Elanora is inspired by the orchid mantis (Hymenoptera Coronatus.) Orchid mantises are masters at camouflage, blending in with living orchids to catch their prey. They can be all white, all pink, or varying mixes of the two.
I decided to make her physical anatomy more insect-like by giving her a segmented abdomen and antenna. Her skin is also a pale magenta color with yellow and orange markings. Her eyes are made of glass and her hair is wool. I decided to incorporate false eyes into her crown, another camouflaging technique that is seen throughout nature. The adaptation is used to scare potential predators, and it seemed fitting that I implement this tactic here. In addition to the false eyes on the top of her crown, I added mandibles to help protect her face.
Her armor is 3D printed and painted with acrylic paint. Her head, hands and feet are made of polymer clay and are also painted with acrylic paint. Her wings are made of cellophane and decorated with crystals. Her shoulders, elbows, hips and knees are posable, as well as her wings.
Her stance is reminiscent of the actual stances that mantis will take in attempt to ward off predators, making themselves as big as possible to seem more intimidating.
