Interview with the artist - Christina from Little CLUUs

Today I'd like you to welcome Christina whom I met on deviantART and who will tell us about dragons and "Little CLUUs" ;-)
 

Tiger dragon with marble

Tell us a little about who you are and where you come from.

My name is Christina and I was born and raised in Reno, NV. I've been into arts since I was very small. I got my masters in the violin when I was in high school and performed professionally for many years. And then in my later years of high school and into college I made video games for a living. After I realized I didn't want to sit in front of a computer for my career I started airbrushing and doing custom paint jobs on motorcycles and cars etc. And then after having my son almost 3 years ago I began sculpting and doing chainmaille for work :)

What's your craft and how did you get to do it in the first place?

Currently I'm doing chainmaille and polymer clay sculpting. I got into chainmaille from a friend that did it and thought it was a really unique jewelry that you don't see often. And with sculpting I've dabbled with it since middle school and I have a love of dragons so I started practicing sculpting then and here they are!

Baby Nightfury dragon

What's the story behind your business name?

Well, it was a bit of a secret, but I guess I'll let y'all know ;) My creations are all very special to me because I do spend quite a bit of time on them and I care about every little detail so in a sense they are little pieces of me. So that's why Little (for part of myself I put into the sculptures/jewelry) and then CLUUs, ... My initials are CLW and when you say it phonetically it sounds like 'clue' and if you say the letter 'W' it's a double u, so my initials spelled out are CLUU and together it is little pieces of me :3

I think this is one of the most asked questions – where does your inspiration come from?

My inspiration comes from all over the place! If I'm even out doing errands and I see a pattern or maybe a flower I like, I take those colors or the way something's shaped to make what I do. Or if it's something like the holidays it's always fun to have 'themed' pieces.

Fire gecko

Tell us a fun thing about yourself.

Let's see, a random fun thing lol. I am an owner and lover of exotic birds. I have a few that are pets and I also accept birds that are rescues that need a home.

Do you do other crafts, if yes, what?

Oh yes. I dabble in many things lol. I've been make art dolls lately which has been a ton of fun. I also do some plushies. I still do airbrushing and make art panels with it. I make resin pieces for jewelry of display. I do glass etching and make ornaments. I paint traditionally and I do digital art. I think if there's something out there, I've tried it once lol. I love art :3

Rainbow of butterflies bracelet

Which one of your pieces is your absolute favorite? Which one was the hardest to make and why?

My favorite piece...that's a tough one. I think my all time favorite would have to be my Tropical Rainbow Dragon. I had the concept for that piece in my head for a long time and I knew it would take me forever to make, but once I got going on it I loved it. Over 60 hours later, and that one was finished. And I think that one would also qualify for hardest to make because there is no paintwork involved so the color blending and the gradient was all done scale by scale to give a nice flow to the colors.

Tropical rainbow dragon

Is there someone whom you admire and who inspires you?

I think I would have to give a lot of my inspiration to Peña who makes some very beautiful dragons. And also to nature lol. There is nothing more beautiful than what Mother Nature makes, so it's always nice to just go out in the world and see some amazing things.

If you had free choice of just one supply you can use for your craft, what would you be dreaming of, no matter how expensive?

Ooooo.....well if I had only one item I would have to pick my clay. But if I could have a dream item, it would actually be a limited set of Iwata airbrushes lol.

Wrestling twin baby dragons

Do you sell online, if yes, where can we find you?

Yes I do. You can find creations I make here at my etsy store Little CLUUs.

Or for custom orders you can get ahold of me on etsy or here on DA :3

Famous last words ;-) Is there anything else you want to tell the world out there?

Never give up! Seriously! I get asked all the time how to improve on ANY craft and it's just patience and practice. I'm always here to help, you just need to ask. One of my favorite things as an artist is seeing something I've made and it inspires another to make something of their own!

Thank you for being here, Christina, I'm looking forward to seeing more of your dragons and I'm sure I'm not the only one!