Celtic fairy sculpture for the Smooshers Celtic Challenge

The theme for the upcoming Polymer Clay Smooshers Challenge is Celtic, and at first I had a hard time figuring out what to make.  When another guild member suggested Googling Celtic Mythology I started finding images of gods, goddesses, and fairies, which is familiar territory for me.  Eventually I decided to sculpt a fairy dressed in green.  This is how she started out.

 

I wasn't just sure how I wanted to pose her, so I sculpted her in pieces and pierced holes in each limb.  After I baked the parts I inserted pipe cleaners secured with super glue.

 

 

Then I sculpted some rocks for her to sit on.  This is one way I use my leftover bits of clay.  I just blended them all together and ended up with a nice mottled gray color.  Now I could pose the fairy and decide how she would look best.  Once I settled on a pose I filled the elbow, knee, and neck joints with clay to create a solid sculpture.  I added a dress made from strips of green clay and I used green acrylic paint to give her  slippers with thin strings of clay for laces..

 

I sculpted her wings and baked them separately.  I created a millifiori  cane using shades of blue and green clay wrapped with glow in the dark clay and shaped slices into ruffled wings.

 

 

At this point I wasn't sure where to go next with the sculpture.  I felt as though it needed something else.  After a bit of  thought I checked to see what animals were native to Ireland- animals are always a good addition to my sculptures ;-) I chose to sculpt a cross fox, which I learned is a color variant of the red fox.  I liked his black mask and cross marking on his back, and I thought he'd make a good friend for my fairy.

 

I added some glow in the dark yellow flowers, gave the fairy black polymer clay hair and attached her wings.

   

And here's what the back of her wings look like in the dark.

 

This one took a while to complete, but I'm very happy with the way she turned out.  And I think the fox was the perfect addition.  I ended up learning quite a bit about Celtic mythology while I researched this project, and I have quite a few ideas for future projects inspired by the figures of Celtic mythology. 

Thanks for sharing another creative journey! =)

~Michelle of CreativeCritters

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Polymer Clay Smooshers Fall Challenge

Because of the hot weather last month I was unable to sculpt an entry for the Polymer Clay Smoosher's Beach themed Challenge.  I love participating in the Smoosher's Challenges and really regretted being unable to sculpt for about a month.  Polymer clay can get very sticky and difficult to sculpt when it gets too warm, plus I didn't want to add the heat of the oven to the already hot house.  The weather has cooled off a bit in the last week or so, though, so I have been able to get back to sculpting.  I had plenty of ideas for items I could create for the Fall themed Challenge, but eventually settled on a Fall Fairy Maple Leaf wall hanging.  I've had an idea like this for quite some time, and this seemed like the perfect time to sculpt it.

 

The red, green, and gold Maple leaf measures 9" tall and 11" wide.  I drew a template for the leaf on cardboard, then traced around the leaf on the clay using an exacto knife.  I made the leaf even stronger by using wire for the leaf veins and covering them in clay.  The fairy was sculpted from the same clay as the leaf and is meant to look like part of the leaf.  The really fun part came when I started adding red, green, and gold Pearl Ex powders to the unbaked clay, then covered the entire leaf in Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel.  This is the first time I've used the embossing enamel, although I do frequently use embossing powders in my work.  Because the embossing enamel is crystal clear I was able to add a thick layer, adding to the depth of the piece.  I baked the piece once, and liked the look so much I wanted to add another layer of color.  So I dusted on more Pearl Ex powders, and another layer of embossing enamel, and baked the plaque again.  This is definitely a one of a kind creation!  And I think it's perfect for the Polymer Clay Smoosher's Fall Challenge.  Autumn always seems to bring on a burst of creativity for me, and I have quite a few Fall themed items available in my shop.  Over the next month or so I'll be adding a variety of new items inspired by the upcoming Fall season!                                                                                                  

-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

My newest fantasy sculpture

Dragon Fairy OOAK sculpture

My one of a kind Dragon Fairy sculpture is the latest polymer clay addition to CreativeCritters.  A lot of emotion (and time and effort) went into this sculpture. I really put my soul into this piece.  I love sculpting dragons, and I've been quite inspired by Halloween lately, so that set the tone of the sculpture.  When choosing the clay colors I wanted for this project, I was thinking of Halloween colors- red, black, and purple.  One of the things I wanted to get across is that the fairy is NOT human.  That's one of the reasons I chose to make her green and made sure her pointed ears showed through her black, purple, and red hair.  Of course the large dragon wings growing from her back make it pretty clear that she's not human as well.  And another small, but surprisingly effective, touch was to give her simple reptilian eyes with elliptical black pupils.  Once I painted her facial features she really came to life.  I also wanted to express the intense bond between the fairy and her dragon.  They will be together their whole lives (100's of years) and are completely devoted to one another.  When the baby dragon is old enough they'll soar through the skies together surveying their vast territory.  Another inspiration for this piece was my kitten Calcifer.  I feel that devotion from him, and this is the exact position he likes to cuddle in.  He even buries his face in my hair, just like the blue eyed dragon.  I do believe there's a bit of fairy magic in this sculpture, and my muse worked overtime providing ideas and inspiration for this one!


If you click on the pictures they'll take you directly to the listing.  Thanks so much for sharing the creativity!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Fantasy Clay creates wonderful fantasy creations from polymer clay

Fantasy Clay on ArtFire.com says polymer clay is her passion. That passion certainly shows in her wonderful sculptures. She says polymer clay is her favorite medium and has been working with it for about 10 years. She's always finding something new to try and loves making sculptural and fantasy creatures. She's also started making beads and exploring more cane work recently. She enjoys exploring colors and trying new materials, such as mixed media, inks, mica powders to enhance her work. She loves to create custom orders as well, so if you'd like her to create something special be sure to contact her.
Some of her very satisfied customers have said "Thank you for making me the black cat magnet! I LOVE him! I also want to thak you for all your help! You're the best!", "You hit the nail on the head, it couldn't be any more perfect! Looks just like him, I think he thinks I told you exactly what to do. It's great, love the mustache!", "Couldn't resist this adorable steampunk dragon and now that he has arrived, I am delighted. Thank you, Susan", and "The dragon is beautiful, My daughter loved it. thank you."
You can find Fantasy Clay online at www.fantasy-clay.com, Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, and IndiePublic. Susan is also a fellow member of the ArtFire Polymer Clay Smooshers Guild. Below is a small sample of the work you can find in her shop, and don't forget to contact her for custom orders!

Did I mention I absolutely love the work of Fantasy Clay? Each character definitely has it's own unique personality!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Handmade floral themed creations

Spring flowers from CreativeCritters

The flowers in my garden are putting on a beautiful show now that the weather has warmed, so I thought I'd share some of the flowery creations from my studio on ArtFire.com. I have several pairs of earrings which feature flowers, and were sculpted by hand from polymer clay with glass, polymer clay, and acrylic beads for added interest.
My miniature house sculptures are all carefully sculpted by hand from polymer clay and are covered in tiny intricate flowers in a variety of colors and shapes. These miniature house sculptures are all one of a kind pieces, sculpted with great attention to detail.
Several of my fantasy polymer clay sculptures incorporate flowers as well. Fairies and flowers just belong together, in my opinion. And that's just a sample of some of the flowers growing in my shop. Now that it's spring, I'll be creating a lot more floral themed items, so be sure to check back often. Thanks for stopping by!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

My work was featured in Polymer Cafe magazine!

My Pumpkin House was featured in Polymer Cafe magazine!

I always love getting my Polymer Cafe magazine in the mail, but enjoy it even more when one of the items I submit gets featured.  My Lighted Glow in the Dark Pumpkin House sculpture was featured in their Reader's Gallery of the April 2010 issue!  I sent a few pictures of my sculpture to the magazine for their consideration several months ago, then forgot about it as life got busy once again.  I originally got the idea for the pumpkin house sculpture after reading a tutorial in the magazine titled "The Patch Keeper's Cottage".  I started with their basic instructions, then quickly went off in my own direction and turned it into my own creation.  This is the first lighted house I ever attempted, and I really like the effect.  It looks so pretty when the light is plugged in.  I also added a lot of glow in the dark elements, such as the tall flowers flanking the front door, the swirls in the snails shell, the fairy's wings, the caterpillar's stripes, and some of the flowers on either side of the walkway.  The effect in the dark is just enchanting!
The base measures 8" long and 7" wide. The pumpkin house measures 4" tall. To create the house I covered a crackle glass votive with polymer clay, adding windows with frames, a stem, leaves, and vines. The light is a UL listed pumpkin light with a 2 foot cord.
Being featured in Polymer Cafe magazine is very gratifying, since some truly amazing artists show their work in this publication.  I'm in awe of some of the work I see published in this magazine.  And each issue is chock full of fun and challenging new projects to try.  Just look what I was inspired to create!





Thanks so much for stopping by to see my creations!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Think Spring!

Think Spring

It's cold, it's snowing, and I can't wait for spring!  I've been getting my seed catalogs in the mail for a few weeks now, and will soon be planning out this spring's garden.  So, for everyone who needs a little dose of springtime right now, here are some of my spring inspired items.  I hope they warm you up just a bit.

Thanks for stopping by for a dose of sunshine and flowers!

-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Jingle Bells!

These are some of my fun items with jingle bells attached.  One year I got a whole bunch of bells (can't quite remember why), and have been slowly incorporating them into different projects ever since.  I think they add a little more fun to my Christmas ornaments and jewelry.  Plus if your cat likes to attack the Christmas tree, the bells will alert you before she can destroy the whole thing- LOL!  When my Ozzy was younger and more frisky, the sound of bells always warned me when he was getting into the tree.  Below is a sample of some of my pieces that feature bells.  You can click on the picture to go directly to the listing, or simply browse CreativeCritters at your leisure.

Thanks for stopping by!

-Michelle of CreativeCritters