Nia’s Bedtime Stories

Way past her bedtime but the stories need told. They’ve heard them before but they never grow old.

Nia loves her stuffed animals; plushies, squishies, and furries and such. Little do her parents know, when it’s late at night and no adults are around, the creatures come to life in her imagination. She tells them her bedtime stories about heroes and queens and African things. And she loves to tell them about Kwanzaa and the Nguzo Saba. Yes, the animals follow the Seven Principles too. It’s a different story each night that she makes up on the spot. Yeah, sometimes she repeats herself but they don’t mind. Nia’s an excellent storyteller.

Time for bed y’all, Nia has school in the morning.

Tech Notes:

• I’ve got 18 rigged figures in this scene and I bet you can’t find them all. The two redbirds aren’t rigged so they don’t count. I rigged them all too, except for…
• I had to modify Nia’s bedroom window so it would open. I think her mom had it nailed down so Nia couldn’t wander off. It’s a fire hazard though, you got to be able to access the fire escape. Umoja will thank me later.
• Not sure how the goose and the lamb made it all the way uptown from the farm but they never miss the bedtime stories.
• The violet and gold image below is a “clay” render. It allows me to see how the lighting and shapes are working in the image. A new trick that’s pretty helpful.
• The multicolored image is another way to view the scene as I work. It’s easier to find the different objects than a textured view and doesn’t bog down my computer

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