Creative PaperClay Ugly Christmas Sweater

By Linda Hess

Do you want to make an easy, peasy lemon squeezy ornament or package tie?  Then this is the project for you!  

Materials:

Creative PaperClay

acrylic roller

some kind of texture (shown: rubber stamp) Other options: scrubbie sponge, dotting tool, fabric, sandpaper...use your imagination

Ugly Sweater cutter (I found mine at Walmart)

Funwire

ornament top with hanger (repurposed from a broken ornament)

paper towel

water

plastic wrap or Ziploc baggie

Optional: cooling rack, school glue or tacky glue

Step 1: Open the package of Creative PaperClay and pull off a bit.  Wrap the rest of the package tightly in plastic wrap or in a Ziploc baggie.  Make sure to press all of the air out or you will be sorry!  Use the acrylic roller to flatten the clay on your work surface to about 1/8" thick.  Impress the entire surface with the texture.  

Step 2: Turn the clay sheet over and cut out one sweater.  Remove the excess clay and squeeze into a ball.  Dampen the paper towel with water, squeezing out excess.  Pull a bit off the ball of clay and wrap the remained in the damp paper towel to keep it moist.

Step 3: Roll a long snake on your work surface.  If the clay develops cracks, dip your fingers into some water before rolling.

Step 4: Fold the snake in half.  Then twist.  

Repeat, rolling the snake and then twisting.  If you want to create the knitted sweater design be sure to roll the folded snake in opposite directions (twist away from you, twist towards you).  Alternating the twist will create the illusion that you knitted the clay (Shhh, keep it a secret).

Please note: if the clay cracks as you twist, dip your finger into water and rub on the cracked area.  This should "mend" the crack.  

Step 5: Begin lining up twists on the cutout sweater.  I recommend dipping your finger into water and rubbing it on the cutout sweater before adding each twist.  

See the loop at the top?  That is from the repurposed ornament hanger.  Place it on the sweater cutout and then place the twists on top of it.  Notice the neck of the sweater?  After a twist is placed, slightly flatten the clay to help attach the layers.

Continue adding twists until the sweater cutout is covered.

Step 6: Use the cutter to recut the sweater.  Pull away excess clay and place it into the damp paper towel.

Almost done!  Now for a few fine-tuning details.  What is an Ugly Sweater without its decorations?  Remember the top of the broken ornament?  Flatten the metal part to create a shimmery snowflake.  It can be attached with tacky glue or a small wire poked through the center holes.

Add a couple of wires or some other trim to the neck of the sweater.

Finally, roll a few thin snakes from the leftover clay (remember the damp paper towel?) and place them around the neck, along the sleeve cuffs, and along the bottom of the sweater.  Just as before, a little water with act as glue to help the adhesion.

Do you want to see the back??

That's it, all done!  I place my ornaments on a cooling rack to dry since this allows the air to circulate the piece and assure even drying.  Leave it along for 24-48 hours.  If any of the pieces are loose or come off, a bit of school glue or tacky glue will be the perfect fix.

 

Jim Dine inspired heARTs by Linda Hess

In my roll as an art teacher I love to expose the students to new artists as well as materials.  Ask any of my students (no matter the age) what is the favorite medium and you will get a resounding "CLAY!".  What better way to introduce my 3rd graders to the work of Jim Dine than with a mixed media project that includes Delight™ Air Dry Modeling Compound!  Let's get to work.

I have my 3rd graders once a week for 45 minutes.  This project took a total of 3 weeks to complete.  Today's blog post shows the first week of creation: the heart 💜

Materials:
Delight™ Air Dry Modeling Compound
watercolor markers (my classroom is stocked mainly with Crayola⌐)
texture tools (plastic texture sheets, wire tools, toothpicks, etc)
damp paper towel

Step one:  I opened each package of Delight™ clay and cut the block of clay into 8 pieces.  Each student received a piece of clay with instructions that the entire piece of clay had to be used during classtime to create a heart.  The piece of clay needed to be divided into however many colors each student wanted for his/her heart.  Once divided, the clay pieces can be placed on the damp papertowel and the towel folded over to keep the clay moist until ready for use.

The really cool thing about the Delight™ clay is that it accepts color easily.  I demoed how to dab the marker onto the clay and then fold/mix the color in.  Deeper color saturation can be achieved by dabbing and mixing multiple times. (PLEASE NOTE:  Colors will dry lighter than they appear while "wet")

Many of the students were so into the mixing process that I had to remind them to start creating a heart!  Others only heard the "dab color and mix" ignoring the separate colors instruction (ooops).  Thankfully I only had one or 2 who ended up with "mud" clay.

Step two:  Begin forming the heart.  

This (of course) is a freeform project.  I demoed how to take a ball and roll it to form a teardrop.  The teardrop was then flattened and then top dented in with the back of a plastic knife to create the heart shape.  If working with children you will need to give helpful hints such as "Do not flatten it as thin as a piece of paper!" "Use gentle pressure" and "make sure it does not stick to the table!"

The students quickly got into layered hearts much to my excitement.  2-3 hearts were stacked (in different colors), snakes of clay were wrapped around, dots of clay embellished...we had a whole lot of creativity going on!!

  Step three: texture and embellishment
I am all about embellishment!  A plain, colored heart makes more of an imact with the addition of texture and design.  We looked again at pictures of Jim Dine Hearts.  They are so vibrant in both color and design.  The 3rd graders immediately started using wire tools, texture sheets, toothpicks and pencil tips to bring the hearts to life.  Oh My Goodness, so gorgeous!!

I always tell my students "Your piece is not going to look like mine or your neighbor's or your best friend's.  It will look like Yours and that is the way it should be". One of the students who ended up with "mud" during the mixing process was much happier with his heart once the detail was added. 

Step four:  Set the hearts aside to dry
I have stackable wire racks (a clearance find a few years ago) that I placed the hearts on to dry.  The wire rack lets air circulate around for more even drying.  If left on the wax paper (seen above) the top will dry, but the bottom may stay damp.  Since I only see my 3rd graders once a week, the hearts had plenty of time to dry by the next class.

Next up:  More pattern and texture!
Materials:
craft sticks (I used the thinker tongue depressor type)
crayons
watercolors

Step one:  Craft stick crayon resist
Next class I had each student retrieve his/her heart.  Then they chose enough craft sticks to create a surface large enough for the heart to be mounted on without overlapping (most took 6-7 for the base and 2 more for the sides).  FYI for teachers: Have students write names on the back of every single stick!  Trust me, it will make life much easier if anyone doesn't not complete the "backing" in one class!

We talked about crayon resist and the need for a firm pressure when creating the patterns on each stick.  Students were instructed to add patterns to every stick, leaving space between the patterns for paint.  Of course I had a few friends who decided to just color and not paint (gotta love those "dare to be different" friends 💜).  Once the patterns were completed, they began to watercolor.

 We let the sticks dry before arranging them to form the backing. (NOTE:  I used 6 sticks,side by side, for the backing and then glued one more stick along each edge to hold the frame together.  Students decided if the glued pieces would become the top/bottom or the sides of the frame.  Once complete, the hearts were glued in place.

Art by Olivia M (left) & Angelina O (rt)

Step two: Wire & beading

This step was completed during the third class.  I predrilled holes, one in each corner and one in the center of each side and the bottom.  Beads and wire were put out. 

As you will see from the pictures, some of my students do not understand the term "less is more" (haha).  They definitely had a great time embellishing.  I sadly had a substitute for this final day, but she sent me process pictures and I got to see the finished mixed media hearts upon my return.

I think Jim Dine would be amazed at how the children were inspired by his art.

 Art by Olivia V (left) & Paige E (rt)

 Madison C (left) & Kendra (rt)

 Jasmine D-V (left) & Isabelle G (rt) 

 Diego R (left) & Alexis C (rt)

Bad Hair Day Art Doll by Linda Hess

Over the years I have met many wonderful, talented people.  One of those is Penni Jo Couch, owner and designer of Best Flexible Molds.  I discovered her molds while working in polymer clay. SUPER easy to use.  The detail obtained from polymer clay can also be achieved with Creative PaperClay!

 Here is a very easy tutorial using one of my favorite molds from Penni Jo, an art doll mold.

Materials:
Creative PaperClay (www.creatvepaperclay.com)
PJ039 Caboshapes II- Divas!  (http://bestflexiblemolds.com/PJ039.htm)
Handmade paper (www.arnoldgrummer.com)
Toner Funwire (www.tonercrafts.com)
crystal
scissors
Knitting needle or turkey lacer
dremel or small drill

Procedure:
1) Press a bit of creative PaperClay into the large art doll shape.  Be sure to press clay firmly into the mold.  Once filled, flex the mold to remove clay shape.  Set aside to dry (about 24 hrs).

2) If you are not a patient person when it comes to creating (like me), you can quick dry the art doll form by baking it in a low temp oven (275 degrees) for about 15-20 minutes. 

 3) Create a "dress" for the art doll using Arnold Grummer's papermaking kit (I use the PaperMill Pro).  Follow the directions here (https://polymercreations4u.wordpress.com/2015/01/19/painting-with-paper-pulp/) to create pulp.  To create stripes, place colors (one at a time) next to each other on the paper screen.  Follow the directions for pressing out moisture and completing the sheet of paper.
4) While damp, wrap the striped handmade paper around your dried art doll form.  Tear away excess paper.  Press paper firmly around form...take your time! 

Set aside to dry OR put back into your oven at 275 degrees for 15-20 minutes to quick dry.
5) Use a small drill or Dremel to drill holes around the top of the head (5-7).  Creative PaperClay drills so easily, but be careful not to drill to close to the edge!

6) Choose 1 or 2 colors of Funwire (I used Grape Ice and Bubble Gum).  Cut 6" pieces.  Thread wire through holes and twist as shown.

Continue until all of the holes have wire.  Use the knitting needle or turkey lacer to curl wire one piece at a time. 

Arrange hair as you go until all of the hair has been curled.

 

 

Drill another hole at t bottom of the art doll.  Use a final piece of wire to add a crystal. 

 

There!  All done.  Your Art Doll can be hung on the wall by twisting 2 pieces of "hair" to form a loop.  OR add a magnet to the back and it becomes refrigerator art (hehe).

I hope you enjoy this project.  Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments.  Come back and visit again :-)