Red crab sitting on table; 3D pen art

Hooked On Heather’s Sea Creatures

Heather Baharally has been an artist since she sold her first googly-eyed pom pom creature to her teacher in second grade. Today, she sustains her practice through her mixed media artwork, such as this Sea Creatures collection. We had the opportunity to interview Heather to learn more about her work.

Watch the video above to see how Heather Doodles an Octopus with the 3Doodler Start Pen.

Doodling Journey

Heather got her first 3Doodler 2.0 pen from the Kickstarter campaign in 2015, and has been adding her own creative flair to Doodling ever since. In Sept 2016, Heather made her first mask with the 3Doodler Create, which sent her down a year long path of mask making. She has accrued an incredible collection of masks, and has even sold several of them at various events. During that time, she also made mixed media paintings, using the 3Doodler to add 3D elements on the canvas.

Her unique style and daring personality means she is always cooking up new ideas. Currently, she’s experimenting with different techniques with the 3Doodler Start, and learning more about making videos to share how her artwork is made with her audience. “I love how impulsive I can be. I can sit down with nothing and create something real in minutes, “ she enthusiastically shared.

A Seahorse made with the 3Doodler Start Pen A Seahorse made with the 3Doodler Start Pen

Heather’s Love For The Ocean

Heather is from a landlocked area of Canada, so the ocean, which she could rarely come into contact with, fascinated her. She loved how incredibly beautiful and colorful sea creatures are, which made them amazing art subjects. She carefully studied the different patterns, shapes, and textures of these magnificent creatures, and started making her own.

  • 3D pen crab figurine by Heather Baharally
  • 3D pen crab figurine by Heather Baharally
  • 3D pen crab figurine by Heather Baharally
  • 3D pen crab figurine by Heather Baharally

Mixing Media

The 3Doodler Start pen offers Heather a unique Doodling technique. Because extruded plastic takes about 10-15 seconds to harden, Heather finds that she can manipulate the plastic by hand, similar to shaping clay. She starts by Doodling the base structure, then adds plastic bit by bit, moulding and smoothing with her fingers as she goes. Once the shape is complete, she adds a layer of ink to highlight all the folds and creases to create the skin texture, which really brings the structure to life. Finally, to give her creatures that realistic wet finish, Heather coats them with resin. The Octopus is her favourite amongst the sea creatures, and she plans on revisiting that design. “I have made two large-scale paintings featuring octopuses. It’s my favourite subject,” she exclaimed.

  • 3D pen squid figurine by Heather Baharally
  • 3D pen squid figurine by Heather Baharally
  • 3D pen squid figurine by Heather Baharally
  • 3D pen squid figurine by Heather Baharally
Tips & Tricks from Heather:
  • Use your fingers to create desirable shapes like curves.

  • Let the plastic cool without touching it to leave a line mark which will show up when ink wash is applied. This is great for textured surfaces.

  • To make spikes like in the Seahorse, pinch the plastic before it hardens, and gently pull to shape.

  • To make spots or bumpy skin, Doodle a small blob of plastic, then gently press down to make a small smooth circle.

Thank you Heather for letting us interview you and for sharing your amazing work with us!
To see more of her work, visit Heather’s Instagram Page .

All projects by: Heather Baharally

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