Ode to past pets: " Rex" bead

The Rex beads were the first beads I tried to make and it was also the first time I had attempted to use the type of (oven bake) clay I am using for this project. Although I had settled on creating beads for this project, I decided to attempt making a guinea pig shaped figure which as you can see did not work out. I either didn't prepare the clay right as it was stiff and difficult to shape and stick together or its just the wrong type of material to use for  more detailed work. I knew it didn't look like a guinea pig but an owl? a sheep maybe but not an owl. Regardless I got to work swirling up the colours of Rex's grey thick bushy fur.

my attempt at making a Rex figure

 The Rex beads for me have gone a lot better although at one point I realised i hadn't made the holes big enough for the elastic to go through so couldn't use them for anything but decoration.

These beads especially when made into a bracelet look to me like stone or marble carved into bead like shapes. The larger the beads it almost seems the more interesting or noticeable the patterns as you can have thick chunky bit of grey and black and white against small wispy swirls of the same colours. But the smaller the beads the more comfortable they are to wear something I am trying to keep in mind for my next "Pig" bead.

Rex