December 22, 2023
Happy Holidays to all.
While I was working in the small shop in town I made some polymer clay gnome and troll figures.
I use polymer clay because it stays soft until it is baked so it can be sculpted easily with no time limit. Plus the designs that can be created by rolling two or more colors together is endless. I love mixing colors together. There are lots and lots of different colors so it’s fun to experiment with them and create one-of-a-kind sculptures.
I begin by
rolling out a piece of black clay for the body base/back. I decide how long I
want the whole piece. In this case I tried to keep the gnomes to about two and
a half inches tall. I cut out a form from paper as a pattern that is about two
inches long. I laid it on the black clay and used a clay knife to cut it out. I
laid the clay over the magnet. Then I made
little black teardrops to add as shoes. The clay on top will wrap around the
sides and will bring the piece up to the two and a half inches when finished.
I then decide
on a color scheme. I usually choose three colors to go together for the hat,
shirt, and pants. If I create a piece that is just the head I choose colors for
the hat and the flower that goes on the hat.
There is a
process I follow. First I lay the black body base over the magnet and press it
so the clay covers the magnet. Then I make the pants by rolling out the clay
into a small square. I lay it over the body base making sure it wraps on the
sides. Then from the back I cut the clay. I want to make sure the black base is
covered on the sides.
Then I choose the shirt color and hat colors. I make the shirt like the pants, by laying the clay over the body base and deciding the size. Again I press it on the body base and wrap it along the sides, then cut it from the back. I then create the arms and hands and attach them to the body. I leave them laying to the sides until I get the beard on.
At this point I
put on the beard. I use a mix of black and white clay (sometimes adding in some
silver clay) . I swirl them together to get the look of gray hair. I begin to
form the beard and lay it over the body to check for the size. I cut clay from the
top whatever is needed to fit with the nose. The top of the beard will be
covered by the hat and the nose. If you want a younger gnome you could use
brown and white to make the beard.
Once the beard
is on, I lay the hands over the sides of the beard. If I am putting a heart
into the hands I lay it on now. Then I press the arms and hands into it to
secure it. It will be solid once the clay is baked. I make an indentation for the nose and put the little ball of flesh colored clay on.
Then I create
the hat. I swirl together the two, or three, colors and work to get a fun
design. I shape the hat and trim the under edges of the sides until I get the
perfect fit. I press it down a little to make sure the clays all stick
together.
Once the gnome
is finished, I carve my initials in the back and lay it on a small piece of
paper to put into the oven. I use a dedicated toaster oven. The oven must have
the temperature dial on it so you get it right. Some toaster ovens don’t have a
temperature dial. I don’t recommend
using your home oven because there may be fumes from the clay when it is baking
that can be toxic. If you do use your home oven be sure to clean it thoroughly before
baking any food in it.
I hope you
experiment with whatever medium you enjoy working with. I am always looking for
new ideas for all my art and craft supplies. I can spend hours on Google and
Pinterest looking at art, sculpture, sewing projects and anything that catches
my eye.
Note: These Gnomes are Not available at this time on my Etsy shop.
No comments:
Post a Comment