More Wee Sheep and Wee Highland Cows (b.27 September 2009)

Finally got back to crafting after nearly a 2 week break - although Toronto was incredible, it was good to get back in the saddle again!

So I decided to spend a day with extruded clay and ended up with more Wee Beasties - Wee Highland Cows and Wee Sheep to be precise. These will be added to the inventory of stock for the upcoming craft fairs I'm going to.

I am very fond of the Wee Highland Cows - they are very simply made, although there are a bit time-consuming. Both Highland Cows and Sheep are made by the same method.  I roll out a small ball of terracotta polymer clay (or white for the sheep), and then attach a flattened piece of clay for the head. The horns and ears are attached at this stage. Then, I extrude lengths of terracotta or white clay, and attach each strand individually, leaving the strands for the face until last. The strands are usually at least two deep to make sure there are no gaps showing. The nostrils complete the look, and I create these using a large gauge knitting needle.

In between making these Wee Beasties, I experimented with a prototype Wee Owl - I'll be posting more about this soon.

Wee Highland Cow (b.6 August 2009)

This wee beastie measures 3cm from horn tip to horn tip (2cm across the base). This is only my second attempt at an Aberdeen Angus (thanks to Sheila for reminding me of the proper name!), and it was much easier this time around.

I used the same colour clay (terracotta) for the body as for the hair, and thicker extruded clay, so it didn't take so long to put on. I also attached the face and horns before starting on the hair, and that has resulted in a more integrated feel. I've also made the horns more exaggerated, which again helps to balance the overall shape. The next job will be to make a Wee Sheep using the same sort of approach.

Wee Highland Cow is now on sale at my Folksy.com shop - click here for more info.

Sheep and Highland Cow (b. 23 July 2009)

These are old favourites. The Highland Cow was one of my first ever crafting efforts way back in the late 1990s. Back then, I used air drying clay and I painted the cow with poster paints. Ah, those were the days.

The sheep has remained pretty much unchanged from the early days - using extruded clay as wool, I can create a rather fun, wool-like effect, and the strands of wool on the forehead make it look a bit Wallace and Gromit-esque. Again, the black bead eyes have been a firm favourite with me since the beginning.

When revisiting both these models, I thought I would try them without legs - this is primarily so they are in keeping with the round style I'm aiming for. Ideally, I'd also like the sheep's face to be incorporated in with the body, but this could be a challenge. Good to be back in the saddle, however.