Basic Armature Tips by, Diane

Hello Creative friends!
I'm so happy to be here this morning and share a few tips with you.  I thought a little  armature talk would be my focus here today and I hope it will be helpful to you, on your new journey with Creative Paperclay®.
Creative Paperclay® is a remarkable clay that adheres to almost anything. An armature gives your piece support and strength and as a bonus, you use less clay.

Today, I will share my two most favorite armatures. One we will make and the other, Mother Nature has provided for us.... please join me!

With most of my creations I use aluminum foil and florist tape (or masking tape) for my armatures. Why, you ask? Because it's inexpensive and I'm not limited to one shape. I can manipulate and form the foil into any shape or form that I desire. When I purchase my foil, I prefer to buy the very cheapest brand. it is a thinner foil and that makes it easier to form.

 In the above pic you will see a Snowman sculpt I'm working on. This Lil' Frosty started from a foil armature.

 Frosty has legs and is standing, which means he needs support for the clay. Without the support, his legs may wobble,droop, bend or topple over.

I am a very basic armature maker, so this should be easy for you to follow along.

1. Decide your shape, then start forming your foil by rolling, squeezing, pressing and pinching. Sometimes, I use needle nosed pliers to squeeze the foil tight. You can see above that I  have a basic shape. I cut the foil on the bottom, as this is how I will form my legs.

2. I add foil to the head and to the legs. Remember to keep it tight by squeezing as your form your armature.

Continue until you are happy with your armature. In the pic you can see by the legs that the foil is kinda lifted. Simply give a little squeeze with the pliers.

3. Now you can wrap your foil armature with masking tape or florist tape. This adds a little more strength to the armature and the clay will adhere wonderfully.

4. Now you have an armature for your clay. Let the FUN begin !
 Add your Creative Paperclay® remembering to moisten your armature lightly and the clay will adhere beautifully.

  My next favorite armature for Creative paperclay®.....

Oh for the love of Gourds!
Natures most beautiful natural armature.
 Creative Paperclay® & Gourds go together like Hot Chocolate & marshmallows.

With a few important steps you can create a masterpiece using clay and gourds.

1. I like to soak my gourds in a sink with warm water and just a little bleach, for about 10 minutes. Then let the water out of the sink.
2. Fill sink again with warm water and dish soap, then with a kitchen scrubber remove the dirt and debris.
With a dish towel, dry your gourds thoroughly.

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Note: during this step you should always wear a dust mask, as the gourd dust may irritate your sinuses and, or lungs.

3. Using medium grit sandpaper, go over the areas you will be applying your clay. A gourd has a shiny smooth surface, so roughing it up a bit is an important step for the clay to adhere to the gourd.

4. Add some white glue to the area you sanded and lightly smear around.

5. Then add your clay to the sanded and glued surface of the gourd. Remember to use some water on the edges of the clay and feather onto the gourd to get a good seal.

Now just have tons of fun with all your sculpting and creative details.

I hope this tip has been helpful  to you on your creative journey.
Thank you, for visiting here today at the Creative Paperclay® blog.
 And as always, your welcome to visit me anytime at my place .

Merry Christmas & Wishes for a Happy New Year!

~ Diane