BATTLE SNAILS

Occasionally a person has to do something completely silly to refill the well of creativity. 

Battle Snails were my answer to this problem.  I had been rolling along just fine for a few months, and then I got sick with the flu from hell, and even though I was back on my feet and had a gazillion things to do, I just didn't have the uumph to get going on them.  So I took a few days to go off on a complete lark and made these little manuscript marginalia characters come to life in polymer clay, acrylic paint, super glue, and some snail shells. 

The first little guy is in my first ramshorn's shell, so it's rather sentimental.  I never had a problem with ramshorns, I was able to separate them before any issues occurred, so each one lived a very long, very solitary life.  I'm glad to have given the remains of my non-affectionate pet new life in this silly sculpture. 

The second is a rabbit of war riding a battle snail, and it's just as creepy and delightful as the manuscript.  The shell is a purchased marine snail, I'm not sure what kind, but I liked the green.  It was a happy accident that the base ended up looking like a medieval shoe.  I should have made the rabbit into a pen holder.  Next time.