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Thursday 31 October 2013

1:12 scale Victorian style Ice skates

I realise today is Halloween, but I have been busy getting ready for Christmas. It had crossed my mind to put some sliced fingers on the "ice" though, which would have made a horrible Halloweeny themed horror image or just the scene of a terrible accident! 

The ice skates are the first object of my Christmas display to be finished. They are made with real leather, with a wooden heel, thin card soles and laced up with thread. I made a pair of small fimo feet, to glue the leather over. They also have a tongue at the front and loops on the back.  The metal skates are by Phoenix Model Developments, and they dictate the size of the boot, the sole of these boots are 23mm long which would make these about a UK ladies size 7. A white pair would have been more what I was after, but I only had brown glove leather (p.s. you cannot paint leather, it looks awful, I tried it). The pine cones are made using paper and paint with a fimo base, I used a small flower punch to make the "scales" for those.  

I am also working on decorations, garlands, wreaths and candles, which aren't quite finished yet, but everything is in the final stages, I might just be finished in time for Christmas.

The sky here has been very cloudy with the odd burst of sunlight, so not great for taking photographs, hence the odd lighting, as usual.

The ice is wax and the snow is salt. The clumps of grass poking through are railway modellers field grass.


Terrible lighting.........I will take better photographs when the weather picks up.

Miniature cobbling. The metal skates are by Phoenix Miniatures www.phoenixmodeldevelopments.com/ I had to come up with the pattern for the boots by looking at pictures of real ice skates and shoe patterns, and somehow managed to make it work, though the leather stretches a bit, which helped enormously. I used a beading needle to lace them up, before they were glued onto the fimo foot.  Thankfully, the rest of the table didn't make it into the frame, it is a complete mess beyond the edges of the photograph. Who would have thought you could turn a room upside down making something so small :D




Tiny teddy base sculpt using fimo.  He has since been furred and "earred" and is ready for Christmas, but his eyes have to be painted, and unfortunately, the black paint had dried up....must put the lids back on the tins properly in future!  I think I may have mentioned this before, but I find it easier to make a rough shape of something in fimo, and then refine it after it has been baked, using exacto knives and files. The wires are there just to hold him together. He is fully jointed.

I think he will be called Shrug.

15 comments:

  1. WOW Sarah, you have been busy. Firstly the skates, they are beauties! They look fantastic and so well done! Love the wintery scene you've made for displaying them! And Shrug is gorgeous, so small and well proportioned!
    Hugs, Ilona

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  2. Los patines han quedado genial. A bolero ya lo veremos mas adelante.

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  3. The skates are so wonderful, I am in Love with them.
    I cant beleve they are in scale 1:12.
    Thanks for sharing.
    Kind regards .


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  4. You are one clever lady!!

    Each aspect of you photo looks so realistic, the ice and snow, the grass and pine cones and of course the skates, just beautiful, as usual perfect attention to detail.

    Your little bear is perfectly proportioned, I cant wait to see your Christmas scene, I'm sure it will be stunning! It makes me think I must get cracking with mine!

    ML Fiona XX

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  5. Bravo ! les patins à glace sont superbes, le petit ours est bien commencé ...
    Amicalement ! rosethé

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  6. Hi Sarah! You have me in Awe!!! Your work is unbelievable in its accuracy and finesse! These ice skates look like they could be slipped onto a Full Size 7. They look absolutely right, from heel to toe and up the boot! Not only that the color of them is perfect too! Your background is Brilliant and the snow and the frozen pond ice and the tufts of grass peeking through and the to scale pine cones, make it all look like the front of a Victorian Christmas Card. :D
    I can't wait to see your finished bear! If is anything like what I imagine and know you can do; It will be a STUNNER!

    elizabeth

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  7. The skates are fabulous.
    Greetings, Faby

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  8. The skates are wonderful, I Love them. Very hard to see they are in 1:12 scale.
    The photo looks so realistic, the ice and snow is great!
    Hannah

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  9. Two beautiful miniatures!
    Geneviève

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  10. You've made some fab skates, what an eye for detail! The setting is also exactly as it should be. I actually do believe someone skated that pond. Great work, I can tell you have a lot of pleasure in making minis.
    Hope to see the finished state of Shrug soon, too.
    Hugs,
    Gee

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  11. You are so creative!
    Mini hugs,
    Conny

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  12. Wow those skates and the photography styling are all stunning, as is Shrug. Will we be seeing them in a Christmas scene perhaps, hope so. Merry Christmas!

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  13. Oh my god, those skates are amazing! So lifelike and you've created a perfect scene for it as well, I just LOVE it! The bear is also a great example of your fantastic skills, very curious to see how that turns out (going from your first post to your last, to see the progress). Very well done girl!

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  14. How much would you charge for a pair of white ice skates made the same way? I have been looking everywhere for something that is realistic, most are awful! yours are amazing :D

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  15. Dear Sarah, I'm in love with your beautiful mini world, your handmade beauties.
    Is it possible to order from you, for examle this bear? Would you be so kind to send me an e-mail adress or write me here: babarczy@gmail.com
    Thanks a lot!
    Babarczy Veronika (Hungary)

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Thanks for your comment :)