(Shannon May)
A Little Birthday Magic
by Pam North
Shannon May’s interest in miniatures and introduction to the hobby began simply - she saw a television ad for a dollhouse kit she saw, and she decided she wanted one. Although she never bought that one, she already was hooked. Her current career involves designing her own range of laser-cut 1:24 scale miniatures, which she mostly sells online.
Her only formal training for the miniature field encompasses painting lessons from a professional artist for the last six years, which she discovered helped her beyond just the obvious improvements in painting techniques; she also learned about color, composition, shape, scale, and form, all of which are useful in mini making.
For inspiration she takes endless photos of buildings, furniture, gardens, and uses Pinterest and Instagram I. “There is so much out there, you just have to look,” she commented. “Although the flip side to that is it can also be very overwhelming!”
Her recent project, called Birthday Magic, is in 1:12 scale, and is an accumulation of ideas. She had grown up on early 20th century English storybooks, and her grandmother was a keen nurturer of Shannon’s imagination. Shannon had a similar idea for the Hobby Builders Supply’s annual Creatin’ Contest (miniatures.com) in 2020, and had regretted not entering, so when she found a birthday card with the “Happy Birthday” banner on it, she jumped right in.
Shannon made most of her piece herself. She knitted/crocheted/ the cardigans, bed throws, toys, dolls (both big and little), food, animals, pull cart, fire mantle, books, presents, table and the fiber optic, starry night sky. She painted metal minis for decorations, made some furniture from kits, modified pre-made doors and windows, and painted almost everything.
Materials used included wood for the furniture, and lots of paint. The dolls were made using an air-dry casting slip (LI-QUA-CHÉ). Most of the knitted/crocheted items were from 1-ply cotton yarn, but the gloves on the table of presents were made from a beautiful fine cashmere thread (which Shannon laments that she sadly she can’t find anymore). The food and animals are made from Fimo polymer clay and painted, with fluffy wool roving for bunny tails. The teddies (all except the obviously knitted one) were made from pipe cleaners. Lots of Paperclay was used for the living room floor and exterior. The stars were done with miniature fiber options, which twinkle with the use of flashing LED lights.
She tried to use a limited color palette for maximum impact, using the colors from the birthday banner, and not deviating from those. She was aiming to get the overall look/feel of a soft, straight-from-a-storybook illustration, and almost lost confidence at one point that she could achieve her goal. “I am more of a planner than an executor, so I do find it hard to finish something completely. We all think afterward that there are things we’d change. I had intended adding more detail, but realized it detracted from the story.”
Shannon used tutorials for the food from Maive Ferrando’s book Miniature Cake Creations. The animals were modeled freestyle, but she looked at illustrations of animals from the Internet to get shapes and poses, and didn’t worry too much about them being accurate representations.
There are pieces by other artists included in the Birthday Magic scene. The pot of flowers on the doorstep was made by Kristin of Moonflower Minis on Etsy, and the other flowers in the garden bed were made by Kathy Brindle. A little box on top of the toy chest in the bedroom was by Veronique Lux, and the little slippers in front of the bed were made by Janis at Tiny Finery. Furniture kits came from House of Miniatures, Chrysnbon, and Just Wood Toys. The lovely wallpaper was from Itsy Bitsy Mini and Brodnax Prints. She used purchased doll molds to make all the dolls, and the sweater and knitted toys were made from patterns.

She made the piece as a personal challenge. “I had this idea in my head, and I wanted to see if I could bring it to fruition. Sometimes we tend to take the easy options rather than challenge ourselves, but I was at a point where I wanted to prove to myself that I could have an idea and see it come to life at a satisfactory standard.”
Shannon cited several favorite aspects about the piece. “I am a planner, so the initial idea is generally my favorite part. The animals, teddies, and dolls are by no means perfect, but have expressions and gestures that add some realism and life to the scene, and help tell the story. I love the dolls and teddies jumping to life and scrambling to chase off the animals. I also loved making mini cakes,  and find knitting strangely relaxing.”
She has no plans to sell it. “I will keep this. I find it hard to let my artworks go! Art is very personal for me.”
Contemplating the future of miniatures, she observed: “I think an interesting development is the shift from the larger manufacturers/makers towards smaller craftsperson-run small businesses. I find it a little concerning that some of the major makers are now gone, and there are gaps opening in the market. This makes the buying experience more personal, but it also has impacts such as a smaller range, and (a big concern for us Aussies and New Zealanders) expensive shipping.”
Shannon’s plans include mulling over ideas for the 2022 Creatin Contest. “I will keep plodding along on my 1:12 scale builds. They are never finished! I also run a small business selling 1:24 scale laser-cut miniatures, and I hope to introduce some 3D printed items. I have learned some basic skills, but need the ability to create some slightly more complex designs.” She also is learning mini basket weaving.