Rainbow Cats (b.22 October 2009)

Back from sunny California (well, it was for most of the time!) and back into the crafting saddle at last!  I was delighted to come back home to find a request for a bespoke Rainbow Cat from Debby, who had recently bought Small Orange Rainbow Cat (thanks Debby!) One cat  then turned into three cats, and with photographs to guide me, I couldn't wait to get started!

So we have a Smoky Blue Rainbow Cat (modelled on Blue), a brown stripy cat (modelled on Tilly) and a ginger cat (modelled on Bob). This was the first time I set out to match a particular colour, and I had lots of fun experimenting with mixing colours and patterns. Realistic cats have never really been on the agenda, but I think I've got the flavour of these wee kittens!

For Blue, I used a mix of sapphire blue clay (with a pearlised effect) mixed with white and black clay.  I blended the colours well to keep the swirl effect to a minimum, as Blue is pretty much one colour. For Tilly, I mixed a number of colours - black, brown, white and two shades of orange. And Bob is a mix of orange and sweet potato colours, blended with some white.

All three cats are broadly the same size - about 3.5cm tall - although Blue stands a little taller and Bob is a little fatter. Funny the way their personalities appear! I had lots of fun bringing these wee mites into the world - and I know they're going to a great home!

I started a new job today as New Business Development Manager with Artsmix, so my days of spending over 12 hours a day at the kitchen table are sadly over (well, at least for week days). But I'll still be making lots of wee beasties and will post my latest creations as they are born - watch out for Reindeer Cats, Sleepy Cats and Snowmen!

More Rainbow Cats (b.30 September 2009)

I had another rainbow day, and I experimented with creating a rainbow cane. I started off making a bull's eye cane, with the purple at the core, and the rest of the rainbow colours wrapped round in successive layers. It looked really good as a cane! However, it didn't translate quite so well on the cats.

I think part of the problem may have been that I was using orange Fimo classic, which was pretty old (about 8 years, I think), and the colour has changed on baking. Still, I perservered and made these three kittens. I think they look pretty manic - the spots look like amoebas rather than cute rainbow circles...

And yet, it I hadn't gone ahead with the kittens, I wouldn't have come up with my next idea, which was to cut the rainbow cane in half lengthwise and blend the resultant half-hoop rainbows onto another cat! And I LOVE how this turned out!

I cut out tiny flowers from white clay and pushed them together to form clouds. Cutting the cane slices thin enough to avoid too much distortion was a bit tricky but overall, I think it worked out well. I would have loved a cat like this when I was young! 

And to finish off the Day of Rainbows (which also involved making another 16 Rainbow Cards - more on that story later), I gathered up the scrap clay and made another couple of Ultimate Rainbow Cats!

Rainbow Cats Galore! (b.29 September 2009)

I spent the whole day making Rainbow Cats! I just had a blast - seeing what I could come up with next was just great fun!

I focused primarily on reds and citrus colours, and played around with dots and hearts. By rolling out the 'dot' colour very thinly, this helps to avoid distorting the shape when it's applied to the clay core.

You'll notice a few more Roly Poly Rainbow Cats - these wee balls of cuteness are just lovely, and I like having three different sizes of Rainbow Cat. I also made eight standard Rainbow Cats (bottom right picture) - after the Owls of the day before, it was like coming home!

Small Turquoise Rainbow Cat (b.28 September 2009)

I so enjoy making Rainbow cats! And for this wee mite, I used the clay left over from the Spotty Millefiori Cats, and I love the wonderful abstract swirls created from mixing the blue and green colours together. A coat of satin varnish really helps to highlight the abstract colours and patterns. He'll be joining me at my first craft fair on Sunday.

I've got lots more ideas up my sleeve for adding to the ever-growing army of Rainbow Cats, and I also want to play around more with some card ideas.

Yesterday (28 September), I also spent some time experimenting with Owls, and I'll be posting more about them shortly. Definitely a work in progress!

Rainbow Cats (b.14 September 2009)

After spending nearly a week on making cards (somehow I managed to produce nearly 60 cards!), today I returned to all things feline. I got up at 7am, and after assembling a few of the abstract blue cards, I got stuck in. I'm off to Canada on 16 September for just over a week, so I wanted to get as much crafting in as possible before I went.

I started off with making up a heart cane, with a pale pink heart with a darker pink surround. After making this, I let it rest whilst I had a go at a new shape - the Roly Poly Rainbow Cat! These wee mites are a bit smaller than the Small Rainbow Cats (they measure 2.5cm tall and wide) and are completely round in shape. They are reminiscent of the first Wee Cat I made back in July, but have much more of what has become my standard 'Rainbow Cat' look. They're fun to make, and I'll add them to the range on offer at the upcoming craft fairs.

Next up, I mixed up some colours and came up with some rather luscious icecream-coloured Small Rainbow Cats. I love that they each have their own expression!

I also added to the standard Rainbow Cat range, focusing more on greens, blues and purples. There are now 11 colours from the rainbow spectrum, and I think they all look very sweet together! I recently got some gorgeous new colours from the Sculpey III range (on sale from Craftwise in Leeds - it's a great shop), so when I get back from Canada, I'll be making more on the red/orange side.

The Ultimate Rainbow Cat (b.7 September 2009)

After my rainbow cards extravaganza, I decided to make the Ultimate Rainbow Cat to celebrate! I made this wee fellow by using the scrap clay left over from the rainbow cards, and then rolling them into a clay core and shaping it as normal. As a result, his stripes are a bit random and unpredictable!

He stands 3.5cm tall and 2.5cm wide. He's finished off with a lovely coat of satin varnish.

I'm rather pleased with the way he turned out, so I'm going to make a limited number of these cats for the craft fair.

And the great news is that this particularly unique Ultimate Rainbow Cat is now on sale at my online shops - click here for Folksy.com and here for Etsy.com!

Small Strawberry Rainbow Cat (b.29 August 2009)

What colour do I describe this little kitten as? I really have no idea! On a whim, I decided to mix red, pink and luminous pink clay (the same colour as I used to make the very first Rainbow Cat), and this wonderfully, rich, vibrant pinky-red colour was the result.

He reminds me of some sort of exotic drink, like a strawberry daiquiri!

He stands a little over 3cm tall, and is 2.5cm at his widest point. A coat of satin varnish really brings out the vibrant colours.

You can find this cat on sale at my Folksy.com shop - click here for more info.

Small Raspberry Rainbow Cat (b.25 August 2009)

This little kitten, measuring about 3cm tall, was made by mixing a number of different shades of pinks, reds, purples with a dash of white. The resulting marble effect is rather fun! I'm getting quicker at putting together the cats, and I'm working on a number of different shapes and sizes which should go down well.

As I was reminded today, Christmas will soon be upon us and I will think about developing a Christmas range.

This Rainbow Cat is now on sale at my Folksy.com shop - click here for further details.

Small Green Rainbow Cat (b.25 August 2009)

With the scrap clay from the green landscapes, I quickly made up a small stripey green rainbow cat. He's a bit lop-sided, but that just adds to his character! I love the patterns made by mixing the clay colours, and I kept on mixing the colours here to get a very fine stripe.

The permutations are endless, and every cat is completely unique as a result.

This kitten stands about 3cm tall.

This Rainbow Cat is now on sale at my Folksy.com shop - click here for more info.

Small Black and White Rainbow Cat (b.20 August 2009)

I had some scrap clay after cutting the chequer board canes, and so I decided to use that to create a stripey black and white cat. I think the stripes have worked out pretty well here, although once again I forgot to put whisker and paw markings on.

I'd welcome any thoughts on whether the cats look better with or without markings.

I will experiment with different ways of creating stripes - although it is basically a random process, there are ways of guiding the stripes to a certain extent, and with this Cat, the effect is very different from the ginger Rainbow Cat. In this case, I used long, thin strips of colour and rolled them up into a ball. With the ginger cat, I twisted together two ropes of clay, repeated the process a couple of times, and then rolled the resultant snake into a ball-shape.

Small Orange Rainbow Cat (b.19 August 2009)

Inspired by the purple and pink marble effect Rainbow Cat, I tried going for a more traditional colour - a ginger cat. Again, I'm pleased with the way he's turned out, and the stripes are just wild.

The trick is to know when to stop mixing the colours before molding them to the shape of the cat's body. But then again, whatever you end up with will be interesting!

This Rainbow Cat is now on sale at my Folksy.com shop - click here for more info.

Small Purple Rainbow Cat (b.19 August 2009)

I love what you can do with polymer clay! The marbled effect I achieved by simply mixing two different colours is great - and no two patterns are ever the same.

Here I used a deep purple and fuschia, and although this created a lovely subtle effect, I will experiment with more contrasting colours next time. He stands about 3cm tall with 3mm black onyx beads for eyes.

Experimenting with marbling colours reminded me of something I've been thinking of for a while - creating a patterned cat by covering a clay core with millefiori panels.

Small Rainbow Cats (b.19 August 2009)

Yesterday was Rainbow Cat day. I had lots of fun with these little guys! I had had this pictue in my mind of having rainbow coloured cats all lined up in a row, and this is the result! They each measure about 3cm tall.

I experimented with the size of the face, having used a larger size for my first pink attempt. However, I think the smaller size works a little better, although there's something to be said for creating different experiences using different sizes and facial elements. Again, I've used the 3mm black onyx round beads for the eyes, and I love the clean result compared with the plastic beads.

These Rainbow Cats are now on sale at my Folksy.com shop - click here for more info!

Small Pink Rainbow Cat (b.13 August 2009)

This is the first of a range of colourful kittens, inspired by Greg's request for a luminous pink cat. I'm pleased with the way this kitten has turned out, so watch this space for the full range!

He stands about 3cm tall, and I have used 4mm black obsidian round beads for his eyes - they give a much cleaner shape than the plastic beads I have been using up until now.