Create Art as Your Heart Decides

This little skull was never meant to follow a trend.

I poured it in eco resin, chose every colour myself, painted the bone tones and soft pinks by hand, and gave him a pair of golden cat-like eyes that stare right back at you. Not to make him spooky or macabre. Just to give him life. I want my creatures to be able to see. I want them to have character. I want them to feel like they could sit on a shelf and quietly watch the world go by with a bit of personality of their own.

He isn’t perfect. He isn’t trying to be. He is simply what happened when I stopped asking what “they” are making this week and started listening to what I actually wanted to make.

Sometimes the loudest advice floating around is to copy whatever is currently popular, to match the colour palette the algorithm is rewarding, to produce the same shape the crowd is already sharing. I understand the temptation. But I keep coming back to a quieter truth: create as your heart decides. Not because someone said it was trending. Not because the mob has already decided what “good” looks like this month. Create from you, for the betterment of you.

When the work comes from that place, something shifts. You stop measuring yourself against strangers online and start measuring the piece against your own satisfaction. Does it make you smile when you look at it? Does it feel like it belongs to the person you actually are? If the answer is yes, then it has already succeeded—long before anyone else ever sees it.

This skull is one of those pieces for me. I like him. The soft peach of the bone, the white of the teeth and the brain-like ridges, the unexpected brightness of those feline eyes. He sits there looking slightly amused, slightly curious, completely himself. And that is enough.

So if you are standing in front of your own materials right now, wondering whether your idea is “on trend” or “too different,” I offer the same quiet permission I give myself:

Don’t be one of the crowd.
Allow yourself to be unique unto yourself.

Make the thing that only you would make. Give it eyes if it needs eyes. Choose the colours that feel right in your hands. Let it come to life in whatever way your heart decides.

The rest will take care of itself. Below you will see my other little friend, I nearly typed fiend, but look at him, he looks kind of happy, doesn't look mean, not really a fiend.  The fellow at the top of this page, I would be more worried about him, if we are going supernatural. 😁 🖖

 

How to Make Speckled Skull Castings with Eco Resin – Two Different Finishes

How to Make a Speckled “Happenstance” Skull with Eco Resin (Plus Two Different Finishes)

Today’s project is extra special because one of these skulls is made almost entirely from leftovers!

Both skulls were cast from the same mold using Eco Resin, but they turned out completely different.

The Speckled Skull Story

For the white/pink speckled skull on the left, I didn’t add any new pigment on purpose. Instead, every time I mix Eco Resin, I save the leftover resin that sticks to the sides of the mixing cup. Once it dries, I break it out and keep all those scraps in a jar.

When I poured this skull, I threw a bunch of those random dried resin pieces into the mix. The colourful flecks you see are literally waste from past projects! I love how it created this fun, confetti-like effect completely by accident. Why throw it away when you can make something cool with it?

The Metallic Skull

The second skull (right) is the same base casting, but fully painted with metallic silver and glossy blue eyes. It shows how one mold can give you two totally different vibes.

Why I Love This Recycling Method:

• Almost zero waste
• Creates unique, one-of-a-kind results
• Saves money
• Feels good to reuse materials instead of tossing them

I also worked on another scrap project today — breaking up old cured Eco and Epoxy pieces and embedding them into bigger molds. The small one should be ready to demold tomorrow, and the big one will need a final clear layer.

Being “cheap” (or as I like to call it — resourceful) has its perks in the art world!

Have you ever tried recycling your leftover resin? Would you try the “happenstance” speckled technique? Let me know in the comments!

Happy crafting,
Magdelene