4.12.17

Clay, stamps and Mica for the holidays

We decided it was time to do a little sprucing up and deck the trees in something new this year.  I've been wanting to play with "clay" again for a while and this was a perfect time to get it out, grab a background stamp from Mixed Media Supplies, a bit of Alcohol ink and a few other tools.  Let's get started!

You'll need:
Clay (Sculpey III)
Liquid Clay
Crackle Background stamp (Mixed Media Supplies)
Pearl Mica (Mixed Media Supplies)
Alcohol Ink
water brushes
Piercing Tool
clay blade
pasta machine or clay roller
Pattern
Wire, wire cutters, needle nose pliers (optional)
Ribbon (optional)

Condition the clay according to the manufacturer's directions.  I use a pasta machine to make sure I have a uniform thickness. 
Draw a pattern if desired and cut the clay using the blade.

At this time, I "stamped" the background lightly to get some texture on the clay pieces that I wanted to add texture too.  Using the Liquid Clay, adhere the pieces to the base.  Add any additional details you'd like.

Since I made a gnome, I wanted to add a little more texture to the beards... you can use a stamp, your fingers or any other tools you desire.
Once the piece is assembled,  pierce a hole in the top of the hat and place the assembled piece on a some foil or parchment on a baking sheet.  Preheat the oven to 275 and bake 15 minutes for every 1/4 inch of thickness.  My oven is a little lower in temps, so I baked for 20 minutes.
Let cool completely.
Choose your base color and paint on the base as desired.  Let dry. Paint the face and nose.  Paint the beard.  in a paint pot, mix some mica with some water.  Paint it on as desired for a little more sheen and highlight.  Let dry.  Add a hanger.  I used some jewelry wire to make a hanger.  You could use ribbon if desired.
That's it for the Gnomes that will be going on the tree....
Stay tuned, there's more on tap this month from the team!  You won't want to miss out!  So visit often. 









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