Carole's Top Five Tips for Using Creative Paperclay®

Creating with Creative Paperclay® modeling material and Delight™ air dry modeling compound is fun and easy!! Here is a quick list of my top five tips for using these great products.

1. Have slip handy and use it. Here a great blog post all about slip.
2. Allow plenty of time for your projects to dry thoroughly—usually overnight, but it could be longer, depending on the thickness of your clay.
3. You can speed up the drying time by heating your clay pieces in a 250° oven.
4. Cornstarch is great for preventing the clay from sticking to work surfaces and molds.
5. USE IT!! Play with it. Try something untried. You can't break the clay (while you're working with it, anyway ☺). If it's not what your want, just gather it into a ball and begin again.

You can see projects on my Create & Craft blog.

Carole

Painting multiple items the easy way with Creative Paperclay

Painting multiple items the easy way with Creative Paperclay

By Gloriann Irizarry

Hi my friends, is me once more Gloriann Irizarry with a very fast and easy way for you to cut 

down time when painting multiple little pieces of paper clay all a once.

Materials 

Acrylic Paints

Water

Ziplocks Bags

Paper Clay items

Baking sheet from the Dollar Tree Store

We are always short of time and look for easier ways to get out work done faster and more effective. I always end up with many little pieces that needs to be paint .

Now it you paint each piece one by one you will see your self  spending tons of time painting one by one . 

Since I don't like to spend countless hours just painting instead of playing with the Creative Paperclay

I thought to my self there got to be an easy way to accomplish this task. 

Right there and them I got my head thinking and trying many ways to get them little items painted with out the headache of pinching and painting your fingers all up and messing your nails all up.

 

Now for this to work you have to make sure your paper clay pieces are very dry. Place all my little pieces on top of a baking sheet and set them near the heat source in the winter or by the window in the sun light. I always like to have on stock many inexpensive baking sheets. I get the backing sheets from my local Dollar Tree Store. They come very handy for many of my projects. 

In a ziplock bag mix your paint and dilute it with plenty of water. You will need about and inch or more of very watery acrylic paint.

In the bag dump all your little dry clay shapes. 

Delicately mix the watery paint until all the items are coated.

Cut the corner off and let the paint drain.

Remove the items off the bag and lay them flat to dry.

See easy breezy all of your tinny pieces are painted all at once and no time wasted. 

Is a one of my best time saving tips. 

I hope this will help you safe some time. Feel free to leave your comments questions or concern below or email me at Gloriann@byglori.com

Bless you always and let's have fun and create art. 

Happy crafting 

 Gloriann Irizarry  

www.byglori.com

How Do I Color Thee...?

There are several ways to color your clay sculptures. Here's a quick run down of some of my favorite ways to add color to the raw clay.

1. Acrylic paint—Knead the paint right into the clay. Use a small amount of paint to begin with. Remember: it's always easier to add more paint than to take it away.
2. Food coloring—Knead small amounts into to clay. Paste food colorings also work, but when working with these I always wear rubber gloves to protect my hands from getting dyed in the process. 
3. Mica powder—When you knead these into the clay, since the mica powders are dry, you may need to add just a drop or two of water to maintain the consistency or the clay.
4. Glitter—Knead it into the raw clay. You may need to add just a drop or two of water to maintain the consistency or the clay.

There are also multiple ways to color a finished piece of clay sculpture:

1. Acrylic paints—Perhaps the most frequently used method of adding details to a finished piece, just paint it on.
2. Water color paints—Straight forward. Just paint them on, taking care to use only a minimal amount of water so as not to soften the clay.
3. Mica powders—These can be dry brushed onto the piece, much like applying blush :), or they can be mixed with a medium and painted on.
4. Inks—Stamp pad inks can be applied by dipping an artist brush in water and picking up color from the stamp pad. 
5. Glimmer Mist or Perfect Pearls Mist—Carefully misted onto a finished piece, these can add a lovely hint of shimmering color.
6. Permanent markers—These add rich details to your piece. 
7. PPA—I love this medium for a final coating for my pieces, sealing and protecting the sculpture. It comes in both matte and glossy, so I have a choice depending on what I want the final piece to look like.

As with all things related to art, just because it hasn't been done before, doesn't mean you shouldn't try it!! These are just some of my favorite coloring agents, but I know there's got to be loads more.

Carole

Painting Techniques And Tips for Creative Paperclay by Gloriann Irizarry

Hi my dear friends, followers and collectors is me Gloriann Irizarry once more with great tips and painting techniques. I wanted to share the many ways you can paint your Creative Paperclay.

 I had try many different ways to do this now I wanted to share them out so you can choose your favorite technique on your next project.

Here is the Genesis Artist Colors

Oil paints that will stay liquid until they are heat set.

I really like the Genesis paints with the paper clay projects.

I can create layers of details heat set them and work with another layer and not be afraid to smear or damage all the details.

It really adhere well and is absorb very nicely.  I like it because it doesn't peel off once is dry and can be easily seal with flat, gloss or mate spray sealant.

I use the Genesis paint in this Project and satin sealant.

Same here this other bunny I used the Genesis heat set paints. I love how well the paint adhere to the clay evenly. First layer is finished and set. Now will be send to the more painting details. 

In this project the bunny was painted with the Genesis heat set paints and seal with glossy sealer.

Here the bunny was painted and seal with mate sealer. The other details were glued and it took very well. No peeling off chips or white spots shown.

For this little Cupid I use the genesis heat set paints once more. I love how easy it is to blush by diluting the paint with mineral oil.

I heat set the body and then work on the details then heat set it once more.

Another technique is adding alcohol inks to the clay and mix it with the paper clay.

I also like this way because you can color the clay before you sculpt.

This will make it easier to add details and don't have to worry about having a uneven coat of paint over your project.

 Here you can see the difference on these 2 sculpts. They are the same shape but using the inking techniques. It dries beautiful . Have in mind to add enough ink to your clay and remember it will dry a tone lighter.

Now here is one of my FAVORITES ever. Sakura hobby craft 3d crystal lacquer and Terri Sproul Mixers by Sakura Hobby CraftsThis paint you mixt it your self. I start with the clear 3D crystal lacquer and your favorite color of the Terri Sproul Mixers.

I can add has much mix to the lacquer until I have the right tone. 

 Once ready paint over your Project. Sakura 3D lacquer is water base. I like to use old brushes, because the lacquer will dry quickly and will need to be wash very well after each use.

It gives a very nice metallic look to any Creative Paperclay creation and will add dimension to any detail you paint with it. 

Let now talk about the acrylics. There so many brands and shines you can choose from. I try to stay away from them because it usually required 2 coats for the pigment to look best and sometimes if peels off showing white patches. But with practice and used you will learn how far you can push it.

The better quality paint you use the better results you will get on your final pieces.

For brighter colors I use 2 coats sometimes even 3 to get a even bright tone all over the piece.

Sealer will also help you achieve the look your trying to achieve. 

Glossy, flat, frost or mate have in consideration the colors might change once they are applied.

For a more natural skin tone I like to use satin tones. These paints will not shine has much with the light and will give your figure a more real skin feel. For skin tones sealer I prefer frost, flat or mate sealers to make sure it will not look fake. Try and see which one you like the best.

I use the liquitex mostly for small detailed projects. The pigments are a lot stronger and it doesn't required has many coats to achieve a nice even tone. 

I love pearl tones over my Creative Paperclay projects. There are many acrylic paints now out there with this great translucent look. I got my self a nice package of the Martha Stewart Pearl Acrylic Paints but feel free to try others and choose your favorite. Now if you dont find your favorite color tone out there  in this wonderful pearl effect you can create your own too. Is very easy to make. Mix and create your own one of a kind color. Once your satisfy you get the Terri Sproul Mixer Shimmer Mica tone and add a little them mix. Now you can keep adding more and more until you achieve your favorite pearl tone. 

Here are some pieces painted on the Pearl Effect Acrylics.

The more coats applied the more brighter will look. I like to seal with glossy to enhance the light tones on the piece and make it more attractive.

Glossy sealed pieces made by Gloriann Irizarry 

Well I hope this help you choose your favorite paint method and feel free to leave a comment or email me any questions at Gloriann@byglori.com

remember to have a bless day and happy crafting. 

Your blogger friend 

Gloriann Irizarry 

Barbara's Tips and Techniques for June

Hey there, Creative Paperclay® fans!  Welcome back to the blog.  I am so glad you decided to stop by today.  I have a really cool technique I want to share with you.  It is a continuation of my last post, which you can view by clicking here.  As I said earlier, I love ancient artifacts, and I am really enamored with ancient Egypt.  I knew I wanted to add a label of some sort to my ancient jar, so I dug out (no pun intended) one of my Egyptian hieroglyph rubber stamps.

Supplies Used:

Creative Paperclay®

FolkArt acrylic paint - Seamist, Solid Bronze Metallic

Egyptian Hieroglyph rubber stamp - Judikins

Two 1/4" brown eyelets

Natural twine

I rolled out a small piece of Creative Paperclay®, and then I placed that piece on top of my rubber stamp, choosing a section I thought would be interesting.

Very important tip:  Roll your brayer or clay roller over the clay only once, using steady, even pressure.  Do not try to go back and forth.  The clay tends to move, or stretch, as you roll it, giving unclear images.  However, if you do not get a clear image, just knead the clay again, and start over.

Pick a section of images that you like, and use an oval clay cutter to cut out your label.

Simply smooth any rough edges with your fingers, or sand it after it has dried.

Insert 1/4" eyelets on both sides of your label.  Your eyelet color does not matter.  You will be painting over them.  (If your eyelets fall out, simply glue them in.)

Use an awl to remove the clay still inside the eyelets.

Allow label to dry thoroughly.  You can carefully use a heat gun to speed up the process.  Paint the label with bronze paint.  Use a scrubbing motion to get the paint down into all the crevices.  Allow to dry.

Use a dry brush technique to add highlights the with Seamist acrylic paint.

Run twine through hole on one side of eyelet, around the jar, and back through the eyelet on the opposite side.  Tie off.

Now your jar is labeled.  How fun is that?  And since I cannot read hieroglyphs, I can put anything I want to in this jar.  I really do like how this turned out.  I think the label adds just a bit more excitement to the piece.

Thanks again for joining me on my journey into Ancient Egypt.  I hope you have been motivated to make something fun that really inspires you.  Maybe your preference is Asian, or Greek, or something from the good ole' USofA.  Whatever your pleasure, Creative Paperclay® can help you make it all come true.

So until next month, have fun, and be sure to visit the Creative Paperclay® blog for more inspiration and tips from the rest of the wonderful design team.

Barbara