Antonia's Treehouse

The Shaman

2010-07-24T18:33:00.000-07:00

Back in April I was fortunate enough to take another doll making workshop with Wendy Froud in which we focused on creating creatures; The Shaman is the result of that workshop. When I imaged him, I knew that he would have somewhat of a horse- shaped head, but as I began to sculpt him, more and more creatures began to show up in his over- all design. Showing him to different people, they each saw a different animal (a dog, snail, praying mantis, etc), a reaction that I was very happy to get.

I imagined him to be completely new race of fantastical creature, one that was wise, peaceful, and elusive. The Shaman is meant to be very old and wise. Only his closest friends and faithful followers know his real name. He has a gift of seeing what people need in their lives to be happy, and gives it to them. This gift is not to be taken lightly, because only you can take the steps necessary to bring happiness into your life. Though this figure stands only approximately 16" tall, I envisioned a creature about six to seven feet in height. His complete character story is still in the works.

He is sculpted out of FIMO and painted with acrylic paint. His legs are covered in faux fur and are bendable at the knees. His tail is completely flexible and is wrapped in spandex that has been painted with acrylic paint. He wears a loincloth made of leather and his jewelry is comprised of a myriad of beads. His wings are made of Textiva (aka Angelina Film, fantasy film.) His staff is also made of FIMO and painted with acrylic paint, as well as being adorned with various beads and topped with a semiprecious stone. More pictures can be seen on my website: www.Antoniastreehouse.com

I am extremely happy with how he turned out and am looking forward to elaborating on him and his race.

My First Doll Show

2010-07-16T21:23:00.000-07:00

I recently participated in the Wiltwyck Quilt Guild's annual show held at SUNY Ulster in Stone Ridge, NY. The show featured an art doll exhibit in which four of my dolls were featured- Antonia, Gilbert, Hogarth, and Persephone. This was the first time my art was included in a show, and I was so happy with how well everything turned out. I met a lot of really nice people and got lots of great feedback.

Luna Moth

2010-03-26T15:51:00.000-07:00

I've been working some new business card designs. Part of the design for my 3d Modeling/Texture Artist card will feature a luna moth:

I decided to work in watercolor, a medium that I have always loved working in. But instead of working on watercolor paper (Arches cold press, 140 lb.) I decided to try out the Ampersand Aquabord. I really enjoyed working on it. The paint stayed very workable on the board, and the texture was nice.

Painting this luna moth has sparked a lot of new ideas for future painting, and I can't wait to get started on another one.

My Etsy Store is Now Open!

2009-12-18T21:05:00.000-08:00

I just opened up a shop on etsy, and I am happy to say that I have already sold 3 books!

I started making books in High School for a project, and I fell in love with the craft. Shortly after the assignment was finished I began making journals and photo albums for friends as graduation gifts.

I am always looking out for new materials and researching different binding techniques. Expect to see lots of new books, and new styles online in the coming months. Check out some of the books currently for sale at www.AntoniasTreehouse.etsy.com

I also plan to sell some of my faeries on etsy online as well. I already have one in mind . . .

Faeries

2009-06-12T13:25:00.000-07:00

Here are a few new photographs of some of my newly finished faeries:

I decided that it was about time that I did a portrait of myself in faery form:

I am a very pensive person, (and did play the violin at one time) so I decided to give this figure a very serene pose. I hand stitched the tree on the train of her dress and added purple crystal beads for leaves. The dress is made of an iridescent satin, which also lines the velvet shawl.

I also experimented with how I made her wings. Normally, the wire will encompass the entire outline of the wing, but this time I decided to only use support at the very top. This method seems to give a "lighter" feeling to the wings.

Persephone is the first flying faery that I sculpted. I wanted to give her a short skirt, so naturally I needed to sculpt more then just her feet. Her legs proved a challenge, especially since I was using super sculpey, a medium that is very soft. But after a lot of patience I feel like I did quite a good job.

I also used taxidermy frog eyes instead of sculpting them. The pupils are set behind a dome of glass, so her eyes have a way of "following you" when looking at her. I really wanted her to feel like a wild and unearthly fae. To accent her eyes, I used metallic paint. I also used wool for the hair, instead of mohair. I also experimented with her hair style, curling the wool and then brushing it, adding to her wild appearance.

I am a nature lover, and I find trees especially beautiful; the older and more gnarled a tree, the more I like it. There is just something so peaceful about them. They fill me with solace.

The dryad (or tree spirit) depicted above is named Anya. She is the first in a series of four dryads that I am sculpting, each representing a different season. Anya represents autumn.

She is the largest of all my characters, standing over two feet tall. She is made out of super sculpey, including the branches which have been painted with acrylic. She has been mounted on to a piece of particle board covered with reindeer moss. Her dress is made of rich crimson velvet. The train of her dress is decorated with falling red and orange leaves. Ornamenting her corset is a silver tree bejeweled with pink and red swarovski crystals.

New Demo

2009-05-05T21:42:00.001-07:00

I've just spent the past two weeks modeling and rendering lots of new material for my new demo reel. It can be viewed here:

http://antoniastreehouse.com/3d.html

Enjoy!

Hogarth WIP

2009-04-06T19:28:00.000-07:00

I am currently working on a 3D Model of a doll I made named Hogarth. I am using this project to teach myself Maya hair. This is just a test, there is still a lot of tweaking I want to do. I am also planning on adding a lot of details to the leather and facial features. When he's all done, I plan on doing a little animation where he introduces himself and such. There will be lots more to come.

BarbaraRosenblat.com

2009-01-03T12:45:00.000-08:00

The new website that I have designed for famed audo book narrator, Barbara Rosenblat, has officially launched! Please visit it here at:

www.BarbaraRosenblat.com

It was designed and created using Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Dreamweaver.

Forever

2008-12-04T18:48:00.000-08:00

I am currently working on a friend's SVA senior Thesis. You can view the previs here:

http://forever2009thesis.blogspot.com/

I am going to be modeling the environment and doing textures for the characters. The environment is a magical forest, something that is right up my alley.

"Pumpkins Scream in the Dead of Night . . ."

2008-11-04T21:43:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I'm a little late on a Halloween post, but better late than never.

Last Thursday I wen to the Great Jack O'Lantern
Blaze at Van Cortlandt Manor, which featured over 6010 carved pumpkins this year! I walked through a zombie graveyard, faery glen, prehistoric park(t-rex included), and a giant spider web. If you ever find yourself in the Hudson Vally in October I highly recommend going.

Unfortunately the walk was very crowded, and the lack of a tripod led to a lot of light blur. On the upside the blur added quite a bit of character to some of my photos, so I'm still happy. Here are some of the highlights:

P.s. I will be adding the following photos (and more) to the "Nature" section of my website within the next few days.

First Post

2008-10-08T08:26:00.000-07:00

This is my first post, so I thought I would start out by introducing myself. My name is Antonia Jenkins, I am a 3D Modeler, texture painter, digital photographer and retoucher. I have been working in the computer animation industry since I graduated from the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in May of 2007. My dream is to one day direct a full length feature film.

When I am not at my computer I like to sculpt, mainly faeries and goblins. I am currently the subject of my friend's documentary. I'll post that here and on my website when it's finished.

This, and of course my website(www.AntoniasTreehouse.com) is where I will feature and new work that I have done. I am always creating something new, whether it be in pixels, paint, or clay.