Off Season Santa

Christmas is over, the sleighs been moved to storage, the reindeer fed, the Elves have all left for sunnier climes and the old lady is down at the spa so it's a chance for the old boy to kick back and finally enjoy a few moments of quality time at his favorite internet betting site.
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While this figure is a little out of character for me it was fun doing a popular figure in a theme not normally associated with him. In doing this piece I muted all the colors to get away from the normal cheery & clean look. I had a little extra fun with his t-shirt which you can check out in the gallery. Unfortunately, once the head was glued in place that detail is hardly visible but the Pizza sauce stain remains. Also, not evident in the photos is the TV remote stuck in his robe pocket just under the Racing Forum spreadsheet. I made the six-pack by locking a thin piece of tin between two pieces of plywood prior to drilling the holes for the cans. That way I got good, clean openings. The cans were carved from dowel and I left a lip at the top of each can so it would set in place as the real ones do.
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The Racing Form sheet was taken from the web and reduced to size. I then used an fine ink pen to indicate type and a couple of photos. The eyeglasses were made from wire, soldered and then locked in place by drilling a couple holes into the head.
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They told me that once I carved a Santa I would be hooked on them and maybe they're right as I have a great idea for doing another. However, for the moment it's back to Cowboys!!

More photos in the gallery and your comments are always appreciated.