A few weeks back, I found an awesome fish tank decoration by BioBubbe Origins called the "Giant Leech". It looks like this:
The one I found at the pet store was missing the tiny silicone tentacles that go around the "neck" so I got it at a discount. There were also a pair of holes drilled straight through the polystone pieces where a length of twine was used to keep the two heavy pieces together on the shelf and where the retail tags were attached. These would need filling.
I wanted to fill the gap between the base and neck with tentacles like in the picture but wanted longer, more dynamic looking ones than the little tiny production ones.
This afternoon, I found a pair of vinyl jellyfish I had gotten in a bag of sea life miniatures at one of our local dollar stores a few years back and removed the long central portions from beneath the bells and then trimmed out the center of the bells to accommodate the thick polystone plug that attaches the neck to the base. I glued one bell to the base and the other to the bottom of the neck piece then joined the 2 pieces together permanently with super glue resulting in this:
A few hours later, when I was sure that the newly applied jellyfish parts were successfully adhered to the polystone pieces, I set about filling the holes drilled through the original parts. I pulled out my favorite air hardening clay, which I have used many times over the years for various projects. I rolled 2 very small rods of clay and inserted them into the holes. After plugging the holes, I used a very tiny flat head precision screwdriver to press some small lines in the clay on the underside of the neck to match the wrinkles and folds in the original sculpt. For the end of the hole near the mouth, I manipulated the clay with my fingertip to follow the contour of the folds surrounding the Leech's beak. For the hole in the base (only 1 side of which needed detailing as the other side is underneath the creature and unseen) I manipulated the clay to follow the contour of the mucus-like cocoon enshrouding the Leech's bulbous body. This is the result:
Now I will leave it alone overnight for the clay to fully cure. Hopefully I will be able to begin painting this beast tomorrow.
The colors I have in mind are:
A sickly gray for the Leech's skin, starting with a black base followed with 4 levels of drybrushing with successively lighter shades of gray.
Tan with bone drybrushing for the beak and large teeth surrounding it.
A really nasty yellowish green for the mucus-like cocoon
The newly added tentacles will remain as is since I like the transparency and the blue-ish overspray suggests bioluminescence.
Pics will be added as this project progresses.
