Leaf-Olympics: Day 8--Plenty and Nuttin

Rana's stand-in shows a head-sized jumbo large leaf. I took everyone's advice into account and it worked! I can't explain why it looks right, but the largest leaves make the whole thing pop. Maybe it's because it adds another size variant to the mix?

I painted and added yet another 300 leaves, mostly mediums found mis-sorted in the large leaf's bucket! The tree is looking pleasingly full (better photos in daylight tomorrow), and while I could use about another 75-100 small only leaves, I'd say I've maxed out the branch space at this point. As Mike said, I wouldn't want to obscure the branch shapes.

Because he is a master animator, nature advocate, and spokesman for all trees, I did what Nick H said and used the largest leaves sparingly and only where they would not be obvious. FYI Nick, by the time the films are shot, this tree will be seen from every angle, 360º from above and below.

And because she actually goes outside and has seen real oak trees, I did what Shel said and painted up some of the large leaves, putting them on strong-looking lower branches, and then filled in with the last of the medium sized leaves all over.


In Nutter News: NUTTSSSssss! The stalks of leaves came with their own acorns, which was a nice touch. But I didn't dig how they were sans caps, even though Google image searching showed that some variety are. It finally came to me to use something nubbly and woven on them to create the right shape and texture without being literal about it. These just feel correct in Halfland.

I auditioned several materials for the toppers including felted lambswool knitting in rosy brown, jute burlap, woven shopping bag handles, and heavy woven silks. But it was this incredible hand-woven, scratchy, raw, material that Paul selected from an artisan while visiting Japan that hit the mark best. It did something the others didn't, it felt more appropriately "nutty" than other fabrics ever could. I (*gasp*) cut it up, tinted its natural color with diluted acrylic water and then hot-glued turned edges of the cut pieces down when dry.

Tomorrow (or Thursday depending on my girl guts), every single last orphan single leftover leaf, about forty of them, will get Stick Flat glued onto wayward veining and go on fill any last little branch spot I can find. I'll also finish capping the whole batch of nuts, about forty more, and they too will go on.

At that point I will declare Halfland Leaf Olympics officially over. Instead of traditional laurel leaves, I've gone and won me a tree canopy. hoooyaaaay.