Round 2 of Then and Now Polymer Clay Creations!

Sorry it has been a little bit since I blogged last. The Dragon Con Art Show in September takes alot out of me and then my work usually increases due to the loads of custom requests I get swamped with afterwards. Not complaining, I love the work but it leaves very little time to blog and since most of the commission requests I am currently working on are for Holiday gifts, I can't post my progress.
But I can post my sculpting Progress over the years. I like to encourage artists to never stop trying. Practice really does make perfect but improvement comes slowly sometimes and can be discouraging. But don't give up fellow artists.
Here are some of my Then and Now sculptures that I hope will help motivate and inspire. :)

I hope you all enjoyed my throw back photos. Here's another blog of my Then and Now Progress pieces if you need more encouraging.
Then and Now Polymer clay creations: Always Keep Trying! 
Check out my work on my Instagram and Facebook!
Thanks for reading!
~Caralyn

Then and Now Polymer Clay Creations: Always Keep Trying!

I have been trying to help encourage fellow artists recently by posting some of my older sculptures from when I first started sculpting. I remember the day I decided to start working with clay like it was yesterday. It was 2006 and I was at a very small craft show in June. It was hot, and my husband, sister, brother-in-law and I had only seen about three customers the entire six hours we had been at the show. At that time I was only making 2D artwork to sell and as we set in the heat looking through my prints my sister announced "Wouldn't it be neat to make fairies to set around your art booth". There you have it, that little phrase got us all talking and coming up with ideas, since there wasn't much else to help pass the time. The next week I was working with clay. My pieces back then were nothing to write home about (not sure if anyone uses that colloquialism anymore but...) it was a beginning and has now surpassed my then expectations of my little business. It doesn't matter how you get started, no-one starts out as an expert. I have been sculpting with Polymer clay for over a decade now. Even though I have had several years of practice I am still improving every day. My technique changes and is refined with almost every piece. I love to encourage artists to keep trying and never give up; you only get experience by doing.
So to help motivate, here are some of my "Then and Now" Polymer clay creations.

Steampunk Animal Pals, rabbit, fox, hedgehog and mouse.

Steampunk Squirrel and Raccoon 

My Dragon Pals never get tired of Candycorn.

Left Dragon from 2011, Right Dragon from 2016

Even my husband's covers for his Winston and Baum books
have come a long way, from the 1st novel to the 4th. 

I hope this blog helped inspire, I know it always helped me to see how far artist's had improved over the years.
For more information on the Winston and Baum Books.
Thanks for reading,
~Caralyn

Practice Makes Perfect Artists

Hello Art Fans!
Today I just wanted to encourage everyone to keep trying. Practice always makes perfect. I started sculpting for my art business in 2006. I hadn't discovered Polymer clay yet and I was using an air drying paper clay. (I do not recommend paper clay for delicate sculptures but this material works alot better for very large pieces.)

Here is one of my 1st little fairies I ever created compared to one of my pieces from 2017.

As you can see I hadn't refined much skill yet, I couldn't sculpt fingers or toes on that small scale yet and put very little detail into my pieces.  
It has taken over a decade, alot of patience, practice, trial and error to make the sculptures I make today so don't give up artists. Try try again. :)

That is my inspirational speech for the day, Thank you

Here is another blog I did for my "Then and Now" steampunk animals.

Thanks for reading!
~Caralyn

Then and Now Mystic Reflections style

Practice truly makes perfect, and when you are an artist you never really stop practicing. With each piece you make, you get a little better; your technique is refined and you learn a little more. That is why each year my style changes slightly and my pieces get more detailed.
I was recently going through my photos of past sculptures and found a few of the pieces that I recreated this year. So I thought it would be fun to post some "then and now" collages for you all. :)

Crazy what a few years can do, right?
So for those artists out there that aren't quite satisfied with their skill level, Don't give up, just keep Arting. :)
Thanks for reading!
~Caralyn