Monday, June 8, 2009

...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)

3 comments:

Whittaker's Miniatures said...

Great idea Tabitha, I always forget to write down my tips and then go to make it again and think damn it how did i do that!! Whenever you discover something write it down!!
Glad you got them right. I had the same problem when I made some books with faces. I made them from flash Sculpey instead of coloured fimo 9 cos its firmer) , then went to paint and nothing would adhere properly, so now Ill try to wash them first and maybe try Nikkis glue tip.
look forward to the pics! Kate xx

Tabitha Corsica said...

Yes, Kate. I've been keeping a journal for a while now. I wish I had done it from the begining. As for the white glue, I think it would make a good "primer" for getting the paint to adhere, but I'm still going to always re-bake after painting to set the paint.
Tabby

nikkinikkinikki72 said...

Glad everything is working for you now.
Another little secret is if nothing sticks and this keep happening, to really quickly and using an old brush paint them with super glue. You have to be super quick thought and the cheaper the super glue the thinner it is, meaning you can brush and spread quicker.
Then paint as you like.
Any pros out there will be cringing now... lol.
Imagine admitting to that... lol.
Nikki x