Rainy Day

We get a lot of rain here in Georgia. So, even though it's not spring right now, I thought it would be fun to make a little Rainy Day piece. I hope you enjoy it!

Original design created by Amy Stevens 

(occasionally available for purchase on etsy-http://www.etsy.com/people/ExpressiveCreativity)

You will need:

SculpeyIII polymer clay:
Yellow                Orange
Beige                 Red
Dark Gray          Green
Blue                   Purple
2 black seed beads
Ball headed straight pin or stylus
Tin foil
Toothpicks
Clay conditioner



Boy:
1) Head - 11/16" beige ball
Nose - 1/8" beige ball
Hands - two 3/8" beige balls

Body - 7/8" yellow ball
Collar - 5/16" yellow ball
Shoes - two 5/8" yellow balls
Arms - two 21/32" yellow balls
Hat - 5/8" yellow ball (or more)

Trim - 5/16" dark gray ball (or less)
Sole of shoes- two 5/16" dark gray balls
Buttons - two 1/8" dark gray balls 




2) Body: First, create an elongated oval of foil, and cover with the 7/8" yellow ball. Flatten the bottom, tapper the top, and widen the bottom to make a slight bell shape. Flatten the top and insert a 1/2" toothpick for the head. For the trim, roll 5/16" dark gray ball (or less) into a 4" strand. Flatten to desired width (mine is approx. 3/16"), and press firmly onto the bottom of the Jacket. Connect the ends in the back, and smooth the seem. 

3) Shoes: Roll two 5/8" yellow balls into elongated oval shapes. Slightly flatten and square out the sides. Pinch the middle of each oval to make a peanut shape, with one end slightly bigger than the other. Insert a 1/4" of a toothpick into the small end of each shoe, and press firmly onto the body/jacket. For the sole of the shoes, roll two 5/16" dark gray balls into elongated ovals. Flatten to the width of the shoe, or less. Match the curvature of the sole to the shoe, and press firmly onto each shoe. Press body firmly onto a flat surface to stabilize the piece. 

4) Arms & Hands: Roll two 21/32" yellow balls into tapered logs. Bell the wider end to make room for the hands. Flatten slightly, lengthwise, onto a flat surface. Choosing a right and a left arm, curve the smaller 1/3" of the arm up for a shoulder. Press firmly onto the body/jacket. Adjust the arm to the desired position. Wash your hands to prevent mixing of colors. Roll two 3/8" beige balls into slight ovals. Flatten slightly, and press firmly onto the bell of each arm. Press hands together firmly. 

5) Collar & Head: Roll 5/16" yellow ball into a 3" long strand. Curve into the shape desired and flatten slightly to create a thin outer edge, and a thick inner edge. Press onto body. Wash your hands to prevent mixing of colors. Roll 11/16" beige ball into a slight oval shape. Press firmly onto the toothpick, pivot/swivel around the toothpick to create a solid bond between the body and the head. Roll 1/8" beige ball into an oval. Flatten slightly, and press firmly onto the middle of the head. 

6) Eyes & Mouth: Use flat headed pin to gently mark where seed beads will go on face. Place one bead on straight pin. Press surface of bead into clay, but do not let the pin touch the clay. Carefully slide pin out of bead. Use the flat end of the pin to gently push bead farther into the clay. Press the point of the pin just outside of the eye in the middle and again just above to create eyelash indents. Repeat again for the second eye. For mouth, just under the center of the nose, push the point of a pin into the clay about 1/16" in. While removing the pin, curve slightly up and to the right. 

7) Buttons: Flatten two 1/8" dark gray balls into desired width. Using the ball end of a pin or stylus, press firmly onto the body/jacket, just underneath the arms. Using the point of a pin or stylus, press 4 holes into each button. 

9) Hat: Roll a small portion of yellow clay into a slight oval, and flatten on a flat surface to create a dome for the center of the hat to rest on. Press firmly onto the head. With the remaining yellow clay, roll into an oval and flatten just enough to help it through the clay conditioner. Insert the clay widthwise into the conditioner to get as close to a circular shape as possible. Once flattened to the desired width, (mine is approx. 1/16"), press onto the top of the head/dome. Curve the front down and around the face. Gently pinch the sides to create a slight flare. Round out the back of the hat down, just past or near the center of the collar. 

Umbrella

1) 3/4" to 7/8" balls of each Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, & Purple
Dark Gray - 3/4" ball (or more)

7 toothpicks

2) Circle: On a piece of parchment paper, draw a circle approximately 4 inches in diameter. Using a pencil or pen, split the circle into 6 even segments. Form each color into a triangle. Using the circle and segments as a guide, flatten each triangle until it fits within each circle segment, without any spaces. (Be sure to wash your hands after working with each individual color, to prevent mixing colors. It is especially important when going from a dark color to a light, or vise versa.) Once each segment is complete, carefully, but firmly press each color together, smoothing out each seam, both on top and on bottom. Be careful not to blend or smear the colors. Place over your circle guide to make sure the circle is even. 

3) Support: Flatten 5/8" dark gray ball slightly, and press firmly onto the center of the umbrella. This will be the underneath part of the umbrella. Turn the umbrella over, and cut 6 toothpicks to be just 1/4" shorter than the length of each seam. Press each toothpick into the dark gray ball on the underside of the umbrella, and press up against the umbrella to make it stable. Roll a small amount of dark gray clay into a strip. Find the center of each toothpick, and place the strip across each toothpick and press into the clay on each side of the toothpick to stabilize each segment. Once the frame is stable, you can form the umbrella to your desired shape. I draped the middle of each color down between each set of toothpicks. 

4) Handle: Flatten 1/4" gray ball and Press firmly onto the center top of the umbrella. Press the last toothpick up through the bottom just enough to be stable. Don't push it too far or it will pop up through the top of the umbrella. 

5) Hole: Press the handle of the umbrella into the hands of the boy, just to where you know it will be stable to be held after baking. Remove from his hands. 

6) Bake: Follow directions on Sculpey clay packaging. (275° F (130° C) 15 min per/ 1/4" (6mm))  Cover your baking sheet with parchment paper or use a silicon sheet. And be sure to place the umbrella upside down on top of some polyester batting (quilt batting) to prevent it from collapsing or having any flat spots after baking. 

(Word to the wise: Be sure to purchase a thermometer for your oven to make sure it is at the correct temperature. Let it heat up for at least 30 minutes or longer. To test your oven, take a plain piece of clay and form a disc 1/2" wide by 1/4" tall and bake in your oven. Always open windows and turn on ventilation. It's normal to smell slight fumes, but if you begin to smell a lot of fumes, or see smoke, your oven is toooo hot! Remove it from your oven, set your oven for 10° lower, and try again with a different disc of clay. 

Also, if you are using a lighter color of clay, it has a tendency to brown or burn, so before you bake it... cover the pan with tin foil, just like you would a turkey. :) Also, once your items are done baking, turn your oven off and crack the door with a wooden spoon, but allow your pieces to cool in the oven. This will also help prevent cracking because it will let the items cool off evenly and gradually.)

Have fun!

Easter Bunny, Chick, and Basket

Original design created by Amy Stevens 

(occasionally available for purchase on etsy-http://www.etsy.com/people/ExpressiveCreativity)

You will need:

SculpeyIII polymer clay:
Gray                 White 
Pink                  Brown               
Green               Yellow               
Orange
any other colors you want for your eggs
4 black seed beads
Ball headed straight pin or stylus
Tin foil
Toothpicks
Clay extruder
Clay conditioner

Bunny
1) First, combine 1/2 gray and 1/2 white for the desired shade of gray. 
Head - 9/16" gray ball
Cheeks - two 1/8" white balls
Nose - 1/8" pink ball (or less)
Ears - two 3/8" gray balls and two 7/32" white balls 
Body - 13/16" gray ball
Tummy - 1/4" white ball (or less)
Feet - two 1/2" gray balls
Pads of feet - six 3/32" white balls and two 1/8" white balls
Arms - two 13/32" gray balls
Tail - 5/16" white ball
Egg - 5/32" ball (color(s) of choice)

2) Body: Roll 13/16" gray ball into a rounded, slightly teardrop shape. Flatten the bottom slightly. Roll 1/4" white ball into slightly tapered oval, flatten and press onto front of the body. Press a toothpick into the top for the head. 

3) Feet: Roll two 1/2" gray balls into rounded teardrop shapes. Slightly flatten and square out the sides and indent the bottom of each foot. Press firmly onto the body. Roll two 1/8" white balls into rounded teardrop shapes. Slightly flatten and press onto the center of each foot. Slightly flatten each 3/32" white ball and place three on each foot, just above the center. 

4) Arms: Roll two 13/32" gray balls into tapered logs. Press firmly onto body. 

5) Head: Roll 9/16" gray ball into an teardrop. Flatten slightly to create a very slight triangle shape. Press head onto toothpick and gently wiggle/pivot around the toothpick onto the body to create a bond between the two. Flatten the two 1/8" white balls and press onto the face to make the cheeks. Using the pin, press three indents not each cheek for the whiskers. Flatten 1/8" pink ball, and press the sides to make a rounded triangle shape. Press firmly onto the face, point down, just over the center of the cheeks.

6) Tail: Slightly flatten 5/16" white ball into a flat surface and press one side up gently, creating a slight uplift for the bottom of the tail. Press tail firmly onto body, and round out any edges. 

7) Ears: Roll two 3/8" gray balls into long rounded teardrops. Press lengthwise into a flat surface, and pinch slightly to create a slight triangle shape. Use stylus, or ball end of pin, to create an indent for hollow of ear. Roll 7/32" white balls into a log and press into the hollow. Once again, use the stylus, or ball end of pin to create a slight indent in the ear. Flatten edges along hollow of the ear for an even edge. For upright ear, press firmly on the head, and gently curve the ear (sideways) toward the top of the head. For floppy ear, create an indent or crease on the inside of the ear, gently fold the ear over, and press firmly on the the head.

9) Eyes: Use flat headed pin to gently mark where seed beads will go on face. Place one bead on straight pin. Press surface of bead into clay, but do not let the pin touch the clay. Carefully slide pin out of bead. Use the flat end of the pin to gently push bead farther into the clay. Press the point of the pin just outside of the eye in the middle and again just above to create eyelash indents. For eyebrows make three slightly slanted indents just above  the eye. Repeat again for the second eye. 

Basket

1) First, take enough foil to make a cube 1/2" x 1/2" x 3/4". Press enough green clay around the cube so no foil is showing (approx. 1/16-1/8" thick.) Save block for inside of basket to support the weave. 

Basket Weave, Rim, & Braided Handle - 5/8" brown ball (or more)

Grass - 3/8" green ball (or less)

Assorted colors - 5/32" balls. Divide balls in half and mix two different colors together to the desired color or design. Make 15 - 20 depending on your preference.  

2) Basket Weave: Roll a brown ball into a log, and flatten just enough to help it through the clay conditioner. Continue to press the sheet through the clay conditioner to the desired thickness (mine was approx. 1/16" thick). Using a straight edge and a sharp knife or point of a stylus, cut strips about 4" long and 1/4" wide. Start with four strips, and begin weaving until you have four strips across, and three strips down. Place your green block on top of your weave, and begin weaving the strips up along the block until you reach the top (3 more strips). Press the weave onto the block, and cut the edges down to the edge. 

2) Rim: Roll a brown ball into a long log. Press firmly along the edge ore the basket, rounding the corners. Press the edges together along the back of the basket, and smooth so there are no seams. 

3) Braided Handle: Roll three brown balls into long thin strands. Press the three strands together and braid tightly, when done, pinch the ends so it doesn't unravel (it shouldn't but it could). Press braid onto a flat surface to the desired thickness (mine is approx. 1/8"). Cut of the ends to achieve your desired length (mine is approx. 2 1/4"). Attach ends of braid to the inside of the basket. Press firmly to ensure it doesn't pop off after baking. 

4) Grass & Eggs: Prepare the clay extruder for your grass. Pick an insert that has holes that are roughly 1/32" or slightly smaller. Make sure the extruder is clean from any prior use to prevent mixing of colors. Roll 1 1/2" gray ball into a log just thin enough to fit into the clay extruder. Press the clay through the clay extruder. Once you have your long strands, use a pin or straight edge to cut the strands to various sizes in groups of 2, 3, or 4, and press into the basket. Once the outside edges of the basket have your desired amount of grass, begin placing eggs into the basket. You can add more grass if needed as you put your eggs in, to fill in any spaces or add more character to the basket. Feel free to curl some of the strands of grass down and out of the basket, while leaving some up, or curled into the basket. 

Chick

1) Head/Body - 1/2" yellow ball

Wings - 1/4" yellow ball

Feet - two 7/32" orange balls

Beak - 3/32" orange ball

2) Head/Body: Roll 1/2" yellow ball into an oval, with a slight teardrop. Take the small end (tail) and press at an angle on a flat surface to push the tail out and away from the tummy. Press gently along the back to make a gentle curve. Taper the top (head) slightly to distinguish between the head and the body. 

3) Wings: Roll two 1/4" yellow balls into tapered teardrops. Press the teardrop onto a flat surface, lengthwise, and curve the small end up toward the large end sidewise. Make sure to curve each wing in different directions, otherwise, you will have two left or two right wings, instead of one of each. :) Press firmly onto the body. 

4) Feet: Roll two 7/32" orange balls into a rounded triangle. Flatten the triangle slightly. Cut two small triangles out from each foot, to create the toes, and smooth the edges gently. Press firmly onto body. 

5) Beak: Roll 3/32" orange ball into rounded triangle shape. Flatten the rounded edge onto a flat surface. Press firmly onto the head, and flatten the beak to the desired shape. 

9) Eyes: Use flat headed pin to gently mark where seed beads will go on face. Place one bead on straight pin. Press surface of bead into clay, but do not let the pin touch the clay. Carefully slide pin out of bead. Use the flat end of the pin to gently push bead farther into the clay. Press the point of the pin just outside of the eye in the middle and again just above to create eyelash indents. For eyebrows make three slightly slanted indents just above  the eye. Repeat again for the second eye. 

10) Bake: Follow directions on Sculpey clay packaging. (275° F (130° C) 15 min per/ 1/4" (6mm))

(Word to the wise: Be sure to purchase a thermometer for your oven to make sure it is at the correct temperature. Let it heat up for at least 30 minutes or longer. To test your oven, take a plain piece of clay and form a disc 1/2" wide by 1/4" tall and bake in your oven. Always open windows and turn on ventilation. It's normal to smell slight fumes, but if you begin to smell a lot of fumes, or see smoke, your oven is toooo hot! Remove it from your oven, set your oven for 10° lower, and try again with a different disc of clay. Also, if you are using a lighter color of clay, it has a tendency to brown or burn, so before you bake it... cover the pan with tin foil, just like you would a turkey. :) Also, once your items are done baking, turn your oven off and crack the door with a wooden spoon, but allow your pieces to cool in the oven. This will also help prevent cracking because it will let the items cool off evenly and gradually.)

Have fun!

Sculpting Tips

As I'm getting back into the swing of things I figured I would mention a few tips and tricks for when you start making your own creations. I will continue updating this post as I find out new things and have pictures to illustrate what I mean.

1. Never bake polymer clay at a higher temperature than what is recommended on the package. If you  do you will burn the clay and it will emit a toxic gas. You might even get brown or blackened spots or even cracks on your piece. I suggest getting an oven thermometer and check your oven temperature before you bake each item. Sometimes even the weather can alter temperatures. Or you could just have an unreliable oven like I do. :)

2. If you want to have a larger sculpture, but are worried about cracks, or uneven baking, use tin foil!
Roll the tin foil tightly into a slightly smaller shape than you want it to be when you are finished. Cover the tin foil with 1/8-1/4" thickness all around it. This is a great way to cut back on the amount of product you use, make the piece lighter in weight, and prevent cracks in your clay after baking.

3. If your clay is hard for you to handle, you will want to condition it by running it through a conditioning roller, working it in your hands until it's supple, or microwaving it for 5 to 10 seconds. Personally, I don't like using the microwave. I like using the conditioning roller because it saves my hands, and it does the job nicely. Try them out yourself, and let me know what you think.

4. When joining two pieces of clay together always swivel the joint back and forth enough to make a really good seal. If you don't it will just pop either in the baking process or afterwards, and then you'll have to use a glue to replace the part. Just sayin', it's a pain. Try to avoid it if you can.

5. When trying to make a facial feature that is indented, instead of starting on the head itself, practice on a scrap piece of clay first until you are comfortable with what you are doing. It's much easier to do it once on the final piece than trying to smooth it out 3-4 times before you get it right, smudging what you'd done prior to that in the process. Trust me. :)

I hope these are as helpful to you as they are to me. I'd love to hear from you about your experiences, tips and tricks too. I'll keep you updated if I learn anything new. Have fun, and check back soon for my next creation.