Hedgie

 

After much productive and engaging discussion Kalmback declined to publish my book on sculpting polymer clay animals.  So that left me with a decision to make - how to proceed from here.  Before I approached Kalmbach I had been thinking that I would publish it myself if Kalmback declined, but for some reason, after hearing Kalmbach's decision, I have been hanging back, paralyzed by indecision.

 

Last night I had a bit of a break-through when I realized that my indecision was motivated by fear - fear of writing the book but then, as I so often do, failing to follow through, market it, and really make something of it.  So I have pledged to myself that this time I will actually do all that.....

 

When I did the proposal for Kalmbach I actually got a good jump on the book.  The proposal included the complete outline as well as three of the twelve animal chapters.  So my next step is to continue writing the individual animal chapters.  Hedge is a result of that effort, the "hedgehog" chapter.  I think she's pretty cute.  I had fun making her and learned some things I didn't know before. 

 

This little one is actually my second hedgehog.  When I made the first one I learned that if you want the spines to stick out nicely you have to apply them as absolutely the last step (except for mica powders) before curing.  So Hedgie II's spines stick out nicely.  But what I then learned with that is that the fear of spine fragility limits its use.  She can't really be jewelry (although I pierced a hole for that purpose) or the handle on a trinket box.  So she'll have to be simply an objet d'art!  A noble calling after all.