Wee Sophie (b.10 November 2011)

11 November 2011
It's been a while since I wrote about how a creature comes into being, and so I wanted to share with you the process I went through to make Wee Sophie. Sophie is a beautiful Shih Tzu who lives in Australia, so she's kept trimmed because of the heat. A huge thank you to Kristy who commissioned a miniature version of her beloved pet (along with a couple of mice for her parents!)

Wee Teddy (b.7 February 2011)

16th July 2011

I'd love to introduce you to Wee Teddy. Wee Teddy was a very special commission for a very special boy's birthday. The commission was from Tracy of Ruby Spirit Designs and Kev of Dig the Earth, two extremely talented and lovely people who just happen to be married to each other! (And in actual fact, I own works of art created by both these lovely people - do pop along and visit their websites when you get the chance :)

The Glenfiddich Gang (b.13-16 February 2011)

17 May 2011

It definitely feels like the right time to revisit these six characters, which were commissioned by a professional poker player for his team, The Glenfiddich Gang! It all started with the Mole in the centre of the shot - the poker player's nickname is The Mole, and when he saw the Moles listed in my Folksy shop, he asked if I could make a Mole Card Protector.

Scott of the Antarctic Cat (b.18 February 2011)

25 March 2011

I thought I'd leap forward in time a little bit and take a look at a more recent creation. Scott of the Antarctic Cat is one of my favourites, and a big thank you to Liz for commissioning him for her sister's birthday.

Wee Bandit (b.15 September 2010)

27 February 2011

I'm delighted to introduce Wee Bandit to you - I met the real Bandit in photographic form back in August 2010 when a lovely lass called Gemma (who had just adopted lots of wee cats from my Folksy shop) asked if I could make up a Wee Bandit for her mum's birthday. And could I incorporate his favourite ball, Big Red, as well? Of course!

Turtle (b.20 June 2010)

29 January 2011

I can't believe that it's been over six months since Turtle was born. Oh my. Well, I think that means that it's about time I told you the whole story...

Wee Dinosaur (b.6 October 2010)

11 January 2011
As part of my meanderings down Memory Lane to look at creature commissions I've made, I want to share with you the making of Wee Dinosaur.

Alonso the Armadillo (b.5 August 2010)

16 December 2010
Meet Alonso, the Christmas Armadillo! Well, OK, p'raps not, but I promise there will be a Christmas Armadillo next year :)

Trevor the Snail (b.28 July 2010)

Trevor the Snail

9 November 2010
It's been a while since we've had a Snail guest-starring on the website, and so I thought now would be a good time to introduce Trevor.

Toucan Brooch (b.25 April 2010) and other jewellery

Toucan Brooch

6 October 2010
I have so many draft posts waiting to be written (72 at the last count) about what I've been making over the past six months, that I've decided to have a different approach. I'm now going to dip in and out of these draft posts and pick ones at random, rather than go in strict chronological order.

So I'd like to introduce you to a Toucan Brooch I made up back in April this year. I was at the Keighley Sheep Fair (very cute lambs were in evidence that day) and about 10 minutes before the end of the market, a lady come up to me and asked with a note of desperation in her voice whether I had any toucans for sale. At that time, I didn't, and in fact, I still don't have any toucans, but I said I could make up a brooch for her and drop it off to her when I was next in Skipton.

Wee Belle (b.27 May 2010)

Wee Belle

I've been making up so many wee dog commissions of late, I thought it might be interesting if I showed you some of the steps I take to create one of them. Each wee dog is very different, but some of the techniques used here I use for other breeds. I made Wee Belle back in May, so my techniques have evolved a bit since then - for example, I now create more defined legs, rather than just the impression of legs. I'll do another tutorial about a more recent wee dog soon (must remember to take photos!)

Wee Holly (b.13 May 2010)

Meet Wee Holly. She's one of my favourite wee dog commissions, and I have Steph Keegan to thank for this. Holly (aka Big Mama) has been a dear friend and companion to Steph for many years, and she wanted a little keepsake of her.

Blossom Cats (b.5 June 2010)

Blossom Cats

It seems like an appropriate time to introduce the second bunch of Flower Cats I've made, rather than keep to the strict chronological order of birth of my wee creatures! These Blossom Cats were a very special commission for a very special person - Anna Stassen of Sakura Jewellery.

Flower Cats (b.11 May 2010)

Flower Cats

After I sold the original Daisy Cat at one of the Ilkley Arts Markets, I decided to make another one. Which led on to two, which turned into three!

I wasn't sure whether to keep the body colour the same as the flower centre this time, and so I decided to make them a little differently. Using green as the body colour helps to make them look more like flower cat sprites, than cats in fancy dress (at least, that's what I think!)

Sunflower Cat

For SunFlower Cat, I used a millefiori cane to create the speckled seed head effect for the flower centre, and then I cut out lots of petal shapes from a thin sheet of yellow clay and attached two layers of them, the top layer overlapping the bottom layer, to a thin collar of green clay. It was important to create enough strength in the petals because otherwise the petals would 'wilt' during the curing process.

Rose Cat

Rose Cat is my favourite Flower Cat - because of the shape of the petals, I had to make the head a little narrower than normal, which make her look very odd before I added the petals! I cut large oval petals shapes from a thin sheet of red clay, and then trimmed them at the bottom once they were added.There are three layers in total. Once the petals were on, I added the small leafs around the collar.

I'm keen to experiment with other types of Flower Cats - not quite sure how I'll do a Foxglove Cat, but I'm happy to give it a go!

Fireman Cat (b.10 May 2010)

I seem to be on a bit of an occupation theme here :) Fireman Cat came about when I was at the Ilkley Arts Market on 8 May. A lovely woman called Hilary asked if it would be possible for me to make a Fireman Cat for her friend, and straight away I could picture how he would look.


When I got back home, I did a bit of research as to what a fireman's outfit looks like these days. They've done away with the traditional outfit and now I think they look more like policemen with bigger helmets. So I decided to stick with Fireman Sam as my inspiration for the design.

For his axe, I used a millefiori cane to create the wood effect, and then made up the head using metallic red clay, with a silver tip.

I used silver clay blobs for the shiny buttons, and for his helmet badge. The important thing with making accessories for the cats, I've found, is not to skimp on proportions. Go large. I applied this principle to Police Mole, and now to Fireman Cat. As a result, their helmets actually do look as though they fit them properly, and aren't just a blob of clay balanced on top of their heads. It's a fine balance to achieve, but it's worth the extra effort, as it helps the design to gel together more and look more cohesive.

Another thing I've noticed looking back on these designs (I'm writing this in the middle of August) is how I've definitely become more enamoured of cats with arms. It's interesting how your tastes and style changes over time, even though the fundamental style is still undeniable Quernus :)

Paramedi-Cat (b.6 May 2010)

Who wouldn't want this handsome Paramedi-Cat to come and look after you?! Many thanks to Glenda for commissioning this wee guy. I think his white tee-shirt has a certain 'Levi ad' appeal, if you know what I mean ;)

Wee Curum (b.1 May 2010)

Wee Curum

Curum was my sister's dog. Curum is Gaelic for 'cuddle', and she was a very handsome dog. Sadly she was put to sleep in April this year, at the age of 10 years. I made Wee Curum as a memento for my sister - it was quite poignant making it for her. I didn't know Curum well (my sister still lives in Scotland and I don't get to see her often), but I know how much my sister and her two girls loved her. It was a sad day when Curum went to sleep for the last time.

The top photo shows Curum as a much younger dog. As she got older, the black markings on her forehead faded away. To get the black of her muzzle fading to tan, I used a Skinner blend and then shaped it carefully over her muzzle. I used part of the Skinner blend for the inside of her ears, and also applied small triangles of black clay around her eyes. For her body markings, these were a mix of black, and black/tan. I made up the latter using the fur cane technique and cut the shapes out freehand.

I finished off Wee Curum's tail by having it curl round her body - I added some of the fur cane as well. Curum was always a bit mad, but was fiercely loyal and my sister loved her.

The Happy Couple Part 2 (b.30 April 2010)

Hiking Cats

The second part of the commission for wedding cake toppers was for a pair of hillwalking cats, the bride and groom being keen hikers. And the exciting part of this was that these cats would be next to a tent created by one of the animators from Nick Park's team (he of the supremely wonderful Wallace and Gromit, Shaun the Sheep, et al)! OK, so I wouldn't actually get to meet them, but at least my wee cats would be in close proximity to Greatness - to say I was chuffed was a slight understatement!

The brief here was for boy cat to be brown, and the girl cat to be white. I used glitter white for the latter, as it has a softer appearance than ordinary white clay. I had lots of fun coming up with the accessories for them - from woolly walking socks (made from slices of cane), to walking poles (cocktail sticks painted black with clay handles, discs and straps), to rucksacks! The leather boots even have laces :)

I wanted the rucksacks to be as realistic as possible, so I hauled our rucksack out of the cupboard for a guide. I'm particularly fond of the hand at the top, and the way the 'elasticated' pouch at the front isn't flush with the rest of the rucksack. The piping around the edges has helped to I imagine he's got a rather battered Mars Bar in there for when he gets peckish!

I love the girly rucksack - the white piping helps to give if that 'high street' look, and I get the impression that she's not really a serious hiker :) But then, with a Nick Park-designed tent, who am I to say?!

Living happily ever after in a Nick Park tent!!

The Happy Couple Part 1 (b.30 April 2010)

A former colleague of mine from work asked me a few months ago if I could make up a wedding cake topper for her son's wedding. In fact, she wanted two couples - one for the formal cake, and another couple for a second cake - more on that story later!

The brief was for flesh-coloured cats, an ivory dress and purple/lilac flowers and lilies for the bride, and a morning suit for the groom. Oh, and they had to be exactly 4.5cm tall. No more, no less. Well alrighty then!

I made the groom up first, and went for as much detail as possible. From the stripey trousers (don't you just love pasta machines?!) to his waistcoat buttons and a cute wee button hole. We had a bit of a 'hat-on-hat-off' dilemma, as the top hat took him a few millimetres above the required height, but I'm glad to say we managed to resolve that without too many tears.

I had so much fun making up the bride! From her wee ivory shoes, which have a purple seed bead as decoration, to the bouquet of white lilies and purple flowers. She also has a veil - I shaped some thick silver wire into a semi-circle and threaded on a small square of netting. I added some seed beads to either side, and then shaped the ends of the tiara to create a front decoration. It was fiddly work, but I love the effect! I secured the tiara and veil to the cat using liquid polymer clay.


For the back of the wedding dress, I created a confection of loops from a thin strip of ivory clay, and of course, the cats had to have their tails curling towards each other :)

Police Mole (b.14 April 2010)

'ello, 'ello 'ello, what's all this then? This is Police Mole, that's what! Police Mole came about as a commission request through the website from Laura, a friend of Eloise, who had seen Dr Mole.

I spent quite a bit of time researching the shape of the helmet, and making sure it was as accurate as possible. Ditto the shield on the front, which I made up with metallic silver clay. For the truncheon, I used brown clay with a wire armature inside to keep it strong, and of course it had to have a wrist strap :)

Evenin' all!