Miniature Christmas Tree Scene
Posted: Sun Apr 18, 2021 8:22 pm
I doubt this is really the type of art project Mike had in mind for posting here, but I have invested so much time and diversity of skills in creating this I wanted to share with other artists. The finished results are not as dramatic as I had hoped for the time and effort spent, but I learned a lot along the way.
This started as a simple craft project. I wanted an excuse to make a miniature quilted tree skirt (that alone took 4 attempts before I was happy with it). Each ornament became a project in and of itself. My husband designed the larger ornaments and the icicles in Solid Works, then 3-D printed them. Snowflakes were created in Illustrator, then laser cut out of velum. The angel’s have laser etched/cut wings and collars, again designed in Illustrator. The robes are supplied by my blue budgie (he graciously dropped the right size feathers). For the presents various bows were made by hand. The traditional package bows were made following Cath’s directions found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=deskt ... ure=shware however I used 1/8” silk ribbon instead of her split ribbon technique. The wrapping paper was created to scale and color scheme using illustrator, then printed on shiny paper. Bunny crocheted, slightly modified using directions by NansyOops.
The tree was an “after thought”, but ended up being the most challenging and time consuming part of this project. The trunk was turned on a miniature lath, then painted by hand, using Mod Podge, saw dust and various colors of paint to create pine tree bark. The branches are twisted wire, painted and covered with static grass. The cover is a purchased 12” bell jar, but the base design was a collaborate effort of myself and my husband, then I created the actual base out of cherry which includes a laser cut floor to give the impression of a room.
This started as a simple craft project. I wanted an excuse to make a miniature quilted tree skirt (that alone took 4 attempts before I was happy with it). Each ornament became a project in and of itself. My husband designed the larger ornaments and the icicles in Solid Works, then 3-D printed them. Snowflakes were created in Illustrator, then laser cut out of velum. The angel’s have laser etched/cut wings and collars, again designed in Illustrator. The robes are supplied by my blue budgie (he graciously dropped the right size feathers). For the presents various bows were made by hand. The traditional package bows were made following Cath’s directions found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=deskt ... ure=shware however I used 1/8” silk ribbon instead of her split ribbon technique. The wrapping paper was created to scale and color scheme using illustrator, then printed on shiny paper. Bunny crocheted, slightly modified using directions by NansyOops.
The tree was an “after thought”, but ended up being the most challenging and time consuming part of this project. The trunk was turned on a miniature lath, then painted by hand, using Mod Podge, saw dust and various colors of paint to create pine tree bark. The branches are twisted wire, painted and covered with static grass. The cover is a purchased 12” bell jar, but the base design was a collaborate effort of myself and my husband, then I created the actual base out of cherry which includes a laser cut floor to give the impression of a room.