Fingernails and Part of a Toothpick

Yep! That's all I used to flesh these two WIPs out! I was sitting in the dentist's office waiting for my daughter to be done getting her first (and hopefully last) filling. I hadn't really planned on working, so all I had was a little clay, a broken toothpick, and some small wired glass eyes.

This one may end up as a little troll once I get a chance to really refine him. Not too bad for working in horrible light, on my lap, and with my roughed up man-paws.

What are man-paws, you might ask?

Well, man-paws are what you get when you a) don't own a dishwasher and b) work with clay.

The dishes are self-explanatory. Hungry kids=messy dishes three times a day (at least). I am sort of a freak about germs and stuck on food, too, so the water I use is at such a temperature that it would probably remove skin from most normal people's hands.

I, on the other hand, have man-paws. Rough, thick-skinned, abnormally tough hands. Hands that are impervious to pain, heat, and have a texture akin to shoe leather.

Why no gloves, one might ask? Because if I wore gloves I wouldn't be able to feel any microscopic bits that might possibly still be left on the plates.

(I know, I know. FREAK!)

I keep waiting for my husband to give me a new little nickname. Like Frank or Chuck. It must be like holding hands with a mechanic. (Ignore this crooked photo, please. Or tilt your head until it appears correctly rotated. It kept getting wonky during my uploads and I am lacking patience today. *eye roll*)

Working with clay has become a hand issue, too, because I am constantly washing my hands or using alcohol wipes to get rid of residue. Not the most gentle thing to do to one's hands. (Don't even get me STARTED about wet-felting! Oy! So chafe-y!)

Its sort of a catch 22. It is easier to work with clay when one has nice smooth hands, but in working with the clay I find myself washing and degreasing and washing...you get the picture. Very drying and not conducive to soft, lovely hand model-ish hands.

At least I have nicer hands than THIS guy.

This little thing may end up a root baby. We'll see if I still like it once I give it some eyes. If not, back into a little green blob of clay he goes.

Thanks for popping by! Until next time, happy moisturizing!

Theresa

TIME! Glorious TIME!

I FINALLY had some time last night. No one was here. Quiet reigned.

I made a new polymer clay elf with a really charming (in my opinion, that is) expression and a baby smaller than a quarter.

Now to photograph them and take the final photos of the other guy that I have been referring to as a "troll-esque" figure.

I have heard from many people that he is far too wee and not ugly enough to be a troll. He may soon fall under the forest elf category as well.

More soon! Gotta jet!

Until next time, enjoy peace and quiet!

Theresa

Icky Pix (but here is a glimpse)

I had these up and ready to go last night, but my hubby booted me off of the computer before I could post them. I guess summer vacation research takes precedence over my blog. No complaints...I love vacations!

I am only showing a few pictures of his hair and hands and such, though keep in mind that the pictures were snapped in artificial light at night in my kitchen. He still isn't quite done. (We have been busy, busy, fun busy the past few days. Beach, anyone?) His companion is not ready to shoot. I am not quite sure what is bugging me about the other component, but it would make me nuts to have to see it posted in all of it's flaming not-quite-rightness. Not that is has to be PERFECT, but a little better will do.

Keep in mind that his hands are out for a reason and he won't seem so odd.

Sadly, I probably won't get to work on anything today. I have to make plum jam or we will run out of sink space. When the plums are ready, the jam has to follow!

Here we go:

Until next time, happy times!

Theresa

I DID IT! (and it is definitely not perfect)

I DID it! FINALLY! I have had that polymer clay forever and I just kept putting it off and putting it off.

Warning: The guy that I made is not meant to be "cute" per se, but I think he has a certain rudimentary charm. And I learned a lot making him.

First off, I blended two different colors of clay to get a less "beige" tone for the skin. I don't like an orange-y cast. It looked pretty good until I baked him. That was when it became evident that the fabulous blending that I did was not so fabulous. I guess I should have kneaded for a longer amount of time. Lesson: When you think you are done, go for five more minutes.

Next, I threw together a loose wire armature. I knew I was supposed to build it in such a way that the head would be up off of the pan when I was baking him. But, in my total novice wisdom, I decided that it wouldn't matter too much because I was going to do some color washes and a mohair wig, which would cover his flat spot anyway.

Well, his ears cooked more quickly than the rest of him, given their lack of bulk, and they are of a darker cast than the rest of his head. Lesson: If someone 'in the know' suggests something, it might be a good idea to listen. It saves headaches from "fixes" later on.

Once I had him done, I tossed him in the oven for the allotted time period.




That part was easy. What I noticed when he came out, however, were all of the slight imperfections where I didn't quite smooth out the joints where extra clay was added. Lesson: Smooth and smooth again.

Note to self: Get smaller tools. My regular clay tools weren't all that helpful due to the small size of the guy.

All that being said, I actually kind of like my little creature and can't wait to color wash, dress and wig him. I'll post final pictures when he feels done.

Thanks for popping in. PLEASE PLEASE, if you are a polymer clay person (not a person made of polymer clay, silly...one who WORKS with it), please feel free to leave me any helpful hints. I am a glutton at jumping in with both feet and reinventing the wheel. Very time consuming.

Any and all suggestions would be appreciated!

Until next time, happy imperfection!

Theresa

Baby steps..

I got out the Sculpey. And the glass eyes. I even opened the packages! No going back now. Today, folks, will be the day that I FINALLY try polymer clay.

I have had lots of ideas tripping over themselves for years, but I have always been hesitant to try to make them come to fruition. It's a perfection thing. Yeah, I'm getting over it, but it hasn't been easy.

Hopefully I'll have some pictures to post by tomorrow. Either that or I will have learned that clay is not for me. (But maybe, in the spirit of not trying to be perfect, I will post the lumpy pictures anyway.)

Time will tell.

Until next time, happy risk taking!

Theresa

This is how I roll.....

Here we go! The weather is great, the time is here and I have a little more breathing space in my schedule.

My youngest and I have a lot of fun tooling around town with this get-up. He is almost ready for his own bike and, if I may be totally honest, there are some windy days when the trailer acts like a kite and the resistance makes it not so fun for old mom, but it is fun for now.

I am going to break into some polymer clay tonight. Will I like it? Or will I end up frustrated and full of ennui? Only time will tell.

Enjoy today!

Theresa