Elytra, She Ain't No Lady

Here she is.... meet the leader of the Bug Band at the wild insectile party, that is scheduled as soon as it gets the dark the night you are in Halfland. She's the No Lady Ladybug, Elytra. Her bass fiddle-head cello has a soulful sound while she sings the blues.
She started out puppet-life as a jacaranda tree seed pod tarted up to look like a lady bug. Lengths of wire were crudely twisted around preserved twigs to make her six arms and legs quickly.

I'm not trying to replicate nature, just a half impression. I like it when the results say both insect and handmade puppet from natural materials.

Her legs were built up into almost human shapely sexy legs with thick mediums over thicker wire. These were them coated in matte medium and sheathed in painted fine mesh netting to create a naughty stocking effect. Her sparkle red pumps were carefully sculpted onto her feet and glittered with ultra fine red glitter coated with gloss when dry. Her legs were rigged with jewelry findings in order to be mobile enough to keep time with the music's beat. A hex bolt was embedded under her breast plate with wood epoxy putty. How rude.

I had fun adding her tiny white hair curls complete with stray bristles and strands, her pearl and stone necklace positioned to frame the decolletage of her buggy cleavage, her nipple slippage from under her breast plate, and other details.

I painted stiff lace black and cut it into wing shapes and positioned them, like a negligee, under her mirror image red shell, called an Elytra on ladybugs. Maybe that's a good name for her?

Even her jaunty beret is nothing more than a natural eucalyptus cap, positioned to cover her seed pod pronotum, the part on a lady bug that protects their head and makes it look a bit more round.

I'm debuting her first because it's her nightclub in which the party takes place and because she is the headliner of the buggy ensemble, our star.

Next posts, I plan to intro the nearly finished (!) rhythm section and drums, woodwinds, and guitar players, each of the other four featured soloists who will improvise on the groovy melodies over the swinging arrangements.

This rollicking storybook party is on.