Life

Life has a way of kicking you in the arse when you least expect it.  This will be my last post here.

On the 26th July 2013 I was diagnosed with ALS or Motor Neuron Disease.  I am no longer able to do even the most basic clay work and miniatures are history. It’s mega frustrating as anyone with a creative bent can understand. Art has been my life for so long and now I need to live without it.  I can no longer teach, do bead work, clay work, paint, knit, crochet or any of the myriad things I did. Even typing has become a challenge.

A wheelchair has become necessary if I need to cover distance tho’ I am still able to move around the house. Hubby is learning to cook rapidly and is doing almost everything in the house now.

So, thank you for following my life of miniatures and shows, my branching out into other areas of clay work.

Never take anything for granted – it can change in a heartbeat.

Love you all

God Bless

 

One wasn’t enough!

Hee – as if doing one production isn’t enough, I’ve been asked to help with another one – this time the pantomime version of The Little Mermaid.  The two shows run straight into one another.  I was helping with props, but the set designer pulled out and my friend Darryl went HELP.  Could I say no?  Not in a million years. LOL Glutton for punishment I am.

We moved into the theater on Sunday – opening on the 22nd June so that gives us very little time to get everything done.  I’ve kept the set very simple and very obviously NOT Disney.  We have to avoid all issues with copyright and royalties etc etc.  It’s not going to be the typical set at all – Darryl likes different.  I’ll share pics as soon as it’s painted. 🙂  No complicated backdrops at all but there will be a lot of flies (things that go up and down into the roof space for those who don’t know theater!) and a few wheel-ons.

Being pantomime one has to bear in mind that you having acting, singing AND dancing – so I need a fairly open stage.  With that comes the logistics of where to position fixed pieces for voice projection and add to that the logistics of lighting……  well….. let’s just say there’s a lot to think of.

I’m in the process of making fake rocks – chicken mesh armature and paper mache – and a gazillion brightly coloured fishies that will hang off the bars at the wings – more paper mache.

The sea weed is done, as is the snarfblatt, dinglehopper, telescope, pen, kelp.  We’re collecting boat and sea type goodies wherever we can and I’m drawing, drawing, drawing! LOL

Along with that I’m still working on Pirates of the Caribbean – many shrunken heads and skulls still to make. 🙂  More paper mache rocks, a chandelier, treasure etc., so definitely keeping out of mischief.

It really is a case of Watch This Space!!! 🙂

Show Time Again.

Once again it’s showtime.  This year we’re doing a dance production of Pirates of the Caribbean.  Yes there’s artistic license used – show me a stage production that doesn’t! – but the story is there.  I’ve heard some of the music so far, received the script – which now has to be turned into a working script for distribution to all parties involved.

The logistics are giving me nightmares. I have four scenes with one basic set.  Port, mansion, treasure island and deck.  Just a bit of a challenge. 🙂  I’ve got the sketches done for the various scenes – now to make it reality.

I’ve started working on the props and the jewelry for the dancers.  How to create jewelry that’s as authentic to the period as possible, yet “dances”.  In other words doesn’t swing around and slap someone in the face, doesn’t catch on costumes or arms, hands, legs and feet (yes, they’re all involved in dancing!), won’t move around during the dance BUT still be visible from the audience.  😀  Then of course there’s the little factor that you need 12 or more IDENTICAL sets of jewelry, sometimes more, depending on the size of the group.

Finding the required number of old mountings – scrap!  Finding the right size mountings – scrap!  So… thank God for whoever invented polymer clay!  This is the first time I’m using polymer in any of my sets.  It’s got it’s own learning curve involved but so far I’m really happy with the results.

The jewelry for the maidens involves a triple strand pearl choker with a large cameo focal.  Try finding the right sized cameos. LOL.  Out came the one and only cameo I had inherited from my gran, add Alleygoop silicone molding compound and the first cast was made.  Take said resulting mold and make ONE cameo.  Haul out the sculpting tools and re-define ALL the details, cut away any surrounding clay, smooth and create just the actual head.  Make second mold. Happy?  Yes! So make another 13 heads – one extra just in case! Brush on paint and antique to try and resemble the pink tones of the original shell carving – yeah okay, I can live with those.  Once those were done, I then had to create a suitable background to mount those on in the form of a cab which would still need a suitable old fashioned mounting.

I wanted a mother of pearl look. Maybe I shouldn’t have read the instructions for faux mother of pearl at nearly midnight right before going to sleep.  I duffed it – used translucent instead of pearl clay as the base. However – having gone that far, I wasn’t going to waste any clay. Out came my pearlex powders and I created something vaguely shell like that worked.  Cut those out in an appropriate size oval – oops! Wait! No oval cutter.  Find suitable chewing gum container, cut away the top and file the edge to a taper. That worked. Ovals cut, heads added and the lot cured. Oval cutters arrived 3 weeks later. Figures!  Ok – so now add a mounting and figure how in the name of all that is holy I’m going to add them to the choker.  There is of course, the possibility that the focal will have to be changed for a different dance item – hmm… a pin? Could work.

The mounting became an exercise in learning.  I found an old earring with a lovely surround, obviously the wrong shape – wouldn’t possibly be simple right? – and made a silicone mold of just the detail of the mounting.  Roll out a nice long snake of polymer and take a few impressions of the detail. Cut strategically and join into a long rope – wind around the cured cab to get the exact shape and tweak the join. Great! Layer that on top of a medium thick sheet of clay and trim the excess away.  Neaten the joins, double check that everything is properly joined, cure.  Prototype of the mounting made.  More Alleygoop, another mold.

The mountings made and “gilded”, cameo’s in place, I derived a “channel” piece on the back that will take the three strands of pearls (the concept of changing the focal has thankfully been scrapped), and now I get to repeat the entire process for the earrings.  Only much, much smaller.  At this stage the mold for the cameos is made, as well as the mold for the mounting. I just have to sit down and make them.

The sample set was made – rather happy with the way it all turned out, as is the dance teacher.

In the meantime the treasure chest yawns wide open, decidedly empty and begging to be filled.  A few strands of pearls finished so far, along with a few other bits and bobs I’ve scrounged. There is a set to build, totem poles to make, paintings to be done, supplies to be bought, a chandelier and a mast to construct and we’ve barely started.

Oh, did I tell you the show is in July?

Changes to my blog

I’m in the process of setting up a formal website for the miniatures and polymer clay work that I do. You’ll notice several changes to the blog – categories disappearing, pages deleted etc etc.

There have been some major changes in my life in the last year and a half. I was diagnosed with a muscle disorder which is both painful and at times disabling. I’m having to let go of many of the things I’ve always done. Ceramics, fabric painting, decoupage, beading and wire work, embroidery, crochet – these are just some of the things I am no longer able to do.

The Xmas Cottage is officially closed – it is the area most affected by the above. I no longer teach workshops on a regular basis. Whether I get back to those eventually we will have to wait and see.

For now, I’ve stopped fighting the changes and accepted that it’s time to move on. I’ve settled on the fact that polymer clay and miniatures will be the focus of my art, though on a much smaller scale than before. I’ll probably wind up doing more tutorials and writing the various articles I’ve been requested to do. I’ll still be taking on commissions, but on a very limited basis. The miniatures will all be done as limited ranges, which may or may not be repeated.

There is still set design to be done, though I’ll probably get other people to do the actual construction work in the future. Working with certain tools and equipment aggravates my hands and arms too much, which leads to forced rest for several weeks which is frankly frustrating and annoying. ROFL I’m NOT good at sitting still doing nothing and I get very irritable when I can’t create!

The new website will be live soon. I’ll post details as soon as we’re ready to launch.

WATCH THIS SPACE!

Dragon Lore

For whatever reason my muse is not yet done with the dragons. The second one – a gold – is in the oven and in process of being made. The base for the third one is complete, waiting for the dragon to be born.

I’m seeing sea dragons – blues, greens, purples and aquas. The wings are much smaller – more fin like – the tail broader and flatter at the end. Still dubious about legs – would they have them? I’ll have to see how they evolve. I’ve been collecting bits of drift wood, huge shells, chunks of coral.

There are blue dragons, green dragons and purple dragons flitting around my minds eye. Shimmering, sparkling flickers of colour and sheer strength in their lithe, limber forms.

Why? I truly don’t have a clue. I’ve read so much fantasy fiction and it all seems to be coming to life under my hands. My dragons are not based on any drawings, cover art or other media. This is how I see them, how I imagine they move and live. I somehow sense the skeleton and muscles beneath the skin and can picture so vividly how their limbs would behave in certain positions.

A friend said they’re a little bit scary. My husband did too. I don’t think so, but then I don’t picture dragons as cute, cuddly creatures. They’re raw power and beauty, sheer simplicity in their lines. Their eyes reflect truth and light back at you – which is why I’m using crystals for their eyes. They’re magic and mystery and I wish I understood why they’ve always been a part of our mythology and fantasy. Did these wonderful creatures truly exist and their memory lives on in our minds? I like to think so. Guardians of the past and of the future and all that is humankind.

Welcome to my world.

Finally!

The Dragon – he is done!!!  What an adventure and learning curve!  Head breaking off and having to be re-attached, premature flying lessons, broken base, broken tail, broken neck spikes, broken wings – gads!  Anything and everything that could go wrong went wrong, BUT!  He is finished and I think he is gorgeous.  Just needs a name.

I’ld just finished the second wing and was carefully carrying him to the oven for the final curing, the darn thing slipped on the tile and I could not stop it falling!  Luckily it landed flat on the base.  Unfortunately – the base was glass!  Millions of slivers of glass all over the kitchen floor – I have stone floors! – the rock separated from the base and extreme profanity went flying in every direction. Didn’t know I could speak such fluid “french”.

The tail broke off – naturally! – since it was partially draped across the stone and partially across the base!  Two neck spines broke off, the tongue broke off (again!). I carefully put the dragon – wing miraculously still intact – into the oven and prayed!  While waiting for it to cure I salvaged the clay cover on the base – not without a shard of glass or two in my fingers! Found the bits of tail and other than the piece still attached to the base, gave them up as a lost cause!  Never did find the tongue or the neck spikes.  Grabbing the shark scrap and the pasta machine I quickly managed to fill the clay base and got it cured and painted.

Dragon came out the oven and I discovered that the second wing had cracked after all.  I wound up removing the upper section of the wing and rebuilding it. Re-attached the rock to the now painted base and started the re-construction of the tail.  Isn’t it lucky I had so much of the orange scrap clay?  Redid the neck spines and cured the whole thing.  I still hadn’t noticed the missing tongue at this stage.

One intact dragon later, I set it on the table to seal and do the final curing, which is when I noticed the missing tongue and a missing claw.  With those in place, Dragon got sealed and popped back in the oven. There is a tiny flaw on the back wing which I will attend to in the morning – now I’m simply enjoying looking at him and wondering how on earth I actually made him and shaking my head in amazement that I finished him despite all the mishaps.

If you want a closer look take a dander at my flickr album.

Hubby is adamant that this fellow will never leave home.  Don’t think  I could bear to part with him anyway.  Aside from that my daughter has laid claim to him – he matches her paprika and denim bedroom!  I’m eyeing my collection of rocks and wondering what colour the next one will be. Someone I know collects purple dragons…..

The dragon grows

So this little adventure is not without it’s mishaps, sidesteps and curve-balls. During one of the curing sessions, having attached the hind leg and forearm on the one side, the head broke off. I promise you St George was no where near! No swords, no maidens in distress or anything of the kind!

I had a mild panic attack! Okay – so it was a full-blown freak session! However once I’d carefully recovered the head from the bottom of the oven, the body from the shelf it was perched on and got both back to the clay table I realised it might just be the best break dragon and I had. I could work on detail on the head which I wasn’t able to add other wise. That was pretty convincing till the lower jaw broke off. Sigh…… so back to the drawing board.

Set the head aside while I thought it over and continued to add the hind leg and forearm to the other side of the dragon. Into the oven. Repaired the lower jaw, added “wattles” and cured. Got that out the oven and the lower jaw decided to part company again! Blow that – so complete reconstruction of the lower jaw and emergency surgery to repair a crack in the neck. Drilled a little hole, added a tiny piece of toothpick as “peg”. Drilled a tiny hole in the body end of the neck. BAD idea. It cracked and two little pieces chipped away.

At this point things are NOT going my way, however! Head is now out the oven and in one piece for the moment. Here’s hoping it stays that way. I’m happy with the shape of the body and the way the limbs are attached. Now to re-attach the head. I’ll wait till the whole thing is completely cool though before trying this.

I’ve still got to come up with a plan for the wings – I’ve mixed the translucent with a teeny tiny blob of orange. That’s been set aside and waiting for me to work with it.

With the addition of pearl-ex powders and gold metallic powder the orange is now glorious! Rich, vibrant and alive. Now to get life breathed into this creature.

Wish me luck!

There’s a dragon in my hands!

Isn’t it amazing how one’s muse can lead you off in a direction not of your choosing? First it was the scarabs – I’m not done with those yet. There are so many more I want to make! BUT!!!! and it’s a big BUT….

This morning I woke up and all I can see and think of is a dragon. Orange, red and copper – these are sooooo not my colours! So off we toddled to the beach to find dragon rocks. Several rocks, pieces of driftwood, a GORGEOUS shell and a couple of mermaids purses later, I am in front of the clay table, choosing which rock suits my purpose best. Finally chose 3 – or was it 4? – washed and sealed them. I want that lovely wet stone look with all the colours as rich and vibrant as can be. Naturally all the pieces of rock I came home with had rust and copper tinges in them. I did NOT choose them because of that – I chose them because of their shape! Understand – I am not in control of this adventure.

Next question was the base – what to use? I just happened to have a round glass coaster, expressly bought to cover with a cane sheet and use as a coaster, but no! Muse had other ideas. Some grey shark scrap, a rock to texture and some acrylic paint later and the whole thing looks like a stone base. 🙂 Sealed and drying as I type.

The chosen dragon rock has an orange dragon growing on it! Body shaped, head sculpted, crystal eyes inserted, spines done, tail spiked and draped and arranged over the rock as she – he? – is comfortable. Next I’ll position it on the base and texture the body, then add the legs. Once all that’s done there are some gorgeous pearl ex colours screaming to be used.

What do I do about the wings? I want them looking transparent and delicate, but strong! Hmmmm…….. Thin sheets of translucent clay over copper ribbing? Light dusting of pearl ex? Possible. Need to give them some more thought.

I’m not going to fight my muse – not worth it! I’ll ride this roller-coaster and see where I end up! 🙂

The Essential Porcupine Quill

Where would I be without my collection of porcupine quills?  I think I have about 20 in varying sizes and thicknesses.  Some I’ve picked up, some I’ve bought.  They stand in a clay covered jar on my table within sight and easy reach.  There isn’t a single project I’ve done that they haven’t come into play one way or the other.  I don’t have clay shapers and the rubber tip brushes I do have are huge, bought to work with plaster of paris in big art projects and a long way from being suitable for clay at this stage.  My cake decorating tools – jem tools – are wonderful, but in some cases too big.  The porcupine quills enable me to work really fine and get far greater detail.

The first photo (far left) shows the barb end.  In mature quills it’s fairly broad and blunt, but in the tiny quills it’s dangerously sharp!  The wedge shape allows me to use it the same way as a clay shaper, smoothing joins, making indentations into the clay – as in impressed flower and leaf images – and in the case of the tiny quills, lovely clear sharp stitch lines for the embroidered clay.  They also play a vital part in the formation of the embroidery stitches.

The middle photo shows the tapered edge.  I often use those to do coin edge finishes to jewelry mountings, tiny pinprick holes, hatching lines, textures and if used flat, to emphasis and smooth indentations in items. I’ve tried doing some fine writing with them, but they tend to “drag” pieces of the clay up.  That’s a job best left for tiny ball tools.  Phoenician style “wedge” writing though is lovely to do with the quills.

The next picture (far right) shows the similarity to the cake decorating tools I work with, at the same time showing how much finer the quills are.  I use the tapered end for veining petals and leaves, the barb for shaping and cupping petals – especially in the tiny blossoms.  I use the barb end in some of the finer quills to actually position the petals of the flowers and also use the barb end to position and indent tiny balls of clay in the flower centres.  It gives the appearance at times of tiny little beads.  In the photo on the right you can see a combination of all the different things – cross hatching as in a basket weave, coin edging, stitch lines, “frill” on the one end of the square, the tiny flower centres and the petals of a flower, veined and being positioned.

It’s a truly versatile tool and my favorite.

The next series of photos show an example of how I would use the quill in combination with various cutters to make a daisy earring.  The backing is a simple post finding and the clay is attached with some Fimo Gel.  I’ve used a piece of scrap clay to support the post which makes it easier to work when assembling the flower and also supports the flower while being cured. Remember that once cured said scrap clay support can be re-used for many pairs of earrings. 🙂

Photo 1:  A selection of flower cutters.

Photo 2: Daisy cut out – the dime shows the size. Each petal is split in half using a craft knife.

Photo 3:  Using the tapered end of the quill to vein and shape the daisy petals.

Photo 4:  The daisy base shaped and attached to the earring post.

Photo 5:  Next flower cut out.  It’s small! 🙂

Photo 6:  Cupping the petals using the barb end of the quill.

Photo 7:  Positioned on top of the daisy base, using a little fimo gel.

Photo 8:  The tiniest cut out – 1/8 inch diameter!  That’s the centre of the flower.

Photo 9:  Using the barb on a smaller quill to cup the petals.

Photo 10:  The tiny flower in place and position a tiny ball of clay at the centre using the barb on a small quill.

Photo 11:  The completed earring.

Photo 12:  The earring and everything used to make it.

So…. now you’ve had a glimpse “behind the scenes” as it were and can understand why I absolutely LOVE my porcupine quills.  Can’t have enough of them!

Making a Corn Leaf Texture Sheet

While I was making the leaf veiners, I found a corn cob in the fridge that still had it’s leaves. Now from past experience I know that the corn leaves are very useful for texturing so I decided to make a texture sheet from it. I can see all sorts of uses for it. Basket weave, leaves etc. etc.

Read the photos from left to right please.

What you’ll need:

Pasta machine, tissue blade, tile, scrap clay and a corn leaf.

What to do:

Condition some scrap clay and put through the pasta machine on the 4th thickest setting. Make sure there are no air bubbles in the surface.

Gently unroll the corn leaf – they tend to curl – and wipe it with a clean cloth to make sure there is no residual grit or dirt. Stretch it slightly and place it on the clay sheet.

Position the sheet of clay and corn leaf between the rollers of the pasta machine at the same setting you used for your sheet of clay. Carefully roll it through keeping the corn leaf stretched and even. See how mine creased slightly? Carefully separate the leaf from the sheet of clay.

Trim the edges of the texture sheet using a tissue blade, place on a tile and cure according to the manufacturers instructions.

Nifty don’t you think?