How Tumble Creatures Began

Hi I'm Crystal Cook, the artist behind Tumble Creatures. I've been a professional artist for most of my adult life, specializing in child and horse portraits in watercolor. I’ve been actively involved with horses since I was a very small child, that’s a love affair that has never gone away.

Along with my Arabian mare Molly, I somehow ended up falling head over heels for miniature horses. I guess I’ve always loved tiny and cute things. Every weekend I begged my parents to take me to miniature horse farms nearby so I could just be around them. And I saved up all my pennies to buy my first miniature horse mare when I was 11 years old.

Other than horses, it has been my childhood dream come true to be a working artist, to help support my family with my paintings.

One of my all time favorite paintings, 'Alive' watercolor on paper, completed in 2012.

But, at one point, painting started to feel almost like a burden, instead of a joyful release. I started to feel burned out and blocked for longer and longer stretches of time. I dreaded approaching the canvas or paper. So I looked for something else to do on my days off from painting to help rejuvenate my creative spirit.

That's how I stumbled upon creating little ponies out of polymer clay. In 2012 I started sculpting little animals of all kinds. Inspired by the art of my friend Becca Gollins, of Dragons and Beasties, I started out by making dragons on Sundays, just for fun. Which my sister started calling my 'Dragon Days.'

Pretty soon I was looking forward to Sundays more than any other day of the week just so I could sculpt my little creatures.

It was just a few dragons (most of which were horribly ugly) later that I began seriously focusing on sculpting little horses. I spent a lot of time coming up with my own, unique style, that was largely based on the miniature horses that I loved so much as a girl (and still do). I actively looked for a way to make my ponies different from any other model horse or sculpture I had seen, something that was a true expression of me and my own equine loves.

Here I am (hello! *waves*) working hard on a Tumble pony.

And so the Tumble ponies were born, officially launching in July 2013, with their large dark eyes, delicate dished faces, tippy ears, sometimes chubby bodies, and sideswept forelock. The characteristics that mark them as my own original style, echoes the beauty I had seen when I spent lazy days in the pasture with my much loved real life little ponies Peaches, and Stormy, and my Arabian mare Molly.

My sweet Stormy, my first heart hose, and major inspiration for the Tumbles.

Making these little ponies from my imagination satisfied a deep need that I had for light, laughter, whimsy, and a return to a childlike state of being that was always filled with wonder.

Each Tumble Creature is completely handmade without the use of molds, with much love and care, by me the artist, creator, and designer, from premium, non-toxic, polymer clay, acrylic paint, and lots and lots of sparkle and shine.

Thank you so much for your interest in my creations. I hope that they bring you much joy.