Mistakes I have made a few! That is how we learn. Seems like there would be a better way, but there is not. When I was studying bronze casting in college I failed to finish my surfaces. Turns out smoothing wax is much easier than grinding metal.

Just last week I noticed that two of my creatures had the same name. Oh well, many people have the same name and it works out just fine. Sometimes mistakes are easy to fix, and sometimes you have scrap the whole mess and start over.

Every time you begin a project again, that project will be better, bigger, stronger. Take my Gromling project, for example, When I was casting them in bronze they were just a hint of what they are today. I was just getting the feel for expression and texture. Then I did them in digital arts and they developed even more. I began to develop the proportions that I liked. Next I worked them in clay. They really began to come together. The only problem I had at this point was shipping such fragile creations. A bowl ships much better than a little creature with horns and legs…. well you get my point.

At this time I was also creating masks to hang on the wall. These masks were getting large and heavy. Some of them would take a substantial wall to support their weight. Idea time. I remembered some paper mache I had seen in New Mexico and I thought I had the solution.

Well every new medium has its learning curve and this would be no different. While on the surface paper mache seems like child’s play, making consistent work proved to require some time. In the end it was a wonderful journey, and now I am part of the circle of recycling. I want you to find that medium that brings you joy.

George from Enchantedland