Miniature Bananas in 1:3

the theme song to "Bananas in Pyjamas" kept running through my head as I worked on this very special request. As I've mentioned before, I stopped taking in commission requests to sort out moving and some personal changes in my life, but since this request came from a friend whom I respect greatly for his meticulous attention to detail, and who seems to throw challenges at me that suit me very well, I couldn't resist! AGAIN! XD

the biggest challenge was figuring out a form to hold up the peeled bananas as they baked. polymer clay tends to soften and droop a little as it bakes, which runs the risk of thin parts breaking off, and banana skins in 1:3..well...it is really difficult to incorporate armature when we're talking thicknesses (thinnesses?!!?) of approximately 1.5mm? I chose to use KATO for this project (luckily just before the request came in I had ordered some 'just in case') as from previous experience, it baked the hardest and for thin parts would bake rather flexible. moreover i wanted it to look 'natural' and i knew inserting an armature would throw in more unknown variables, which i knew i wouldn't be capable of handling in my semi-fragile state :P

the whole thing went swimmingly well in my mind, but as my paper holding-up-thingums (WHAT? i'm tired and my brain isn't as 'smart' as it used to be! *blinks hard*) didn't hold up as well as i wished in the oven, so the bananas kept tipping over and causing the skins to break before it fully baked!!! ALL OF 6 TIMES!! GRAGHGHGHHGHGHH!!!!!!!!!!! *pekcek until can die*

(pekcek is like, a local slang for superduperfrustrated)

i was thinking of giving up, more cos i hadn't even unpacked/packed my stuff (i still have boxes all over my floor) and i always feel the NEED to work in a really clean, organized environment (sidetrack, when i was still an office hamster, my tables were usually rather empty/clean, people who walked by my desk would think it was unoccupied HURHURHUR), else my cluttered mind simply shuts down. but there was a deadline, and I had already made him wait a lot longer than expected, so i told my stubborn brain (eh? that's kinda contradictory but NEVERMIND) STOP IT WITH THE NEAR-OCD CRAP AND GET ON WITH IT.

i'm glad i persisted. the skins are holding up pretty well, flexing in either direction with no indication of breaking (fingers crossed!!!) and my harshest critic, Ahma, approves, so i'm hoping my customer will too..(i don't think he reads my blog so i feel safe blogging (read: whining) about it :E

byebye office :( i'll miss you.

i'm still trying to get used to working from home, i hate having my pretty structured schedules and meals messed up, so it's taking awhile for me to get back into mini work, but i have lots of ideas brewing and have been gathering more inspiration from the real world, as opposed to online....getting out, even just to do a little grocery shopping helps my brain feel a lot less de-cluttered.

have any of you gotten on the Diablo III craze?!?! i've been stealing a few minutes here and there to play while brother's at work (mostly while my clay bakes hurhurhur)....i keep telling myself, keep it casual, don't mess up your wrists again!!! but who'm I kidding, once a gamer, ALWAYS a gamer. :P

so, as you can tell, i'm feeling alot better now. flu's just about cleared, physical ailments just about healed, chocolates just about finished...:P i'm excited about what i can work on now that things are falling back into place. i've even gotten back into reading my friends' blogs, so sorry i haven't really been catching up but i am always lurking on my iphone! (hate to type on it though, thus the lack of comments :X) SO YEAH! i'm BAAACK!!!! :D

meanwhile, there's this pesky demon that needs tackling. *blinks innocently*