Decorating the Castle Tree

                                                                          

                                                                                     

For the Castle People

                                                                                     

   

                                                                                  

                                                                                             

                                                                                         

Class Struggle Ahead?

 

                                                                         

Last month when I posted about the weaponized Castle Ladies staging a coup and knocking down the king, my son Ethan commented, "Next up, class struggle. Though I guess not many of her internet admirers send peasants . . ."

John's sister took the challenge. She and I think the big one is named Hildegard. She definitely looks capable of kicking ass and taking names. Or knitting while the guillotine is in use.

                                       

Four Seasons Backdrop

The backdrop for the upstairs Castle People is installed! 

It was a fun little project, trying to segue from one season to another in five different panels and to incorporate some whimsy, like the dragon and the magical bird..

I totally redid the center panel with the portal to another somewhere. A gnome snuck in.

Spring and white rabbits, a few Easter eggs, and a shy unicorn.

Summer and a Fool and a frog, both of whom could be princes. And, at Josie's request, an alicorn (winged unicorn.)

She lost no time in populating the new scene, carefully letting the figures choose which season they wanted to be in.

Next project, a new backdrop for the lower shelf. Another castle but this time Josie wants a tower with Rapunzel 'and really long hair' in it.

                                                                                    

W.I.P.

Work in progress. Autumn and Winter panels for the Castle People back drop mostly done. Josie loves all the colors in Autumn. (The paper is curling because I wanted to paint to the very edge, thus didn't tape it down. I'll press them all under a heavy book when I'm done.)

The yellow thing in the middle is meant to be a magic path to a portal--but it needs work. 

It's great fun and a bit of a challenge to keep the continuity flowing. And sometimes things change. I hadn't intended a stream, but it insisted on being there in one, so I had to add it to the others. 

Josie has requested an Allicorn (Winged unicorn) in the Summer sky so I've got to fit that in somehow.

As I said, great fun!

 

For the Castle People

I'm working on a four-panel backdrop for the Castle People--specifically the Fae.

The scenes will merge into one another, moving from Autumn to Winter to Spring to Summer--a kind of magic wood.

Once I get them inked, I'll begin adding a bit of water color, trying not to overdo it.

Will Josie care? Probably not. But I'm having fun.

 

The King Must Die?

What lurks in the mind of  a four-year-old? 

I came upon this scenario after Josie had gone home. Earlier I'd seen her playing with the Castle People and she had the ladies all lined up and the king was going down the line and talking with each of them. CP conversations are carried out in wee small voices and Her Little Self doesn't like to be interrupted when she's involved in CP play.

So when I found the king in what looked like a sort of primitive Iron Maiden, I had to wonder if Me Too and Feminism had come to the Castle.

Considering that the Ladies outnumber those of the male persuasion, perhaps the King would do well to mind his manners.

 

If Josie Were God . . .

If Josie were God, we'd all wear fancy clothes and have to put up with being moved around suddenly for no apparent reason.

I wish I could hear what she's saying. She doesn't like it if I ask her--it breaks the fantasy. In this video, it appears one king is checking out various ladies and then chatting with another king.

The castle people continue to be a source of delight.