Bowl completion...Just in time for Holiday decorating!

So excited with the look of this bowl!!  So festive and easy to do with only a few materials and a little bit of time.

First off, check out my last blog post (http://creativepaperclay.blogspot.com/2018/11/challenge-bowl-from-creative-paperclay.html) for instructions to create the bowl out of Creative Paperclay Modeling Material.

Once you have a completely dry bowl gather the following materials to complete a gorgeous, eye catching Holiday table decoration:
1) 2 colors PLAID Folk Art Multi-surface metallic paint (I used Antique Gold #658 and Tanzanite #6313)
2) Dremel or other hand drill with multiple sizes of drill bits
3) tools: a paint brush, a sponge brush, & a pencil
4) 2 types of yarn (I used Lush Alpaca (amethyst) and eyelash yarn (aqua)
5) a thin wire to use as a needle and/or a plastic embroidery needle

First, use the pencil to mark hole placement all the way around your bowl.  I made my marks about 1/2" apart and about 1/4" down from the top of the bowl.  Keep in mind you will be drilling at these marks so give yourself enough space between marks and edge.

Begin to drill using a small drill bit to make the pilot hole.  Work carefully all the way around the bowl.  Once pilot holes are complete, gradually increase the size of the drill bit and holes, one step at a time.  I changed the drill bit 3 times before I was happy with the size of the hole.  NOTE:  The size of finished holes will be tied to the size yarn you choose.  Obviously thicker yarn will  need a larger hole.

Once the holes were completed, I wiped out the bowl with a damp paper towel to remove all Creative PaperClay dust.  Now, time to paint!

I painted the entire bowl with Antique Gold paint using the paint brush.  The brush helps to get paint into textured areas.  I applied 2 coats.

Once the gold paint dried, I used the sponge brush to careful brush Tanzanite paint over the textured bottom.  For this step, little bits of paint on the edge of the sponge brush will allow paint to remain on top of the texture rather than sinking into the crevices.

 

2 coats were applied.  The "foot" of the bowl can be left gold or have tanzanite brushed across as well.

I do love texture and detail.  For that reason I chose a fluffy yarn to stitch.  The thickness of this yarn filled in gaps between holes.  For this yarn, I cut a thin piece of wire to use as my needle. I cut a piece of yarn long enough to wrap around the bowl edge plus some.  The yarn was folded in half and then the "needle" added.  Leave a little tail of yarn loose after the first stitch.  This will be knotted with the other end once stitching is completed. (NOTE: Because of the hole size, I could not use a plastic needle for this step.  The thickness of the yarn plus the size of the needle eye was too large for the holes)

So this looks pretty enough and I could probably stop.  But as I said, I do love texture and detail.  Bring on the eyelash yarn!!

The eyelash yarn takes a bit of time and patience.  I used the plastic needle so it could be woven into the Amethyst yarn.  To start, place the needle under 2 loops along the edge.  Double back over one of the loops and then under 2 again.  Repeat the process a few times before trying to pull out the loose eyelash threads. NOTE:  If this is done too soon, all of the stitching will pull out.  TAKE YOUR TIME!

Continue until you have gone completely around the bowl.  To complete, weave the end under a few loops and trim the excess.

For your holiday table, think about displaying your beautiful bowl on a mirror in the center of the table!

I hope you have enjoyed this project.  I am lucky enough to be back creating with the Design Team for another 6 months!  Keep watch for more projects using Creative PaperClay as well as Delight Air Dry Compound.

Have a Blessed Christmas...Happy Hanukkah...Happy Kwanzaa...merry Festivus to all ❤

Christmas Project Joy!

Today I will share pictures of projects that I created with some of my students at school.  This is my 2nd Christmas season teaching art to K-8th grade in Triangle, Virginia.  I say on a daily basis that I have THE BEST job in the whole world as I get to experience art through the eyes of children.

I decided to use Creative Paperclay with my 6th graders and Delight Air Dry with my 2nd graders.  Both groups were thrilled to be working with clay and listened intently to instructions (or so I thought).  One of the first instructions I gave was to roll the creative Paperclay flat between 2 pencils before starting to design their individual angels.  A few of my students heard the pencil part, but translated it to "roll the clay as long as a pencil"  Of course the mistake wasn't discovered until they had created gorgeous angels and went to put them on the drying racks.  Hmmm, okay...kind of skinny, but I am used to adapting.

My second graders used Delight air dry to also create angels for a mixed media canvas.  Their instructions were a bit different though.   Each student had already created a halo from construction paper and metallic markers.  With that glued down to a painted canvas they were given a piece of Delight air dry clay and a damp paper towel.  They could use the clay to make an entire angel or combine components of clay with paper elements.  As you can see from the pictures that follow, no 2 were the same and each child had a definite vision of what he or she wanted to accomplish.

I couldn't be more proud of what they all made (both classes) and I think there will be many happy parents or grandparents when packages are opened on Christmas day.  Now for the pictures...some are process and some are finished projects.

6th graders at work.  Each student had a damp paper towel to keep the clay moist.  Each table also had a cup of water to help adhere details.

A dab of water to attach pieces of clay angel together.  

Best "tool" I ever bought for my classroom!  Stackable cookie racks from Ross.

The finished projects.  The backing is a wood board which they collaged with paper and music and inspirational passages.  The backing was not a part of the original project, but became necessary after some of the angels became a bit too skinny to stand alone.

Angels were painted with metallic paints before gluing to covered board.

The angel on the left is one of the larger, skinnier angels.  I am in love with the one on the right!  The student chose her board specifically because of the knot at the top and then used that in her design.  FABULOUS

Students used construction paper, tissue paper, magazines, calendars, and much more to create a backdrop for the angel.  I love the variety.  No 2 are alike.

2nd grade Delight angels.  

The students were given the option to add words to the canvas.  Some place the words on top and some worked the words around the edges of the canvas!

I love the expression on this one.  The student worked very hard to get her eyes "just right".  Paint wouldn't work the way she wanted, so she painted the white, added brown paper for the color, and then a dot of white in the center of each...perfect!

See the angel, top left?  The child wanted hair for her angel.  We found a bag of doll hair in a box of classroom supplies...gave her the perfect curly hairdo.

I hope you have enjoyed these and can see how easy it is to use Creative Paperclay and Delight Air Dry with children.  Have a very Merry Christmas and Happy Creative New Year

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas...Crafting!

I awoke this morning with a start!  I am an Art teacher 3 days a week and it suddenly hit me that I have only 3 weeks MAX to start to finish Christmas projects with each of my classes (K-8th grade).  I know how much the kids like working of any sort, so I pulled out my Creative PaperClay to experiment.  The project is super easy and the results eye catching.  Let's get started.

Materials:
1 package Creative PaperClay
rolling pin or acrylic roller (or pasta machine set to thickest setting)
mesh baggie
bamboo skewer
star cutter set (shown: Ateco)
wooden spool beads (Indus Trading Co.)
small clay pot
Optional:  paint, glitter, glue

Procedure:
1) Remove clay from package.  Flatten with chosen tool (rolling pin, acrylic roller, or pasta machine).  Place flattened clay on work surface.
2)  Use cutters to cut 2 of each size except for the smallest...cut only 1 of that size.  Use a finger to smooth the edges of each star.

3)  Lay mesh baggie over each star and press.

Mesh will leave behind an interesting texture.

4)  Lightly stack the stars beginning with the largest and finishing with the next to smallest.

Press the end of bamboo skewer into the center to create a hole in each layer.  Remove skewer and unstack stars to dry.  Place smallest star on the pointed end of the skewer to dry.

NOTE:  Stars can dry overnight or (for those of you who know me well) placed into a 275 degree oven for about 30 minutes.
5)  Once dry (or cooled), glue the small star to pointed end of bamboo skewer.  Then add stars 2 at a time, sliding a wooden spool in between sizes.  Continue until all of the stars have been placed on skewer.  Add one last wooden spool.
6)  Press any remaining clay from the package into the clay pot.

Turn clay pot upsidedown.  Press skewer with tree through hole in top.

OPTIONAL TOUCH #1:  Paint tree and spools as desired.  Pot can be decorated with paint, permenant marker, or ribbon trim.

OPTIONAL TOUCH #2:  Drill small holes at the tips of each star and hang small ornaments (must be lightweight).  Display your tree on top of a mirror in the center of a table...GOR-GE-OUS!

For my students I think that I will adapt the tutorial to use smaller staggered stars and string on pipe cleaners instead of the bamboo skewer.  It will help the clay to go a bit farther in my classroom (up to 36 students per class) and leave me counter space for other projects :-)

Fall/Halloween Tree by Linda Hess

I have been teaching an after-school polymer clay group for years.  This year I have a group of middle school students (yippee), so we can work on some more involved projects.  Yesterday I showed them how to make an armature from foil and then wrap it with polymer clay.  HMMMM, wouldn't it be great to use my air dry Creative PaperClay® instead?!  I set right to work...

The materials are easy:  Creative PaperClay®. foil, a damp paper towel, and your hands (Optional: cutting tool)
1) Pull off a long piece of foil (mine is about 2ft long).  Crumple it together at the bottom only (keep the top loose).

 Be careful how tightly you scrunch it together...foil can always be made smaller as the design progresses, but it is very difficult to make it larger without ripping.
2) Flatten the bottom of the trunk by pressing against the work surface.  Do not worry about it standing at this point...adjustments can be made as the tree progresses and the branches help to balance it.
3) Now to work on the branches.  Beginning at one end of the foil (about 3"-4" from the end), carefully rip it down towards the trunk.

Do not rip it off as this will form a branch.  Scrunch the foil together (as shown),

folding onto itself to shorten the branch (if desired).  Continue to rip and scrunch branches until the top is completely done.  

As you can see from the photo, no 2 tree armatures ever turn out the same (OOAK creations).

4) Now it is time to apply the Creative PaperClay®.  Cut off a piece of clay from the block (NOTE: A tree of this size shouldn't take any more than 1/4 block of PaperClay).  Place it onto the damp paper towel.  Fold the towel over the clay to keep it moist as you work.
5) I like to work with small pieces and then smooth as I go.  Pull a blob of clay off the cut piece.   Flatten/thin the blob between your fingers

before applying to the tree armature.  Begin work at the bottom and work your way up to the branches.  

Since this is a tree, I don't want it to be super smooth...the seams are smoothed together, but texture is left behind.  If the clay doesn't want to go together at the seams, dip one finger into water and smooth over the clay.
Continue until the tree is completely covered.

6) Step back and take a look...do the branches look "full" or does it need a few touch ups?  My tree looked a bit bare, so I added small bits of clay onto the large branches by pressing small bits on and then smoothing along the seams.

Perfect.

7)  Final touch, fattening the bottom and adding roots.  Add blobs to the base of the trunk, smooth into place, and then pull out some of excess clay to form a triangle.

Twist the triangle gently to create roots.  

Once you are happy with the look, set the tree aside to dry.

Tomorrow: Finishing the tree and embellishing