What mammal through yonder wavecrest breaks? Why tis a gilded dolphin o’course!

I picked up a small pod of wooden dolphins from Michael’s and this little guy was the first one to leap his way onto the finished pile. So far my muses have been dancing along the fantasy end of things, but I’m hoping for a realistic one someday. *crosses fingers*

My grandmother used to tell me that the sunlight dancing on the wavetips was the sea’s diamonds and if that’s so I can’t think of a better dash of gold to add to the hoard than this handsome fella.

His pattern is modeled after the Dusky Dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obscurus) which normally comes in black, grey and white. But look at that pattern, doesn’t it just call out for a little fantasy? …Well, I think so! 😉

So I painted him in black and gold acrylics and finished him off with Liquitex Gloss sealer. It’s pretty durable, but he’s cut out for life on land and not the sea. Or the sink. (Alas.)

He’s roughly 4 inches long and about 2.5 inches high and has a strip of generic flat magnet on his back with enough holding power for three sheets of paper. Need a marine buddy with a little more stick-to-it? I’d be happy to paint you a custom ‘fin of your very own!

Finished off in several layers of gloss sealer on the front and matte on the back, this little magnet is water-resistant, not water-proof. You can wipe it off with a damp sponge, but don’t let it go for a swim!

The ArtMinds Wooden Dolphins are made from plywood and are roughly 4 inches long by 2.25 inches high. They have one strip of flat magnet on the back that will hold them securely in place on the fridge.

This dolphin was painted in October 2014.

Medium: Liquitex White Gesso, Apple Barrel Acrylics (20504 Black), and Ceramcoat Acrylics (02604 Metallic 14k Gold). ArtMinds Simple Dolphin Shape (10327315)