Mule train

The turtles weren't the only kiln reveal last weekend. 

Almost the first thing we did when we arrived at Karen's house was crowd into the garage to watch her open "Fido".

Inside we found the first firing of her new porcelain mule medallion.

Despite her worries, they were perfect.

Up in her studio, Karen had prepared a display showing all the stages between her original clay sculpture and these fired medallions.

photo by Heather Malone

Here's a better look at the original sculpture.

She created a silicone mold...

and used that to make some resin copies.

In turn, the resin medallion was used to create a plaster mold, from which these porcelain medallions were created. 

Here's a side by side comparison of the resin and china medallions. Shrinkage is real!

And here's a look at those same porcelain medallions with a little bit of paint. Karen says: These are so fun and quick to paint! One more pass through the kiln to even out the gloss finish for the first two. The grey guy needs a bit more shading. 

Ongoing thanks to Karen for sharing so much of her time, talent and know how with us on Saturday. I love seeing how things are made, and I also love these mules. They will be for sale during the Christmas on Mane Street virtual shopping event in December. Here's hoping for fast fingers and an even faster internet connection!