Antique Lilac
  • Home
  • for Sale
  • Galleries
  • Favourite Photos
  • Tutorials
  • Blog
  • Links
  • Books

Baby Dragons

1/25/2023

20 Comments

 
Ever since I made Saphira last year, I've been toying with the idea of her and Winston becoming parents. Which meant designing some baby dragons. 

​My sister has a collection of adorable baby dragon figurines, which I asked to borrow for inspiration.
Picture
So I set about trying to design one in cloth. Personally, I find the whole concept of design and testing very tedious. I just want things to work out right the first time. but nowadays that doesn't happen much anymore.  

I wanted 'cute' baby dragons, and not fierce-looking ones like their parents, so I started with Winston's head pattern and made some major alterations to it, shortening the muzzle, then scanning it in and shrinking it several sizes. I made a first test head using the fabric I had chosen for one of the babies. I don't usually like to 'waste' the good fabric, but I needed to know exactly how it would stuff. The first head wasn't quite right.  It looked like a lion, so I made some more adjustments to the pattern, and made a second head. It looked right as a base for soft sculpturing.

So the next thing was to design a body. I decided they were all going to have the same body, which could work for either a sitting or standing dragon. The body would be wired from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail so it would be posable. Which meant I'd need the neck to be almost straight, so the seams wouldn't pop when it was bent into other positions.

The test body reminded me of a velociraptor when it was stuffed, so I figured I was on the right track. After all, dragons and dinosaurs do look a bit alike. But the pattern still needed a bit of tweaking, and then I cut and sewed a body out of the good fabric.  I sewed the wrapped wire into the tip of the head, then stuffed it. I made teeny, tiny ears and back spines.... 
Picture
Then after stuffing the body, and needle-sculpting the head, I cut out some paper arms, legs, and wings, just to see how it might look....
Picture
Then with it's parents, and some 'dragon' eggs I'd purchased at Michael's...
Picture
I started adding Apoxie to build up the head features, then decided I'd better stop and catch up with the other ones, because if I worked on the first one to completion I doubt I'd want to start all over again for the second.....or third.  Better to work on all of them at the same time.

​I had originally planned to make three, but when I went through my fabrics, there were four combinations that spoke to me....so it would be four. So I cut out three more sets of pieces.
Picture
Meanwhile I finished the sculpting on baby number one, painted it, and started the beading....
Picture
Picture
Picture
He looked adorable, but I had to stop and catch up with the others. So I sewed and stuffed them, did the basic needle-sculpting, and sewed on their Apoxie horns....
Picture
Then it was time to sculpt their little faces. They always remind me of tiny cows at this point.
Picture
All sculpted, and ready to paint....
Picture
Even though I enjoy doing the beading, there is a LOT of it, so it's going to take me a while to finish all their bodies before I start work on designing their arms, legs, and wings. But now is as good a time as any, since there's nothing else pressing on my To-Do list at the moment.  In fact, with Baron and Naomi's wedding photos finally up to be posted next, I have almost an entire month of free time ahead of me. Perfect for making a bunch of baby dragons!
20 Comments
Svenja
1/25/2023 05:40:03 am

They are soooo cute! Adorable!

Reply
Martha
1/25/2023 06:37:11 am

Thanks! That's what I was hoping for. And they aren't even done yet.

Reply
Dorian
1/25/2023 08:06:31 am

Your talent always amazes me. These are just adorable, looking forward to seeing them finished. Winston and Saphira will be proud parents :)

Reply
Martha
1/25/2023 08:12:56 am

Thanks! I can't wait to see them finished as well, but it's going to take a little time. The painting goes pretty quick, but beading takes a long time. But at least if I work on all of them at the same time, they'll all get done around the same time too.

Reply
Mera Crews
1/25/2023 09:15:56 am

I’m excited to see. The litter… we were thinking to add a lil dragon for our doll collection.. what are your adoption rules💕💕

Reply
Martha
1/25/2023 09:27:53 am

Sorry, but my dragons LOVE their children, and aren't about to sell or adopt any of them out.

However, I am going to do a Creative Journey on the making of them eventually, and might include the patterns, even though that won't even help much, since the baby dragons are nothing without the Apoxie sculpting, and I'm not doing step by step sculpting instructions.

Reply
Donna
1/25/2023 01:40:10 pm

They are SO CUTE!!! They make you want to smile right back at them. I'm smiling right now thinking about seeing them scampering around the room after they are born... oops...hatched. Winston and Saphira will be kept busy I think. 😂

Reply
Martha
1/26/2023 04:28:26 pm

Thanks! The little purple one makes me smile every time I look at him. I hope the others turn out just as cute. I've not had much time to work on them since I sculpted the last ones, as I have some photos I really ant to take before I can move on.

Reply
Nancy
1/25/2023 03:00:13 pm

What a fabulous clutch of dragons. It’s so sweet to see Winston find out he wasn’t the only dragon left all the way to becoming a father. They are quite adorable and I can only imagine the mischief they will get up to. I hope they don’t hiccup flames!

Reply
Martha
1/26/2023 04:30:29 pm

Thanks! I think Winston and Saphira are going to have their hands full. Thankfully I don't think baby dragons breathe fire until they are older. And since these ones are never going to grow up, I think everyone will be safe.

Reply
Jitka
1/25/2023 11:35:29 pm

Hurray, there are baby dragons 😁. You have my utmost admiration that you are going through this time demanding task, I absolutely adore them, they are looking so cute. It will be really funny to watch Winston to try to look after them and fetch them to one place, when Safira will be enjoying her time off (as their mum she will have a lot to care for - I can't imagine how tiring it must be to have quadruplets 😄).

Reply
Martha
1/26/2023 04:32:03 pm

Thanks! I actually enjoy all the handwork, even if it takes a while. At my age time flies so fast that they'll probably be done before I know it. At least I hope so.

Reply
Brigitte
1/26/2023 03:08:45 am

Your little Dragons are very cute. Hopefully, you have fun creating them.

Reply
Martha
1/26/2023 04:33:28 pm

Thanks. The parts I like least are the sculpting and painting. I much prefer sewing and beading. But it's the sculpting and painting that gives them their character.

Reply
earthspirits
1/26/2023 02:24:47 pm

Awww, they're all darling little dragons. And I love the different color combos!

Reply
Martha
1/26/2023 04:34:19 pm

Thanks! I thought it would be nice if they were all different. Makes it more interesting - and easier to tell them apart.

Reply
Rebecca
1/27/2023 02:26:42 pm

Adorable!

Reply
designdreamer
2/19/2023 04:42:42 pm

Ahhhh, so cute!!!
Stop it!! Now I want to make dragons again! I agree they look like cows in their unfinished state.

Reply
Martha
2/20/2023 11:53:58 am

Thanks! I ended up sanding the most 'bovine' face right off, and totally re-sculpted it.

Reply
Dorothy
3/4/2023 07:51:49 pm

What little cuties they are! I am sure that their parents will be very happy to meet them.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Martha Boers is an award-winning Canadian doll maker and costumer specializing in fantasy and historical-style costumes.
    Read More... 

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.