My Entries for the Polymer Clay Smooshers Fairy Tale Challenge

I just finished my second sculpture for the Polymer Clay Smooshers guild Fairy Tale Challenge.  I've been working on these two pieces for several weeks now.  The first piece I'm entering  is my sculpture of a Gnome and a Halfling standing outside the Halfling's Mushroom house and sharing garden vegetables.  The mushroom cap has glow in the dark accents and a light inside.  This one was inspired by Grampa and our neighbor sharing their vegetables when I was young.  All sorts of fairy tales inspired this as well.  I like imagining that there's a whole world out there that most people never see, like mushrooms that serve as houses for fairy tale creatures.

These whimsical sculptures are just so much fun to create!  They do take a lot of time, but that's half the enjoyment- all those little details that make the piece so much more special.  My second entry  portrays a fairy offering a sparkling purple unicorn a large leaf full of red and green apples.

I sculpted the unicorn first, using a purple sparkle clay that looks very nice with his gold mane, tail, and hooves- very regal coloring.  The horn is sculpted from glow in the dark clay, so you can see the magic it contains at night.  After pondering for a bit I decided he needed a friend- he looked lonely.  And since the theme is Fairy Tales, I had to sculpt a fairy.  This fairy comes bearing a gift for her friend: a large leaf brimming with delicious apples.  Since she can fly, she's able to find all the best apple trees.
Both of these sculptures were a lot of fun to create, and they make me smile.  That's something I always hope my work does for others- puts a smile on their face.
I've seen some of the other entries for this Challenge, and I'm very impressed.  The Smooshers have some very talented artists in their ranks!  I love that these challenges often push people to try things outside their normal boundaries.  I know I've tried many new things and gone in different directions in order to create pieces for a Challenge.
Stay tuned for more new creations from CreativeCritters!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Gardening Halflings and Gnomes

It all started with a gift for my friend's birthday.  I made her a sculpture of a dwarf standing in front of his lighted mushroom house.  It was so much fun to create, I decided to make another version.  The mushroom house itself is really cool.  I wrapped clay around a glass votive holder for the stem and living area of the mushroom and cut out the door and windows so the light could shine through.  Inside is an electric tea light.


Pretty flowers grow up the stem of the mushroom and around the base of the house.  I decorated the cap of the mushroom with glow in the dark leaves and stars.
 
Then of course there are the main characters of this piece, Gnor the Gnome and Henry the Halfling.  As I was sculpting these two I remembered our neighbor and Grampa exchanging fresh garden vegetables during the summer.  They were good friends and always willing to share whatever they had grown that season.  I still remember Mr. Wednt bringing Gramma bouquets of dill- LOL!  In this sculpture Henry is bringing over a basket of tomatoes, corn, lettuce, and carrots.  The more I look at Henry, the more I see Mr. Wednt in him- he even used to wear a straw gardening hat.  This all came through subconsciously, and I didn't even see the connection until after the piece was finished.  The Gnome and Halfling were inspired by Boris and Dinko Tilov.  I've been doing a lot of the projects in their Sculpting Mythical Creatures in Polymer Clay, and having a great deal of fun with them.  Their characters are always fun and whimsical, and full of personality.  I'm currently working on another project from that book, and should be listing that one in the next week or so (all depending on how complex I make it).
Thanks for stopping by and sharing the creativity!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters