Soothsayer of the Groves

I built this model for New Elementary review of 10347 Petite Sunny Bouquet. Lego gave us a hefty time frame before the review embargo, so I was easily able to make a MOC - something unusual for a prerelease article. The set had plenty of interesting pieces to work with, so this was a win-win situation. I began working with an old tablescrap of a ruffled dress; it was mostly white, but I extended it with a white-orange gradient, enabled by the bright light yellow recolours of the set. The character was then defined by the head scarf, made using yellow petals/shoulder pads from the set and furnished with some more bright light yellow recolours. They embrace each other beautifully. Otherwise, the character is quite simple - I wanted to capture the vibe of a warm atmosphere, free of stuffy clothes. The wrist bands are sunflowers from the set, and a pair of sandals felt like a fitting footwear choice. I paid extra attention to the sculpting of the neck - something that I might have overlooked in the past.

The staff was a relatively late addition, I felt posing the figure needed something like it. Those 3L long axle connectors are nice as they can be grabbed with fingers, enabling natural grips (but requiring very careful balancing). The staff was a good place for those bright pink recolours which I wanted to use but not on the figure's attire itself. I like their colour pop.

The base balances the composition, helping with the storytelling and again using some of the recolours. The middle part of the large flower is taken directly from the set, being its most succesful design. The white outer petals are my addition. Futhermore, I like how the tangling vines add a touch of randomness to the base. With its bright colours, especially the lime ground, the whole feels like an Easter ornament - but I suppose that was simply fitting for the time of its origin.

-Eero.