FOUNDATIONS REVEALED COMPETITION ENTRY
Wild Card Prize - Great concept and execution.We love the cut and details
Ole Lukøje, The Horseman
(click images to to enlarge)
Outline the story …
"The Sandman" (Ole Lukøje) by H. C. Andersen is a story about a mythological who takes the form of a child. The story is told through the dreams the title character gives a young boy over the course of a week. However, while the character I decided to design is named Ole Lukøje as well, he not the title character of the story. It is the older brother by the same name that is mentioned during the final day of the story. He is a being of sleep like his little brother, but he represents the final rest. He's described to be wearing a hussar uniform with silver embroidery and a mantle of black velvet. an important aspect of this character is that he is directly described as not being as scary as they make him appear to be in picture books, so i had to find a way to take the description in the story and balance it with features that would make him recognisable as Death. I settled on a hussar inspired jacket that is clearly a uniform but with a softer silhouette of especially the sleeves to make it less authoritative and more approachable. The mantle has a loose hood, similar to what is seen in art of the grim reaper, while the embroidery on the uniform takes the shape of a ribcage and spine.
Outline the construction…
The shirt: made from cotton gauze, and mostly sewn by hand, which includes the hoops at the cuffs and collar.
The jacket: Made out of wool. While i had the front panels on my embroidery frame, it was backed with an organza to avoid the wool stretching. The jacket is fully lined with the silver fabric that you can see on the inside of the sleeves. The silver embroidery also makes the hoops that close the front. On the shoulders there are two faux-leather straps to hold the epaulettes in place and a button by the collar to attach them.
The epaulettes, aiguillette, and mantle: Made with the same trims and buttons as used on the jacket, and outer fabric is the same as the lining of the jacket while the inside is a black velvet, to help it stay in place on the shoulder. The silver trim forms a hoop for the buttons on the jacket. The shape of the epaulettes is made by stacking and steaming polyester batting into shape. The aiguillette is made of metallic rope that has been tied into the various knots and widths. Its tassels are homemade with matching yarn, and it has two hoops at each end to attach to the jacket buttons. The mantle's trim forms hoops on both sides of the neck so it can be attached freely to the buttons on the jacket.
I really love the skeleton details!
Aaa thank you so much! I was really nervous about how it would turn out since i’ve never worked with such extensive embroidery before, but i’m pretty happy with how it turned out as well!
DUUUDE!!! This is gorgeous!! and HOW are you both THIS talented at sewing/designing AND drawing? I can’t even
AAAAAAAA Thank you !!! don’t flatter me so much, it’s trial-and-error all the way and then removing all evidence of the errors hahahahahahhhh The reference doodle i made was the best of 3 i think? and no one will ever see the two others pffft
You’re amazing! I’m so exited for you!
Wow, I love this!! Such beautiful detail work all the way around!
Thank you so much! I don’t even know what to say aaa
Oh my, the shape, the skeleton design, it’s fa-bu-lous !
Aaa Thank you! I was really unsure if any of it would work out since i’ve never actually worked with a uniformed silhouette before, and i was unsure if the alternative embroidery pattern would mess with it, but i’m really happy with the result!!
gorgeous. you brought the text of the character to life is a way that looks sophisticated and commanding. and your sketch is beautiful. good luck from icarus!
Thank you ! ! I’m really happy you say that since it’s a pretty unconventional interpretation of “Death”, i was really scared of messing it up . . .
I love the details and shape of this jacket. Wonderful job!
Thank you so much !
I love this so much, so many amazing details! Well done!
Aaa I’m really happy you like it !!
This phenomenal– well tailored, wonderful details. Great job!
I love how unique this design is, it’s totally different from any other ways I’ve seen death being represented! Amazing work!!
Those sleeves are the coolest!! Fantastic design all over <3