I couldn’t wait to share this little guy, that quiet, gentle look just stayed with me

As a leather carver, the hardest part of this piece wasn’t the size, but the expression. Dark, textured fur like this is tricky on leather. If the cuts go too deep, it loses softness. If they’re too light, the face turns flat. I had to slow down a lot and constantly adjust the direction and pressure of each line to keep that gentle, slightly reserved look. The eyes were another challenge. They’re small, but they carry most of the emotion. I spent a long time balancing the highlights so they felt calm and present, not shiny or exaggerated. Because it’s a keychain, everything has to hold up to daily use, so every detail had to be clear but not fragile. A lot of small decisions went into keeping it simple, durable, and still full of character.