Three Dimensional Dragonfly

This three dimensional dragonfly started as a flat slab of Creative Paperclay®.

I began by rolling out a ball of clay about 1/8" thick, and large enough to cover my embossing folder. I pressed the folder into the clay, leaving impressions on the clay slab.

Next, the pieces were put aside to dry. I've discovered that drying the clay on a kitchen cooling rack helps to reduce warping. Using a cooling rack allows the clay to dry on both the top and the bottom at the same time. This also eliminates the need to turn the clay.

When the slab and pieces were partially dry and still flexible, I cut out a second set of dragonfly wings, and used wide rubber bands to secure them in place around a jar until they were completely dry and firm.

When the slab was dry, I cut out the dragonfly shape using scissors. Any rough edges were buffed with an emery board and Sandits.

Next step was to paint the pieces. I began by sealing all the surfaces with PPA, an acrylic medium. When the sealing coat was dry, I layered several colors of mica powders mixed with PPA Gloss to achieve the luminous colors.

I used E6000 adhesive to attach the second set of wings to the front of the body and to attach a filament for hanging. I chose to use the filament rather than a jewelry bail, because when the dragonfly is hung I wanted it to appear to be hovering midair.

Carole