R. Ruggles

I sculpt and paint whimsical and delightful creatures. Follow along as I bring them to life. Subscribe to my newsletter to purchase original artwork and keep in touch.

  • Dip Pen Trial

    I splurged and purchased a dip pen, a few bottles of India, and acrylic ink to try out. I was inspired and curious after watching…

  • Revisiting Mr. Tibbons

    Mr. Tibbons and his tooth friend Bicuspid have been sitting around my studio unfinished for a while. I got stuck on this project, unsure of…

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  • Art Gifts

    I made my loved one art gifts this year: a hand-painted hoodie and caricatures of our beloved puppies. I would not have the courage to…

  • Panda Pupils

    I sculpted Violet’s pupils with epoxy clay over a foam ball, then painted with four coats of Payne’s Grey Golden fluid acrylic. I find the…

  • Put a Bird on It

    Chip the Nuff bird will be perched on Violet’s nose. I sculpted them separately, and now I’m playing with positioning before the final JB Weld…

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  • Sepia Pencil Sketches

    I came across my color pencils and decided to try drawing with just one color and see what would happen. This spril animal character arrived,…

  • Optimistic Eyes

    Panda eye patches are more optimistic now. Painted the ears and nose to match. Purple is taking 4-5 coats to get the proper rich hue.

  • Painting on Wood

    Quick painting on a wood panel I found in my craft stash. I’m haunted by the HiRoo’s and their stories. This one has a travel…

  • Art group

    We had a fantastic celebration at Sooz’s art group today. We did a gift exchange game with handmade art projects each lady crafted but perhaps…

  • Sad Panda

    Something is off about eh shape of these eye patches on the panda, it looks like a sad clown at the moment. Lucky for me…

  • Violet

    The decision has been made… the giant panda will be purple. I’m so fearful of painting it after all the prep on the layers before…

  • HiROO Sketch

    These little HiROo creatures haunt my dreams. I can’t stop drawing them. This one has unique ear details.

  • Paper Squishie

    I made a stuffed animal out of paper, packing tape, and polyfill. It makes a satisfying crinkle squish. Could this be the next generation for…

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  • Painting Chip

    I found the perfect shade of yellow for Chip the Nuff bird. I learned that I must prime epoxy clay white before painting bright colors.…

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  • Primed

    After 5-6 layers of joint compound, gesso, and primer with sanding in between, the panda is prepped for the painting layer. All I know at…

  • EyeLids

    Added eyelids to the panda with magic sculpt and filled the seams with paintable caulk. Preparation makes the paint job. Also, this slower sanding and…