Hoots and Fiddles - a new character for the May Parade

I've now created my 14th character for my May Parade: Figures from an Imaginary Folk Festival arts project. She's a fiddler who wears a costume based on an owl. I've seen plenty of owl costumes and masks at folk festivals so it was an obvious choice. 

Here are a few examples.

Plus, you know ...

I also found this rubbish doodle in the pages of an old sketchpad - the idea has apparently been with me for a while.

I began, as usual, with an armature made of wire bulked out with kitchen foil and  I then added a head made from compressed papier mache. I buy these because they are eco-friendly and because plastic or polystyrene would melt in the oven when I bake the polymer clay.

I'm going to use googly eyes (though they won't look 'googly' after painting) but these can't be added until after the baking is done. Here I am testing for size. 

I then started to build up the head and body in foil and masking tape before adding a skin of polymer clay and giving the figure a first bake.

Next I added a skirt with a kind of tartan pattern, some boots and a bust.

Meanwhile I turned my attention to the fiddle. I was able to cheat a little here. I found a metal violin brooch in a charity shop ages ago. It was flat so I used polymer clay to add a body to the back of it. It looks pretty good I reckon and it's just about in scale (1:12) to match my figures.

I then added a fringe to the skirt and gave the figure some arms. I added the poncho-type top and made some hands. Then I added detail to the head, assembled the whole figure and gave her a final bake.

After baking I added a bow made from a cocktail stick and thin plastic.

Finally, I attached her to a base, added the eyes and painted her black before highlighting with gold. 

Another May Parader completed.

I needed a name for her, of cours, but anything involving 'owl' and 'fiddler' sounded like a criminal offence. So I picked something that both owls and violins can do.

Say hello to Screech.