The "Theme of the Month" is supposed to be about growing and sprouting. Well, on the CDHM Forum Food Board we get a little mischievous sometimes and I decided that we would shrink this month. We are growing smaller, featuring an assortment of delicious and diminutive quarter scale delights!
So many times I've heard "Do you make smaller scale food?" at shows and classes. I have to admit that I have ventured into the land of half scale from time to time, but my favorite is 12th. No so for Kim (fairchildart), Courtney Strong of Courtney's Minis, and Cindy (snowfern)! Their talent extends downward to the teeny tiny treats that you can hold on the tip of your finger. I was curious about how it felt to work so small, and this is what they told me:
I asked Kim what she felt was the biggest challenge about making such small stuff (besides the size). She told me that for her it was trying to "break my brain from the 1:12th mold and translate my sculpting skills to 1:4th scale since one inch scale has been so ingrained in my mind". I can identify with that because when you get so used to looking at something in a specific size, you almost have to change your whole technique to go larger or smaller.
Courtney says that for her the hardest thing about quarter scale is trying to remove the perception that it can't have as much detail as 12th. Courtney tries to get as much detail into her pieces as possible. She also mentioned that when you drop quarter scale food off of your work table they are basically lost forever!
ABOVE
Courtney Strong of Courtney's Miniatures created a quarter scale serving of desserts;
Agnes Turpin, showcases quarter scale sweets display;
Provence Miniatures creates in multiple scales including 1:48 and half scales.
Cindy's favorite foods to make in quarter scale are donuts and fruit. I also asked Cindy about her thoughts on the market for quarter scale food. She replied that she thought people tended to over look quarter scale because it was so hard to appreciate in real life. However, with the new easy to use point and shoot cameras that have a macro function, much better pictures can be taken of the beautiful detail of smaller items. This might open up the market much
more. She also believes that with the use of laser cutters, more utensils will become available for smaller scales. I completely agree, food needs to go into or onto something, and with finer, smaller accessories the artists can really get creative with their products.
I think that all of the collectors who are searching for smaller scale food for their displays and houses are, and will be well in hand with our "growing" quarter scale stars. I know that I'm looking forward to seeing and being amazed by more teeny tiny treats on the food board. It is important to remember, whatever scale you like to work with…don't forget to feed the dolls!
CDHM galleries have a multitude of artisans that make half, quarter, and even smaller scale foods. If you are looking for something specal, just visit the galleries, find your favorite artisan and ask them if you do not see the scale or pieces you are interested in!
Custom Dolls, Houses & Miniatures / CDHM