My sculptures

[Levallia]

I made these from polymer clay. I was told by several people in A Meeting of Minds to come here to post them. I hope everyone likes them. :D I call this one "Ruth: The White Dragon".

[Levallia]

It may take me a while to figure this out. I can't figure out how to get the graphics to appear. It says they were uploaded, but I can't see them. :banghead:

[Monkeysrule]

Can't wait to see them!!! I like making dragons out of polymer clay too and I actually have a couple Ruths. Send them to Ian if they're too big to fit here.

Looking foward to seeing them :ok:

[Levallia]

I didn't think of that! :banghead: Maybe that's the problem; unfortunately, I don't know how to shrink them. I did tell Ian about the problem, I just have to wait for a reply now (different timezones).

[Levallia]

I sent 5 pics to Ian today, so as long as AOL didn't screw up (and they better not because it took 27 minutes to upload those pics) they'll be here soon. Yay!!! :good:

[Monkeysrule]

:woohoo:

[Ian]

And here they are!

Bronze firelizard (http://www.imsmultimedia.co.uk/Images/Levallia/Bronzefirelizard.jpg)
Gold firelizard 1 (http://www.imsmultimedia.co.uk/Images/Levallia/Goldfirelizard1.jpg)
Gold firelizard 2 (http://www.imsmultimedia.co.uk/Images/Levallia/Goldfirelizard2.jpg)
Ruth 1 (http://www.imsmultimedia.co.uk/Images/Levallia/Ruth1.jpg)
Ruth 2 (http://www.imsmultimedia.co.uk/Images/Levallia/Ruth2.jpg)

And very nice they are too :)

[C_ris]

:applause: Bow:

Very good! Very good indeed! :ok:

[Bronze-Dragonrider]

:woohoo: :applause: :bow: Wow, I am VERY impressed! I just love Ruth there! :heartbeat I really like the fine glitter you put on the firelizard by Ruth, very good effect.

[Jax]

Very nice Levalia!! :ok: :applause: :bow: I especially like the Ruth one :D :heartbeat

[Levallia]

Thanx everybody, and a big thanx to Ian for putting them here! :D The firlizard with Ruth is supposed to be gold, but I used colored clay instead of painting it and Sculpey's gold looks bad. They all have glitter glaze on their eyes, it just shows up better in some of the pics than others. I worked really hard to make Ruth's eyes look just like they do on the cover of TWD; I used metallic blue paint, then dry brushed metallic green into the centers before covering them with 2 coats of glitter glaze. I don't have the list of measurements with me (I'm at school right now), but I'll post those as soon as I can. For now though, the firelizards are about hand size, Ruth is HUGE, and the the tiny gold is about finger size. The design of the bases was actually inspired by my mom, who, while I was trying to come up with one, reminded me of an old sand craft I used to do; I was thus inspired to paint the base (which is also made of polymer clay) with Elmer's Glue and then dust the whole thing with beach sand to create the firelizards natural habitat. I'm working on a hatching green firelizard now, she's even going to have semi-transparent wings :D . After that, I'm going to start working on 1 of 2 projects I have planned: "Ramoth: The Benden Queen" depicting Ramoth as shown on the cover of Dragonflight, or a dragon of my own design which will be VERY difficult because she will have scales, plates, and horns. Thanx again ya'll! :angel: :dragon:

[Bronze-Dragonrider]

Well your hard work certainly paid off! Ruth's eyes look wonderful :D I can't wait to see your own design of dragon, that'll look great!

[Levallia]

Thanx Bronzie :D . I still have to figure out exactly how I want the head and make a scale stamp for it, but I'll get at it soon.

I have the meassurements with me now: Gold firelizard-6.25 inches long, 7.75 inch wingspan; Bronze firelizard-3.25 inches tall, 5.25 inch wingspan; Ruth-16.50 inch wingspan, 9 inches long, 5.50 inches tall; tiny queen with Ruth-3 inches long, 4.75 inch wingspan. :D

[NeouofPern]

I like those. Very nice. :good:

[Monkeysrule]

Those are great!!!! :ok: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:

I especially like the Ruth one. But don't those cost a lot of money to make? Sculpey's expensive.

Just a tip: For metallics, don't use Sculpey, use Fimo. It's the same price, and the metallics are MUCH higher quality. I really like the eyes on those btw. :bow:

[queenrider melody]

Oh my! They're beautiful! Where did you get the clay and paint?

[Monkeysrule]

The clay can be found at just about any art or craft store. $2 for a small block (aout 2" by 3/4" by 1.5") and $1 when it's on sale.

[Levallia]

I buy my uncolored clay and all the paint at Wal-Mart. The colored clay I buy at Michael's and they only carry Sculpey. I have seen the other brands on the internet and liked Cernit's gold best, but I can't find a place where they sell it.

[Levallia]

Those are great!!!! :ok: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:

I especially like the Ruth one. But don't those cost a lot of money to make? Sculpey's expensive.

Just a tip: For metallics, don't use Sculpey, use Fimo. It's the same price, and the metallics are MUCH higher quality. I really like the eyes on those btw. :bow:
Sculpey isn't all that expensive, and I know a few tricks for stretching it out. Those sculptures are modeled around tin foil cores; saves time, money, and clay, also makes the sculpture much lighter (I have a sculpture that looks like it should weigh almost 20lbs, but only weighs a few because it is full of tin foil) and ensures that it bakes properly. :)

[Wolfegar]

Very good, Levallia!

[jjmouse]

Wow. These are great. You do good work. :good:

[Green~Rider]

:applause: :applause: :bow: :bow: :applause: :applause:
I especially like Ruth's head. He really looks Ruth-ish!!!

[Beisla]

They look fantastic! :cool: :good:

I especially like their wings and eyes, and Ruth looks amazing! :applause:

[Levallia]

Thanx everybody, I'm so glad you like them :D . My little brother keeps telling me they stink, but he's just a little :devil: .

[Monkeysrule]

RULE #1: Don't listen to little brothers. Or older sisters, in my case.

[Levallia]

He's kinda' hard to ignore when he's shooting Nerf darts at me like he is right now. What a pest. Anyway, I gotta' go, talk to ya'll tomarrow (if AOL will let me :banghead: )! :wave:

[Levallia]

I started my next dragon. I've made her head now, though I need to make a few adjustments. I've got 2 full pages of concept art on how she's going to be made (what else is chemistry class for? :laugh: ). She's going to have spines all down her back, separate plates all down her underside, and even a buch of small plates from her shins down her toes. Talk about a pain in the butt; Ruth took 2 weeks, but this... :faint:

[queenrider melody]

It took you two weeks to make Ruth!? :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint:

[Apocalypse]

They're adorable! :heartbeat

[queenrider melody]

I just love them! My mom does, too! Even my dad does, and he's not even an Anne McCaffrey fan! I was wondering, did you "bake" them in the oven, or did you do something else?

[Epiphany]

Awesome!! love em! lol They are really good :bow:

[Monkeysrule]

I just love them! My mom does, too! Even my dad does, and he's not even an Anne McCaffrey fan! I was wondering, did you "bake" them in the oven, or did you do something else?
If I'm not mistaken, I believce they are oven-baked. Sculpey (and other polymer clay brands) makes very moldable clay, not messy at all, and comes in many colors. I love that stuff. :ok:

[Levallia]

I just love them! My mom does, too! Even my dad does, and he's not even an Anne McCaffrey fan! I was wondering, did you "bake" them in the oven, or did you do something else?
Tell them I said thanx! :D And yeah, I just baked them in the same oven we cook in, on a cookie sheet; that is one of the many beauties of polymer clay, it isn't demanding. It did take 2 weeks, but that counts skulpting Ruth, firelizard, and base, painting each, photographing the many steps of development, and creating the files in my computer to set with them when entered in art contests (I have to make it CRYSTAL clear that they are hand-made because last time I entered a dragon in a contest, the judges didn't read where I had written that I made it and assumed that it was bought and I just painted it, giving me only a third place :irked: ), I'll leave NO room for error this year :good: .

[Monkeysrule]

How insulting! Not to believe that it was hand-made...well at least it's flattering in a way, since they think it looks professional.

[Levallia]

Ok, now I've gone into a slump. :shake: After making Ruth and starting 2 projects, I've just kinda gotten tired of it again :faint: . The dragon I'm working on now is having problems (texture and head shape), and I think I just need to take a little break from the clay. When I start up again, I'm just gonna' redo that head, but first I'm going to make a different sculpture. One of my teachers keeps a drawer full of drawings she printed off the internet to keep us out of her hair :evil: . In it, I found 3 different dragons! :D After grabbing a few copies of each, I sat back down and started looking at one of them more closesly. It's just the head, but it's awsome! Then I thought, "Why not make this out of clay?", and that's what I plan to do (if I can :roll: ). It's gonna' be tough, but the scales can be seperately made instead of impressed (pun! :razz: ) into the clay. I'm not going to make his tongue stick so far out of his head though; it could be easily broken off and just looks kinda' silly. If ya'll want to find some of these (and they do have some good ones) go to http://www.coloring.ws/t/fantasy/dragons/

The file is too large to put here :banghead: so just look for it on the site if you want to see. Now please excuse me while I go do this ( :banghead: )because I'm having to listen to the country music awards on tv and it's driving me NUTS! :crazy:

[Monkeysrule]

Link not working.

[Levallia]

Dangit! I have a hard time figuring the stupid thing out too, but I thought it was just AOL (the source of all evil :devil: ). Try http://www.colring.com.ws/t/ that might work.

Is there any way to post stuff from "word perfect" here? I wrote a several page essay-type-thingy on how I made Ruth and it has pictures of all the various stages.

[Levallia]

I just found a forum on Katherine Dewey's website! :D I'v asked there about how best to make scales for my dragon, but it's taking a while to get a reply. I know I need to make a stamp or 2, but it's texturing them that's the problem. If anyone has ANY suggestions, please let me know. Thanx ya'll. :)

[Bronze-Dragonrider]

This is a supurb tutorial on sculpting. http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=18287 It's very long, but well worth it. It doesn't have much to do with scales, but I hope it helps.

[Levallia]

Argh! AOL keeps freezing it! :banghead: Thanx for suggesting it Bronzie, but I won't be able to see it 'till next school year to watch it (it's a sad day when my school has better internet service than me, considering how cheap the school-board is). Fortunately, I did find a solution. I have a pewter dragon sculpture that I bought and painted and I'll make stamps of its different scale sizes for different parts of my dragon. Only one problem remained after figuring out that part: how to make the largest scales. I was just playing around with the clay and noticed the deep indentions my fingernails were leaving in it (they've finally grown long again :D ). I was thinking that I was going to have to cut them again before I sculpt :cry: when it hit me. The fingernails (or the one on my right pinky anyway) are the answer! Not trusting myself to do this right with my left hand, I had my mom file the nail into a dragon scale shape. I pressed it into a clay stamp and baked it, and it's cooling right now :D :D :D . I just hope this works; as soon as I get a perfect stamp (I'll make as many as it takes to get this right) I'll cut my nails which is a good thing now because the shaped one feels kind of weird on the keyboard :crazy: . :dragon:

[Levallia]

IT WORKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My fingernail dragon scale stamp works! Woohoo!!!!!! :D :D :D :D :D :D

[Monkeysrule]

I look foward to seeing it! I love clay dragons! :D

[Levallia]

Now I just need to get myself back to work. I should be able to make them faster now that I'm out of school and have more time to devote to them. My first challenge is to get the head to look right :irked: , I need to make it narrower and the snout wider. I hope to have something new to show ya'll soon. :)

[Green~Rider]

With a dragon, there is no wrong way. That's why they'r fun to draw ;) even if I'm not that good

[Monkeysrule]

Tut,tut,tut...never say you're not good, even if you really aren't! It makes others want to agree with you.

[queenrider melody]

I can't wait until you've finished your next dragon sculpture! They're so beautiful! :heartbeat :heartbeat :heartbeat

[Monkeysrule]

I can't wait until you've finished your next dragon sculpture! They're so beautiful! :heartbeat :heartbeat :heartbeat
I second that! :ok:

[queenrider melody]

I second that! :ok:
Finally! I knew that art would get monkeysrule to agree with me!

[Monkeysrule]

As long as it ain't Aivas...though I'd have to say I thoroughly enjoyed carrying it between in that thread...

[Levallia]

Thank ya'll so much! :D I'll try to get back to it asap, but stuff just keeps coming up (I have to keep my little brother out of trouble ALL DAY and he's a :devil: ). I'm trying though :) .

[Weyrwoman Kalina]

:eek: WOW!!!!! Those are SOOOOOO good!!! Now I'm inspired to try my hand at it, and I think I will!! (this should be interesting :D ).

:bow: But those are excellent! You could easily sell those and get a good deal for them ;) :bow:

[SFAHarper]

I think you did an amazing job. I love how you've got the firelizard suspended in front of Ruth.

Oh, love the ketchup and chips in the back ground. ;)

[Levallia]

I think you did an amazing job. I love how you've got the firelizard suspended in front of Ruth.

Oh, love the ketchup and chips in the back ground. ;)
:blush: My house is such a mess.

[queenrider melody]

As long as it ain't Aivas...though I'd have to say I thoroughly enjoyed carrying it between in that thread...
:razz: Although, that was fun to do. ;)

Levallia, threaten to tell your mom you-know-what if he gets out of control again, and hopefully he isn't smart enough that there isn't a you-know-what. ;)

[Levallia]

You are truly brilliant...I must study your techniques. :evil:

[queenrider melody]

Best of luck. May the force be with you. :evil:

[Levallia]

The Dark Side :darkside: . MWAH HA HA HA HA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :devil: :devil: :devil:

[queenrider melody]

Did our little plan work? ;) :evil: :devil: :darkside:

[Levallia]

I haven't gotten to use it yet, he's actually been well behaved lately. He keeps himself busy drawing anime stuff, which I will post on another thread as he requested :) ; that aughta' keep him outa' my hair for a while. :roll:

[queenrider melody]

Well, if that's the case, I expect to see some new sculptures from you soon.

[Levallia]

I'm workin' on it. :) This one is gonna' take a while though; SO much detail, she's gonna' be COVERED with scales from head to tail :faint: .

About those drawings: can't post them, too big :cry: .

[queenrider melody]

Wow! :faint: The best of luck with that one!

[Levallia]

Thanx (I'm gonna' need it :faint: ).

[Monkeysrule]

I'm workin' on it. :) This one is gonna' take a while though; SO much detail, she's gonna' be COVERED with scales from head to tail :faint: .

About those drawings: can't post them, too big :cry: .
Sure you can. Make Ian do it for you :devil: How do you think I got my drawings up?

[queenrider melody]

Sure you can. Make Ian do it for you :devil: How do you think I got my drawings up?
Speaking of your drawings, monkeysrule, when are we going to get more of them?

[Monkeysrule]

Soon, actually. I have a whole new batch of clay things and drawings ready to be photographed and scanned. Sorry about the delay.

[Levallia]

I finally figured out why I haven't been able to motivate myself to work; because it feels like work! I just realized that I can't work on that big dragon because of it's huge size! It's intimidating :faint: ! So today I started a project to get me back into the swing of things and, hopefuly, teach me some techniques that I'll need for my bigger sculpture (which I might just make small anyway after all the trouble I had with "Ruth the Giant" :roll: ). I'm making a smaller dragon but it will have scales and *drum roll please* a VERY detailed mouth. I already prebaked the jaws and inserted the gums, I made and baked fourty VERY tiny fangs which will be inserted into the gums, and I'll make the forked tongue next (the irony is that I'm doing this with dental tools, LOL). This is gonna' be fun 'cause it's smaller :bouncy: . I hope to get some pics up as soon as I'm done :D .

[queenrider melody]

Here's my modo:

Dream big, act small. :D

[Levallia]

The teeth didn't work like I had planned :banghead: ; too small to pick up with my fingers and too fragile to pick up with tweezers :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: . I'll just have to make another set of 40 ( :faint: !) tiny teeth and NOT pre-bake them :faint: . Why does it ALWAYS have to be such a HASSAL?!?! :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint: :faint:

[Jax]

Aaawww *pat pats Levallia*

As Dory says ;)
"Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. What do we do? We swim, swim."

[Weyrwoman Kalina]

Aaawww *pat pats Levallia*

As Dory says ;)
"Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. What do we do? We swim, swim."

ROFLMAO Jax!!!!!!! LoL

[Levallia]

I would have gotten more done today, but I spent half the day staying as still as possible in an effort to stay cool and the other half helping my grandfather fix the stupid AC after it croaked. It got up to 88 degrees in here :faint: so grandpa had to come and fix it and I (though not mechanicly inclined) did what I could to help. It's fixed now though (YAY!!!!!!!!!!! :D ) so I plan to resume the project tomarrow (which is actually today, seeing as it's after 1 over here :roll: ).

[queenrider melody]

Hey, Levallia, do you have any more sculptures to show us? I love all of your sculptures and can't wait to see more!

[Weyrwoman Kalina]

Hey, Levallia, do you have any more sculptures to show us? I love all of your sculptures and can't wait to see more!

I love them all too, and I would LOVE to see more... especially pics from start to finish! :D

And I have to say that my favorite is actually your bronze, with Ruth in second. I love them ALL but those are my fave :) :hugs:

[Levallia]

Still working on the current one, so nothing new yet. I'm too embarassed to show my older work :blush: , they stink, as I had only a book and experience to learn from. I do have start to finish pics from Ruth and a sort of essay that I put them in to display with the sculpture in art fairs so that I have proof that they were hand made. Anyone know how to post documents from word perfect? :)

[Bronze-Dragonrider]

Still working on the current one, so nothing new yet. I'm too embarassed to show my older work :blush: , they stink, as I had only a book and experience to learn from. I do have start to finish pics from Ruth and a sort of essay that I put them in to display with the sculpture in art fairs so that I have proof that they were hand made. Anyone know how to post documents from word perfect? :)
Copy and paste should work.

[Levallia]

Copy and paste should work.
It's kinda' long and has pictures in it. Will it still work?

[Bronze-Dragonrider]

It's kinda' long and has pictures in it. Will it still work?
I think the word limit is something like 1,000 here? But it won't work with the pictures unless you attatch or link to them separately :(

[Levallia]

I think the word limit is something like 1,000 here? But it won't work with the pictures unless you attatch or link to them separately :(
Crud, it won't fit :sad: .

[queenrider melody]

Hey, Levallia, any more pieces of art to show us?

[Levallia]

Hey, Levallia, any more pieces of art to show us?
Waiting to get pictures of old sculptures developed. Should be this weekend. :D

[Levallia]

It's an artistic first! I have scanned...A SCULPTURE! :eek: Seriously, I stuck it in the scanner! :faint: I made it to hang on the rear-view mirror of my car; I'm gonna' make a mold and cast it in something stronger though because it is VERY brittle. Nothin' much, just thought I aughta' post it 'cause it's funny. A sculpture in a scanner :roll: . It didn't scan very clearly though.