Octopus Themed Design Challenge

Octopus trinket box open with octopus pendant necklace inside

When “octopus” was announced as the theme for the monthly Art Elements design challenge I definitely squealed out loud.  What’s not to love about octopuses?  And tentacles? Are they not one of the most fun design elements ever?  As always, there were too many project ideas to fit into one month, but just enough time to try a few.

I really, really, and I can’t stress this enough REALLY wanted to try sculpting an octopus from polymer clay for this theme.  However, with daily high temperatures hovering between 85F and 95F all month, it seemed as though sculpting was not in my stars.  The a/c struggles to cool my apartment with all the blinds closed and lights off. I didn’t want to provoke it into exploding by firing up the oven to cure clay.  

I could have tried to sculpt an octopus with epoxy clay, which cures at room temperature.  My first try of it for the tree themed challenge earlier this year didn’t go too horribly wrong.  But I just wasn’t in the mood for it. Instead, I picked up where I Ieft off with last month’s challenge, learning to embroider.  (Spoiler alert: there was a “cold front” near the end of the month which allowed for a last-minute sculpting project, as you may have noticed from the photo above.)

As I’m sure you know if you follow my blog, I do not know how to draw. I also have no natural talent in that area.  I think it’s a hand-eye coordination thing. Luckily for me, there is the image search function on the interweb where there exists a virtual cornucopia of vector graphics, sketches, and paintings with octopus inspiration.  For my first project, I converted a “stained glass” octopus pattern using seven shades and tints of red DMC thread on a splotchy turquoise cotton background. 

Embroidery hoop with octopus pattern and satin stitch in red thread
I used a Frixion heat-erasable pen to transfer the stained glass octopus pattern to fabric. I didn’t have to try erasing the pen after stitching because I made sure all the lines were covered by stitching.  Just in case though, I first tested the pen on a scrap of fabric and was able to “disappear” the ink with a hair dryer. However, I read reviews which indicated the lines can reappear in colder temperatures. I’d love for it to get cold enough to test that. 

My satin stitches won’t win me any ribbons at the country fair as they aren’t exactly satin-smooth.  But I do think that by the end I got noticeably better at keeping them uniform while going around curves.  About halfway through the project I wondered why I was using three strands of floss instead of the full six.  I’m so used to splitting the 6-strand floss from my cross-stitch days I didn’t even think about whether using all six would have given better coverage.  If nothing else, it would have made the work go faster. But, idk, would it have looked better?  

Red stained glass octopus embroidery in wood hoop
There was a plan to outline each of the “panes of glass” in this octopus to give the lead line effect of stained glass.  But I couldn’t decide whether I would like the effect so I’ve left it for now. It’s temporarily mounted in a 7-inch hoop while I decide whether it’s done.

The next octopus to be embroidered was a line-drawing of a blue ringed octopus from a coloring page.  At first glance – of my naive eye – it seemed like a straightforward pattern to fill. I scaled the image to fit a 6-inch hoop and started outlining the rings, which seemed the logical place to begin.  It wasn’t until I was done stitching all the rings that began to suspect I had underestimated the complexity of my idea. My vision was to create a mottled yellow skin surrounding the blue rings, based on some reference photos of actual blue ringed octopuses.  

Collage of work-in-progress on blue ringed octopus embroidery.
Stitching the rings in blue and turquoise took longer than I would have guessed.  I was using three strands of floss but making very short stitches all the way around each ring.  One new addition to my embroidery supplies is the +2 magnification glasses, the better to see up close with. The other addition is the adorable mushroom needle minder, which was a surprise gift from another artist.
Blue ringed octopus embroidery with reference images.
This is the finished octopus with the coloring outline and photos I printed for color reference.  From a distance it doesn’t look that bad but up close there are stitches going every which way in the tentacles.

In hindsight, using some colored pencils to shade the drawing as a guide for my stitching might have been a good idea.  Making it up as I went resulted in something of a mess (especially on the back!). It began well enough, and I like the way the shading on the head and mantle turned out.  Things quickly went downhill when I got to the tentacles. I probably should have outlined the tentacles before shading them because as I worked I got completely lost as to which was which and my stitch directions got all confused.  But the blue rings turned out great, don’t you think?

Embroidered blue ringed octopus in wood hoop
Even though I made a mess of the tentacles I still plan to work on this piece a bit more rather than tossing it in the fugly craft mishaps drawer. I want to add some “seaweed” branches along the sides of the octopus and then I think I’ll mount it in a hoop for display.

Remember how much I wanted to sculpt but couldn’t because of the heat?  Well, the weekend before this reveal we had a break from the heat wave with daily highs below 80F.  Not much below, but it was enough that I could safely use the oven for an hour to cure clay without my a/c blowing up.  I spent most of that Saturday sculpting (and then paid for it the next few days with sore muscles from my back to my hands) so I could have something ready to cure early Sunday morning.

Polymer clay sculpture of octopus on coral reef
This is the octopus trinket box before curing.  The “rock” base layer is reading as white in this photo because I stink at adjusting white balance.  It’s actually a tone of the peachy-pink color I used for the octopus. Pan Pastels were used to add some color accents to the raw clay, including the spots on the octopus.  

Sometimes a project tells me I need to sculpt in color rather than starting with off-white clay and painting it after sculpting. Even though it’s a literal pain (in the elbow, wrist, and hands) to blend custom colors of polymer clay, that is what I did for this sculpture.   I created a peachy-pink color for the octopus, using white, ecru, copper, and alzarin crimson clays, diluted with translucent clay. Then I added some of that color to a mix of Premo! Accents White Granite and Gray Granite clays for the rocky background layer. For the corals and shells, I added pinches of blue, green, purple, pink, and yellow to tint the “rock” color.  Everything looked very nursery room pastel – or possibly baby shower cake bright – even after using Pan Pastels to add color accents to the raw clay. But I wasn’t worried because I had a plan to grunge it all up with acrylics and inks after curing.

Collage showing different views of octopus coral reef trinket box
The completed octopus trinket box looks appropriately organic after I brushed a wash of raw umber acrylic into all the nooks and crannies of the cured clay and wiped off the excess.  There was a plan to further darken some elements with inks but I ran out of time. I may still add some darker touches, but I think it also looks good as is. Except for the eyes. I cannot for the life of me paint small details accurately, even with the finest tipped brushes.  I got a perfect horizontal pupil on the left eye and then blobbed it on the right side. So I had to add a blob to the left to even it out a bit. 

Since there was space in the pan used to cure the trinket box for a few beads and it only took about 30 minutes to mold them, I made a few little octopus connectors from off-white clay.  It took quite a bit longer to paint the cured beads, wait for the ink to dry and then seal them with liquid polymer clay. That’s what I spent my after-work hours doing in the final days before the reveal.  Well, that and taking photos, processing photos, and writing this post.

Polymer clay octopus connector beads in a circle
These little octopus connecter beads, along with the octopus trinket box, will be available for purchase in my shop on etsy.  Except for the brown-ish one, which I am keeping to make a bracelet of my own. 

Last but not least, I stitched an itty bitty octopus for a mini-hoop.  As with my other embroidery projects, it’s based on an image from the interweb.  I think it was a tattoo design? The simple lines seemed ideal for teeny tiny scale embroidery.  The back of the mini hoop looked too bare so I drew/painted a blobby octopus with Inktense pencils.  Some pendants have a tendency to flip during wear so it’s nice to have something of interest on the back side, don’t you think?

Front and back views of embroidered octopus pendant necklace
This mini-hoop octopus pendant necklace will be gifted to a co-worker.  She asked if I could make one and so now she has to wear it. That should teach her not to suggest things.  

As usual, I completely enjoyed this challenge.  There was more trial-and-error learning on the embroidery front and nothing went so horribly wrong as to discourage me from doing it ever again.  It’s actually become my new favorite thing to do in the evenings. Embroidery is not likely to replace polymer clay in my life. Polymer clay is so versatile and I have an infinite list of things I want to try with it. Thanks to this challenge, I can check “sculpt an octopus” off the list.  Of course, I’ve added, “sculpt a more life-like octopus” and “sculpt octopus jewelry” to the list. And that’s why it’s an infinite list.

This design challenge is also a blog hop.  Visit the other participating artists’ blogs for more octopus-themed art in assorted media.  

Guest artists:

Cat Evie and Beth Hope Karen Kathy Melissa Michelle Rozantia Sarajo Tammy

Art Elements Team:

Cathy Claire Jenny Laney Lindsay Marsha

30 thoughts on “Octopus Themed Design Challenge”

  1. Cat

    They are all awesome, but I fell in love with the blue ringed octopus in a heartbeat <3 I don't see fugly here, and since I know zero about embroidery, I don't see a problem with the stitches in the tentacles.
    So please just send it to me 😀

    1. Tammy Adams Post author

      Thanks so much, Cat. I don’t know much about embroidery either – just enough to know what I mess I made. LOL

  2. Laney Mead

    I have been looking forward to your sculpture piece since I first saw you do a sneak peek on Instagram earlier this month. I wasn’t disappointed! that is amazing and the colours were worth your sore shoulders from blending. Love your octopi embroidery too and you can draw, you just draw with clay and threads 😉

    1. Tammy Adams Post author

      Thanks so much, Laney. I think my muscles got sore because I haven’t used them much this summer. LOL. The aches and pains reminded me of the day after the first time I made yeast bread. Who knew there were so many muscles involved in kneading? Turns out mixing clay uses a lot of the same muscles.

  3. Karin

    WOW! So much and inspiration ! Your clay sculpture is so interesting. The embroideries are simply gorgeous and I totally agree with Cat, the blue ringed octopus is my favorite. The colors of your connectors are simply delicious and the tiny octopus embroidery so sweet.

  4. Kathy Lindemer

    Your polymer clay trinket box is gorgeous. I love all of the detail and colors on it. Your connectors are great also. I use to embroider so I can appreciate all of the effort that went into your hand sewn octopuses. Your mushroom needle minder is a great addition to your supplies.

    1. Tammy Adams Post author

      Thanks so much, Kathy. The needle minder is my favorite new tool. I never knew such things existed until I saw Raven (the fellow artist who gifted it to me) using one on her social media. They’re super handy.

  5. Marsha

    You really did have a lot of ideas for this theme (I love them all!). I cannot even imagine how much time all the stitching took you – those are amazing finished pieces. I love the sculptural box too – he may move off of that top at any moment and go back into the ocean depths… 🙂

    1. Tammy Adams Post author

      Thanks so much, Marsha. I did most of the stitching in the evenings after work. Kept me from snacking after dinner because I had to keep my hands clean to avoid staining the fabric.

  6. Cynthia

    wow! you really went all out on the octopi! I’ve been trying embroidery as well … it truly isn’t as easy as it looks! but you’ve done a lovely job with these .. bit and small!! the small one is absolutely adorable. and I love the box – what a piece!! I can’t even imagine using the oven with all this heat this summer -glad you had a break in the weather

    1. Tammy Adams Post author

      Thanks so much, Cynthia. This was the first time I’ve had my oven on since, I think, end of May. I got up early so I could cure the clay before the day started to warm up. The things we do for art. LOL

  7. Evie and Beth

    I love every piece you created. But I really love that blue-ringed octopus. You may have had issues with it, but it turned out amazing! You are doing a fantastic job in embroidery.
    I suck at doing anything with sewing! Mom tried to teach me cross-stitch, but that turned into a hot mess. I tried the embroidery in my textiles class – but again – a real mess.
    Love, love, love the polymer clay pieces. The big piece is fantastic and I just love those little clay pendants!
    The last pendant with the embroidered octopus is awesome! I love the idea of a double sided pendant!

    1. Tammy Adams Post author

      Thanks so much, Beth. I did a lot of counted cross-stitch about 20 years ago, which I think helps me with things like thread tension now. But there are so many stitches to learn. I’d love to take some textile classes. But I can see me being very impatient with the pace because I am super goal oriented about my sewing.

  8. CraftyHope

    Once again, you’ve outdone yourself! I love both of your large embroidered octopi. I’ve never seen a transfer pencil that goes away with heat. I’ll have to look into that! Your large box is AMAZING. And the little necklace is great. I like that you added to the back of it too, I do that sometimes as well because pendants will indeed flip. You rocked this challenge!

    1. Tammy Adams Post author

      Thanks so much, Hope. I bought a set of the Frixion “erasable” pens in assorted colors. They supposedly erase from paper with friction and come with an eraser top of some sort. The black and blue seemed the easiest to erase from fabric with the hair dryer, while the red and pink were more stubborn.

  9. Mary Redman

    You never cease to amaze me! Your head must be swimming with a multitude of creative ideas! I especially love the blue ringed octopus. You are a prolific creator of all things beautiful!

    1. Tammy Adams Post author

      Thanks so much, Mary. My head is indeed full of ideas and things I want to make. If only I didn’t need my day job to pay the bills. (but I am sure am glad to have it)

  10. Cathy Mendola

    I loved your red octopus as soon as you posted your first stitching. He turned out great but the blue ringed octopus is my absolute fave. He/she is just fabulous!! Well done. An I love that you are ‘signing’ your embroidery pieces. That is something I haven’t been doing unless I frame it and then I sign the back. When I did counted cross stitch eons ago-I always stitched my initials and date. I guess I may have to start back doing that.
    The octopus box is wonderful=I love his spots and suckers as well as the coral scattered about. The texture of the box itself looks like coral also. Perfect setting for the octopus. The octopus connector beads are really cute as is the stitched necklace.

    1. Tammy Adams Post author

      Thanks so much, Cathy. I used to stitch my initials onto my cross-stitch too. I decided I would “own” these pieces and hopefully someday compare them to much improved work. I was going for a coral texture on the box background. Took forever to make all those holes. I initially planned to leave it as “bleached” coral and then decided I needed to add some bits of color and other shapes.

  11. Michelle

    I am totally blown away and in love with your polymer clay octopus jar and beads! I’m so glad you got the opportunity to do them. The embroidered octopuses are fabulous. I know you were worried about getting lost with stitch direction in the second piece, but no one would know by looking. The piece looks organic and in motion. A happy accident I think.

    1. Tammy Adams Post author

      Thanks so much, Michelle. If anyone asks, I can tell them I made it that way on purpose, because that’s how octopus camouflage works – you can’t tell where one leg starts and the other begins. LOL

    1. Tammy Adams Post author

      Thanks so much, Jill, The blue ringed octopus seems to be the crowd favorite today. 🙂

  13. Jenny

    Good grief woman ! Another extremely productive and creative month for you. What are you eating and drinking? I want some! Perfect satin stitch is over rated. I like what you have done – and the blue dots do look great! What is that little mushroom fairy house gadget you have in the embroidery pix? I am curious.

    I completely understand the polymer heat dilemma. I will be working up in my studio for hours, sweating, fan in my face. Then come downstairs and it feels like 20 degrees cooler. I also agree that sometimes white/cream is too light and one must simply blend. Looks wonderful!

    1. Tammy Adams Post author

      Thanks so much, Jenny. I mostly run on Diet Pepsi and tortilla chips with salsa. 😉
      The little mushroom is a needle minder from Raven. It’s a strong magnet that holds it in place on the fabric and holds my needle when I’m not using it.
      I cannot imagine how you manage to get the clay to cooperate when it’s hot. I can barely wrangle it at optimal temperatures. But the real problem is my a/c. It really cannot keep up on the hot days. One more reason to look forward to fall weather.

  14. Melissa

    These are just so fantastic! I am in love with your blue ringed octopus (I nearly stepped on one when I was a child, eek! They are deadly!). And I’m so glad it cooled down enough for you to break out the polymer clay, as I really like the sculptured octopus too.

    1. Tammy Adams Post author

      Thank you so much, Melissa. While searching for reference photos I learned there are multiple species of blue ringed octopus. I knew they were venomous but now I know there’s more than one kind. I love learning new trivia as a side effect of these challenges. 🙂

  15. Rozantia Petkova

    Your stitching looks so good, I’d love to be half as good as you are! It looks like the blue ringed octopus is tremendously popular and I’m with everybody else – love it! And you really rocked this challenge – so many creations!

    1. Tammy Adams Post author

      Thanks so much, Rozantia. I know my stitching is improving with each project and maybe eventually I will share close-ups to prove it. 😉

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