Friday, April 19, 2013

Finally, a new mold. Sea Turtle Bezel and Teardrop Cabochon

A couple of years ago I did this very rough sketch, so poor that I wrote the word 'cab' and drew a line to remind me of the idea. (In all fairness I was trying to draw whilst riding in the car with Joe.)

In fall of 2011, a land turtle bezel [the top drawing] and cab were sculpted but the sculpts were destroyed when we purchased our new home in Maysville and began to pack for the move.

A few months ago I began anew, this time with the sea turtle [the lower sketch] but life kept interrupting and the turtle was often pushed to the back of the sculpting table for more urgent needs. 

After a few more attempts at finishing it, I took some photos of the WIP [Work in Progress]. I colored the cabochon in Photoshop to make it more interesting. 

The bezel is about 3 inches long by 2 1/2 inches wide. There is a subtle shell pattern inside of the bezel.

The teardrop cabochon is 1 3/4 by 1 1/4 inches [30 x 42 mm]. If properly released the mold can be used for clear resin. If using polymer clay, any number of patterns, canes or solid clays can be molded. 
Inspired by this antique pin that I saw on the web recently, I moved it to the front of the table and began working on it. 

Tonight I finished the sculpture and baked it. When cool tomorrow, I'll do what ever is needed to make them both mold-able and taper the more pointy end of the cabochon as the profile is too high for my taste.
 The bezel can be molded in metal clay, polymer clay etc.  The cabochon may be molded or cast in any color or material. 

If polymer clay I can see the bezel molded in deep green, baked and antiqued with a soft yellow color, wiping the excess paint off before the paint is fully dry. This will leave light creases in the fine detail, much like a real sea turtle.
The side view shows the fine detail and the smooth cabochon. Note that the flippers are flat and the head is flat on the bottom. This is necessary to allow the molded part to be removed from the mold. After molding these parts can be lifted, turned, moved and shaped before baking or firing.

 
 I tried to get a soft expression on the face as this giant of the sea is gentle in nature often allowing humans to hang on for a short ride as they soar below the surface of the sea. 

Now that the largest elements for the mold is completed, I plan to sculpt a smaller turtle and teardrop cabochon for the mold. After all, a girl needs earrings or maybe some beads for a necklace. :-)  If there is room, I'll add one or two smaller teardrop cabochons. 


This mold will do dual duty. 
1. Provide unique teardrop cabochons 
2. Provide an original, unique and trendy bezel. 


I'll post here when it is ready to ship. 

Thanks for visiting my blog. 


Penni Jo Couch
Designer and sculptor of 


Friday, April 5, 2013

Fur Babies and the Sofa Pillow

Like a number of 'retirees' we have fur babies, two little dogs, Sophie and Kanga. 


What pillow, I don't see a pillow!
Sophie is a Lhasa-poo, basically a heavy Lhasa Apso body covered in curly, blonde poodle fur. She is loveable, sweet, and obedient, mostly. She's never bitten anyone but, when aggravated will poke you with her nose. When begging for food, your leg will be massaged by a wiggly nose, an action that usually gets her a treat. 

Kanga, our other fur baby is an 18 year old Miniature Poodle. A perfect little poodle in miniature.  When he was younger he would hop on his back legs, up and down, like a kangaroo, hence the name Kanga.

You want the pillow? Huh-uh! This is my pillow!
 The funniest thing about Kanga and Sophie is they both claim that the little pillow on the sofa is theirs! The truth is, it's not either of theirs, it is mine. 

I brought the little pillow to the sofa one day to ease the small of my back while sitting on the sofa. Since that day I have had to insist that it is mine whenever I want to sit and watch TV comfortably. 

The first doggy on the sofa normally gets the pillow and when I want to sit down and give the corner a little tug to remind them that it's mine, I get the saddest expressions ever!  Sometimes I let them stay but not often. 

Don't I look so pretty on my pillow?
Our dogs are groomed at Pawsitively Purrfect in Purcell OK. They do very good work and we can usually get an appointment in less than a week. 

These photos were taken shortly after haircut day. 

Sophie has super thick hair so we get her clipped short on the body with long tail, ears and top knot. 

Kanga gets a standard poodle kennel clip. He is such a fun, smart little dog. He is expressive, affectionate, learns quickly and, now that his hearing is so poor, is learning to obey hand signals and respond to clapping. 


When Kanga doesn't have the pillow, he calls "dibs!" on the leather chair!
 By Penni Jo Couch
Creator and designer of Best Flexible Molds