Elf Bot

Macy's is getting the design for it's next Thanksgiving Day parade float via artist submissions. You had to first go online, find the location where a vinyl elf would be hidden in a Macy's store, get a password to give to the clerk, get the elf home, decorate it, photograph it and then submit it via Facebook, hope it gets selected in the final 85, hope it gets voted on via Facebook, hope it wins so that Macy's rush the design off to be made into the actual balloon for THIS YEARS parade! Hard work. Especially as most of the Macy's staff I encountered had no idea about the project and disputed they should give me anything for free just because I was standing in the young women's section (the location on the day I went to claim my elf) saying "Sweet Potato" (the daily password). I was not arrested however and managed to design this is an Elf Bot.


















The actual vinyl elf itself was quite restricting in that it already had the facial features of a large nose and tiny eyes. I recast my eyes with clay making them larger and more cartoony, lining them with silver to show the metallic qualities. I toyed with painting the whole character in golds and silver and having a real "tin man" persona but it didn't really fit with the Macy's theme (which was requested in the guide lines). The digital front display and the jet pack were made from my reliable friend Crayola Air Dry Clay. The fire that was coming out of the jet pack had to be removed when I submitted the piece on Macy's Facebook page and the picture had to be inserted into their elf shaped cookie cutter submission process (the legs were cut off a bit when I did this)

The submission process has now finished and what I can only assume to be real elves, are whittling down the submissions to 85 which will be displayed online via Macy's facebook page to be voted on from August 30th 2011. So go vote for an elf bot so I can be in New York for Thanks giving.....which is part of the prize by the way....I would send you a post card! Promise!