Q: Do you take commissions or custom orders?
A: No, unfortunately I don't have the time anymore.
Q: If they’re all made to order, why can’t you cast a skull in black or x color for me?
A: They are made to order, but in batches, and each resin is different and requires a different casting protocol. For example, the black resin I use is very thick and takes much longer to cure. If I took special orders for colors, it would slow my process since I’d have to do each color on its own vs filling up my pressure pot with molds and mixing one batch of bone white resin for all of them.
Q: Are the glitter/galaxy/etc skulls/crystals/etc for sale?
A: Crystals and special skulls get made in batches and sold in my etsy shop on special release dates, which I generally announce a few weeks in advance and have the date listed on the sidebar of my tumblr.
Q: How do you make x? Can you make a tutorial?
A: At this point in my career, sharing technical advice can come back to bite me by creating/helping my competition. so I will no longer answer these. You can find LOTS of stuff on google, and trial and error is golden.
Q: Where do you get your original skulls/bones/bugs/etc?
A: All over. Some I find, some I buy from other small collectors, some are gifted to me, some are sourced from responsible sellers like Skulls Unlimited. Some skulls are from responsible and legal hunters or trappers. Corvid skulls usually come from pest control in the UK, as it is illegal to possess American species.
Butterflies, moths, beetles, etc either I find or are from a licensed legal US reseller who sources them from insect farms all over the world.
Q: Who are you?
A: My name is Marisa Rand, I’ve got a BFA in sculpture from MICA. Shortly after I graduated in 2010 I couldn’t find a job so I made my own. I’ve always liked skulls and “dead things” and I originally molded a fox skull as a challenge to myself. To my surprise, people wanted to buy the colorful casts I made from it and I’ve been making and selling stuff to support myself ever since.