Animals inspire the artwork of CreativeCritters

A quick browse through my studio will be enough to tell you that I love animals.  My Maine Coone, Calcifer was kind enough to pose as my avatar.  And although they've both passed away, my cats Ozzy and Cedric inspired many of my creations and were the original testers of my catnip toys.  Calcifer has since taken up the role as Catnip Product Tester. The picture above shows my fluffy kitty after a hard day of work ;)  I've had pets ever since I was a young child, and simply can't imagine life without animals. I've shared my heart and my home with everything from dogs and cats to ferrets, turtles, bunnies, and more.
  It wasn't until I got Katherine Dewey's "Creating Lifelike Animals in Polymer Clay" that I felt I could sculpt a truly realistic animal though. You'll find many animal sculptures in my studio that were created with guidance from that book.

  I now am confident enough with my skills to sculpt many different types of animals, and have created several custom pet sculptures for customers.  The sculpture below is Rudy, a Collie/ Irish Wolfhound mix.  This sculpture became an integral part of Rudy's memorial.

  I also enjoy creating whimsical and fantasy animals- I have several dragon sculptures, a unicorn, a griffin, and more available.

  Animals have also found their way into my jewelry.  I offer several one of a kind dragon necklaces and bunny rabbits and cats can be found in jewelry sets, earrings, and necklaces.

And then there are stuffed animals, which I never really grew out of.  Once I learned how to sew and follow a pattern I made all sorts of stuffed animals, some to keep for myself and some to give as gifts.  I love being able to make my own teddy bears and share their cuddliness with my customers!

  When I (finally) figured out how to knit, and consequently found some books on knitting stuffed toys, I found a new avenue for my creativity.  I'm now able to create my own sewing and knitting patterns, making many of my stuffed animals one of a kind original creations. 
 

And I'm always adding more, so be sure to check back often!  Thanks for looking!

-Michelle of CreativeCritters

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Leopold the Loom Knit Lion

Today I want to introduce Leopold the Lion, one of many stuffed animals I knit using round looms.  I created my own pattern for this cute lion as I went along, making him a one of a kind creation.  I discovered loom knitting a few years ago and have had a lot of fun making a variety of stuffed creatures with the looms.  Using the round looms makes the knitting go a lot faster, and I find it very relaxing.  I plan on writing an e-book on how to make stuffed animals using round looms, and Leopold the Lion will be one of the projects in that book.  Some of my loom knit critters available at CreativeCritters include this cute unicorn

 

this whimsical monkey

 

 

And of course Leopold the Lion

 

 

With some of my animals I use a combination of loom knit pieces and traditionally knit pieces, depending on the shapes I need.  Figuring out how to turn a ball of yarn into an adorable animal with lots of personality is challenging and enjoyable for me.  And I want to be able to share that enjoyment with others, which is why I decided to start working on a How To Make Loom Knit Animals e-book.  My own book shelves are filled with How To books on all sorts of crafts, and now I'm ready to write some of own.  I've honed my skills over the last several years and am ready to share what I've learned.  So not only will you be able to purchase these cute stuffed animals from my shop, you'll be able to make your very own.  These toys are wonderful for children, since they're very soft and cuddly, and just the right size for hugging.  As always, be sure to keep your child's safety in mind when purchasing any toy.  Some of my creations have eyes which are sewn on very securely, but very small children may still try to pull off.  

Stay tuned for future updates on new stuffed animals and the progress of my e-book!  Thanks for stopping by! :-)

-Michelle of CreativeCritters

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