The Steampunk Pirate Cat sculpture gets a paint job

Sculpting the cat himself was only the beginning of this little polymer clay adventure.  I am very thankful that my pirate cat has survived every trip in and out of the oven so far.  I added a lot more more fur, black paw pads, and glow in the dark claws since I last shared with you.  This is how my furry Steampunk Pirate looked after his last bake.
 
I love the way Calcifer's mane looks, and tried to imitate that look in clay.  And while I adore Calcifer's cute kitten face, I wanted the sculpture to look like a more mature cat (and trust me, Calcifer is anything BUT mature- LOL!).  Here's a tip for sculptors adding things like teeth, claws, or horns to their creation.  Bake the claws first, let them cool, apply a drop of TLS (translucent liquid Sculpey) to the end, then press them into the unbaked clay of the paw.  This is so much easier than trying to attach those tiny unbaked pieces of clay without distorting their shape.
Now that we have the body completely baked, it's time for his paint job.  I started with a light tan wash, since that's the color of Calcifer's undercoat.  I wish I could replicate his coat exactly, but I just don't think it's possible.  Each fur has at least 3 different colors on it, and his coloring is different depending on the light.  So, I'll do the best I can and make good use of artistic license.  This is how he looks after the first wash of color.
 
There will be many more layers of color added before this piece is done.  Then of course I still need to add the details that will make this creation Steampunk.  I've been thinking hard about those wings I was planning (while watching things like Dr. Who to spark my imagination), and I think I have a pretty cool idea on how i want to do them.  I'll be adding an eye patch too (he IS a pirate after all!), as well as his gun, and possibly other accessories.  I'm in no rush, so I'll just feel my way through and add what seems right.  Pieces like this have a timetable all their own, and they can't be rushed, or forced (not if I want to end up with something I'm proud of).  Thank you for continuing to share my creative journey! =)
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Find One of a Kind Handmade Gifts for Valentine's Day

I've put together a collection of unique, one of a kind gifts for Valentine's Day.  Your sweetie is special, shouldn't her gift be as unique and special as she is?  This collection has beautiful jewelry, a cuddly teddy bear, stained glass, unique and feminine clothing, champagne glasses, a lovely clock, and more.  Each handcrafted item is a one of a kind creation.  Get her a gift she won't forget!

One of a kind Valentines gifts

   Curated By: CreativeCritt...

ArtFire.com

Vintage Fashion

Thanks for stopping by!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

My custom order plush World of Warcraft Tauren is done

After many long hours of work, my custom order World of Warcraft plush Tauren is complete and has been shipped to her new owner.  I must admit, I'm rather proud of this creation.  I put so much work into this piece- I wanted her to be perfect.  She's meant to resemble the character Chirose, and I was working off of a picture the customer sent me.  I tried to capture the Tauren's sweet nature, and making her pretty brown eyes more realistic really helped.  I painted the iris and pupil onto acrylic beads and then sealed them with gloss glaze before sewing them on.  I also added eyelids from bits of fur fabric.  That really allowed me to control her expression.  I also needle sculpted the head as well.

I made the bracers on her arms and the legguards on her legs from polymer clay, baking the armor right onto the arms and legs before attaching them to the body.  I discovered that you can actually bake fur fabric and polyester fiberfill safely at 275 degrees. I tried it on one of my earlier Taurens, and have baked clay and fabric together with other projects in the past. Her outfit is a combination of imitation and real leather, gold trim, and embossed felt.

The rose was also made out of polymer clay and was the customer's idea.  I think it adds the perfect touch.  The staff was made from polymer clay as well and has glass beads and glow in the dark accents (that's my way of representing the magic of the staff).  It attaches to her hand with a snap.  And since this is a combination birthday/ holiday gift, the customer requested the addition of a Santa hat.  That fit my taste for whimsy just perfectly!  And the really funny thing is that I was thinking she'd look really cute in a Santa hat, a full day BEFORE I got the customer's email requesting that addition!  I do love working with creative people- we tend to think along the same lines.
All in all this custom order was a great success, and I learned a few new things along the way.  I'm constantly trying to improve my work and create even better pieces.  I really like the way the eyes turned out, and intend to use that method in the future.  All of my World of Warcraft plush characters are created using my own original pattern, which I tweak every so often to make it better.  I made a new ear pattern for this one, and changed the head pattern slightly as well.  These are all definitely one of a kind creations. 
Don't forget, Christmas is not far off, so if you're looking for something extra special for that certain someone on your list, stop in to CreativeCritters and see all I have to offer.  If you'd like me to create something just for you (or your loved one), simply send me a message from my studio.  Thanks for stopping by!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters