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Post by DawninCal on Feb 1, 2021 12:26:35 GMT -6
Oh, Cat. Dawn
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Post by michelle on Feb 1, 2021 14:56:22 GMT -6
Interesting observation, Dawn, in regard to wearing anything close to your neck. Come to think of it, I don’t own any turtlenecks, although I used to like them. I’ve been telling myself our weather isn’t really ever cold enough to warrant them. But come to think of it, I wouldn’t enjoy wearing one now.
Cat, by all means, fish for compliments! You deserve them!
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Post by lotty64 on Feb 1, 2021 15:13:28 GMT -6
Just stunning.
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Post by Irith-Rita on Feb 11, 2021 15:13:28 GMT -6
Mine was sold. I miss it already! Somehow I hoped I could show it off a little longer...
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Post by michelle on Feb 11, 2021 19:05:29 GMT -6
Mine was sold. I miss it already! Somehow I hoped I could show it off a little longer... Irith, I’m not surprised that gorgeous necklace sold already!
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Post by DawninCal on Feb 11, 2021 22:26:14 GMT -6
That is awesome, Irith. Congratulations! Dawn
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Post by DawninCal on Feb 11, 2021 22:29:19 GMT -6
I am happy to report that I finally got done painting and had a day to work on the challenge. It was interesting as I'm using a material I have never used before. It started out sort of frustrating as we'd expect when learning something new, then to amateurish looking, to I'm starting to get it and finished up with something I'm really proud of. Not done yet: I have to buy some metallic paint which I'm going to do tomorrow. But, yea. That was fun! Dawn
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Post by DawninCal on Feb 15, 2021 16:28:41 GMT -6
Due to picture overload, I've made two posts to show you what I've done for this challenge. I chose to use a new material. I've always wanted to try my hand at clay, but don't have a toaster oven for baking poly clay and no desire to buy one, nor do I have a kiln for regular clay. Instead, I opted for air dry clay which can be molded and sculpted just like clay, but it dries in 24 hours just by being left out to air dry. I had read and heard that there are sometimes problems with this type of clay cracking as it dries, but I didn't have any problems with that. I did run a wet finger around the edges as it dried so maybe that helped. I was surprised at how light it was when dry and I think these pendants will need beads added to give them some needed weight. My original plan was to simply hang these on cotton or leather cord, but beads it will be. Most of my supplies are at home and I was trying to keep this project simple without spending a lot of money on supplies. I will make them into necklaces at a later date. These first three were made by pressing plant material into the clay and then removing it after the image was made. I painted the fronts of the plants before pressing into the clay and these are the results that were achieved: Redwood branch: Juniper: No idea, just some leaves I found in the garden: This next one is also redwood branches, but instead of painting the plant, I pressed it into the clay and painted it after the clay had dried: Second post with the rest to follow.
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Post by DawninCal on Feb 15, 2021 16:33:33 GMT -6
After making the pendant, I thought I should try some sculpting. Attachment DeletedI'm really quite pleased with how this fish bead came out. I painted it with metallic paints. Michaels only had two colors left, dark blue, pink and silver (their paint supply is wiped out). I used both colors and I also mixed the silver paint with green to get the green scales on the fish belly. I did not make the chain; I bought that at Michaels as well. Attachment DeletedAnd, here they are all together. I enjoyed working with the clay and can see doing more of this type of work in the future, but probably not until I get the studio set up in the new house. Dawn
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Post by caeterle on Feb 16, 2021 1:28:01 GMT -6
Oh Dawn, one can tell you really had fun with this! I love how you experimented with different ways to use the paint. While the plant pieces are lovely, the fishy is my favorite hands down. It's sculpted beautifully and the painting is perfect. He's adorable and made me think of a very popular Swiss picture book, The Rainbow Fish. It has been translated, but I don't know if you have heard of it, so I added a link. Inspiration maybe? I only worked with air dry clay once, but I remember the lightness of the pieces. Will you also experiment with glazes, resin or something? I think your possibilities with this are endless as you can combine it with so many of the other things you do!
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Post by michelle on Feb 16, 2021 1:46:58 GMT -6
Way to go rocking a new technique, Dawn! These are awesome! I’m with Cat in declaring the fish my favorite, but only by a thin line. Your leaves are lovely!
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Post by DawninCal on Feb 16, 2021 9:56:44 GMT -6
Thank you both so much! Ya'll know how to make a person feel good! Cat, I bought a spray on satin glaze. Not as shiny as glossy; it'll give the pendants more of a soft sheen. I sprayed one coat on the three white pendants, but they will need at least a couple of more coats before the satin finish is visible. The clay seemed like it absorbed some of it, but I can see the start of a satin finish. I think the next coat will make a big difference. I also plan to coat the other pendants. The fish doesn't really need it as the metallic paint is quite shiny on its own. Someday in the future, I'd like to experiment with clay and resin and I was also thinking about trying to make some beads. I wasn't familiar with Rainbow Fish, but I'm lovin' that paint job! Dawn
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Post by caeterle on Feb 17, 2021 0:46:11 GMT -6
Beads sound like a great idea, too!
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Post by DawninCal on Feb 17, 2021 22:27:33 GMT -6
I'm looking forward to seeing if I can make passable beads out of clay! Dawn
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