We all know Instagram’s pulling us into every corner of our friends’ lives. The immediacy of the photos and close perspective allows us to dip in and out of each activity, whether or not we’re actually there to experience it. So it goes with this latest post. I saw a stream of photos on Lesley‘s feed of her current project. As I’m known to do from time to time, I shot her a note and asked her to send higher resolution photos over so we could do a proper feature. Luckily for me (and you) she complied!

PP: So give us a little background, who was the client and what were you asked to do?

LM: So, FarmVille (of Zynga) and Serve (a stand alone brand of AMEX) recently partnered up and wanted to celebrate. It’s pretty exciting as it’s bringing digital money transactions to a new place.  And it seems like people are coocoo bananas for FarmVille- Zynga is a multi billion dollar gaming company!

PP: So how did the collaboration come about?

LM: I was approached by 1 Trick Pony to realize the launch in a creative way.  Being a 3D thinker, I really wanted to bring the game’s assets to life.  I played the game and it was easy te see that the MONEY TREE was the major asset. So I thought it would be fun to make it larger than life… 10’-6” tall x 7’-0” wide x 5’-0” deep. I also had a lot of fun propping it out with the game’s characters and a tickle trunk (a Canadian colloquialism for tv show Mr. Dressup’s trunk full of dress up clothes) of farm paraphernalia.

PP: What were your thoughts and initial inspiration with creative direction?

LM: I really wanted it to feel cartoon-like, as though it had literally been pulled from the game and placed in the Serve headquarters.  So it was important to build it in a fun way and for it to be glossy and cute. The biggest challenge was determining how to execute the cutouts; what materials to use; how to make the foliage playful; how to make the vines feel real; and getting the colors exactly right.

PP: What were some obstacles you encountered along the way?

LM: A major obstacle was getting it done within the tight deadline. There were many steps in the process- custom sculpting the trunk and hand cutting all the foliage, sanding, plastering, coating in resin and hand painting everything, including the vines.  Not to mention weather conditions affecting drying time and other kinds of unforeseen challenges, which didn’t help. Needless to say it was the 11th hour and we had a few volunteers (very good friends!) with paintbrushes and super glue helping with the final touches. (A couple bottles of wine might have helped with the volunteer effort!)

PP: And did it turn out the way you had hoped?

LM: The client was absolutely thrilled with the results. So much so that we are now in the process of building three more trees and shipping them to California, Florida and Canada! It’s no myth, money trees really do bring good luck and fortune!!