I am really excited for this - my first solo blog post - because I recently finished an exciting custom piece for a customer that is anything but ordinary. When Lauren stumbled across the studio website for Jewel Envy and requested a zombie head as a gift for her boyfriend I jumped at the chance to work on it. At first I considered carving it out of wax, but after thinking on it I decided that I could do a better job of it by first making it using Sculpy. Trading a subtractive method of making it for an additive method of creating the piece - an easier process when you are trying to make a zombie head. After finishing it off I then made a mold of it so that I could inject the mold with wax and use the lost wax process to cast the piece myself. I was excited after quenching it and pulling it out of the flask that it worked. I am always nervous about a casting not working properly, mostly unfounded nerves but I can't help myself. It was fun polishing it off and adding a patina to the surface to give it a darker look and bring out his features. I am pleased with the results and after sending the piece off to the customer and getting such a rave review of the finished piece I was even happier. I feel so fortunate to have gotten the chance to make such a unique custom pendant, it's not something I get the chance to make every week!