Behind the Scenes (Making a Monster)

I'm not going to bore you with a play-by-play narration of how I create my monsters. No one wants to read that. But, I can show you what happens when I have Sculpey polymer clay in my hand and cook it for 12 minutes in my oven at home at 275 degrees.

For the record, I still have not named my bear of terror, but these are his origins.

Monster #11 -1/25/16

For this Monday's monster, I polled my friends on social media to figure out what I was going to make. I had several great ideas thrown at me, but two that stuck out to me were "a winged hellhound" and a "purple gargoyle with glasses." I had decided I was going to combine these two options and create a purple, winged, hellhound gargoyle. I decided to not include the glasses for my lack of wire in my supply kit (I've come to realize I really need some) but I'm quite pleased with the results.

There is however, one problem.

He doesn't have a name.

Please feel free to comment on this post, email me at ylimesotrab@gmail.com, or #MonsterMonday on Instagram with your name ideas. I will choose the name that best suits this creature.

xx emily

Wintry Picnic Point Hike - 1/23/16

Now that the temperature is finally not as frigid, Toby, myself, and Bullett the dog decided it would be a good idea to do something outside today. A popular, nearby choice location is Picnic Point.

Picnic point is owned by the University of Wisconsin and is a part of their Lakeshore Nature Preserve, and in its prime over the summer you can spend your days roasting marshmallows or hiking. The cold has seemingly not kept anyone off the trails, since they were iced over from all the snow being trampled by many sets of feet. I had to tread very carefully so as to not slip. Even Bullett, who has much better footing for these conditions occasionally had to regain his balance.

We ventured to the trails a little after 3pm to enjoy our little hike as the sun was setting. There was a population of ice fishermen, ice skaters, and college students enjoying the frozen, placid surface of Lake Mendota. I was able to recognize an engagement session taking place from my experience in photographing weddings (at Picnic Point), and could even tell when the groom-to-be had to run back to the car to get the engagement ring so it could be photographed in the snow. Bullett was having the time of his life; Toby holding the leash, and I holding my camera.

We hope to return to Picnic Point this summer to investigate potential paranormal activity. Rumor has it a red ghost light floats over the lake from the point over to the Capitol. Until then, enjoy the wintry images from our miniature adventure not too far from home.

 

 

Monster #10 - (1/18/16)

I always begin planning a creature for Monster Monday a week in advance. Despite the growing list of ideas I had for these monsters, I felt compelled to ask my boyfriend what kind of monster I should make. A teddy bear possessed by the soul of a serial killer was one of these ideas.

Regardless, this little bear turned out pretty frightening. I don't know if he's possessed or demonic, but he is a savage terror bear.

As pictured above, this piece is not yet glazed and he does not yet have a name. Follow me on Facebook or Instagram for a post later this week that will also feature this monster. Maybe he will have a name by then.

A Walk to the Lake (1/16/16)

Today was one of those days where we tried to do too much in one day, and things didn't go as planned. It happens. I personally am notorious for this, but I have found that it is better to go with the flow than to fight it.

I wont tell you one of those "you just had to be there" stories, so I will just say that my boyfriend and I spent an hour driving (round-trip) to spend only fifteen minutes at Indian Lake County Park just outside of Madison, Wisconsin where we live.

We were dressed in many layers, and I personally had on three pairs of socks. The sun had gone down by the time we arrived at the park, and the lake was like glass.The trail was bumpy and iced over from the former footsteps of others before us. I was carrying my solid aluminum tripod, and the cold metal was transferring to my fingertips despite my attempt at keeping my fingertips warm. Bullett the dog was ecstatic to be there, his thick winter coat shielding him from the nipping air. Naturally, practically-hairless humans cannot withstand the biting winter cold the way a Pointer mix can. We decided to call it, our hands practically numb and the icy wind licking our faces raw.

We can laugh about our silly little trip, warm up with a glass of mead, and I can say that I at least took one picture.

Cheers.

Monsters in the Shop this Week! (1/11-1/15, 2016)

Happy Friday!

Starting with this Monday, I FINALLY got a bunch of Monsters into the shop! Although, if you have been following me on social media, you may have noticed my spamming your feeds promoting my monstrosities...(Sorry, not sorry) but I thought I would take the opportunity to summarize what little creatures are for sale in my Etsy Shop.

You may notice that many of these creatures are "Thumbeasts." I came up with this species on my own as my original creation. They are simple "pinch-pots" that I can come up with quickly and be the main body of the stock available in the shop as well as be a trademark of the products I have available. Thumbeast refers to how many of these are not much bigger than many people's thumbs and were created mostly by molding the polymer clay with just my fingertips.

I have a pretty cool monster planned for this coming Monday as well as many more I have ready to glaze and go into the shop. I plan on creating an abundance of these little guys for as long as my Sculpey supply will hold up and for the rest of the month of January. This way, I have a good body of work to get started and have an abundance of ideas that I plan on continuing with sparatically. I would like to see how these sell before adding too many more and purchasing more clay as well.

There are some awesome ideas I have in mind for February. I have some Monster Valentine's ideas planned and am using that month to focus on Illustration to get a good leg up on that category of the shop.

Thank you all for the awesome feedback and support as these monsters have only been in the shop for a few days. Hopefully I sell something soon, but I'm really happy to have rediscovered a style of art that I've loved for so long and worked with as a young girl. Pictured below are the monsters that are currently in the shop. I have many more that need to be glazed and photographed, so stay tuned for everything!

Emily's Monster shop can be found at: https://www.etsy.com/shop/EmilysMonsterShop

xxx emily

Monster #9 - 1/11/16

This Monday, I am ecstatic to share what I consider to be the best monster I've made yet!

This is my own take on a Wereshark (it doesn't have a name yet) which is a lycanthrope most commonly associated with the Dungeons and Dragons series. They aren't as common as other lycan beings such as werewolves, but they've appeared in some fantasy novels, tabletop roleplaying, and in popular culture in tv shows such as the 90's Street Sharks.

Once I figure out a name for this terrible beast, he will be available for sale in my Etsy shop!

Monster #8 - 1/4/16

This week I decided that the first monster of 2016 should be one that pays tribute to a beast that we are all familiar with...well, at least one that most Wisconsinites are.

Have you ever heard of a Hodag?

Hodags are a folkloric monster from Wisconsin, primarily in Rhinelander (which is the city mascot). They appear in several Paul Bunyan stories and newspapers reported a "discovery" which ended up being a hoax in 1893. The alleged capture had occurred in Rhinelander by a land surveyor and timberman named Eugene Shepherd. He had the event photographed as well as the created corpse on display at the county fair. Despite the discovery, capture, and evidence being completely fictitious, the Hodag remains a prominent symbol of Rhinelander and the folklore is still celebrated for its fantasy as any mystical, mythical monster should be.

The above Hodag made from Sculpey will lovingly be named Heinrich and will appear for sale in the Etsy shop soon.

Happy New Year,
xx emily