It’s not often that I am really pleased with the things I make. I see the flaws in my work much more readily than I notice its good points.
I am particularly hard on myself when it comes to commissions.
This is because I know that someone will be scrutinising every detail of my work when they receive it, after having paid for it without seeing it beforehand “in the flesh”, so to speak. When someone has examined the thing they are buying properly before parting with their cash, like when I sell from my stall, it’s not so bad. The customer knows what they are getting.
I suppose you could say that everyone who buys online effectively buys “sight unseen”… but commissions make me particularly nervous, because I think that they often come with emotion behind them – and I dread the recipient being disappointed when they see for the first time what they have actually bought.
Anyway, I have finally finished my vintage circus characters commission. I struggled terribly at first to get started, as I invariably do. It is such a tricky thing to bring something into existence from nothing when it has not previously developed in my own imagination, but in someone else’s.
But once I did get started, I gathered momentum, like a snowball rolling down a hill.
I showed you the two aerial hoop girls in my previous post. I am pleased with them. So far so good. But the brief was for two hoop / trapeze performers, plus two other circus characters. A blank sheet to work from…
I could have taken the “easy” route and done a clown. Everyone knows what clowns look like, right? But clowns can be problematic… there’s a fine line to be trod between capturing a suitable vintage clown vibe without tipping over into horror movie territory.
Not even real clowns always got this right… 
See what I mean?
I wasn’t sure I would be able to combine “clown”, “vintage”, and “cute” (or at least, not scary) all together, in one miniature doll.
So then I thought of something I had made in the past: a lion.
I felt it would’ve been cheating to make a cute lion; I wanted this circus lion to be just-a-tad fierce. Or at least, more grumpy than smiley. After all, that’s what people expect of a circus lion, isn’t it? I leave it to you to decide whether I succeeded…
For the final creature I knew I wanted to make a bear. An Entertainer Bear. By the way, I have to mention that I am certainly not in favour of real animals in circuses. I’ve been vegetarian since my twenties and I am more than glad that real-life animal circuses are a thing of the dim and distant past.
Fabric circus creature dolls are, however, a different matter. I don’t have a problem with them – they are fantasy creatures, no less so than a fairy, or a dragon, or a courtier cat in a tailcoat.
I imagined my bear as a star of the Big Top in his own right, a hard working, all-singing, all-dancing bear of many talents. A showman. And I think I succeeded in bringing him to life…
For once I am feeling quite chuffed. I think I’ve managed to give my bear a suitable expression of concentration and a costume befitting an artiste of his talent and stature.
Having got an idea that buzzed around my head and refused to go away, I worked out how to make a miniature unicycle from scratch! (I had to raid my lad’s old toybox for something broken that had a suitably-sized wheel.) I worked out how to make it to fit him and got Mr Bear to successfully perch plausibly upon it, which has pleased me greatly (this is, by the way, something of an understatement).
I really really really hope that the recipient likes her showman bear (and her other dolls, of course) when she finally gets to meet them.
Critical as I am of my own work, I feel that, on this occasion, it is not just Mr Bear who is deserving of taking a bow and receiving a round of applause. ♥
Congratulations and patting of self on the back are definitely in order. The bear is clearly teetering but not falling, those balls he’s juggling have a whizz to them, and the lion is Not Happy about having to ponce around the ring yet again roaring and lashing his tail when all he wants to do is retire to his quarters with a glass of port and the Odes of Horace… Just lovely!
Aww, thank you Kate! You have totally and utterly understood the lion, which has made me very happy indeed!
And I am now imagining a lion reclining on a chaise longue, wearing a paisley dressing gown and one of those velvet smoking caps, whilst sipping on a glass of port. If I can work out how to make a pattern for a reclining lion I may try to bring him to life.
Yes! Exactly! And red morocco slippers and possibly a cravat.
Your work is stunning- but I know what you mean about being hypercritical. You should be really proud of what you have made.
Thanks! I am getting happier with the things I make as my skills improve. But we are always our harshest critics, aren’t we?
They are amazing! I love them so much, you did such a great job! I know what you mean about being hard on yourself, it is never easy. I have always preferred it when people buy off my market stall because I know they’ve seen the item in the flesh and bought it! I’ve never had a problem but I can never help feeling a nervous kind of ‘ooooh I hope they like it’ when I package something in a box and ship it off. I love your Showman Bear!
Thank you!
Good call on the clown. I always think they are pretty creepy! I LOVE your bear on the unicycle. So charming and warm spirited. Corduroy was the perfect choice. The buyer must be thrilled!!
I’ll let you in to a secret Sue… the corduroy was a happy accident. I only used it because I couldn’t find the piece of brown brushed cotton that I had planned to use (I had tidied up – always fatal!) The corduroy, a gift from Swedish fabric seller Lusefine, was sitting on the top of the pile in front of me!
Cleaning up–the bane of all creatives!!! 🙂
That bear in particular is a triumph! Juggling AND a unicycle. Fantastic work Sharon x
Magnificent as always!! Love your writing also…so clever!
These are lovely as always. I do custom work too and it’s always a bit nerve-wracking in case the customer isn’t thrilled. It’s hard to know what vision they have sometimes but I always feel that they’ve approached me because they like my work so it should all be ok!
They are all amazing! I can’t think that the recipient would be anything but extremely pleased when she opens the parcel and sees them in person!
She has now received them and the response was very gratifying. x
Although I’ve been reading your blog for years, I haven’t visited you for some time. When looking through your work, I noticed how much you have developed your talents. Your works have become even finer, more characteristic and very sophisticated. This is a high art, which I admire very much. And I would like to congratulate you on your wonderful work. It is most admirable.
Thank you SO much for your lovely comment! I’m sorry it took me so long to respond to it. I am very humbled.