Tonight, I Had Dinner With My Friend Rhonda And Her Housemates Eric And Adam. We Made (ok, Rhonda Made)

Tonight, I had dinner with my friend Rhonda and her housemates Eric and Adam. We made (ok, Rhonda made) homemade squash ravioli, and as I was rolling out the dough in the pasta press, all I could think of was clay. I now officially have a problem.

Anyway, Adam requested "a slug rodeo," so here it is. While trying to set up the shot, I had one of those moments where I could see myself from outside my body: all alone, at 12:30 at night, lassoing a fake snail with some clay rope and sewing thread. Sigh.

Also: It is really hard to set up an action shot with slugs.

By the way, if you'd like to request something, too, there's a page for that right here: http://cariturley.tumblr.com/ask

Super Sculpey, ~40 min.

My first glazed piece! I'm really pleased with the way it turned out. No idea what I'm going to use it for, but at least I finally have something to show for myself. Today was my last class before the big trip, so I glazed everything else I've made up to this point so I can collect them all when I get home. Hooray!

Laguna, 2 hour class

Hoo boy.

So, a few things. One, I haven't sculpted in a month and it shows. Two, now that I'm back to work full time, it's really hard to put any effort into making something every day. Three, I really hate self-hardening clay. And four, when your sense of proportion completely falls apart, fix it with googley eyes.

Berit Hildre's Modeling Heads and Faces in Clay is a quick read, really informative, and makes sculpting look way easier than it is. (At least for me.) I'm not too proud of this little dude (I named him Bert), but hey, I made something! That's a start.

Marblex, ~45 min.

Today was an exercise in good intentions gone awry. I tried to get this one done early in time to catch the light, and in the process of transporting everything across the street I dropped my camera, my tools, the figure itself, and my palette (the latter of which shattered), and after all that I didn't even get the shot I wanted. Oh well.

I was going for "mermaid being blown out of her aquarium/bowl by a strong wind." What, you're saying that doesn't translate?

Super Sculpey, ~60 min.

Since I'm getting ready to leave for a big trip on Monday, this little guy from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy seemed appropriate. This is Marvin from the most recent film adaptation. Trivia about Marvin: he's the inspiration for the name of a Radiohead song and he would never forget to bring a towel.

Actually, because of the aforementioned trip, he's probably the last figure you'll see from me for about three weeks. As soon as I get back, rest assured that they will continue! Don't panic.

Super Sculpey, ~60 min.

Rhonda tells me "sloths are the new birds" (in reference to the hip animal du jour), so she requested that I make her a sloth. She did not specify that it be anorexic, nor that it only have fur on the right side of its body. I took those artistic liberties myself.

Super Sculpey, ~90 min.