Project designed by Ann and Karen Mitchell, AnKara Designs.
Project demonstrated by Karen Mitchell.
Materials:
six, two-ounce blocks of Premo polymer clay - black
two-ounce bottle of translucent Liquid Sculpey
standard size pasta maker
tissue blade
X-Acto knife
ruler
one roll decorative craft foil - gold or turquoise
scissors - preferably old
paper crimper
needle nose pliers
Pearl-Ex mica pigment powders - pearl white, sparkle gold, duo blue-green, red russet
four small glass or metal dishes
Sculpey diluent
wooden skewers
soft leather strip, 5-1/2" x 1-1/2"
general craft or fabric adhesive
leather lacing
5" x 7", two-hole photo pages
wax paper
FIMO gloss varnish
brush
brush cleaner
paper towels
pointed (but not sharp) wooden clay tool or dull pencil
sketched design for cover
Steps:
1. Condition clay until soft. Roll out and cut two 5-1/2" x 8-3/4" sheets of black clay at a #1 setting on the pasta machine (about 1/8 inch thick). Using photo pages as a guide, mark and cut out holes for lacing on both sheets. Bake one sheet, cooling on a flat surface, and set aside. On second sheet, mark fold line of photo pages, cut clay sheet along this line, and cut out a 1/8-inch strip (1/16 inch on either side of marked line) to allow room for hinge action of the cover ( figure A).
2. Cut about 20-1/2" x 12" strips of foil. Fold strips in half lengthwise, and flatten at fold line (colored side of foil facing out). Be careful, the foil is sharp. Trim folded strips to a width of 1/8 inch. The folded and trimmed strips can be prepared for decorating the project in two ways. Some strips can be folded at angles with the pliers to form a zigzag pattern. Other strips can be run through the paper crimper for a wavy pattern, and then formed by hand into shapes and scrolls (figure B).
3. Use a sketch of the memory book cover design as a guide. Place the paper with the design on top of the unbaked sheet of clay. Use pointed but not sharp wooden clay tool to follow lines of the design, leaving a light impression on the clay. Start to form shapes and scrolls with the strips of foil, and place it on the surface of the clay sheet prepared as the front cover of the memory book, following the etched surface design (figure C). Trim strips as necessary. Press formed strips into the clay with the cut edge of the foil towards the surface of the clay, and the folded side facing up. Sink the strips about half of their width into the clay. Make sure to form closed shapes, as you will be filling the shapes later with liquid clay. When all the strips are in place and pressed into the clay, bake on a flat surface, and cool under a book (figure D).
4. Squeeze about 1-1/2 tablespoons of liquid clay into each of four small dishes. Choose four colors of mica pigment powders and mix one color into each of the dishes. Add a few drops of Sculpey diluent to each dish to thin the mixture. Plan the color layout for the cover, and carefully drop (using a skewer) small amounts of each color into the foil shapes but don't fill all the way to the top edge of the foil. Be careful not to spill into the next section marked off by the foil edge, or the colors could mix. Use the pointed end of a wooden skewer to drag the liquid clay in each foil section all the way to the edges (figure E). Bake book cover when all colored sections are filled with the liquid clay (figure F).
5. After coloring on cover is baked and has cooled, varnish the entire surface, as well as the hinge section of the cover. Trim leather strip to a 5-1/2" x 1-1 /2" strip. Using the fabric or craft adhesive, glue the leather strip to the backside of the cover and the hinge, leaving a 1/8-inch gap between the clay hinge and cover. Make sure strip dries flat to the surface of the clay (figure G).
6. Align the holes of the back cover, photo pages and front cover then tie together with the leather strip to finish.
Resources jewelry findings
Jewels Express
E-mail:
staff@JewelsExpress.com
Website:
www.JewelsExpress.com
cutters
Kemper Enterprises Inc.
Website:
www.kempertools.com
leather stamp tools
The Leather Factory
Website:
www.tandyleatherfactory.com
Sculpey III, Liquid Sculpey, Premo, tissue blades, Pearl-Ex pigments
The Clay Factory of Escondido
Website:
www.clayfactoryinc.com
Guests Karen Mitchell
Artist / Owner, AnKara Designs
Website:
www.ankaradesigns.com
Also in this Episode
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