Day Sixteen: Attenborosaurus glass ornament

[ink_in_hand]

The bulb is 2.265 inches across, or 5.8 centimeters for those of you who use metric (stupid USA just had to have their own measuring system). And yes, I have a very large hand. I was astounded that a six pack of clear ones this size cost me only a couple of dollars,.



A better shot of the pattern and spots on the body.



The head, neck and shoulders. You would not believe how difficult it is to photograph a shiny, clear sphere. But at least fast food drink holders are marvelous for keeping a bulb from rolling around.



And finally, a close up of the head. Showing also the smallest brush I had to work with in comparison. The only way I managed to paint the eye was to watch where the shadow of the brush tip was.

This is a (very, very) late Christmas gift to an aunt and uncle of mine. Part of the reason it's late is when they saw the bulb I painted for my grandma, an Amebelodon, as she "collects" (as in family and friends collect them for her) elephants and I'm obsessed with prehistoric life, they loved it so much that I offered to do them one too. When I asked them what they wanted on the bulb, all I got was a prehistoric marine creature and permission to do as I please.

Initially I was going to do a pod of Icthyosaurs, but I changed my mind when I saw the Attenborosaurus in one of my many prehistoric books and I couldn't resist painting an animal named after my all time favorite documentary narrator. (Have any of you seen his new Pterosaur program yet? It's awesome.) But... I'm definitely going to have to go back and clean it up of all my fingerprints and stray paint marks when I'm no longer hyper paranoid about breaking it, as a drinking glass got dropped earlier and I can't get that shattering sound out of my head. As well as adding it's name and biological stats to the back before I seal it and wrap it and box it and... and...

Why did I have to pick such breakable presents!