How to get in between Arlene and her Bucilla obsession - an artistic intervention; The Darkside of Fairy Tales Challenge!!!!!

Leave it to Patrick to ring the right bell to make me scurry home, drooling and ready to jump feet first into a new challenge. Ive been very quiet on my Facebook art groups since Christmas, and have been only checking in periodically to assure myself I did indeed remember the password and to remind myself there are a thousand projects I still have to do. Well, last week I picked my head up, logged in and found a large challenge being rallied around a theme that seemed designed specifically to drag me away from my Bucilla obsession back into actual creation. (Isn't it cute how I think the world revolves around me? No? Oh well...hehehe.) The Dark Side of Fairy Tales, Folklore and Literature - Villians and Bad Guys! Well, let me tell you it worked. Patrick was very gracious to let me "sneak in" just as the list was being closed to new participants - unfortunately my villian of choice was already taken - the witch from Hansel and Gretel. It was sad too, because Patrick had even mentioned how that gingerbread house was meant to be mine, but alas, another had already snagged it so no cannibal candy witch for me!! So sad, too bad...that will teach me to sleep through morning exercise, right? Right! Now, what to do? I went over and over the fairy tale list but all the ones that interested me were taken - I pondered the Snow Queen,

but she just wasn't quite bad enough. I considered Mombi, the witch from the second Oz books,

which would have been interesting, but I wasn't sure. The Nome King from the same set of Oz books also came to mind,

but again, he was not quite bad enough. There was only one villian I could think of that was bad enough, and beloved enough to make me take on this difficult challenge. CAPTAIN HOOK.

Now, this is a full diorama challenge - we have been tasked with rendering our chosen bad guy in a 3-D medium along with a surrounding that will bring our villian to life. Here is the scene I will be creating: __________________________________ Thus defenceless Hook found him. He stood silent at the foot of the tree looking across the chamber at his enemy. Did no feeling of compassion disturb his sombre breast? The man was not wholly evil; he loved flowers (I have been told) and sweet music (he was himself no mean performer on the harpsichord); and, let it be frankly admitted, the idyllic nature of the scene stirred him profoundly. Mastered by his better self he would have returned reluctantly up the tree, but for one thing. What stayed him was Peter's impertinent appearance as he slept. The open mouth, the drooping arm, the arched knee: they were such a personification of cockiness as, taken together, will never again, one may hope, be presented to eyes so sensitive to their offensiveness. They steeled Hook's heart. If his rage had broken him into a hundred pieces every one of them would have disregarded the incident, and leapt at the sleeper. Though a light from the one lamp shone dimly on the bed, Hook stood in darkness himself, and at the first stealthy step forward he discovered an obstacle, the door of Slightly's tree. It did not entirely fill the aperture, and he had been looking over it. Feeling for the catch, he found to his fury that it was low down, beyond his reach. To his disordered brain it seemed then that the irritating quality in Peter's face and figure visibly increased, and he rattled the door and flung himself against it. Was his enemy to escape him after all? But what was that? The red in his eye had caught sight of Peter's medicine standing on a ledge within easy reach. He fathomed what it was straightaway, and immediately knew that the sleeper was in his power. Lest he should be taken alive, Hook always carried about his person a dreadful drug, blended by himself of all the death- dealing rings that had come into his possession. These he had boiled down into a yellow liquid quite unknown to science, which was probably the most virulent poison in existence. Five drops of this he now added to Peter's cup. His hand shook, but it was in exultation rather than in shame. As he did it he avoided glancing at the sleeper, but not lest pity should unnerve him; merely to avoid spilling. Then one long gloating look he cast upon his victim, and turning, wormed his way with difficulty up the tree. ______________________________________ And here is my inspiration board: -------------------

And here is what I have so far. I want to adhere to the described scene as close as possible so my diorama will be housed inside the tree that Hook snuck into to poison the sleeping Peter's medicine, the same medicine that will ultimately "kill" Tinkerbell. I figure the best way to create the tree would be out of 1" card board slats arranged around a "floor" that is cut to fit atop a pre-bought tree trunk base. I started with tracing paper, and made a template so I could get the size of the floor right. From there, I cut 1" strips of sturdy cardboard to allow me to get the circular shape of the tree trunk without needing to bend anything - I used a 12x12x12 shipping box cut up for this project - and then used masking tape to hold it all together. Back to the tracing paper to cut a template for the arch that will allow viewing inside - done. Then back to the floor template to cut a roof for this tree with the hole that Hook squirmed into to get to the treehouse which is really a tree-root house. If I have enough time, I plan on making Smee up on top peering down to see how his Captain is doing down there as he goes about his murderous business. I was at a loss as to the best way to cover this tree - paper clay promised to be VERY heavy, plaster too rough - what to do?? YouTube again to the rescue - I found a great tutorial on making a tree stump using tissue and glue. Here is the first round of paper towel and glue - I can see how it will eventually end up looking once I get another layer on and then paint and stain - I think its going to look pretty good. It will take at least a full day or two to dry, so I will be moving onto the actual art doll figures next and will post again once I have progress on that. The good thing about this challenge is it is not a swap, but a straight up challenge so we keep our projects once they are done. I have not decided if I will keep or sell mine - it depends on how it comes out. We will see. Now off to make some coffee and get some wire armature work done for the dolls.