all of these are soft (canvas) cases. the wingsmith can, of course, paint a lovely design on a hard case just as easily, but i am still experimenting with paints that won't simply scrape off when you run into a wall (or other less embarrassing ways of scraping paint off an instrument case, if you like).
a few samples of the art follow. none of these cases are for sale. i can, however, likely create a reasonable facsimile should you desire something similar, though i prefer to create something new for each case, geared to your specific personality or interests.
g e a r s
this case, now home to an extremely well-loved and well-pampered mandolin, has been embellished with glitter at key points. in certain places, metallic gold paint was used; in others, several layers of paint were required to create the bright colors you see here. this is a good example of why the wingsmith loves painting black cases so very much; it is an exercise in creating light as opposed to shadow. the creation criterion for this one was "gears; something that looks like it would actually work." i can't vouch for the latter idea; the 'gears' idea rather got away from me.
closeups:
m o o n d r a g o n
likewise, a mandolin case. this one was interesting; ordinarily i paint black cases and had not actually seen a blue one before. the owner gave me no criteria whatsoever, and it was actually the blue/purple of the case that provided my launchpad.
closeup:
c a r p c a s e
a bit more freeform, this one. he asked for a carp; a carp is what he got. for once, the wingsmith delivers exactly what is requested. (the carp may be difficult to see if you are not paying close enough attention. the wingsmith suggests rotating the image. for reference, the orange dot is the eye.)
d r a g o n ' s l a i r
this young man requested something, quote, "cool". he also desired that there should be blue fire. i did my best to oblige. actually, i'm rather proud of the dragon. gravity in this dragon's lair was a challenge. water without an established 'down' direction is very interesting to paint, i discovered.
closeup:
g o b l i n s a n d e l v e s
one of the first cases i painted, this one was done for my father's mandolin. i adore this case; it's always been one of my favorites. daddy and goblins just go together; it was a natural choice. i believe a wire sculpture of the fellow at the cauldron also exists somewhere. (the signs, for the visually challenged, read 'GOBLINS OWNLY' and 'NO FAIRIEZ'.)
closeups:
d r u m c a s e
this one took forfreaking ever. celtic knots are lovely but devastatingly difficult to paint if one is not careful. if you're curious, the case is for a bodhran (google it if you don't know what a bodhran is). the gentleman requested a celtic harp because (as i later found out) his wife plays the celtic harp and he was feeling affectionate. sweet, no?
closeup:
e v a h p i r a z z i c o p y j o b
apologies for the poor picture quality; the image was taken at the last minute before the gentleman was going to depart the festival and i had to take the picture at night. i've done my best to enhance it digitally, but i'm an artist, not a photographer (no offense to photographers, heheh). i was asked to copy an image off a packet of fiddle strings; this is what the white square indicates. the extra bits i added so there would not be quite so much black space around it.
a comparison:
w o l f c a s e
sadly, this is the best image i could squeeze out of this particular shoot. this wolf spirit is the centerpiece of a larger design that also includes a full moon and several celtic knot-covered trees. you'll simply have to imagine the rest. (once you've done so, send me a description or a rough layout sketch and i'll paint it on YOUR case.)
t r i b a l f i s h
also part of a much larger design. i simply began painting without direction and let my brush guide the way. it turned out quite well, i think. not likely to get lost in a crowd, this one.
t h e h o r s e
closeup:
t h e g i r l a n d t h e p h o e n i x
i've saved this one for last because it's one of my favorites. i adore painting bodhran cases, did i mention? all that lovely round space to fill. delightful. funny story about this one; i intended that the girl in the painting should be wearing a loincloth, sort of a tribal aesthetic, you know? sadly i didn't realize until later what else it resembles. luckily, the lady tells me she rather likes it; i offered to paint it out and she demurred, saying she liked the idea of her inner woman being "well hung".
closeups:
costs for such a painting start at $30; the case is not included. ship me a case and an idea and we'll see what happens.
