The first photo shows three turtles from the mold. I carved the original turtle from a soft (conglomerate stone?) tile, thinking to give it to my youngest granddaughter. But of course a stone tile is not a great idea for a 3 year old; it is a bit heavy and too fragile for a young child! The head & limbs could chip and break off very easily if dropped. So I made a cheap silicone caulk mold, in order to reproduce my low relief carving in a more suitable material.

Now there are several six inch long turtles from the mold, and there will soon be a few more. My granddaughter got the first one in a package last week, along with two more scarab beetles. She was happy, but I don’t think she needs more turtles at the moment. So with the texture and paint, I am enjoying these myself. I imagine there may be a larger artwork with turtles at some point.

I foiled this photo of Mrs. Beetle; that is what inspired me to get out the metallic & iridescent paints for recent beetle and turtle casts. With winter on the way, a bit of bling is called for!