Captain Hook

Captain Hook Ornament

ne of the most fascinating villains in children’s literature must be Captain Hook. Despite his vicious nature, he has impeccable diction, manners, and fashion sense. Trying to capture his elegance and at the same capturing his cruelty was not an easy task. J. M. Barrie pays careful attention to describing this devious character, so I tried to incorporate as many details as possible in the design of this handcrafted Captain Hook figurine.

Captain Hook Ornament Design Process

Bringing to life any character always starts with successfully capturing its facial expression. With a stylized almost Greek type of nose, and black thick eyebrows that frame his blue melancholic eyes, I was able to achieve a menacing expression mixed with an elegant calmness, which was characteristic of his demeanor when he was not facing his nemesis Peter Pan. His long black curls flow off his head accentuating the elegance of his image. Completing his threatening persona, a cigarette dangles from his smile-less mouth. Now, for those of you who like precise adherence to the piece of literature, I must admit that I left out the double cigar holder that Hook had contrived himself. Not for lack of attention to detail, but because, at first glance, it appeared to be some sort of musical instrument which took away the dark expression I was going for.

Captain Hook’s Fashion

As J. M. Barrie describes him in his book, I dressed Captain Hook in the fashion of King Charles II of England. I spent many hours researching portraits of this Stuart king of England. Being the captain of a pirate ship, I had to give Hook a hat too. This is not a traditional pirate hat as you might imagine, but a King Charles II of England style hat, capped with exotic feathers as a symbol of his travels to far-away-lands. A white lace oversized collar sits over the bright red jacket, and a long gray wool cloak lined in royal blue fabric covers his shoulders. To finish the ornament of the treacherous and polite Captain Hook, I added his hook peeking through his cloak, a sword to fight Peter Pan, and tall black leather boots.

Specifications

Year Designed

2020

Size

Actual size may vary, approximate 3.0” x 3.0” x 5.0”

Materials

Fabric, leather, felt, cardboard, wood shapes and knobs, paper clips, yarn, paper, buttons, feathers, bake-clay, notions, paint, food picks

Note:  Given the handmade nature of the ornament, all ornaments are different.  The pictures depict just one sample of the ornament.