Create an Eye-catching Face Shield with Creative PaperClay!

                                    

Teaching in the age of COVID has taken on an interesting list of "must-haves" to stay safe in the classroom.  None is more interesting (to me) than the face shield.  I teach in a private Catholic School, and we have returned to school 5 days a week, in-person.  The administration gifted every member of the staff with a God-awful ugly face shield to be worn whenever we cannot maintain a 6' distance between the students and us.  As an art teacher, that distance is basically impossible as I roam the aisles between the desks (6' apart), obviously getting in much closer than recommended.  With the reality that the shield would be a regular part of my outfit, I set to work accessorizing the accessory 😉

Materials:

Creative PaperClay

Plaid Folk Art paint in colors of choice plus a brush or sponge 

Aleene's "The Ultimate" tacky glue

assorted flexible molds

flexible face shield

tape (optional)

Procedure:

  
 

Decorating the face shield began by painting over the blue "FACE SHIELD" logo and directions (I think I am capable of figuring it out).  I mean, seriously, who needs directions on how to put the face shield on?!?!  For this, I went to my stash of paints and pulled 3 of my favorite Plaid Folk Art paints: #6313 Tanzanite Multi-surface Metallic, #5882 Purple Glitterfic, and #2797 black Extreme Glitter.  I painted the blue stripe with Tanzanite first, using multiple layers (drying between each layer) until the writing was hidden.  Next up, a thin layer of the Extreme Glitter.  I wanted bling, but I didn't want the black glitter to overpower the beautiful purple (obviously my favorite color).  The final paint applied was the purple Glitterific.  After all, everything is better with bling!!

NOTE:  Before applying paint, be sure to tape off a straight edge.  Trust me, I speak from experience that you cannot paint a perfectly straight line without it!

A few thoughts about painting the plastic:

1) A sponge works better than a brush for applying the metallic paint.  Using a sponge will add a texture to the color, which in turn will capture the glitter paint when applied.

2) Use a brush for the Extreme Glitter paint unless you want it to show more than the color behind.

3) And finally, use a sponge to apply the Glitterific paint.  A sponge will quickly disperse the glitter fibers into an even, blingy coat.  Both the Glitterific and Extreme Glitter paints will cover nicely with one coat.

I recommend removing the tape as soon as the painting is complete.  

Next up, decorating!!  I have a considerable stash of flexible molds in my studio and classroom.  I decided to go with faces and flowers for this mask (I am sure there will be more if in-person teaching continues since only one would be so dull!).  I chose Creative PaperClay for the dimensional components because of its weight...super lightweight!  Open a package of Creative PaperClay and pull off a small bit.  Wrap any remaining clay in plastic wrap or a Ziploc baggie (be sure to press all of the air out).

It doesn't take much to fill the designs in any of these molds.  Pull off a small bit of the clay, roll it into a ball, and then press it into the desired recessed area of the mold, flattening the back as you push.  To remove the component, simply flex the mold. 

Repeat until you have a variety of clay components to decorate the painted area.  

Allow the clay to dry overnight.  If you are an impatient person, they can also be placed in the oven (275 degrees) for about 10-15 minutes to quickly dry.  Arrange the clay components on the painted area, rearranging as they speak to you. 

Just a thought: Be sure to leave spaces between the pieces so the shield can still flex around your head.

 Once you are happy with the arrangement, apply a bit of Aleene's "The Ultimate" tacky glue (my favorite) to the back of each piece and press it into place.  Allow to dry and then go WOW your friends and co-workers with your unique face shield revamp!

Optional:  Creative PaperClay can be painted or powdered or inked easily.  If desired, components can be detailed before gluing to the face shield.  

Written and created by Linda Hess

Glitterific Office Buddy

Hello everyone and happy Friday! Today I am going to show you how I made my new little Glitterific Office buddy for my desk at work out of a wooden peg. He also serves as a pencil topper but I mostly like to have him standing off to the side as a reminder that I have a whole life filled with creativity outside of my 9-5. I’ve been having a rough time readjusting to being back at the office after traveling these past few weeks so I needed something exciting and fun on my desk to snap me out of it!

Supplies:

• Creative paperclay
• peg
• sanding paper
• acrylic paint
• Folkart Glitterific acrylic paint
• drill
• pliers

First, I took my peg and figured out what size drill bit to use so that it could be placed on top of a pencil. Once that was sorted, I took a pair of pliers to hold the peg in place while I drilled out the hole. Be careful while using the drill and make sure that you drill about an inch so that the piece doesn’t topple over while it is sitting on top of your pen or pencil. Try the topper after drilling to see if it sits comfortably on top of your pencil. When the fit is right for you, move on to the next step.

I began to cover the top of the peg with Creative paperclay. I had some left over from a pack that dried out a bit. I conditioned it with some water and when it got a bit soggy I mashed it in place and allowed it to dry. Whenever I have semi dried out clay, I will use it for the base layer of a piece if possible and then use newer clay on top so that I could work out fine details.

Here I added a layer of newer clay that was a bit more pliable. When this layer dried, I went on to start building up the face.

I rarely make dolls with masculine features, or sculpt ears. Out of all of the dolls that I’ve created, there may be a total of 5 that actually have ears and maybe 4 males. I decided that I would try to work on those things that I am not comfortable with and see how they turn out.

I wanted to try out this new Folkart glitterific acrylic paint that I got from Plaid. I of course went with a shiny gold basecoat to put the glitter paint on top of.

After painting the piece in full gold, I began to put on a coat of the glitterific. I wasn’t sure of how to apply it to the piece, but I did realize that you can't just squirt it out of the tube like you normally would with normal paint. It has to be poured out into your paint tray and then painted on with a brush.After a few coats, I realized that I still wasn't getting as much glitter as I would like, so I ended up just applying the glitter on the piece directly with a stick. 

Here is what I ended up creating with all that glitter, I do admit that I went a bit too far! Use Glitterific with caution and most importantly, have fun doing it!

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's, Amazon, Joann's and Glitterific Folkart Paint at Plaid

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