Category: "Polymer clay"

Jack-o'-lantern

by brae  

What's a Halloween display without a jack-o'-lantern?!  Ophelia wouldn't hear of it!

I've seen many techniques used online and in books for making hollow pumpkins from polymer clay.  Most often something is baked inside: styrofoam, foil or a glass marble.  Each of these has pros and cons.  The styrofoam just seems noxious to bake, but maybe I'm wrong.  The glass marble can cause breakage when you try to remove it, which makes me worry about all the effort to make it look good being ruined in an instant.  The foil doesn't seem the easiest to remove, but it seems the least noxious and easier than the marble...so that's the way I went.

I used Fimo ochre clay around the foil ball and then added Fimo cognac clay around the clay ball.  This way, the inside would be lighter than the outside once carved.

I added lines and texture but decided to carve my pumpkin after baking to minimize handling while the clay was pliable.  I did plan to leave one or two of the pumpkins intact just for decoration, but I made all three the same way just in case.

I used pastels to color the clay before baking to deepen the color and emphasize the sculpted lines.  Here they are after baking.

After the clay cooled, I cut the removable top, removed the foil innards and carved the pumpkin face.  None of these things proved easily done.  The clay was thicker and harder than I thought it would be.  It didn't ruin the illusion in the end, but I ended up making only this one for lack of time.

I used a grape stem for the top, an idea I saw on Joann Swanson's blog.  I used the larger main stem, though, and it was still green.  I microwaved it to dry it out, and bleh...did it ever smell bad.  Hahahaha

After gluing the stems on, I brushed on a thin coat of Sculpey satin glaze, even on the stems to seal them.  It gives them a wonderfully realistic waxy finish.  :D It also disguises the cutting and carving marks.

I drilled a hole in the bottom for the LED.

These are flickering LEDs from Evan Designs.  They attach to a 3V battery adapter with a switch and come in yellow or orange.  I bought both colors since I wasn't sure which would look better, or if I would want a combination of the two.  And, because Lyssa told me to get both.  :D  I ended up using a single orange bulb for my jack-o'-lantern.  It ended up being the better color of the two and plenty bright on its own.

I had already run the wire through the foundation so I could operate the switch in the cellar doors.  Here's the battery and switch in the cellar.

The light is on and pumpkins are in place!  Hooray!

I think this requires a movie.  ;D  I apologize for the poor quality of the video, but it's the best my camera will do. At least you get to see the flickering LED!

I will definitely use these flickering lights for the parlor fireplace, too.  That wiring will be an easier endeavor to accomplish, though.

Merry scarecrow tutorial

by brae  

Who's ready for autumn?!!!!  I am eager to get back into working on the Heritage, which will be wonderful to decorate for Halloween.  Below is a tutorial I wrote that was featured in the February 2012 Greenleaf Gazette.   click images to enlarge

Merry Scarecrow Tutorial

This is a fun, simple and versatile tutorial for making raffia and polymer clay scarecrows.

Along with craft glue, some small clamps, a ruler and scissors, you will need:
- Orange polymer clay
- Clay sculpting tools
- Orange or natural raffia
- Black sewing thread
- Black felt
- Yellow paper
- Leaf paper punches
- Ball stylus
- Black paper
- 1/16" hole punch
- Black paint and small brush (optional)
- A small bit of wire and mini drill (optional)

To make a polymer clay pumpkin, roll some orange polymer clay into a ball in the size you wish for the head.  I've used Fimo in Cognac here to form a ball approximately 3/8" in diameter.  Flatten the sphere just a bit and mark the top center with a clay sculpting tool.

Using your sculpting tool, create indentations from the top to the bottom along the sides, evenly all the way around.

Create a face by indenting the clay.  I've used these various tools for the faces created in my examples.

Bake according to the clay instructions and set aside to cool.

Determine the height you want your scarecrow to be from neck to feet (the polymer clay head and felt hat will add to the height, so take this into account).  Take about 8-9 pieces of raffia and cut to the height measurement plus a little extra for trimming.  I've made mine just over 3" long.  (Note: this corrects the Gazette version that stated to cut this bundle to half the height measurement.)

Tie the raffia bundle in the exact middle with black sewing thread, being sure to knot a few times.  Cut the ends of the thread but not too close.  This assembly will form the arms.  Tip: use a clamp to hold the raffia while you tie the knots.

Take about 13-15 lengths of raffia and cut to twice the height measurement plus some for trimming.  I've made mine 6.5" long.

Tie the raffia bundle in the exact middle with sewing thread and cut the ends of the thread.  This will form the body and legs.

In the exact middle, glue the arm assembly at the knot and fold the body over.

Tie the waist with black thread.  Wrap the thread around a few times to form a belt (you can also add thin ribbon) and knot the thread.  Cut the ends of the thread.

Separate the raffia below the waist into equal amounts.  Tie at each ankle with black thread, leaving a bit of extra raffia to form the feet.  Cut the ends of the thread.  Trim the raffia ends even.

Tie at each wrist, leaving a bit of extra raffia to form the hands.  Cut the ends of the thread.  Trim the raffia ends even.  Set body aside.

Punch out leaves from yellow paper.  I use the larger leaves for the head and the smaller ones to stuff into the body.

Cup the leaves with a ball stylus.

Glue three of the larger leaves on top of your pumpkin, clipping or shaping as necessary.

Using the tip of your glue bottle, press the felt down to form a bubble in the felt.  Work gently and slowly, otherwise you'll poke right through.  I find it easier to make these bubbles on a larger piece of felt and then cut them to fit.

Using your polymer clay pumpkin as a guide, trim the black felt around the bubble to make a hat.

Glue the hat in place over the leaves.

You can also skip the leaves altogether and make any crazy shaped hat you want.

If you'd like to paint your pumpkin's face, use a small brush to apply acrylic paint into the indentations for the eyes and mouth (and nose, if you made one).  You'll need to let the paint dry before finishing.

Shape and glue the smaller leaves into the raffia of the body.

This next step is optional, but I find it adds stability.  Using a small drill, make a tiny hole in the bottom of your pumpkin where you want it to attach to the neck and shoulders.

Glue a small bit of wire into the neck (I used a small length of jewelry wire I had on hand, but the wire from a twist tie would work just as well).

Glue the other end of the wire into the head at the neck and shoulders, adding glue between the head and the body as well.  Gluing polymer clay to anything is often semi-permanent, so you may need to apply glue again in the future.  Having the wire in place helps keep your scarecrow from turning into the headless horseman even if the glue comes loose.  :D

Punch out some 1/16" circles from black paper.  Glue on as buttons to the front above the waistband.  You could also use paint for the buttons but be sure to set it aside and let dry completely before handling.

Here's an example using natural raffia (I used a larger bundle for this one to have a full skirt).  For the skirt, I left the raffia below the waist untied and trimmed the bottom edge for a clean look.  I used small half beads for the buttons and put a leaf on her hat.  Isn't she pretty in her smart cap?  :D

And, there you have it...a merry scarecrow (or three) for your autumn or Halloween display!

I have a few of these made for sale in my etsy shop, too.

Saltwater aquarium in 1:12 scale

by brae  

This post has moved to the new blog.