Friday, August 28, 2020

How to Make an Air Plant Holder With Creative Paperclay



 Hello everyone, today I am going to show you how I made this air plant holder. I will 
walk you through the steps to either leave it as is, or cover it with concrete patch to 
protect it from water if you are a person who sprays your air plants while it's in it's holder.
You will need the following materials

Supplies: 

Air plant
Creative Paperclay®
Masking tape
Scrap Paper,Cardboard or foil
Sand paper
Thompson's WaterSeal (optional)
Concrete patch repair (optional)
Protective gloves




Begin by choosing your air plant and try to figure out what type of holder 
you would like to create. I went with the larger of the three and decided that
I wanted the holder to be a tall cylindrical shape for the plant.





I began working on the base by taking your paper foil or what ever you 
would like to use as the filler and wrap it with masking tape.





Begin adding clay on top of the masking tape when you are finished putting
it together. Make sure that you create the opening for the plant while the clay
is still pliable. I built around a tube of glitter and took it out once I 
felt comfortable with the size of the opening for the plant to go into.





When you are done creating the opening, make sure that it is the right size for your
plant. Quickly check the fitting of the plant in the opening while it is still moist. 
Remove the plant and make adjustments to if you need to while the clay is still moist.





Sit the piece aside and allow it to dry when you have the basic shape worked out.





Once the piece is dry, begin to work on the second layer. I decided to create a head 
so that the plant would look like hair. Once you are satisfied with the way that this layer
 comes out, set the piece aside to dry so that it could be sanded down.





Sand your piece down with sand paper until you achieve the level of smoothness 
that you would like the piece to have. Don't worry about smoothness at this step if 
you plan to cover your piece with cement as I ended up doing.





I really like the simplicity of this piece. I usually run my air plants under water for a few seconds and then let them air dry out in the window before I put it back in the plant holder. This way works great if you are concerned about damaging your sculpture with water. When 
paper clay gets wet, it begins to get soft again so you must make sure that your plant is
dry before placing it back in your sculpture. To be on the safe side, I suggest using some 
type of water proof coating like Thompson's WaterSeal to add a layer of protection 
to your piece. I would still use caution to not deliberately get your sculpture wet. 





Extra Credit: I am a hoarder by nature, so I had concrete patch under my sink. I smoothed a thin layer over my sculpture to add a layer of protection for when I don't want to wait for the plant to dry before placing it back in the holder. If the concrete patch doesn't stick to your piece, try adding a drop of water to get it to adhere to the clay. Make sure you wear gloves to protect your hands from the concrete! Set the piece aside and allow it to dry for at least 24 hours before using.



Thank you all once again for stopping by, and I hope that you enjoyed today's tutorial! You can find Creative Paperclay® at the following retailers Creative Paperclay® Online Store, Michael'sAmazon, Joann's.

See more of my work at Melandolly.com and be sure to catch updates on my Instagram page


Friday, August 7, 2020

August 2020 First Friday Fan Day


Need some inspiration for your next Creative Paperclay® project? Check out what folks are making with Creative Paperclay™.


Cactus Wall Hanging
Clay Bells
Whimsical Birds
How to Make a Tuberose
Abstract Clay Faces

Cat-themed Trinket Box
Bird on a Nest
Paperclay Art Doll

HELP US FIND YOU!!
  1. Use the hashtag #CreativePaperclay on all your social networks.
  2. When using Facebook, be sure the your posts and images using the #Creative Paperclay hashtag are set to public, otherwise we won't be able to find you.
  3. Share your projects on the Creative PaperClay® Facebook page.
I'm always trolling the web, looking for great Creative Paperclay® projects. If you find something, post it on our Facebook page.

GOT QUESTIONS???

Find the answers to your paperclay questions. See what other folks are creating. Stop by our Facebook group and say, "Hi!" Creative Paperclay Q&A
Carole

Thursday, August 6, 2020

Las Gemelas - Connected for Life - Conjoined Twins


Las Gemelas - Connected for Life  - Conjoined Twins

SUPPLIES: 

2 -7" Kidrobot Munnyworld Munny Vinyl Doll Blanks

Creative Paperclay® 

Masking Tape

Craft Knife

Gesso (I used Black Golden brand. )

Acrylic Paint (I used Liquitex and Golden. )

Paint Brushes (Gesso can be hard on brushes.  Use cheap foam brushes.) 

Sandpaper (I use 320-420 grits)

Dust Mask or Bandana – use this when sanding

Sculpting Tools are optional.  I use manicurists tools and knitting needles.  My friend Christi Friesen also makes some great tools. 

Rolling Pin or Glass Jar

Shop Rag – To smooth over clay.  

Krylon Crystal Clear Gloss Sealer


I used almost a full package of Creative Paperclay® for this project.  


I used 2 - 

7" Kidrobot Munnyworld Munny Vinyl Doll Blanks 

 (How cool would it be to use the 18" blanks?  I might have to do that next time!)

I really enjoy working with these blank dolls and Creative Paperclay®.  No need to build an armature and the Creative Paperclay® dries so quickly when it is used in such thin layers.  
The first step is getting rid of some of the extra body parts.  I used a craft knife to remove the ears, tails and one leg from one doll blank.  I also took off the arms.  I have been told that I mutilate them more than most.  The arms and ears are just too clunky for my tastes.  Also, in this case, the ears were sticking out in a way that prevented the figures to be conjoined. 

***TIP: If the vinyl is too hard to cut through, use a heat gun to warm it a bit.  It will cut like butter with a little heat. 
Next use masking tape to position your twins in a natural looking conjoined position.  The heads are kinda big so you probably need to tilt at least one of them to get them together.
Here is the back view of the taped together twins.  the tape needs to hold them together securely.  You do not want to have any give or movement when you are sculpting.  

Next tape over any openings where you cut parts off; ears, leg, and tails, arm can be left open as place holders for sculpted arms.  
Roll our pieces of Creative Paperclay®.  About 1/8 of an inch is a good thickness to work with.  It will allow for maximum coverage and quick drying,
Smooth the clay out using a rolling tool.  I like using a size 15 aluminium knitting needle.  It is one of my favorite sculpting tools.
Once you cover the entire piece use a pencil to mark off the placement of facial features and hoodie.  I like my features low and widespread for a child-like, puppy dog look.  
Centerline - Eyeline - Nose Line - Mouth Line - and Eye Placement
No need to be too fussy.  Thee are just general guidelines.

Next you will add facial features, arms, and any other desired details.  I created the face tutorial here: Sooshie Sea Star

After adding details, allow the piece to dry completely.  Lightly sand off any blemishes and fill any cracks.  Allow it to dry again.  

***TIP: The bottoms of the feet don't always dry because they are on the bottom without air circulation.  Lay the dried piece on it's side for a few hours.  Be sure to sand them down so that it stands up right.
Paint your conjoined twins with acrylic paints.  I used Golden acrylics.  If you need some tips on painting on Creative Paperclay® with acrylic paints please go to my YouTube channel for an 8 part, hour and a half, tutorial on painting a Creative Paperclay®bust with acrylic paints.
Last but not least, after they dry have a photo shoot.  Play with filters.  I think these 2 look great in black and white.  What do you think?  Please share some images with me.

Monday, August 3, 2020

Clay Talk: A Whimsical Owl

Hello, I hope everyone is staying safe. Today I am sharing with you a sculpture I made on Clay Talk in June: a beautiful whimsical owl! It was made with Creative Paperclay® and a few other basic supplies. The paints are by Plaid Crafts, my favorite craft paints.






Here is the video showing how to make this.
Sculpt a Whimsical Owl with Creative Paperclay®
A live demo showing how to make your very own whimsical owl.
Posted by Creative Paperclay modeling material on Thursday, June 4, 2020



Clay Talk is held once a month on the first Thursday. It takes place on Facebook Live on the Creative Paperclay Modeling Material page. The next show is this Thursday and we will be making a whimsical bird. Be sure to join us and share with your crafty friends! The details are below.

Thanks for watching and be sure to look around the blog for more amazing tutorials using Creative Paperclay®. We have an amazing design team that create to keep you inspired.

You can share your creations with us on our Facebook page. We would love to see them! For more inspiration have a look around the blog. There are tutorials for many levels using Creative Paperclay®. You can also visit my blog suzettehussey.com

You can find Creative Paperclay® online at Creative Paperclay Co and also at Michaels, Hobby Lobby, Dickblick and Amazon. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Suzette









Saturday, August 1, 2020

~Pocket Love Hearts ~

~Pocket Love Hearts~

By Sherri Welser at WildHeart Art




These hearts are a wonderful expression of love that can be used for gifts.. Put in loved ones  pockets, lunches and special places to find later ..



1 Package of PaperClay 

Pallet knife

Stamps of your choice for design

Acrylic paints 

Faber Castell black marker pen

Ranger Liquid Pearls

Polyurethane Spray




Step 1 ~ Shape individual pieces of clay into heart shapes, use all different sizes and fun variations of the heart shape



Step 2 ~ Press stamps into clay to create unique designs using a palette knife to smooth out and imperfections . Also using inspirational sayings and  stamping designs on the sides .


 


Step 3~  Let air dry for several days

Step 4~ Paint  with acrylic paints

Step 5~ Use the marker to highlight the words in on the hearts

Step 6~ Decorate the hearts with the liquid pearls

You may also seal the hearts with a polyurethane spray


This is a very fun project to also do with kids! Enjoy!