This Santa Pepe ornament is sure to make your holiday bright

We first encountered The Tall Grass because of this adorable Santa Pepe ornament, but as it turns out the shop has plenty of figurines for a World of Warcraft fan — or Pokemon fan or League of Legends fan or Studio Ghibli fan — to love.

We caught up with The Tall Grass to ask just how she brings these clay creations to life.

Which Blizzard games do you play, and as what?

I’ve been playing World of Warcraft for over 4 years — my main is a Feral Druid, but I have six level 100s total so far (Hunter, Lock, Mage, Priest and Monk). I also enjoy Hearthstone and Heroes of the Storm.

How did you get started making clay figurines? How long have you been making them?

I originally started when I was 14 (I was terrible) and I practiced for a while but gave it up for a few years. I got back into it when I was 23 and I made a 7-inch tall model of the champion Mordekaiser from League of Legends. After that, I started at it again and a year later I started my Etsy store.

What inspired you to make these Warcraft-themed pieces? And the holiday ornaments, in particular?

I love everything about WoW — the characters, the lore, how the game is played. I started off making WoW models of things I liked — Proto Drakes, the Hunter pet Loque’Nahak — and it all slowly grew from there. I especially like to make models/items of things I know intimately, so I can better capture them, so WoW was just perfect to get inspiration from.

The holiday ornaments I originally made last year (I added Pepe this year) and just thought it would be cool to give people the option of have a little bit of WoW on their tree or wherever else they choose to hang them. I added Pepe this year both out of how much I personally love him and how much the community loves him.

Can you give us a step-by-step on what is involved in the creation of these? 

Well, once I get an idea (or request) to make something into a model, I spend a few days going over the steps in my head, planning it out, choosing the pose and size — all that — and once I’ve got a good mental picture I sit down at my laptop with plenty of reference images for color, etc and set to work. I make everything from Polymer clay and the use of small wires for stability when the need arises. It can take anywhere from one hour to seven hours to make a model depending on the size, complexity, etc, but I really enjoy it so much.

What’s the most challenging part of making one of your polymer figures?

The most challenging part is also why I created my store: I have several back problems and arthritis in my fingers, so if I work for too long (an hour plus) my hands and back start to give out, so sometimes when I have multiple orders, it kinda gets in the way. But, as I said, my physical problems are also why I created my store (it helps me find purpose and keeps me busy) so I guess a bit of give and take are expected!

Do you have a favorite?

It’s so hard to pick a favorite, I’ve made so many things in the past two years — and I love all of them! — but if I had to choose… I’d pick my Chibi Loque’Nahak. Not only is he my Hunter’s pet of choice, but I love making him. He’s one of my most popular items, and I’m pretty sure I have his ‘template’ so memorized I could make him blindfolded! Haha.

What are you working on next?

I actually just finished working on six new Pokemon models (Charizard, Cubone, and all that good stuff) and I think my next project will either be Thrall (I love him) or a detailed Pepe model to go alongside my Pepe plush!

That’s all for BlizzCrafts today — but check back next week for another selection of cool Blizzard-themed crafts! Have Blizzard arts and crafts of your own you’d like to see on Blizzard Watch? Send them our way– submissions and suggestions should be sent to liz at blizzardwatch dot com.