Special Order Purple Dragon Christmas Ornament

For the last several days I've been working on a special order dragon ornament.  The customer saw my dragon necklaces, but since this was a present for her mother, who doesn't wear jewelry, she wanted to know if I could make one as an ornament.  Better yet, she wanted it in purple, which is my favorite color.  These dragons are completely my own design, and each is one of a kind, which is part of their charm.  The most time consuming part of these creations is cutting out the hundreds of variegated scales and carefully placing them on the dragon.  When I create special orders, I strive to create the most wonderful piece I can, and this dragon was no exception.  I used mulitifaceted fire polished beads for his eyes, which catch the light in the most amazing way.  I also sculpted his fangs and claws from glow in the dark clay, for added interest and fun.  The dragon is holding his own special treasure in the form of two glass beads in blue and gold.  Not only do I try to create a wonderful piece, but I try to complete the project as soon as possible, especially around the holidays.  Below are some pictures of my Purple and Gold Dragon Ornament.  I liked this one so much I may have to create another for myself! I truly enjoy making custom orders, so please feel free to contact me if you'd like me to create something special just for you.  Thanks for stopping by!

-Michelle of CreativeCritters

My first dragon necklace

I just listed the first dragon necklace I made on ArtFire.com. I spent a lot of time on this, trying to make sure I got it just right. The dragon is about 3 1/2" long and 3 1/2" tall, and the entire necklace is about 22" long. I sculpted the dragon in polymer clay and actually cut out each and every scale, one by one (very time consuming, but I just love the effect). I used gold clay for the belly, horns, and the tip of his tail. I used shimmering red clay for his scales and wings. I added gold embossing powder to the center of the wings before baking them. I gave the dragon green glass beads for eyes and used a polymer clay tube bead between his wings in order to string him on the necklace. While the sculpting was difficult and time consuming, I think the beading may have been even more so. I used a combination of acrylic, glass, and metal beads in red and gold hues. I've never taken any jewelry making classes or been taught anything about the art. I just imagine what I want a piece to look like and try to figure out how to accomplish that. I knew I wanted to use 2 strands of beading wire so I could be sure the necklace was strong enough, as well as be able to have 2 strands of beads. Actually, the necklace is surprisingly light, but I still like the double strand effect. I beaded the necklace 3 separate times before I was satisfied with the pattern. I really don't have anywhere to plan my designs before actually stringing them. In the past it wasn't much of a concern because I didn't make necklaces, but now I've got quite a few ideas running through my head, so I may have to fix that. I'm already almost done with my second dragon necklace. The thing I love about these is that you have a really cool piece of fantasy sculpture that you can wear!


You can click on the picture to visit my Artfire studio. Thanks for looking!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters