A Rat is Born

There has been a lot of rat news around here lately and as a result I have been inspired to do rat art.  So here's the beginning of a new gourd which will have a rat theme.

I don't have it planned out, but the design is generally this:  The gourd itself will become a ball of leaves - the rats' nest!  Some of the leaves will be delineated by cutting and the resulting spaces will allow seeing into the inside of the gourd where there will a group of rats snug in its nest.  Beyond this general idea, the details remain unresolved, and will be so until they just emerge as the piece progresses.

By the way, it's really handy that polymer clay cures at such a low temperature.  I was able to cure this little guy in place on the gourd by simply putting the gourd with the rat on it in my kitchen oven.  The temperature isn't high enough to affect the gourd.  So the "fit" between rat and gourd can be precise.  I've outlined his paws on the gourd in pencil so that I'll be able to replace him in the exact right spot.

The next step is to pencil in the leaves on the gourd and do the cutting - my favorite part!