Stamped Clay Pippsywoggin

Project designed by Maureen Carlson.

Materials:

Pippsywoggins rubber stamps, one character for each game piece
Fimo Soft Polymer Clay - white for marker-colored pieces and in assorted colors for sculptural stamped pieces
round toothpicks
Fimo matte lacquer - discontinued
Marvy LePlume II markers in pastel and primary colors
acrylic paint: pastel blue, brown, white, black
15" x 20" illustration board, double thick, cold press surface
Color Burst premium dye cube stamp pad: emerald green, forest green
art eraser
cornstarch or talcum powder
assorted brushes, including #1 liner for painting eyes
spray sealer for game board
oven
craft blade or small scissors
index cards
dice

Steps:

Game Pieces:
Method 1 - Push Stamping - Repeat for each game piece.

1. Brush powder or cornstarch onto rubber stamp, then shake off excess.
2. Hold stamp so that you can see the rubber image. Press a flattened, 1/4"-thick piece of white Fimo Soft onto image, pressing it into all of the recesses of the stamp.
3. Lift clay from stamp. Place on index card. Trim figure with craft blade or scissors.
4. Alter clay image as desired, using toothpick, fingers or knife to deepen, curve or flatten different areas of the clay image.
5. To make figure stand, from white FIMO Soft form a wedge-shaped support to fit the back of the piece. Embed a piece of toothpick into support to make it rigid. Press support firmly to back of piece, being careful not to mar image.
6. Preheat oven to 265 degrees F. Place standing piece on index card, then onto a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven.
7. After it is cool, brush on brown acrylic paint. Wipe away immediately, leaving some in the indentations. Use a damp brush to remove excess paint in crevices. If desired, use liner brush to paint eyes with the white, blue and black paint.
8. Color pieces with LePlume II Markers. Let dry.
9. To seal pieces, brush lightly with Fimo matte lacquer. Don't over-brush as it will cause the color to run. Let dry. Brush on a second coat of lacquer.

Method 2 - Sculptural Stamping - Repeat for each game piece.

1. Choose Fimo Soft colors to match different parts of the colored Pippsywoggins design on back of rubber stamp.
2. Use the colored picture as a guide as you complete the following steps.
3. Choose a color of Fimo Soft for one part of the design. Use the push method, from method 1, above, to push the Fimo Soft into that part of the rubber stamp. Don't worry if it runs over into a second area.
4. Remove Fimo Soft from image and trim away unwanted parts of the image, using a craft blade. Set piece on an index card.
5. Repeat with all parts of the stamp design, making some parts thicker to cause them to stand out more, and some thinner to cause them to recede.
6. Press all parts together as for a puzzle.
7. Finish piece by following steps 4 -7 in the first method.

Game Board

1. Paint illustration board lightly with baby blue acrylic paint. Let dry.
2. Cut eraser in half to create two cubes. Using end of one piece as a stamp, press eraser onto emerald green stamp pad, then onto board to create a looping up-and-down path across game board. Let dry.
3. From the second piece of eraser, use craft blade to cut a triangular pine tree shape (minus the trunk). Use pine tree shape and the forest green stamp pad to stamp trees around the border of the board.
4. Now for the fun part! Use your imagination to create obstacles and surprises along the game board. The Pippsywoggins are little people who live in the woods and gardens, so examples that would be appropriate are:
   • Blackberry patch - Stop to eat berries. Miss a turn.
   • Turtle crossing - Stop for turtle. Miss a turn.
   • Bridge out - Take a detour (detour lines can be made with the same eraser stamp, but with a dotted line around the squares).
   • Grapevine Swing - Take a shortcut (marked with a drawn-in vine between parts of the path).
   • Hidden shortcut - Stamp some trees between parts of the path, with a line at the bottom of each to designate spaces.
   • Chase butterfly - Stamp in a wandering side path.
   • Swimming hole - Stop to swim. Lose a turn.
   • Hop a ride with Mr. Crow - Mark a dotted line that moves across the path.
   • Mud hole - Stuck! Lose a turn.
5. Draw and/or color in appropriate words and symbols to designate each obstacle or surprise. Write any directions, remembering to keep them simple!
6. Spray board with an acrylic sealer and allow to dry.
7. Play!

Note: Test spray sealers before covering the clay pieces because some sprays will react with polymer clay and turn sticky after a few weeks.

Resources
Family & Friends in Polymer Clay
by Maureen Carlson (ISBN: 0891349278)
Click here to order this title.
F & W Publications
Website: www.fwpublications.com

Fimo Soft and Pippsywoggins rubber stamps
Wee Folk Creations
Website: www.weefolk.com

Marvy LePlume II markers, Color Burst Cube Stamp Pads, Pippsywoggins rubber stamps
Hampton Art Stamps Inc.
Medford, NY
US
Toll Free Phone: 800-229-1019
Website: www.hamptonart.com
Guests
Maureen Carlson
Crafter, Wee Folk Creations
Website: www.weefolk.com
or
Maureen Carlson's Center for Creative Arts
Website: www.maureencarlson.com
Also in this Episode

Carol Duvall Show : Episode CDS-751
•	Star Gift Bag
•	Star Party Votive Cup
•	Diorama Invitation
•	Dimensional Coverings
•	Stamped Clay Pippsywoggin