Spring means flowers, in the garden and in my jewelry and sculptures

I've been planting flowers ever since I was a little girl, and sculpting them nearly as long.  When I was little I would help Grampa plant annual flowers for Gramma each spring.  She always had Marigolds, Irises, Lily of the Valley, Roses, Tulips, and many others.  Flowers and Gramma have always gone together in my mind.  While she never grew Orchids, she did love them.  Whenever she had to stay in the hospital they would give her an Orchid with Sunday breakfast.  I always loved that they did that, because that pretty little flower brightened her whole day.  She always made sure to show me her Orchid, then had me take it home so I could enjoy it too.  It wasn't until these earrings were actually complete that I realized I was sculpting one of Gramma's hospital Orchids.
 
And then there are Gramma's roses.  These roses have survived drought, neglect, and being dug up by the plumbers.  I couldn't believe it when I saw the plant pushing through the hard clay soil last week.  Like Gramma, these flowers are survivors!  After all the plumbing work was done a few years ago I found a little sprout and transplanted it to a better location.  Gramma was so happy to hear that at least one plant had been spared and might have a chance to grow again.  But when I saw that rose coming up in the area that had been destroyed (not the piece I transplanted, but the original rose plant), it brought tears to my eyes.  Gramma's been gone for almost a year now, and that rose just reminded me of how strong she had been for 93 years.  I feel Gramma's spirit in those flowers, which is just one of the reasons I tend them so lovingly.  This sculpture was inspired by Gramma's roses, as well as the yellow roses I had in my own garden. 
With Spring coming I've been thinking more and more of Gramma, and missing her very much.  She always loved Spring, and for her birthday in April I would always pick her a bouquet of Daffodils and Tulips, some of the first flowers to bloom in her yard.  She'd have me put the vase right where she could see it while she sat in her chair, and sometimes those flowers lasted so much longer than they should have.  Maybe they knew how happy they made Gramma.  While I was living with her I always showed her my sculptures after they were done.  She really liked this one
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Her only complaint about Tulips was that they didn't last long enough.  She said with this sculpture they'd never drop their petals ;-)  I still miss her every day, but little reminders of her are sprouting all over as the days grow warmer.  And she'll continue to inspire my work, just as she's done since I was little.  Thanks for sharing some very special memories of Gramma with me.
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Work in progress- a Dragon trinket box for Morgan

My best friend's son, Morgan, has a birthday coming up in a few weeks and I've started making him his own dragon trinket box.  The last time they were here he saw the one I have for sale in my shop and just loved it.
 
This one's a bit delicate for a child, but I think Morgan will like the one I'm making him.  Like most of my trinket boxes, this one started out with a metal coffee tin, which I covered in Tacky glue (that helps the polymer clay adhere to the metal box).  For this one I added a cardboard base, also covered in glue. 
Then I covered the tin in blue clay and the base in green clay, which I textured to look like grass.
 
Next I made foil armatures for each of the three dragons.  By using a foil armature I can create a stronger sculpture and use less clay. 
 
The one on the left will be the father dragon, and he'll be on the lid.  The middle one will be the mother, and the one on the right will be the baby.  For the lid I cut 2 rectangles from sheets of clay, sandwiching a wire between the layers and leaving about 2" of wire sticking up in the middle of the lid.  I pierced the dragon armature and used liquid polymer clay on the wire and in the hole to secure him to the lid. 
Here's Daddy Dragon after being attached to the lid.  I cut out each of his scales individually.  Here you can see how he looks before he has all his scales on. 
I'm giving these dragons more of a cute look, since they're for a child.  And I'm making them in shades of blue and green, because Morgan said that good dragons are blue and green, and mean dragons are red (wouldn't want to give him a trinket box with mean dragons on it!).  Stay tuned to see how this one turns out!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Life in polymer clay

Well, that's the topic for the Polymer Clay Smooshers Blogring.  Life...hmm, that can have all sorts of interpretations, can't it?  Of course there's plant, animal, and insect life- things that have always interested me.  Maybe that's what I'll focus on for this post, which is especially appropriate with Spring approaching.  And of course Spring is all about rebirth and life.  Baby animals are born, the plants come back to life, the insects awaken from their winter hibernation and begin buzzing about again.  Yes, I think Life and Spring go hand in hand.  So let's see what I can find in the shops of my fellow Smooshers that represents Life.
A sure sign of Spring in the country is hearing the Spring Peepers singing their mating song in the evening.  This trio of frogs from Art by Susmitha may or may not be peepers, but that's what they make me think of. 
 
They also remind me of the spring I captured a bunch of tadpoles and raised them until they became frogs.  Not that was a fun lesson on life!  They turned out to be tree frogs and stayed in the yard after I released them.  I loved growing up in the country!
This Flower Baby Sprite from Blue Jane makes me think of all the flowers starting to bloom and come to life in the Spring.
 
I love getting out in early spring and taking the fall leaves off the flower beds, exposing the tiny green shoots of emerging flowers.  In a matter of days sometimes they open their leaves and petals to the warm sunshine, filling my garden with color and life.
And this Bee Skep with Honey Thief from ColtPixy reminds me how thrilled I always am to see the first honeybee of Spring come back to life.
 
For a gardener, bees are life.  Without those busy little pollinators, we wouldn't get any fruits or vegetables from our gardens.  And unless you're trying to steal their honey, like this naughty little fairy, bees will generally avoid conflict with people.  I've never been stung, and consider bees my friends. 
So there's a little slice of Life from the very talented Polymer Clay Smooshers guild. ;-)
The pictures are all linked, so just click them to view the listing for any of these items, and while you're there browse the rest of the shop- you won't be disappointed!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Creating wings for my Steampunk Pirate Cat sculpture

At first I wasn't sure if I was going to make wings for this piece, or how I would make them, but lately I've been quite inspired by Christi Friesen (who does Steampunk really well), and I had a flash of inspiration.  In my mind's eye I saw wings (sort of like angel wings) with metallic feathers.  My Pirate Cat could strap these wings on and fly not only anywhere, but any TIME.  I'm going to give him a time traveling watch as well.  Of course I had to go all out on these wings and sculpt and texture each feather individually.  This is the start of the wings.
 
I used a wire armature covered in clay and added clay wing shapes over the frame.  This will give me a base to attach the feathers too.  As you can see, I have several different colors of Pearl Ex powders and I used a soft paint brush to dust color onto each textured feather.  Christi Friesen's Gotta Have It tool worked perfectly for adding texture to the feathers, which I cut out with a clay cutter, then shaped by hand.  By the time I was done with one side I had cut and shaped HUNDREDS of feathers!  I think the effort was worth it to achieve this effect.
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The picture really doesn't do it justice, but gives you an idea of how shiny and detailed the wings are.  I'm working on the other side now that this side is baked.  I believe I'll sculpt the polymer clay harness onto the cat and bake it, then attach the wings with glue.  I don't think I want to try attaching them and baking the whole thing together- too much risk for breakage.  I'm nearing the finish line an this project, and I'm so glad you've all shared the journey with me!  Stay tuned to see the final results of all this work! ;-)
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Striping my Cat Sculpture

I've moved on to the painting stage of my Steampunk Pirate Cat sculpture, adding some of the darker colors and details.  After letting the first wash of color dry, I dry brushed the belly with light tan acrylic paint.  I painted the rest of the body a silver gray color.  Here you can see what he looks like after starting to add some of the black areas.
 
Next come the stripes, and a light pinkish tan color for the nose and inner ears.
  
I also added that little white spot that Calcifer has on his belly.  That's the only true white fur on him, and part of what makes him special. ;-)

This is by no means finished.  Sometimes I find it helps to set a piece aside for a day or so, then look at it with fresh eyes to spot any additions or changes that need to be made.  I also have to wait for my order of larger Steampunk parts to arrive before I can start making his wings and other accessories.  The way I'm planning on making the wings will be very labor intensive, but I think the end result will look really cool.  I want to give him a time traveling watch too (so he can travel through time like Dr. Who does in the TARDIS).  I have some tiny Steampunk parts that should work well for that.  I'm still thinking about other things to add.  Suggestions or any thoughts you may have are always welcome, by the way.  I love to hear what other people think!  Thanks for stopping by and continuing to share this creative journey with me! =)
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

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

Fairy Tale Pieces from the Smooshers

I've gathered together some of the entries in the Polymer Clay Smooshers guild's Fairy Tale Challenge to share with you all.  To see all the entries and vote for our next challenge theme, stop by the Smooshers blog.  I just love the way everyone had a unique way of representing the theme.  I think these challenges really bring out the creative best in all of us!

A fairy tale collection

   Curated By: CreativeCritt...

ArtFire.com

Handmade Gifts

To see more pictures and read a full description, or purchase any of these items, simply click on the picture.
Thanks for stopping by!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Progress on my Steampunk Pirate Cat sculpture

I've been adding layers and sculpting and shaping my latest piece (which is turning out bigger than I expected).  The proportions are working out right though.  This is what he looked like going into the oven for his first bake.  Propping is very important.  As the polymer clay warms, it becomes very soft and will break or crack if not properly supported.  This sculpture has a foil core with heavy gauge wire in the legs and a wire and foil core for the tail.  I try to make my pieces as sturdy as possible, especially the large ones like this.
  
Even though I'll be adding more clay over most of this, I still textured the fur.  This, along with a thin coating of tacky glue, will help the raw clay adhere to the baked clay.  After baking for an hour and letting the piece cool completely, this is how he came out.  No cracks, no sagging, no shifting- everything stayed right where it was supposed to.
  
This is basically just a form for me to build upon.  Now that it's baked, it's much easier to handle, and I don't have to worry about accidentally squishing the fine details of his face.  Next comes a layer of "fur" for his tail and hind legs.  I'm modeling this guy after Calcifer, and he's got what I call fuzzy breeches.  His legs and butt are very fluffy, and I like that effect and the way it looks.  His tail is very furry and sort of feathery.  I did my best to capture that in clay. 
 
I used 3 different sized aluminum knitting needles to get this furry look.  There's a lot of texture to Calcifer's fur, and I'll end up spending hours on just adding fur texture to this piece (not to mention all the time spent conditioning clay- lol).  His arms come next.  I made wire armatures, bent them in the right pose, and covered them with tacky glue.  Once the glue was dry I shaped the arms, but made them smaller than the final size I want them to be.  Once again, I'll be adding more clay after the arms are baked.  You may notice that my clay isn't all the same color.  That's OK for a few reasons.  First, Calcifer has lots of different colors in his fur, and second, I'll actually be painting this one after he's finished.  I learned some pretty cool painting technique from Katherine Dewey, and it's sometimes easier to paint an animal's color variations than it is to try to make clay in those exact colors and patterns.
This is a complex piece, which I'm figuring out as I go.  Thanks for sharing the journey with me!  Stay tuned to see how it turns out! =)
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

A collection of lovely Valentines gifts from the Smooshers

Just thought I'd share a few beautiful creations from the Polymer Clay Smooshers guild on ArtFire.  Any of these would make great Valentines Day gifts.  Give a gift from the heart- shop Handmade! =)

Lovely Valenmtines Gifts from the Smoosh...

   Curated By: CreativeCritt...

ArtFire.com

Unique Gifts

And you can find plenty more beautiful items in each of these shops- stop in and browse around for a bit!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters