Polymer Clay Glow in the Dark Fanatsy Lion Fish Mermaid sculpture

Lion Fish Mermaid sculpture

It all started with a simple challenge: I was to create an ocean themed piece (or two) for the Polymer Clay Smooshers guild Ocean Challenge, which has been timed perfectly for summer. For my first entry I decided to make a mermaid, which would allow me to add some fantasy to the ocean theme. I had originally planned on sculpting a fairly traditional mermaid, until I stumbled across a painting online of what I call a Lion Fish Mermaid. The painting was amazing, and I just knew I had to attempt to create her in polymer clay in my own style. Figuring out just how to prop her took a few days of thinking. On a piece this complex and delicate, a sturdy base is incredibly important. I used a heavy gauge wire armature and created the blue gray coral that her body rests on. I shaped the body to fit as closely as possible to the coral. To my surprise, it worked out quite well and nothing sagged or shifted on any of her several bakes. Creating the fins and spots from glow in the dark clay was actually a happy accident. I thought I had grabbed my cream colored clay (they're nearly identical in the light), but discovered after my first bake that her spots glowed in the dark. I liked the effect, so used the same clay for the fins, and even her hair. I couldn't get a good glow in the dark picture, so you'll have to take my word for it that she looks AWESOME! I even added real shells and a real rock to the base of the sculpture. This piece turned out better than I could have hoped. I even found one set of blue gray glass doll's eyes left in my stash. Sometimes everything just seems to fall into place. You can click on any of the pictures to go directly to her listing, where you'll find more pictures, as well as more details about the piece. Thanks so much for stopping by my little fantasy world!



-Michelle of CreativeCritters