a batch of 7 though. I was planning on posting the extras on Etsy, but the shop's pretty full right now and a friend just reserved one of them. So I guess the 2 left are for sale online by request only.

(2 for $9 USD + shipping, if you're interested-feel free to contact me about them)

5. While I'm talking about Etsy, I'll mention these too;

A year and a half ago I opened my Etsy shop and the first thing I posted for sale were these miniature caramel apples. They sat in the shop, weren't selling, but they got tons of views and brought people to the shop so I kept renewing the listing. They weren't super expensive or anything, more expensive pieces were being bought up, but not theses apples. I guess the right person needed to see them or something, because right before that awful thunderstorm came through a couple weeks ago-someone finally bought them!

Normally  wouldn't just post about a sale, but being the first thing I ever tried to sell online, I dunno, It's kind of a bittersweet sign of progress. :)


6. Pumpkins

They're back again. ^_^

Yay, pumpkins!

(I love pumpkins)

Boo, whatever did this! It can have that one,  

but I'm hoping this isn't the year of the groundhog all over again.

It even ate the seeds this time.

Bonus photos;

City People: This is a field being harvested

This is a slug, 

which of course is crawling across my brother's arm

(Check out that slime trail)

And This...

...was probably a bad idea, 

but hanging out with some friends 

and figuring out how to use this canoe without paddles was pretty fun.

7. County Fairs

I usually go to two of them. Niagara County (Remember this?), where I mostly just hang out with the 4-H members I know, and Erie County, where I spent all of yesterday enjoying dorky things like the pig races. ("Swifty Swine Racing Pigs")

Winner gets a cookie. They're so cute.

And that my friends, brings us to today. There all caught up, woo-hoo. ^_^