Herman the Hermit (Crab) is a character I’ve enjoyed drawing since July of this year. He is a very charming and lovable character who always seems to find himself alone. In initially sketching the character, I avoided photo references of actual hermit crabs, relying on my memory of what the creatures look like. I’ve always wanted and contemplating getting a hermit crab, so Herman as I imagine him is the hermit crab that I never got that is still out there somewhere waiting for me to find him.

I used air dry clay to create the character and his environment. I glued all the pieces to a wooden board before painting over the entire piece with acrylic paint. I enjoy working with the clay that I used, especially when it came to the environment because of how the way the clay tends to crack added to the overall feel of the piece.