Sketchblog Edition 118: Nativiteeny

So since the hours at work are a little...
sparse, to say the least,
I've been taking on commissions for the Winter,
trying to pay for the cost of rent, tuition for next quarter,
travel to home for the holidays (and back again),
and, of course, presents for my family for Christmas.
However, since I have no hours at work over the past couple weeks,
I've been able to really hack away at the mountain of commissions I've gotten!

First, I finished a commission for a loyal commissioner, Mike P.,
who delighted me earlier this Fall when he told me that
A) he wanted me to do an Avatar-related piece (including three different Avatars),
B) I could name my price on it,
and C) I could take however long I needed on it since I was swamped with other work (including thesis and my job).

It was an incredibly fun piece to work on,
and I'm proud to say I finally was able to finish it last week,
so here's a peek in case you didn't see it on my deviantART or elsewhere:

I also received a delightful commission from a close friend of mine, John Einselen,
which marks my very first "Ornamont" commission (click the link for more information).
He wanted a nativity scene in my own style,
which I was more than happy to jump on.

I immediately sketched out a rough idea of what I wanted to do...

After getting his enthusiastic approval on the design,
I went right to work forming the Ornamonts out of SculpeyIII clay,
which I'm really starting to love.

Protective booties on the thin parts?  Check!  Ready for baking!

After making sure everything was as it should be,
I popped them in the oven (275 degrees for 15 minutes per 1/4 inch of thickness),
then waited.
After they baked, I turned the oven off and let them cool inside for a while
(so they didn't crack from cooling too quickly),
then examined them to make sure they were all baked thoroughly and not damaged in any way.

The bean-shaped dumpling in the middle is Baby Jesus, in case you were wondering. 
And yes, that sheep is eating Joseph's robe.

So far, so good!
I only made a couple changes to the design,
the biggest of which being that they will not be hanging ornaments as originally planned.
Instead, after discussing it with John, they're going to be a set of freestanding figures,
which can be altered at any later time to become ornaments if so desired.
They look a whole lot nicer this way anyway
(the idea of stabbing a hook into the Virgin Mary's head didn't really appeal to me too much).

All that's left now is to paint them, let them dry, and ship them off!
They're loads of fun and I actually can't wait to get the chance to do more of them!

If you, too, are interested in a commission of any sort (illustration, design, sketch, portrait, hat, or Ornamont),
you know what to do!
Check out my commission lists here and here and/or email me at ejscreationsart@gmail.com!

Thanks everyone, for your continued support as I go through this difficult time.
It means quite a bit to me to have such loyal fans and friends I can call my own.

Love you all,
and goodnight!

<3,
Emily J Sampson


p.s. Have a bonus sketch of the two main characters from my original story RavenCrest!