How is pine not a natural material?

I think Pete is referring to what it is against. Even black leather, not so much. I grew up spending the weekends that weren't in the woods or on the range with my grandfather at craft shows- I would go with a dull jewel tone felt (think HIGH END pool table) for backing, or maybe something like a nice cotton weave that has been slightly draped (that is cheap- decent bed sheets can be made to work). Nothing too bright or shiny, but you don't want pastels. A warm grey, maybe, but not pure white or black, and not leather. At least if she's planning on doing the shows.

Just my humble opinion. I haven't done the shows for 20 years.

And I'd like to go with something sca mentioned- broader web presence. Deviant Art has a MASSIVE membership and is just about every kind of media you can imagine. I know Elfwood is still around, but they aren't what they were five years ago.

You might try Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/

It would probably be a more likely site than this one.

Nice work though it seems to be, it's not why I come here.

Sue

Here are ones not in the first post, the large Werewolf was done a week or so ago before we started sanding the pieces (he is 2 1/2" x 1 5/8" x 3/16"). While not as finely detailed as these new ones I still like it. Here are the ones Kimberley did tonight.

Notice the difference in quality between these and the bat at the bottom. That piece was one of the first made and was rather rough in texture. These I sanded to a fine finish which allows much greater detail. I took great pains to make the pictures look as near as possible to the actual color and texture.

Pine is of course a natural material. What I am looking at is showcasing her talent on a material that I belive will increase marketability. If you take a look at these examples of scrimshaw, the artwork pops off of the background material. Again, this just my opinion and is based upon personal taste. I prefer a more ivory or bone material then the flat wood shapes. Now if she were use a more natural shape, almost 3-D, the artwork would have a more appealing and integrated aspect.

Ebay Pendant

Ebay Pendant

Ebay Pendant

Ebay Resin Pendant

Pete