ALittleCharacter
Announcement
LOCAL PICK-UP in Trenton, Pictou County, NS, Please message me for details. 💚
You do not need a PayPal account to purchase! After clicking “Pay With PayPal,” there will be an option to use credit or debit card. 😊
If you live in Pictou County, Nova Scotia (or have someone who can pick up your order) you can save $10 from each item listed. Shipping fees are currently built into prices and can be removed for local pick-up.
I am posting photos of current art dolls and sculptures available on my Facebook and Instagram pages!
https://www.facebook.com/ALittleCharacter
https://www.instagram.com/a_little_character
Announcement
LOCAL PICK-UP in Trenton, Pictou County, NS, Please message me for details. 💚
You do not need a PayPal account to purchase! After clicking “Pay With PayPal,” there will be an option to use credit or debit card. 😊
If you live in Pictou County, Nova Scotia (or have someone who can pick up your order) you can save $10 from each item listed. Shipping fees are currently built into prices and can be removed for local pick-up.
I am posting photos of current art dolls and sculptures available on my Facebook and Instagram pages!
https://www.facebook.com/ALittleCharacter
https://www.instagram.com/a_little_character
Items
Featured items
All Items
Reviews
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Lisa on Jun 18, 2022
5 out of 5 starsOh, he's adorable! The liquid eyes catch the light and look alive. And such a sweet, gentle face and expressive stance. Exactly as pictured. Exceptionally safely packaged. Arrived quickly. This whole store is fun and special! Thanks for your inspired artistry and great service.
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jbassettx on Jun 9, 2022
5 out of 5 starsMy little robin with his worm is adorable and unique. He always makes me smile.
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Alisa on May 30, 2022
5 out of 5 starsAmazing! Seriously the cutest snail and bigger than I expected. Thank you!!!!!
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Janet on May 20, 2022
5 out of 5 starsTracey does such a great job with these little critters. Very personable and great customer service. Will be purchasing again for sure.
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Janet on May 20, 2022
5 out of 5 starsTotally awesome little guy. So please with the workmanship and customer service.
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harleydog1 on May 18, 2022
5 out of 5 starsThis is my 20th purchase from Tracey, dose that tell you anything about her work? Maybe I have a problem because I have bought so many but I really don't think so. Her work is that good, ships fast and love the little notes she adds to your purchase. My newest addition has made many new friends at my house.
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harleydog1 on May 18, 2022
5 out of 5 starsCan't say enough about Tracey, great craftmenship, incredible detail and true works of art. She is truly a pleasure to do business with.
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harleydog1 on May 7, 2022
5 out of 5 starsThis is an absolutely adorable bunny that came hopping to me for Easter. Easter was just an excuse to buy another of Tracey's creations. Tracey is the best seller on Etsy, wonderful to work with, ships fast and packaged with care.
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harleydog1 on May 7, 2022
5 out of 5 starsI love this little snail, the details that Tracey puts in every piece she makes is amazing. You can tell she loves what she does. I also love the pictures of her little characters and all the thought and care that goes into them. My snail has made some friends in my house that were also made by Tracy.
About ALittleCharacter
Questions & Answers and a bit of rambling...
- What inspires you?
I think it would be easier to list what doesn't...haha. I bet it's the same for all creative people, inspiration is everywhere. Books, tv, the backyard, fairy tales and dreams. Sometimes I dream I am walking through a handmade arts and crafts store and see all kinds of characters, then wake up and realize, they don't exist! Those are MY ideas, I can make them....if I can remember them.
Some times ideas just pop into existence over morning coffee, anytime really. They often seem to just come from nowhere at all, it might be an invisible dragon whispering thoughts in my ear when I start squishing the clay for all I know...haha
I grew up in a very rural part of Nova Scotia, lots of pets around, gorgeous woods to wander through. The sort of place where fairies and elves just had to be lurking. I spent a lot of time out doors and find now that I'm an adult that I am often drawn towards creating characters that could have come from those woods and other magical places...lots of different mushroom folk, elven people and wild animals.
- What is your process for creating new characters?
Usually the idea of what I'm going to make comes first. I also usually have more ideas than hands (as soon as doppelganger technology is available I'm making copies of myself so I can explore simultaneous claying ideas at once!) and time so I keep a list to refer to when I'm ready to make something new and need a reminder.
I rarely sketch things out, unless I fear I'll forget a particular idea. Like the monster should have 8 eyes, or a candy corn head... Then I create foil and wire armatures and break out my clay. It's never far away, my computer desk is both my media center and my claying work station. Sometimes I gather images from the internet to use as inspiration, sometimes my husband sketches out posing possibilities, but mostly I just jump in and get sculpting. Too much thinking about it before hand means nothing will ever get made. I like to get the general idea in my head and then zone out with sitcoms as background noise and start creating. Once I've sculpted a character to my satisfaction it gets cured and then is ready for painting. Once I've started adding colour that's when the personality really starts to pop. That's when I can start imagining their world, their life....
- How do you select each character's name and create such imaginative back stories?
Pretty much every character I make has a story. They're not finished until I put some of it down, learn their name, essentially try to grab a little slice of their life to include along with them. So when the customer brings one of my jackos into their home it's not just any jacko, it's the jacko with a burning soul who wants revenge on people for turning it's kind into pie... That's a lot more fun then JUST a jacko.
When I'm making the character, painting it, photo-ing it for my website, I'm already picturing the world they live in. Little details start accumulating, snippets of their daily life, what their personality is like. Once I name them I dive into the story. Usually from their perspective or from my own as if I actually did stumble through a swamp in the dark to meet an abandoned jackolantern who has exiled himself there.
Most of the names my characters have are not meaningless, there are rare exceptions where a random name just POPS in my head and I just go with it. Usually however I take a good look at what I've made, see what elements stand out to me, a part of their personality, their colour, whether they have horns or wings or red eyes. Once I latch onto some aspect of the character like that I find their name by browsing through online name databases, looking at name meanings that match and then choosing the name that POPS from amongst all them.
Example of name meanings:
Nala the Jack O'Lantern, Nala means "stem", quite suitable for a jacko who's most noticeable feature is a stem nose.
Nyx the Demon Bat got her name because Nyx means "night", and Nyx besides being a bat is the bringer of night to the world..well..HER world.
Cerberus the Demon, one of my most favorite characters, got his name because Cerberus means "Demon of the Night", now see a name like that just fits so well.
Flog the monster's name is a little different than other characters. In his case it's not that Flog has a meaning but rather it's a combination of Frog and Dog and when I look at his crazy blue face with a big puppy nose and weird froggy legs, I hear Flog in my head.
Shop members
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A Little Character
Owner, Maker
Tracey Truly is an original clay artist known for her creativity and exploration, making unique art dolls and figurines. Some closer to reality, but many with a whimsical nature and a magical shimmer that says they come from another realm altogether.
Shop policies
My facebook fan page:
http://www.facebook.com/ALittleCharacter
Accepted payment methods
Returns and exchanges
I don't accept returns, exchanges, or cancellations
Payment
Shipping
I will ship most any where, if you don't see a shipping option listed for your location let me know and I will remedy that.
Gifts: If you're purchasing an item as a gift and would like to have it shipped directly to the recipient, just let me know.
Additional policies and FAQs
In most cases I will require a deposit to proceed with work on your custom order.
If you'd like to Reserve an Item that is already in my shop, I'd be glad to do that. I may require a deposit to hold your item.