GtPGKogPYT4p61R1biicqBXsUzo" /> Google+ Arts and Crafts with Authors: Jake the Dragon by Donna Augustine + giveaway | I Smell Sheep

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Arts and Crafts with Authors: Jake the Dragon by Donna Augustine + giveaway

Over the years the I Smell Sheep facebook group has gone through a lot of changes. There is still a welcome table in the back where you can have all the moon pies and Kool-Aid you want and there is always some "interesting" conversations going on. This past year,  long time inmate member Tina C. brought a dragon (yes he flies and yes we have umbrellas for when he does) into the group. His name is Jake and his job is to keep peace in the group. Even though you must now sign a waiver to join the group because of that alleged incident with a group of newbies and Jake's stash of junk food, the facebook group is still a great place to visit... 

When author Donna Augustine showed up in the group she wowed us with her dystopian Alchemy Series and her crafting abilities! First she did a tutorial for a felted wolf and now she is making a polymer clay Jake Dragon! And she is giving him away to one winner.


Polymer Clay Dragon Tutorial
by Donna Augustine
Jake
Growing up, I'd always been drawn to sculpting. I remember carving faces into bars of soap. Yes, I had Playdough like a normal kid. I don't know why I choose soap. Playdough would've been better because it really stinks when you find the details on a soap carving you'd been working on for weeks, all worn off after your sister gets out of the shower. As I got older, I longed to play with porcelain. Problem is, you need a kiln to cook most clays. I moved past my sculpting/carving stage into other arts.

Then one day as an adult, I found polymer. Polymer has its limitations. It's a very heavy clay so you aren't going to be able to make beautiful thin flower petals but there is a whole lot else you can do. The good part? You can bake it in your oven. Just be warned, whatever oils they use to hold the clay together eat the finish off of everything until it's baked.

I started Jake with an aluminum foil base which I wrapped in floral wire. The beige bar behind it is Super Sculpey, a polymer clay.


 People have different ways of working, but I need something to hold onto and my hands are warm. (Which, by the way, does not mean I have a cold heart. I just have good circulation.) My point is, this clay gets very mushy when warm. I find it easier to make another under-structure. Ignore the wires coming out of the back. This was my first dragon and there was some trial and error going on. The wires were definitely on the error list.

I'm starting to make the head now. Just trying to get the basic shape and landmarks down.

Getting more of the head worked out. I end up chopping off the swirly horns by the end and opt for more traditional look. I also enlarge the eyes and give them a more almond shape to make him look a bit friendlier. The arms get swapped out for a smaller size.

I started to add arms and play with some textures for the skin as well. 

Easy way to do fingers and toes are to start with a basic shape like this and use a razor knife to cut the amount. I wanted three toes.
Then you separate them and round them with your fingers 

 Make sure to add some definition at the base of the toes and fingers.


I started jumping ahead now mostly because I was tired of wiping clay off my phone.

Here he is partially baked. I needed a place to hold him as I finished him up. 


 I finished up his tail, baked him again and drilled a hole in his back for some wings. Baked up some Liquid Fimo wings and slapped some make up on him, including a little laser teeth whitiening (lol) and he's all set to go to the party!



About the Author:
Donna Augustine’s lifelong ambition was to become the crazy cat lady. Unfortunately, when family allergies cut short her dream of living in a house full of furries, she turned her ambitions toward writing. Combining her love of fantasy, scifi, horror and romance, she tries to string together interesting twists on urban fantasy.

A native of New Jersey, when she isn’t writing or over dosing on caffeine, she can occasionally be spotted in disguise at the local dog park.
  

Enter to win Jake the Dragon!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

29 comments:

  1. None - it would be too distracting ;).

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  2. I absolutely love this, very creative Donna! It looks amazing.

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  3. I wish I could have a dragon. I may have to try making one.

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  4. I love Jake the Dragon. I would love to have a wolf or a dragon for my home.

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  5. He is beautiful! Thanks for all the hard work.

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  6. Donna u did a wonderful job on Jake. He is soooo cute. Thank u 4 giving us the chance 2 win 1 of ur creations

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  7. You ought to make more like this and sell them at cons. Really.

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  8. Donna, you're very talented! I want to explore my artistic side, but I never seem to have the time needed to do it justice. Thanks for sharing with us. You make me want to set aside some serious side to paint and play. ;-)

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  9. Almost forgot, I love dragons & wizards, so I would love to have a dragon in my house, a fire breather protector! ;-)

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  10. Any of them would work. But I do loves wolfs and dragons.

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  11. A dragon would fit right into some of our rooms but so would a wolf >.<

    Kassandra
    sionedkla@gmail.com

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  12. I would love a rat made like this. I tried to make one out of the polymer clay a few years ago and it came out looking like a strange mouse. lol

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  13. Thanks everyone! It is time consuming. It's also why I don't try to sell them. It would take too much time to make them and market them on top of writing. I haven't tinkered much at all until lately. Sharon has gotten me in a bit of a crafting mood. If anyone does want to give the polymer sculpting a try and needs help, you can shoot me an email at donnaaugustinebooks@gmail.com.

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  14. id love a life-size version of captain jack sparrow. hell I loved the real one. lol!
    I absolutely love dragons (my bedroom is full of dragon themed things). if I had room, id love a life-size dragon. thankyou for the fab giveaway! the clay dragon you made is fantastic xxx

    rachaelconstant@ntlworld.com

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  15. Jake is awesome! Great job!

    I would love a model of Jinx from The Hollows. :-)

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  16. I think a model of Tybalt from Seanan McGuire's October Daye series would look cool.

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  17. I would love a life sized Jake. My daughter thought he was way too cute.

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  18. Life size... wowsers...ummmm. Well, let's start with my getting my hands on Jake ;)
    Okay... gosh, I still cannot decide on life size... hmmm

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  19. Hmmm....I've read so many wonderful books with so many great characters; I'd love a sexy demon, but I think my husband wouldn't agree. So, with that aside, I suppose I'd have to have some kind of mythical character...perhaps a lion. I want him winged though, so he'd be a shifter/Guardian. I'm not real big on angels, but Guardians are something else entirely. I would want him sitting up looking fierce, but kind. Tall order, I suppose. In the meantime, Jake can be a wonderful stand-in. I'll feed him all his favorite treats.

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  20. I think I would enjoy a life-sized (and dangerously handsome) gargoyle who would watch over me and keep me safe, especially in bed! *wink*

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  21. When I read the series The Otherworld Series by Yasmine Galenorn I totally feel for their baby calico gargoyle, Maggie. I would love to have that one made into a life sized polymer clay version!!! And I'm so loving Jake the Dragon! So so so cute!!! I'm crossing my fingers

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  22. Of course Jake would be awesome, but somehow I don't think he would fit in the door :( but he is always welcome to visit - wipes brow with dry kerchief. I have been told that placement of gargoyles in my garden is forbidden, due to the hubs having to get up so early and leave for work often before sunrise and the slight chance they would scare the bejesus out of him - snigger. I would love to have a representation of Bridget from Kirsten Weiss's Riga Hayworth series in my office. Yes gargoyles are just dandy to me :)

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    1. In all of my fantasy goings on in my mind, I forgot to say - Donna what an incredible artist you are. This is absolutely beautiful and I thank you so much for sharing your talents with us, not only with your awesome books, but also this wonderful sculpture. I do not have an artistic crafty bone in my body - believe me I have looked snort - and so admire this ability.

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  23. I would love to have a life size version of Falkor the Luck Dragon from The Neverending Story

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  24. lol well I dont think it will come to any big surprise to anyone which I would choose, but just to be all official like, I would of course love a dragon.. wait.. I have one.. hehe.. and btw Donna, Jake apologizes for all of his diva moments while you were sculpting his likeness and has asked me to let you know that he is (we both are) loving how it turned out! You should have seen him strutting around the Sheeple Dungeon hehe.. Great job Donna!! Whoever wins the polymeer version of our resident dragon will be a lucky person indeed.

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  25. My late husband would have loved this - he was a lover of all things dragon and had an eye for great art too.

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