The Matryoshka Zombie and the Great North American Glitterbellied Owl

Whee!  Today I am excited to show you two new Halloweenish pendants that really make me happy.  All of a sudden, I seem to be making progress with hand painted projects - something I never felt confident doing before.  Presenting:

The Matryoshka Zombie

The Great North American Glitterbellied Owl

The inspiration for both these pendants was the fun shape of the beads.

The trade term for this silhouette is 'carved vase.'  These particular carved vases are a semiprecious stone called feldspar, and I found them online for less than a dollar for a sixteen inch strand!  Say what?  (I'll wait while you go and order some....got 'em?  Good.)

If you, like me, are nervous about hand painting, let me show you step by step - you can totally do this.  For the surprisingly easy deets, read on!




Watch the Matryoshka develop, in sequence:

 
Finish with the cute zombie face (an X and an O, and a little zipper smile), and there you have it!

For the owl, I started with three glitter paint blobs: two eyes and a cute little belly, shaped like a half-moon.

Then I drew in details with a permanent marker.  For the owl face, draw a tush.  You heard me.  A tush.  With small pointy ears.

Add eyebrows and a beak - that's all there is to drawing the face!

Draw one wing along the side, curved to meet the half-moon shape of the belly.  For each foot, draw a lower-case "m."

Finally, a dot of orange to each eye.

Wasn't that doable?

You have two options to seal and protect your designs:

1. Bake the pendant for 30 minutes at 350 degrees to set the marker.
2. Coat the pendant with a clear acrylic sealer.

I turned my cuties into pendants that won't spin around backwards, using this tutorial.

I hope you like them!  And I must just show you one more cutie...

Hee hee!   So creepy.  But I think he's adorable.  


I may not develop into 'a painter,' but I am sure having fun with a paintbrush for the moment.  Don't worry, I'm not going all artsy on you.   See you next time for something upcycled and weird.

Disclosure: Martha Stewart Craft Paints were provided as part of a paid campaign with Plaid Crafts and Blueprint Social.  All projects and opinions entirely my own.