Sculpting with Seashells

I recently decided that I was going to use all the leftover sculpey I had in my art junk drawer to make myself a soapdish for my bathroom. I had been given a lot of really nice handmade soaps and I had no where to put them.

My towels, for no other reason than thats just what I have been given, had a seashell theme and I decided to stick with it... but... the first draft just wasnt looking right.

I had this very cool image in my head and I wanted to get it just right and I was getting more and more frustrated with not being able to get the sculpey to do what I wanted and at some point it dawned on me "Why dont I just go BUY an actual seashell and sculpt around it rather than trying to replicate one."

So thats what I did, and oh man, it was smooth sailing after that. Im actually pretty impressed with myself. Ive never been able to get a line drawing or painting as close to what I had imagined in my head as I have gotten with this soapdish.

 

 

I hadnt originally planned it but I added in extra seashells and texture and I was worried about painting it, Id never painted sculpey before, I always left it bare or bought colored sculpey-- but at this point I was determined to have it exactly the way I was imagining it.

 

 5 more layers of paint and Modge Podge substituting for clear coat later--- I have a tentacle soapdish.

Brand New Day

I have been.... absolutely phenomenally terrible about updating all my social media.

I cant even remember the last time I posted on this particular blog. But I wanted to try to rectify that now by giving this blog a bit of a makeover and talking about what Im up to these days.

First of all, I think its probably important to say that I renamed my own personal brand. I was growing increasingly more uncomfortable with throwing my first and middle name out there all the time and I wanted to come up with a name that was a bit more memorable. SO. From this day henceforth, in the arting world and all related worlds.... I will be known as "dedfox". (writing-wise I will still go by RM)

dedfox.tumblr.com
will be where I post 2D art related updates, sketches, drawing challenges, art I wouldnt necessarily put in a portfolio etc

https://society6.com/renaemichelle
will still be the name of my shop, though my username on there is also changed to dedfox

http://renaemichelle09.wix.com/rmillustration
Is FOR NOW my portfolio website and a more complete, nice and neat collection of my finished works, but it will very soon be undergoing a transformation of its own.

https://www.instagram.com/strangeryousee/
My instagram is mostly personal stuff but a lot of times a WIP will end up on there so if you want to see those (and a lot of selfies and pictures of animals)... be my guest.

Which really just leaves this blog. So for this blog, rather than reposting art Ive already posted in like 4 other places, Im going to try to use this more for periodic updates on my other hobbies. Including but not limited to: writing, sculpting, soapmaking..... other various crafts I will pick up every now and again.

(And Im going to try to update more often so its not always such a novel of a post.)

Society6 Promos!
I love those.

If you do too, check out my store. :)
http://society6.com/renaemichelle?promo=DBW94KXJ86JD

Heres some samples of my newer stuff!

"The Ark"

Okay! So I have been SUPER busy this summer. Havent had a whole lot of time for doodles, but thats ok. I was hired to paint some murals over at the First United Methodist Church in my home town. (Lowell, MI)

I say murals. But it was more like, a whole building redo. In order to make their Sunday school wing more "kid friendly" the Education committee petitioned to rename it "The Ark" and then hired me for its redesign. So Ive spent most of my summer painting to make it look like.... an Ark instead of the bland Lavender color that was there before. (They even installed a little steering wheel for the kids to go with my painting!)

The two floors were relabeled "Upper deck" and "Lower deck" And I painted the top floor to look like the top of the boat, and the downstairs hallway to look like the side of the ark submerged underwater. Its been a lot of fun, even if brick is by far the most flustering canvas for detail work.

Making magnets again.

I made a bunch of little characters like this last fall and sold them at the Christmas craft fair in my hometown. People liked them so much Ive decided to make more and stick them in my Etsy shop. Ive only made a few so far so they aren't up for sale just yet.

Let me know what other kinds of animals I should do. :)

I think manatees should really be called Mer-hippos. How about you?

Such a simple thought but it sparked a whole day of drawing hippos and manatees and finally I ended up with that image.

http://society6.com/RenaeMichelle/Under-the-sea-plG_Print#1=45

Been doing a lot of random creature sketches lately. Heres a few I happen to have screenshots of.