Telling Stories in Clay

I was walking by a ceramic shop and saw some wonderful plaques and thought it would be fun to do a variation on them. It would be great to do a whole wall of these in a grid!!! So I decided I would do one on all the dogs who have shared my life and are no longer here. The O's and X's are for all the love Oso and I had for each other. He was my studio dog and the heartbeat beneath my work table. The trees are for the our walks, the round beads for all the places he had to stop and enjoy.

Supply List:
Creative PaperClay®
Mark Making Tools
Image
Acrylic Paint
Embellishments

I started by rolling out the clay on a masonite panel. Then I made marks in it and added clay embellishments which I also drew on before letting the clay dry. I really love the look of the raw clay. Once upon a time I was working towards a degree in ceramics but hated the hurry up and wait aspect of the media so ended up with a degree in painting. So now I only have to wait for the clay to dry and I can still paint.

I find it is always best to coat your clay with a matte acrylic medium when it is dry. After the medium dried I covered the whole tile with a matte black paint as I wanted the black to show up in the crevices when I did the final painted finish.














I added paint and started adding small beads, gold and silver rub and a button. I finished this off with a picture of Oso under a raised clear resin button shape.

My challenge to you is to make a happy memory for those you loved and still love.

Darlene Oliva McElroy