Thursday, September 25, 2008

Wilomina the Witch


You might remember an earlier post where I showed the quick sketch of this lovely gal. I finally finished her! I've named her Wilomina - sounds like a graceful name, don't you think? She is PaperClay and wood...but this time I tried something different...I've used a piece of a feather boa for hair! It really gives her a kind of frazzled look! I like this combination of PaperClay and other materials - might try some more of this in the future.

Wilomina is going to be offered for purchase exclusivly on A Time for Primitives on Oct. 1.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Snowmen and Santa and Devils...Oh My!


As you can see from the WIPs photos, I've been working my fingers to the bone! I've got LOTS of new figures made, all dryed and gesso'd and ready for painting. It's almost a little intimidating to have this many yet-to-be-finished creations staring at you in the face (although, they don't have their eyeballs painted in yet, so I guess they really don't do much staring). The painting process is really one of my favorite steps - so I really look forward to the work ahead. Once they are base coated with thin layers of acrylics, they are stained, then details are added in oil paints. It's a long process, but the end result is well worth the efforts.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Santa Claus is Coming To...STJ!



Just a quick sneek peek of one of the items that I will be offering on Spooky Time Jingles for Sept. What could a Jolly old guy and a chicken have in common? I know, that sounds like the opening line of a dirty joke...but actually it is a new PaperClay creation that I'm proud to offer on STJ for the month of September. Be sure to check out the site for the monthly update on Sept. 13th!

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Tale of a Tail




I know why they call it Labor Day! I did nothing but work this weekend. With upcoming art shows, I have got to spend every spare minute I have building up my inventory. The PaperClay is flying fast and furious.

Speaking of PaperClay, I sung it's praises in last week's post. This week, I'd like to speak up about PaperClay's under appreciated sibling: Diamond Clay. I'm working on a Halloween cat, and you can see by the WIP photos, his tail is pretty thin. I tried creating this tail in PaperClay. But after it dried, it cracked and became too unstable. I turned to my opened pack of Diamond Clay. I had only tried this clay once, a long while back and was not pleased with the results. I decided to remodel the tail in this new material. The results are in; this stuff is GREAT! It's not as pliable and easy to mold as PaperClay, but it is tough as a ROCK when it dries! This is a wonderful material for small details or thin pieces (like kitty tails). It seems to dry faster than PaperClay, and doesn't remain workable for as long, plus it's a little more expensive than PaperClay. But, the tradeoff is a tougher-than-nails piece that can take a real beating!