Super Sculpey Project

I love woodcarving but it is time consuming. Lately I have been watching people on YouTube create sculptures using Super Sculpey. I was interested and decided to give it a try. I like that it can be baked multiple times and you can add to it. 

I have seen this image before and wanted to create it in clay. In hindsight I wish I had simply used colored clay as I’m sure it would have been easier to do. Painting was difficult and took me several days. Well enjoy & let me know what you think. 

Crimson Tide Elephant

My nephew is attending college at Alabama University.  He loves it there, but is getting tired of the the Crimson Tide Logo and Hounds Tooth pattern everywhere.  He requested that I do him a painting of an elephant, but different than the logo.  I tried to make the elephant realistic and put in a subtle background that hearkened to the Alabama experience.  He loved it!  It was fun, albeit challenging to paint. 

Miniature Paintings

I purchased some miniature canvases the other day and thought I would try my hand at that.  My nephew and his wife went to a tropical location for their honeymoon and got a kick out of the sea turtles.  I did this for them as a small housewarming gift.

 

So it begins.....I was then asked to do a painting for my sister for her new home.  She wanted a rooster painting for her kitchen and informed me that she likes impressionistic paintings.  Not my chosen style most of the time, but definitely a change of pace.   

Now one for mom's bedroom.  Are you seeing a pattern here?  Ok mom....as you wish.

Coyote in Color Pencil

One of my good friends is a predator hunter and has asked me for years to do him a drawing.  I had a new set of Prismacolor Pencils that I wanted to try, so here is my first attempt with them.  It takes awhile to get used to the blending properties of these pencils, but I was pleased with my first attempt. 

A Watch Face Commission

I really had a good time with this one.  I was asked to paint a watch face with a wood duck scene for a sportsman that was referred to me.  This was small enough that I had to paint it under magnification to get the details correct.  I wanted to have a photo of it set into the watch, but wasn't afforded that luxury.  I was told it turned out really nice.  Enjoy.

The Old Man and the 'Tea'

My father drinks Ice Tea constantly from a distinctive Stein that has a Painting of Geese under the acrylic.  He always drips some of this on the floor, and I couldn't resist doing a carving of him.  Here is the finished carving before it was added to a trophy base.  On the base I attached a tongue in cheek message plate that simply said, "The Old Man and the Tea".  

Some Pen and Ink Drawings

Drawing in Ink has always been a passion of mine.  It relaxes me and I can get lost in where the drawing takes me.  Here are a few of the pen and ink drawings I have done.  I did the metal detecting ones below for group hunt I attended.  The design was put on t-shirts and used as a fund raiser to send a young woman to see the Presidential Inauguration a few years ago.  The Little Mermaid and Thomas Tank Engine were done for my niece and nephew.  They hang in their home to this day.

Blast from the past. Time to Share my earlier work......

I pulled out some of my older artwork that I had never post and thought I would start sharing some of it.  I carved this box nearly 20 years ago!  I was proud of the fact that I won first place with it at the SEMO District Fair, and also Best of Show.  What a valadation that was to me early in my art career. 

I wanted everything to be carved from wood and added no wood filler.  It was quite a challenge to fit everything together inside the top of the box.  The shell handles were carved from a large dowel rod, and aged to look like vintage paper shotgun shells.

Finally, I carved the acorn closure for the box and added an unexpected touch by carving a turkey feather for the inside of the lid.   I remember what an ambitious task this carving was for me at a young age!

I hope you enjoyed seeing this and it adds inspiration for those people wanting to try their hand at carving.

Everything but the Kitchen SInk!

Just finished a commissioned piece.  The girl pictured is receiving this from her friend as a gift.
I was asked to incorporate many of the things she is into. 
Among them:
Her name (starts with D), she loves cactus, she is from Greece, she likes basketball, taekwondo, galaxies, music and Captain Morgan.  It was difficult to make these things flow but I thought I would share. 

Drawing Commission Completed..........Finally!

I often doodle on napkins with a pen when I eating out and a friend of mine, inspired by these doodles, has been asking me for a long time to do a small series of original drawings for them.   They are kind of fun to do and interesting . 

My friend had purchased some drink coasters online that have a opening on the side where you can insert photographs etc.  She wanted me to do a series of four Cardinal drawings.........so Viola!  Hope you enjoy seeing them.

Helping a Friend

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My friend has a son who is building a Pinewood derby car to race in Scouts.  They are both Minecraft fans and built the body of the car with a stair stepped shape.  They asked me to make small Character Heads to set on each level of the car to look like driver and passengers.  I was informed the characters I created here are called Steve, Creeper and Notch.  I hope they like them, since I almost went blind painting them.  It took me about 5 hours and was very tedious.  I thought they turned out pretty cool.  Thanks for checking them out. 

Santa for Sale!

Here is the first Gourd Santa that I completed. He is created from a "bowling pin" shaped gourd. I sculpted his face from air dry clay and meticulously created each of the toys in the basket on his back. The pop gun is carved from wood with a frail little string. The cork is created from a tiny piece of wood. The drum was constructed from cardboard and laced with string. The other items in his basket are each hand sculpted from clay. His beard is Lambs Wool. I spent a lot of time on this guy and I will be sad to see him go. I have put this Santa up for sale on Etsy. If I charged for my labor and love I put into him, nobody could afford him. Be that as it may, he is for sale at a very reasonable price. Please head over to Etsy and check him out. He's ready for the perfect place in your home or would make an awesome gift for that special person. He truly is One of a Kind!! Thanks for checking him out! My seller name on Etsy is "TomsHolidayTreasures".

Santa Finds a New Home

Well, I finally got this guy done and he found a new home. I especially love the way the little dog pull toy turned out. He has so many little details that were fun for me to sculpt. I sculpted his face, the doll, teddy bear, dog pull toy, apples and oranges all from clay. The tiny ship in his basket was done from wood, and I spent a lot of time painting everything. I added a touch of irredescent glitter to give him that magical look. Of course, not all little boys and girls are good, so for good measure, he is packing switches for the parents to keep them in line. Hope you enjoy seeing him as much as I enjoyed sculpting him.

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Hanging Out.

I finally completed these two projects.  They were my first two holiday ornaments and have become sort of a labor of love.  I will hate to see the Valentine guy go, but everything IS FOR SALE.  I think he has a cool vintage feel to him and came together well.  I always love the vintage man in the moon stuff too.  Stay tuned...lots of new ideas coming to the table.  I will attempt to do some sculpting with gourds next.  They really are a cool media to use with the clay.  Thanks always for stopping by. 

One off the Paint Table

Well, I finally finished painting my first project.  I am really pleased with how this guy turned out.  He really reminds me of those vintage "man in the moon" images from way back when.  This is my first time using the German Glass Glitter and learned a little more about how to apply it.  Hopefully it is uphill from this one.  I was challanged a little bit making him.  I finished the little moon and star that will come in to play on a later project.  Looking forward to this weekend to get some more stuff painted.  Thanks for stopping by my blog. 

Cigars get lit

Well I finished up some details with the sculpting of my pieces and finally started painting some items.  The only two things I got completely done were the two little cigars.  They appear to be lit and they were lots of fun to make.  I think they look pretty convincing.  Just one more coat of sealer and they can find a home.