Shiny Things Gallery | Search

Total matches for dragon: 89

Acalyn

Acalyn

Acalyn is a coatl or a winged serpent, really quite content to sing in the highest branches of trees, though given warmth and food and a little doting, she finds human shoulders relatively decent as well.  It's said that these songs are sure to drive away nightmares and bring pleasant dreams to all who hear them, so the next time you happen to hear songs in the forest, you may just want to stick around to listen.  You may also want to see if you can't lure out a lovely singing coatl with some trail mix.  They love the stuff.

I was out to try something different.  And this just kind of happened.  I do like the idea of creatures that can double as jewelry, and somehow it just sort of evolved. this way.  All of the frills are just specially treated fabric so it's not overly stiff and easily flexible, and the fabric paint is the standard type I use for crocheted creatures.  Of course there's also so very much shiny with both tiny glass beads and larger fiber optic ones, plus all of the iridescent pigment mixed into the fabric paint.  I just can't stay away from that stuff, you know.  A large hook and eye finding allow her to clasp shut and turn into a necklace... or a wreath, I suppose.  Either way, her internal structure is wire so she's easy to adjust.

(For Sale)

Date: 11 November 2012
Nine Dragons Collar

Nine Dragons Collar

Legends insist that the Five Great Desert Temples are guarded by nine dragon siblings; two to each directional temple, the eldest one in the center.  They are fair dragons, now, and certainly would not do harm to anyone who approached without mallice in their heart; but they will defend their land and each other from fools.  The treasure, you see, is what changes with every telling.  Is it gold?  Jewels?  Knowledge?  Power beyond human comprehension?  No one has ever managed to return to tell.

Last time I was in Georgia, I went dragon hunting.  Which is to say that my (very patient, supportive) partner in crime and I spent 15 minutes combing through a huge bin of cloisonne beads just to find these tiny articulated dragons that I had never seen anywhere before.  I had to have them!  They were all just a touch beat up, and I kept one that had been broken (he's fixed now, though).  The ones used in the necklace were cleaned up a little and reinforced, but all of the little nicks and bends were kept.  They've got more personality that way.

I don't really want to talk about how much time it took, because I just plain did not start counting and I refuse to look back and see how many days I was working on it.  The upper part was a very "I wonder what would happen if..." thing that took way longer than I expected due to reinforcing absolutely everything for stability, and then the netting that lead down to the dragons... just kind of happened.  And of course I wanted to practice more with beading around cabochons, so.  Yes.  Um, I don't know what happened, but at least it's shiny?

Normally when I do this kind of netting, I go over every diamond meticulously to get them all to be that perfect diamond shape... but this time, I left a few "loose".  It's a stylistic choice; the dragons themselves look like ancient treasures, so I wanted the rest of the necklace to reflect that.  It's not any less strong or solidly built, it just looks "a little old".  The same "stylistic choice" exists with the ever so slight angling of the fiber optic stone so that it catches the light more easily.  It's supposed to be magic, after all.

The one problem with having a scrawnier neck than anyone you know is trying to model a collar that's technically just a little too big for you even on the tightest setting.  Ah well, I tried.

(For Sale)

Date: 16 October 2012
Dustel

Dustel

His kind have often been referred to as "false fairy dragons" by classifying wizards with absolutely no sensitivity at all.  Not that Dustel will hold it against them.  He's easy-going and perfectly content to explore at his own pace, or just to lay back and relax while someone else takes him on an expedition.  He's an excellent conversationalist, by the way.  Dustel also has a thing for breakfast cereal.  But don't we all have a thing for breakfast cereal?

This little guy started out as something very different.  I was working on a commission for a snake bracelet, having just finished the head and... no, that wasn't a snake head at all.  It had ears, for one thing.  So I set it aside and started again.  Once the commission was done, I returned to this clearly-not-a-snake and figured that it was so eager to be unique that I should help it along.  The result is a strange evolution of bead sculpture and bracelet.

I was very conscious of not wanting anything to be "stiff".  What I mean is, I wanted every part to be flexible, moveable.  Take the legs, for instance; they are reinforced and held securely in place, but the fingers are still easily moveable, and the legs themselves aren't rock-solid but mobility and "squish" to them.  The same with his entire body.  So he's very wearable and poseable.

Let's talk about the wing and tail material, shall we?  No, I'm not going to reveal my "secrets"; I just want to say how thrilled I am that another ridiculously stupid idea worked well beyond my expectations.  They are far less delicate than they look, even.  Believe me, I know. *cough*

And of course those are two Swarovski crystals on the end of that chain.  I mean, come on.

(For Sale)

Date: 21 July 2012
Dustel

Dustel

His kind have often been referred to as "false fairy dragons" by classifying wizards with absolutely no sensitivity at all.  Not that Dustel will hold it against them.  He's easy-going and perfectly content to explore at his own pace, or just to lay back and relax while someone else takes him on an expedition.  He's an excellent conversationalist, by the way.  Dustel also has a thing for breakfast cereal.  But don't we all have a thing for breakfast cereal?

This little guy started out as something very different.  I was working on a commission for a snake bracelet, having just finished the head and... no, that wasn't a snake head at all.  It had ears, for one thing.  So I set it aside and started again.  Once the commission was done, I returned to this clearly-not-a-snake and figured that it was so eager to be unique that I should help it along.  The result is a strange evolution of bead sculpture and bracelet.

I was very conscious of not wanting anything to be "stiff".  What I mean is, I wanted every part to be flexible, moveable.  Take the legs, for instance; they are reinforced and held securely in place, but the fingers are still easily moveable, and the legs themselves aren't rock-solid but mobility and "squish" to them.  The same with his entire body.  So he's very wearable and poseable.

Let's talk about the wing and tail material, shall we?  No, I'm not going to reveal my "secrets"; I just want to say how thrilled I am that another ridiculously stupid idea worked well beyond my expectations.  They are far less delicate than they look, even.  Believe me, I know. *cough*

And of course those are two Swarovski crystals on the end of that chain.  I mean, come on.

(For Sale)

Date: 21 July 2012
Sebian

Sebian

Sebian has a deep curiosity about the world.  A "hunger", if you like.  In fact, he's really very interested in food.  Cooking, as well.  Or rather, he likes to do the sampling instead of the cooking.  Such is rather common of a young bead wing dragon, since they've got an awful lot of growing to do.

Yeah, "bead wing".  What else am I gonna call him?  The only plans I really had for this one when I started were 1.) the yarn color, and 2.) that he was going to be wyvern-styled.  Everything else was kind of just... what happened.  I'd planned to do the wings completely differently, too.  I really, literally, cannot explain what happened--but I'm not complaining.  Even if the wings did take me four days.


Wings.  Four days.  More beads that I will try to count on a thin, easily flexible and "bouncy" wire base.  All very shiny.  I feel it is important to note here that anyone considering caring for this young dragon will need to be exceedingly gentle with the wings.  Yes, the "feathers" were designed for easy movement and poseability, but that means they're very easy to bend.  Gentleness is necessary.

In order to remain stable, Sebian has a reinforced wire spine and double-reinforced legs.  That worked out very well, I must say.  Some poses still take a little work to strike the right balance between legs and arms, but he'll definitely hold there without problems.

And yes, he is fully poseable, fully flexible, and fully scratch-under-the-chin-able.

(For Sale)

Date: 18 April 2012
Kaishun

Kaishun

Kaishun's got an incredibly optimistic view on life in general.  After all, he's one of the dragons who helps to usher in spring every year.  Admittedly the duty isn't always easy (Mother Nature just loves to readjust her snow schedule without telling anyone), but seeing the leaves and flowers begin to bud is rewarding.

The only clear ideas I had when I started were "white and pink".  Kaishun definitely took on a life of his own after that.  His antlers and, er, "artistic spines" are wire-wrapped and decorated with lovely, lightly frosted silver-lined pink glass beads, with a few tiny delica bead accents.  His belly and the bottoms of his feet are of course brilliantly sparkly pink, and his eyes are rose quartz.

He's also a big Barnaby Brooks Jr. fan.  Just putting that out there.

("Kaishun" means "return of spring" or "rejuvenation".  Suiting, I think.)

(Sold)

Date: 24 February 2012
Kuro

Kuro

Having just emerged from his egg days ago, Kuro is looking for a warm spot to curl up in, the safety provided by a dedicated guardian, and maybe some sweets if they happen to be laying around.  You couldn't deny him sweets, could you?

I had this gorgeous scrap of the most beautiful deep, dark crimson silk velvet, and naturally my first thought is "dragon wings".  I don't know, I can't help it.  Kuro is fully poseable, though his wire skeleton is comprised of thinner wire.  This allows for slightly easier movement than the larger crocheted dragons, but he's a touch more delicate.  (Well of course he is--he's just a baby!)  Even so, he's got a great range of motion.

His belly and the bottoms of his feet are all sparkly too, thanks to fabric paint medium and iridescent pigment; so it's not going to rub off.  He's also got a few beaded accents along his back, tail, ears and toes.  The gemstone beads used for his eyes seem to be jasper, but don't quote me on that one.

("Kuro" is "black" in Japanese, by the way.)

(Sold.)

Date: 15 February 2012
Aithne

Aithne

Aithne's an explorer.  From the moment she was out of her egg she's been out to explore the world, one tree at a time--but she's always sure to be back in time for dinner.

"Aithne" is Celtic for "little fire", and that is absolutely what she is.  I had no particular plans when I started, but clearly she asserted herself easily so it wasn't a problem.  The inner wire structure as been improved and reinforced from spine to toes, and that includes the real silk velvet tail, making her fully poseable.

And then there is that fur.  I've been wanting to do fur like this for forever, so finally getting the opportunity to try it is nice.  A major pain and very time-consuming, but the end result is exactly what I was going for.  Plus it's incredibly soft to the touch, much like the velvet.

I have no idea what stone that is for her eyes, though.  They were beautiful and perfect and part of an assortment, so if anyone does know please feel free to tell me. 
(Best guess so far: fancy jasper.)

(Sold.)

Date: 08 February 2012