Preserved Faerie (detail)

Faerie mummies are a pretty common creation, so I had an easy time finding references. I started with a cheap plastic skeleton from Fred Meyer's Halloween display (a few dollars for a bag of ten). Some of the anatomy was way off. I had to reposition the skull on the neck, move the ribcage, and used a heat gun to soften, bend and trim the hands and feet into something more realistic. I also had to give it proper shoulder blades using epoxy plumbers putty. I also did some work on the skull. Building up around the eyes, and giving it a proper jawbone and chin with epoxy. The ears were simply bits of wire glued into holes.
 Then the whole thing was covered in bits of tissue paper soaked in watered down Elmers glue. I gave it a light stippling of liquid latex to give the dried skin some texture.

 Finally I painted it in dark brown, then dry brushed it with various shades of tan, golden yellow, and cream. 

 The wings were made by printing a photo of Cicada wings I found online onto a clear printable plastic sheet, cutting them out and gluing them on the back. 

 The hair was made by unravelling a piece of hemp string I had on hand. The label is modified from an actual British Museum tag (Thanks Photoshop).

 The shadow box came from Goodwill, with a couple of New Zealand butterflies inside (which are now sitting safely on my bookshelf). Textured background paper is from the craft store, and was lightly sprayed with brown paint.