TIB's Heroes Contest and the Arte du Blythe Fat Book Project

Have you ever had one of those days (or weeks) where none of your projects turn out like you pictured them in your head? Well, that's the state I've been in. I had such great ideas for the TIB Heroes Contest and my Arte du Blythe project, but for some reason I kept falling short of realizing them. I hate when that happens. *sigh*

Anyway, now for the unveiling of the hero Loovee and I chose!

Drum roll please . . .

It's Gachapin!

Here's a closer shot.

I am sure I've spoken about Gachapin before, but in case you're unfamiliar with him, Gachapin the dinosaur is a very popular television character in Japan. Unfortunately, I was not lucky enough to grow up watching him in the children's show Hirake! Ponkiki! as I live in the USA. However, I fell in love with his adorable likeness during my trip to Japan and I have since watched many YouTube videos of him. Little did I know that behind that gentle, dopey demeanor lies such vibrant energy. I've seen videos where he rock climbs, break dances, jet skis, and even ice skates! I enjoy all of his playful antics and greatly admire how agile and athletic he is . . . and that is why Gachapin is my hero! Wow. That sounded like a grade school theme paper.

As for the costume, it didn't come out like my original sketch, which I ripped up in frustration so I'm afraid I can't share it with you. The dress I had in mind was completely different, but being that I was crunched for time, I decided to nix it and just use my old apron dress pattern. The helmet came out pretty dead on, so I am pleased with that bit. Although it's not exactly what I envisioned, I'm happy that I managed to whip up something at all before the looming deadline.

For my Arte du Blythe Fat Book project we had to create two different page designs with an animal theme. Fat books are chunky little books filled with collage art pages individually created by different artists. I had to make 28 pages total (14 of each design). I have never done a collage before so it was a very interesting endeavor.
This is my first page design. It feels rather busy to me and has no clear focus, so I'm not sure how I feel about it, really.

This is my second design. This one has a definite focus, but feels rather sparse. However, I was too afraid to touch it up for fear it would get too busy like the first design. What a dilemma, huh?

Well, I am hoping that I can move past this so-so crafting phase and find my zone with my upcoming project -- updating my Etsy shop. My shop has been woefully neglected and I plan to remedy that right away. I plan on making owls; amigurumi rabbits and cupcakes; and even Blythe clothes such as some apron dress/head kerchief sets and sundae hats.

Well, thank you again for dropping by. I'm off now to visit my fellow blogging pals and see what wonderful things they've been up to.

Come back soon!