My Steampunk Pirate Cat sculpture is complete!

Well, he's finally done and listed.  He took weeks to complete, and I loved every minute of it.  Here's the finished Steampunk Pirate Cat.
 
I added feathers to both sides of the wings and baked them separately.  I sculpted a harness onto the cat and pressed the center of the baked wings into the unbaked clay on the back of the harness so I would have a prefect fit when gluing the pieces together.
 
I gave him a watch that allows him to travel through time, and after everything was baked I decided he needed some kind of stolen treasure.  So I strung together some very pretty crystals and jewelry findings to create the Time Crystal, which will make this pirate more powerful and harder to catch than ever.  I also glued a vintage pirate cap gun into his right paw.
 
I made an eye patch out of clay and fastened a gear to the center of it, then dusted it with silver Pearl Ex powder.  It sort of makes me think of the Borg on Star Trek, and it absolutely makes me think of Calcifer.  That's his blind eye and it sometimes looks silvery like that.
This piece turned out better than I could have hoped, and sharing it's creation with all of you has been a wonderful experience.  Thank you for following his progress and supporting me along the way!
-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

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

My latest work in progress

I've finally started sculpting the Steampunk Pirate Cat I've been thinking about for months now.  This will be my first Steampunk sculpture.  It was inspired by a Katy Mcalister book called A Steampunk Romance, and by my cat, Calcifer.  I got a better feel for what Steampunk was after reading the book (which had pirates).  And Calcifer, with his one bad eye, reminds of a pirate in many ways. 


Calcifer is fearless and adventurous, and goes charging bravely forward, even when he doesn't know what he's getting into.  I can totally see him as a pirate!
I got a miniature gun for the sculpture several months back, and I'm sizing the cat to the gun.  It's going to end up being a fairly large piece (for me, at least).  Sometimes it's nice working on a larger scale- I can add more detail and a larger piece can be easier to handle.  This is only the beginning.

 
And here he is with his head attached to his body and a pair of ears on.  I'm using a foil and wire armature for increased strength and to cut down on the amount of clay I need to use, although I will end up using quite a bit of clay for this sculpture.  I plan to add a lot of fur and make him fluffy like Calcifer.  I'm still deciding on the exact pose.  Right now I can't decide if I want him holding the gun in both paws, or if the gun should be in a holster with one paw on the butt.  First I'll have to get the rear legs and tail sculpted so he's got a secure base to stand on.  At first I was thinking of adding some type of Steampunk wings, but now I'm not sure if that will be quite right (or how difficult it might be).  I'll have to see how the piece progresses.  I tend to let the sculptures guide me in the direction they want to go.  I'll keep you all up to date as this sculpture develops.  I can see the finished piece in my mind, but I never truly know what they'll end up like.  That's just one of the joys of being an artist. =)
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Awesome items from Catfluff on ArtFire.com

Gabriela Vesely is the lady behind Catfluff on Artfire.com.  She joined Artfire December 11, 2008 and sells handbags, wine bags, purses, pillows, and home decor.  She is a Czech who grew up in Chicago and only recently moved back to the Czech Republic with her husband and two Spanish felines (hence the name, Catfluff).  Gabriela has lived in 7 countries and visited more than 50 countries.  Wow, this gal is definitely well traveled!  Her love of travel and her current location inspire her work.  Below is a small sample of what you can find in her studio.  I love the Seahorse pillows.  She even gives you interesting facts about seahorses in the item description.  Not only can you browse really nice items, but you can even learn something!  Her Steampunk Check bag is really cool too.  It has an actual vintage check for $100 on the front- very unique!  Of course, being a cat lover myself, I really like her funky bags with brightly colored cats on them as well.  Check out Catfluff's studio for all of her fun items!

-Michelle of CreativeCritters