Follow along as I bring whimsical and charming creatures to life. This website documents the process, thoughts, and challenges along the way.
What's on my Bench
Concrete Paper Clay with Forms
I mixed up another batch of the Concrete Paper Clay recipe I learned about on Ultimate Paper Mache to experiment
May
Concrete Paper Clay
Testing out another of Jonni’s recipes, which uses Portland cement. The result was even better than the Silky SMooth Paper
May
DIY Silky Smooth Paper Clay
After applying Magic Sculpt and Apoxie Sculpt clays to my large, I realized this medium would not work for large
May
Seeker Wall Sculpture: Dry Brush & Washes
I am adding acrylic paint over the bunt umber base coat with a dry brush technique. Dry brushing shades of
May
Seeker Wall Sculpture: Base Color Paint
Using the same concept of colored ground for canvas printing, I painted my entire Seeker sculpture with Burnt Umber. Pushing
May
Seeker Wall Sculpture: Fur and Arm
I use ‘Bake & Bond’ between baked and raw clay; it acts like glue and fuses in the oven. In
May
Seeker Wall Sculpture: Cloak & Boots
I sculpted the first layer of skin, face, eyes, ears, cloak, and boots. The cloak was so delicate I decided
May
Seeker Wall Sculpture: Armature
I cut a silhouette of the seeker from my drawing on cardboard for the flat back, then added aluminum foil
May
Summer Sniffs
On my walks, I can’t help but take a moment to close my eyes and smell the blooms. The roses
May
Sketchbook
Between projects and learning new software, I have been turning to my sketchbook as an outlet for doodling ideas and
May
New Materials MDF
I wanted to explore some thicker materials to use in my next-layer scene diorama. With a thicker edge, I could
May
Rabbit Augmentation
I found this rabbit resin statue in the Easter decor section at Michaels and was charmed by its little expression
May
Satchel & Penny vs. the Sea Monster
“Satchel & Penny vs. Sea Monster” Acrylic paint on engraved Palboard diorama by Rebecca Ruggles. 24x24x5 inches, May 2023 Reflections and
May
The Value of Cohorts
I want to express my gratitude to the cohorts at the art group that have made my art possible with
May
First Look: Satchel & Penny Art Diorama
For the first time, I can see my art diorama fully realized. I still have some touch-ups on the edges
May
Assembling the Diorama
With each layer and the floating bits painted, it was time for the final assembly. Sliding each layer onto the
May
Floating Layers
Figuring out a hardware solution to mount the floating layers of the diorama was tricky. I did not want to
Apr
First Roses of 2023
I always stop when the first roses emerge from their buds in spring. This year the spectacle began the last
Apr
Organize & Clean Studio
It started with the garage purge and clean last weekend, and now my studio space is screaming for a clean-up
Apr
Diorama Hardware
Moment of truth… will the holes in each layer line up and work with the hardware plan? The only way
Apr
Painting Sea Monster Tentacles
I love the colors of these scary sea monster tentacles and how the burnt umber underneath affects the paint’s tone.
Apr
Water Color Diorama
At the art group in Nipomo, I decided to take a break from acrylic and do a little watercolor scene
Apr
Preview Diorama Layers
With a few layers painted, I did a test stack of the background, frame, and teacup. I’m delighted with how
Apr
Painting Background
After toning the background with a burnt umber glaze, I painted the scene. I wanted a bright, epic sunset with
Apr
Background Fabrication
The process I’m using to convert my drawings into toolpaths for the ShopBot are as follows:
Apr
Ode to Spring
The ranch received 30 inches of much-needed rain. After years of drought, the hills have been transformed, and the result
Apr
Patches Doodle
It’s wonderful to be a part of a group of ladies that meets and does art together twice a month.
Apr
Color Tests
Since I wasted several sheets of material perfecting the engraving with the CNC on this piece, I had the perfect
Apr
Nibbles Take Two
Not satisfied with the first painting of Nibbles, I took a second attempt, this time looking to eliminate the thick
Apr
Cutting Trials & Errors
Realizing I wanted a thinner engraved line on my diorama, I took about a week to figure out the combination
Apr
Painting Nibbles
Trying some new things while painting Nibbles. I wanted to try toning the canvas blue, so I painted my whiteboard
Apr
Nibble Cutting Result
This is how the final cut turned out. I decided to try just lightly engraving my lines so that the
Mar
Nibbles Tool Paths
After drawing Nibbles on my iPad with Procreate, I exported the line drawing as a PNG. This PNG file is
Mar
Sketch to Vector
One of the daily drawings in my sketchbook stood out to me to have a name. I started with Crumb,
Mar
Symmetry Tool
I’m always learning about new features in Procreate from artist friends and the web. The other day I heard about
Mar
Book Mouse
Quick drawing of a bibliophile mouse. Using Procreate, I imported a photo of a felted mouse and traced its basic
Mar
Daily Drawing Practice
Morning Pages have worked out so well for me that I’ve also decided to add daily drawing. To essentially warm
Mar
Seeking Nimbus
Nimbus, the Wind Whale, can not resist the joy of lifting a kite. He pushes a gentle wind for the
Mar
The Wind Whale
Nimbus, the Wind Whale, soars thru the sky, forming new clouds with each exhale of his giant lungs. His body
Mar
The Mushroom Topper
The Mushroom Topper climbs down from the tree with a basket full of germinated spores ready to be sewn into
Mar
Stardust Dipper
I’ve been dreaming of these layered drawings that create depth and tell a story about my character’s life. A diorama
Mar
Color Mixing
Started an online course on Color Mixing with Will Kemp’s Art School. I’ve has never taken the time to stop
Mar
Clay Shell
Working in sections, I’m adding the epoxy clay shell over the paper armature. This creates a very hard rigid base
Mar
Shape in Eyes
The first layer of epoxy clay over the eye armature builds the basic shape of the eyelids. This area will
Mar
Adding Clay
Today I began adding magic sculpt epoxy clay to my panda and immediately fell into techniques I used on my
Mar
Making a Study
I approached this panda with a very loose plan at the start. I wanted it to be big and round.
Mar
Building Ears
With the ear, placement marked, it was time to bulk out the basic shape of the ear. Using crumpled paper,
Feb
Foam Ball Eyes
Using 3″ styrofoam balls cut in half, I placed the eyes in a line extending from the nostril to the
Feb
Murder Muffins
The drawing was inspired by a phrase I heard today when a woman described her cat killing a bird as
Feb
Panda Paper Mache
Now for the second panda skin, brown paper bag paper mache. I discovered this technique from Joni at Ultimate Paper
Feb
Panda Masking Tape
This entire project is full of unknowns. I’m using techniques I learned from James Lake and Joni at Ultimate Paper
Feb
Panda Cardboard Armature
I completed the cardboard portion of the Panda head. It took about five boxes worth to get to this point.
Feb
Spring Bunny Statue
I bought this adorable bunny statue at Michael’s and planned to augment it into a new composition using Apoxie Sculpt
Feb
Cardboard Panda
This is the sculpture work I’ve desired to do but have been too scared to try. Large form wall hanging
Feb
Painting Owen
Owen was a really chatty cathy when I was painting him, talking to me the whole time about how he
Jan
Owen the Turtle
Owen the Turtle started as a wooden ball armature. Using CosClay, a flexible oven bake polymer clay, I added the
Jan
Midnight Garden
Second painting on the 8″ round circles started with a watercolor pencil sketch then outlined with POSCA paint pens. This
Jan
Blue Racoon
I have a pack of these 8″ wooden circles I intended for a different project, but then I decided to
Jan
Quirky Bird Timelapse
Timelapse video of Rebecca Ruggles working on the Quirky Bird paper sculpture. Shows how handpainted papers were cut into individual
Jan
Chocolate Doughnut Dingo
Quick little critter drawing of a rare dingo. In Procreate on the iPad, I like to start with some shapes
Jan
Eyes Have It
Added more feathers and details to the eyes. All paper is painted before being placed onto the sculpture.
Jan
Venti Vulpe Critter Drawing
You see these critters everywhere, intensely studying their phones and throwing back three shots of espresso. It takes a lot
Jan
Feathers and Beak
I brushed mixed media paper with streaky blues on one side and yellow on the back. Then this painted paper
Jan
Teacup Pop-Up
Completed the Teacup Pop-Up design, and the printable template is available for download on Popupity.
Jan
Little Bug Painting
I bought a pack of these little 6×6 canvas boards on my art supply birthday shopping spree and decided to
Jan
Quirky Bird Paper Sculpture
Mimicking James Lake’s cardboard sculptures and wanting to explore using paper as a sculpting medium, I cut strips of cardstock
Dec
Hummingbird Sculpt
At art group this Wednesday, I worked on sculpting a hummingbird. Adding each teardrop in a shingle pattern to the
Dec
Pop-Up Scene Doodle
Been enjoying doodling with layers. Imagining a scene with a background, midground, and foreground. This one was inspired by the
Dec
Sculpting Buttons – Part 3
CosClay can be painted directly with acrylic paint, and the coverage is very satisfying. For the first coat of paint,
Dec
Sculpting Buttons – Part 2
The round plaque was made with a piece of cardboard cut in a circle and covered with rolled sheets of
Dec
Sculpting Buttons the Dog – Part 1
I’m sculpting my new 4-month-old Jack Russel Terrier puppy Buttons as a Christmas gift for my beloved Mr. H. I
Dec
Printable Teacup Pop-Up Card
I’ve turned by teacup pop-up card into a printable DIY project anyone can make with basic paper, scissors, and glue.
Dec
Tea Cup Pop-Up: Full-Color Draft
After drawing and coloring all the parts in procreate, today was the first time printing and assembling the parts to
Dec
Tea Cup Details
With the paper mechanics worked out today I refined the tea cup design in Procreate. Dainty tea cup with a
Dec
Tea Cup Pop-Up : Paper Engineering
Started designing a tea-cup pop-up card for Popupity. In the early stages, it’s helpful to work out the folds and
Dec
Tucker the Duck
Progress on painting Tucker. Painted dark base color then dry brushed lighter shade next. Colors mimic a mallard duck but
Dec
Tulip the Duck
Sculpted with oven baked CosClay over a wooden peg. Tulip loves waddling thru the tulip fields. Now that it’s backed,
Dec
Blairsville Courthouse Drawing
Using a photo from my phone imported into Procreate and traced with black pen I was able to quickly capture
Dec
Flying Friends
Procreate sketch of bird walking with his flying friend the butterfly. Working on bent legs in motion and adding shadow.
Dec
Stubby Opossum
Drawing in Procreate of a opossum with stubby arms and a round belly. Tried different fur texture and eye colors.
Dec
Satchel and the Sea Monster
Satchel is a tea cup bobber of legend. Holding his spoon tight as he crosses the deep sea with giant
Nov
Peaches the Fruit Bat
I sculpted Peaches out of polymer clay over a wooden doll peg and then baked in the oven. I then
Nov
Giant Giraffe Paper Sculpture
Giant giraffe paper sculpture in progress. Using Joni’s Ultimate Paper Mache Pattern blown up to 36″ and printed by PDF
Nov
Procreate with Illustrator
Just took a quick online course with Lisa Glanz ‘Using Procreate with Illustrator to Enhance Your Vector Drawings‘. In the
Nov
Making Comics Exercise: … and then what?
Draw one scene and then draw the next as your answer to what happens next. It’s like drawing improv. Reflecting
Nov
Sketch: Far Out Roll
Working on characters holding things. Adding the thumb helped in this case.
Nov
Sketch: Seasons Changed
Fall came on in a snap, time to wear my favorite knitted hat with the ear flaps and pom-pom. Bunny
Nov
Sketch: Early Birds Totem
This is an idea for a totem pole of pigeons drinking their first cup of coffee. I see this developing
Nov
Sketch: Queen Flamingo
Working on sketches of birds and character side profiles. This flamingo is inspired by a Ukrainian artist Marli Toys (Etsy
Nov
Childhood Art Chair Restored
Restored and hand painted my childhood art chair with acrylic paint and POSCA pens.
Nov
Sketch: Noodle Pot Kitty
Always comforted by a hot steamy bowl of ramen. Working on drawing my critters holding things to help express their
Nov
Transfer Paper
Discovered that graphic paper comes in different colors! Using white transfer paper, I could apply my paper drawing to the
Jul
Bliss Station
Hung my daily doodles up on the wall so I could catch any patterns or ideas, plus I feel like
Jul
Chair Template
Made a paper template to work out the design for the art chair. Was much easier to think things out
Jul
Sausage & Banana Slug
Weekend getaway to Trinidad, CA to take in the forest and cool ocean air. Saw my first bright yellow slug
Jul
Purple Cow
Making woodblock texture using paint pens and watercolor paper. So bright and opaque. U can layer over colors and block
Jul