...clay update..

Let me start by thanking everyone who gave me their valuable hints/tips.
I scrubbed the little things with an old toothbrush and dish washing soap (Dawn). Then applied several washy layers of the colors I wanted. A bit of a mess but OK. Then I baked them. It seems like the re-baking does keep the paint on because there was no problem with "dings" from my nails this time. And the paint appeared to adhere nicely when I applied the darker wash for antiquing. I didn't have any raw umber so I used a dark brown with a little black and kept it quite thin...except I used a thicker bit a second time for crevices that weren't as dark as I liked. When they are totally dried, I will coat them with a clear matte finish for Fimo...and, no, Nik...I won't re-bake them ;o).

Then maybe I'll put their little hats on...or not. And then I'll try and get a picture. They were a lot more work than I expected but despite all the aggravation, I do like them and think they'll look quite nice on the mantle in Merlin's retreat and just the silly little thing he might have.

All in all, it was an interesting exercise. I don't work with polymer clays too much. I have tons of it laying around but never seem to really get the hang of it. I hope I remember all the things I learned form this experience. I think I'll write them down in my log because when, and if, I do something like this again (highly unlikely), I will never remember the steps and will end up reinventing the wheel. I can see why one might want to make a lot of these at one time and be done with it.

Tabitha (aka Susan)