Shari's Creative PaperclayTip of the Month - January 2017

Hi!

Welcome to my Creative Paperclay® tip of the month for January. Can you believe it's 2017 already?!?

When finishing my paperclay pieces, I absolutely love my Sandits® tools. They are great for getting into those places that sandpaper just cant touch. They come in a several shapes and grit. They are one of my "go to" tools for paperclay.

Recently I was sanding a piece and came to an area that I could not reach with any of my tools. Nothing would get to the area I needed to have finished. Then I thought of a great idea. I got out my fingernail files. It worked!

Fingernail files come in several different grits, you can cut them to any shape you need, they bend easily to get into those hard to reach spots, and they are very inexpensive.

I hope this little tip might help the next time you are working with Creative Paperclay®.

Happy Creating!

Shari

Tori's Tip - Watercolor Painting Pointers

Last month I showed you a flower image burned into Creative Paperclay® modeling material.  This month I'm going to show you how I colored it with watercolor paint and give you some pointers on using watercolor paints on dry clay.

This is the piece I started with - the dry piece of clay was sanded smooth before I burned the image into it.

My first pointer is to make some extra pieces of flat clay to use for experiments and practice.  Try painting a wash on a section of clay that hasn't been sanded, then try it with various levels of sanding up to a smooth finish.  The paint will be absorbed quickly into the un-sanded clay, which will make it more difficult to create a smooth wash.  I like a smooth, but not polished, clay finish for painting on, but it is somewhat a matter of personal preference.

This is the first wash of color -

The second pointer is to wet the area, apply a wash of paint, then spread the paint with the brush.

In this case, it is easier to keep the watercolor in the areas I want it to be in, since the burned image lines are impressed in the clay.

Here a couple of additional layers of paint have been added.

The next pointer is - let the watercolor dry before the next layer of paint is applied, and don't let the clay get too wet, or you may end up brushing the paint off instead of putting it on.

Now the final paint layers & washes have been added.

The tip for this final step is - use the warning in the last step to create highlights or paint a lighter color.

I "erased" some areas that I thought were too dark by lifting the paint off with a wet brush.  I decided the leaves also needed more contrast, so I lifted some paint off of a few areas and then added a light yellow/green wash on those areas.

Thanks for joining me here again!  As always, play, experiment, and have fun!

Tori

Find me on Facebook, or peruse & ponder pics with me on Pinterest

Tori's Tip - Dimensional Drawing

Hi, it's Tori again, still experimenting with and learning new things about Delight™ air dry modeling compound.  When I started on the Design Team more than a year ago, I had very little experience with this material, but I am finding new uses for it all the time.  My tip for this month is to try your hand at drawing on dry clay.  You may fall in love, though it takes a bit of getting used to.

As you can see in the work-in-progress flower drawing, the technique consists of layering the pencil(s) very gently at first, a little bit at a time, then varying the pressure to create a dimensional drawing.  Fill in larger areas with the a dull pencil tip or the side of the pencil.

I particularly love this for black and white doodles, using pencils of various hardness.  A kneaded eraser works well for making changes or correcting mistakes in the early stages, but of course won't restore the clay once it has been pressed firmly.  You can also use blending tools as in drawing on paper, but again, start with a light touch and apply pressure when you want to indent areas of the image.

Here is a close-up of the doodle in the picture - which I will probably use for a pendant at some point.  For now, I'm just having fun with the process and seeing how far I can take the medium.  I can foresee many uses such as scrapbook page embellishments, jewelry, decorative objects (because you can still draw on it even if it isn't flat!), etc.

Thanks for joining me here again!

I'd love for you to join me for more projects & art adventures on my personal blog

Find me on Facebook, or peruse & ponder pics with me on Pinterest

Mix n' Match Mediums - Tori's Tip for December

Wondering if you can use a certain type of paint, crayons or markers on Creative Paperclay®?  Here's my tip - If you can use the medium on paper or wood, then it's okay to use on the clay.  The "secret" is in the prep work.  The assortment in the photo above contains just a few of the many artistic mediums I've used with this amazing modeling material!

- acrylics, watercolors and other water-based media can be painted directly onto the clay without any prep work.  The paint will be absorbed into the clay up to a point, but if you get it too wet you will start removing it rather than adding it, so let the paint dry between coats or washes.  The paint will also be absorbed differently in areas that are left just as the clay dried, and those that have been sanded.  These absorption rates can be used to your advantage to enhance textures, etc.  These media can also be used over gesso.

- pencils, crayons, chalk & oil pastels can also be used directly onto the clay as it dried.  Again, you can take advantage of the texture of the material, leaving more "tooth" for the mediums to grab on to, or sanding the clay smooth.  With pencils, you can either use a light touch to keep the pigment on top of the clay, or use a heavier touch and actually change the surface for texture and 3-D effects.  (Plus, the crayons can be melted onto the clay too! - you can see some of the effects here)

- oils, oil pastels, markers and spray paint, are best used on a surface that has been prepared with gesso, in the same way you would prepare a wood panel.

- inks & dyes also work well with the clay, and it's a great surface for stamping onto with rubber stamps and stands up well to embossing, layering and texture effects.

I suggest making up some samples of dry clay and having a fun day of just playing with different media and prep techniques with no objective in mind other than exploration.  It's a great way to get some inspiration and new ideas!  You might try making up a bunch of 1 or 2 inch square "tiles", using those to practice and play with various mediums, then putting them all together for a unique art piece. (What about a play date with your artsy friends?!) Thanks for joining me here, I'll close with my usual advice - Play, Experiment, and Have Fun!

I'd love for you to join me for more projects & art adventures on my personal blog

Find me on Facebook, or peruse & ponder pics with me on Pinterest

Tip Time

Hello, it's Ann from The Design Team and from Annmakes with a quick tip.  Did you know that Creative Paperclay® is very much like paper when it cures!  Well, if you make it thin it can be cut with scissors.

 I love doing this when working on a project, and then finishing off the piece to make it look like hard clay or marble, even metal.  You can use this Creative Paperclay® to achieve so many faux finishes.

So, back to the paper quality.  Not only can you cut Creative Paperclay® with scissors, or a craft knife, but you can also punch holes right through it with a regular hand held paper hole punch!  How neat is that?  Imagine all the possibilities.

In a previous post I talked about how you can color on Creative Paperclay® just like you can on paper. I have used many different mediums to color my projects from: colouring pencils,

crayons, pastels, paints, inks etc.

The properties of this awesome product are, well, awesome!  Once Creative Paperclay® dries it is so light weight and easy to alter into just about anything your heart desires.  Go on give it a try.
To see more of my other projects visit my blog at:  http://annmakes.blogspot.com.

Thanks for stopping by.

Joining Clay Pieces - Tori's Tip for November

This month I'm going to share a tip with you for making the perfect invisible seam when you need to join two pieces of clay together.  This comes in handy when you are covering an object (as I'll be doing for next month's project ;) ) or trying to make a smooth finish with rolled out clay.

Here are the two pieces of clay to be joined - overlap them where you want the seam

Cut at an angle through both pieces of clay

Remove the extra pieces of clay from each side
dip finger or brush in water and dampen the edges to be joined

Gently press the two sides back together and smooth the seam
by rubbing back and forth with a damp finger.

Thanks for joining me here again, and I'll see you next month!

I'd love for you to join me for more projects & art adventures on my personal blog

Find me on Facebook, or peruse & ponder pics with me on Pinterest

How NOT to be Overwhelmed with Projects - Tori's Tip for October

Some components from my first Design Team post - an "Inspiration Mobile"

At the beginning of this year I started my term on the design team - I was really excited to share some of my ideas, projects and techniques with other fans of Creative Paperclay®.  During the year I realized that some of my projects are...well.....kind of complicated.  Or at least they seem that way when I scroll back through some of them.  The mobile project involved patterns, making cookie cutters, bending wires, planning it out, etc. because that's what it took to make it.  It was also fun to create, though seeing all the steps at once might not make it seem that way.

  So, in the hopes that if you see a project that you'd like to make but feel it might be too much for you, I am posting seven tips that might make you decide to "go for it"

1.  Relax and don't worry about the outcome.   Ask yourself what you will have lost if the project turns out to be a total flop (which, in truth, isn't very likely).  The answer is usually "a few craft supplies and some time".  Hopefully you will have enjoyed the process, and either way, you will have gained experience and know what to do differently the next time.

2.  Read through the directions at least once before starting on anything.

3.  Gather materials - Gather them according to what is listed for the project, and, as you read through the directions again, because once in a while authors of craft instructions forget to put something on the tools and materials list.

4.  Work when you work best.  When I see or think of a project that inspires me I want to start on it right away.  Sometimes I do that and then quickly run out of energy or enthusiasm because the initial excitement wears off.  Projects go much more smoothly when a time is set aside for them and preparation has been made, so for me (a morning person) I try to set things up the night before so I have everything ready to get to work in the morning.

5.  Realize that results  may WILL vary.  That's a good thing!  When I teach classes I am always amazed at the variety of projects the students create from the same set of instructions and materials.  Don't expect what you create to look just like the photo of a project (it may turn out much, much, better!)

6.  Take breaks.  If you feel frustrated or one step in the project isn't going as planned, take a little break, go for a short walk, do some stretches, or just stare out the window for a bit and think of something else.

7.  The most important tip - HAVE FUN!  Remember that the directions are not rules, and you are free to do your own thing.  If it isn't working, turn it into something else, or have an aggression relief session and destroy it in the most creative way possible. Go Play!

and remember....Halloween will be here soon!  Join us for the Link-Up Party  and the Blog Hop with Gina's Designs

I'd love for you to join me for more projects & art adventures on my personal blog

Find me on Facebook, or peruse & ponder pics with me on Pinterest

Adding Dimension - Tori's Tip for September

This month's tip is a simple way to add a dimensional element to your projects using Delight™ Air Dry Modeling Compound.

If you've been working on a project and have scraps or just a bit of clay left that might have started to dry out a bit, just roll it out and let it dry.  When you need a quick design element, glue a printed cut-out onto the clay, then cut that out.  Use marker or paint to color the sides of your piece, and add other elements as needed.  For my little plaque, in addition to the butterfly cut-out I added antennae using bristles from a hair brush.

Thanks for visiting the blog, and Happy Crafting!

I'd love for you to join me for more projects & art adventures on my personal blog

Find me on Facebook, or peruse & ponder pics with me on Pinterest

Transferring Patterns - Tori's Tip for August

This month I made a short video on how to transfer a pattern to Creative Paperclay® modeling material.  It is an easy technique better demonstrated than written out :)

If you have a light box or you are able to see your design from the reverse side of your pattern paper, you can skip step 1 and just trace the pattern in reverse the first time.

I'll be using this technique for my project in September, when I'm going to share with you how to make an "antique" chalk/slate board.

For transferring a pattern to dry clay, follow the same tracing method, but then place the traced pattern onto the clay and go over it with a pencil while it is on the dry clay.

Thanks for visiting the blog!

I'd love for you to join me for more projects & art adventures on my personal blog

Find me on Facebook, or peruse & ponder pics with me on Pinterest

Best Creative Paperclay Tools Tips by Gloriann Irizarry

 

It is finally Summer. The weather is getting nice and hot. Now I have been ask about Creative Paperclay and what's the best tools to use so I will be answering this question to full extend today. Feel free to visit our Creative Paperclay Q&A Facebook page if full of many wonderful Creative Paperclay artist always helping others with any question you might have about Creative Paperclay .

 

 

Rollers are the best way to roll a clay sheet.

It doesn't have to be fancy or expensive a simple old aluminum foil paper roller will work.

Has long the cardboard is thick it should do the trick.

 

Aluminum foil is wonderful to create nice armatures and it is easy to bend and shape to most desired shapes. You can keep in the sculpt or removed the paper after the clay dry.

 

Freezer paper is great to keep the clay from sticking on your working surface.

Lay a sheet on your working table and can be use to keep the clay from sticking when you roll the sheets of clay out.

 

 

Stainless steel wires and foam forms are one of my favorites to use to create armatures for paper clay projects. They will save you time and money.

you can also use regular object like water bottles and foam to create intricate shapes. 

The best way to keep them from falling apart is Hot glue. Now the trick is not to use high temperature but use Low temperature instead and let it fully dry so it nice and thigh.

  



 

Hobby knife and carving tools work great .

 

Any spray bottle can be recycle for you to use has a water clay mister

 

Paper tape is wonderful to create nice armature or use has fillers for your sculpt.

 

 

Flat brushes are my favorite to smooth the sculpt with water.

 



 

Now don't be afraid to try other tools like executers, texture plates or mold design or marketed for either polymer clay of cake fondant they work wonderful on Creative Paperclay . You will be surprise all the wonderful thing available out there for you. If you cant find a tool you like don't give up is always fun to make your own too.  Now the possibilities are endless all you need to do is let your imagination Fly.

 

I hope this help and feel free to visit our blog for more wonderful tips by many other great designers team members so stay tune .    

 

 

Sincerely

Gloriann Irizarry

 

Tori's Tip for July - little rollers

Hi it's Tori West again with this month's tip - though I usually post a project at the beginning of the month, and a tip later, I'm switching things up this month.  The reason for the switch is because if you make yourself a couple of these handy little rollers, you will have them ready for the project I'm going to post later in the month.  However, even if you don't want to do the project, you might find these useful whenever you want thin pieces of clay for embellishments, covering small objects, etc.

Just like the work boards I showed you in a previous post, ceramic tiles are great to have around the studio.  In this case, I use 4 1/4" x 4 1/4" tiles (available at home improvement stores) tape wood strips on opposite sides, and use them, along with a 5" piece of acrylic rod and a sandwich baggie with three sides of the seams removed, to create an even thickness when rolling out clay.  The baggie can be used over and over again just by rinsing it off in between usage.  I find this method much easier to use than a pasta machine, and definitely easier to clean up!  The thicknesses I use most often are 1/8" and 1/16", so I've made tile rollers for each of those. These are great for when you just need a little bit of clay for a stamp or scrapbook embellishment.

I'd love for you to join me for more projects & art adventures on my personal blog

Find me on Facebook, or peruse & ponder pics with me on Pinterest

Tip Time: How to fix...

Hi, it's me, Ann , from the Creative Paperclay® Design Team and the blog Annmakes (http://annmakes.blogspot.com).  Today I want to share with you how I was able to salvage some of my crafting mishaps with Creative Paperclay® and turn them into WOW projects!

I sometimes make batches of embellishments to have ready for any project planned or impromptu.  I was looking in my collection and noticed that several of my pieces looked less than appealing.  I was a bit bummed about that and I thought well what if.... and I have nothing to lose anyways...

So here I had this piece which had warped in the drying process, and the corner was chipped, and then it cracked when I tried to flatten the warps.  Normally, this would be discarded but that stubborn streak in me said, try something!  So I tried spritzing the piece with some water and patiently (important part) applied pressure to slowly yet surely flatten the piece.

Some water, a lot of patience, some heavy weight and we are off to the races.  Well at least to my work table.  I also took it a step further and added a generous coat of Decou-Page (glue and sealer) to the back and covered it with a scrap of scrapbook paper.  I find this gives the whole piece a sturdier base.

Once all the repairs were done my piece was ready to be decorated and used in a project.
My goal here is to show you that  sometimes what we see as a failure might actually turn out ok, and even great, with a little or a lot of patience.

Enjoy this tip and all the other tips, how to's and ideas my team mates and I have for you here on this blog.  Come see how I handle other crafty situations over at my blog.

Thank you so much for stopping by!