Mini Food Processor - AKA My New Toy
I love sculpting in polymer clay, however the process of mixing clay can be VERY tedious.
This is especially true when mixing clay for a sculpture for a number of reasons.
Using a pasta machine (my old method) for mixing clay takes FOREVER with a somewhat extensive preparation process. Light and fresh clay has a tendency to pick up lint, dust, dirt, anything and everything that happens to be around at the time.
Thus the longer the mixing process, the long the clay is exposed, and the more 'dirty' the clay turns out. The final sculpture looks less 'professional' if it is studded with lint.
And my newer issue with the pasta machine, is the difficulty in adding liquid polymer clay. I've discovered that conditioning some liquid clay into the mix makes it softer and more malleable, however, this was disasterous in my pasta machine meaning I had to do it by hand.
This is especially difficult with my injured hand/thumb (from military deployment)
The old Mixing Process
Preparing the Clay to be mixed (I chose random scraps for this demo)
Each 'blob' of clay has to be slightly conditioned and shaped to fit into the pasta machine
Each blob of clay is run through the pasta machine a few times for a somewhat uniform sheet
The colors to be mixed are stacked, and run through the pasta machine again, and again
and again
Until a uniform color blend is achieved
This process isn't too bad for a smaller sculpture or color combination, but this can take the better part of an hour for something as large as a 3 Inch Bunny
Old vs New
Enter the Food Processor
I've read about artists using food processors for mixing clay, and finally decided to treat myself (Under $20 on amazon)
I purchased the Proctor Silex 1-1/2-Cup Food Chopper
ideal for a small to medium magical sculpture
Does it measure up?
I decided to do my first mixing trial with camera at hand
Preparing a mix of clay to be blended: Sculpey Living Doll and Premo Translucent. I will then add some TLS (Translucent Liquid Sculpey)
I roughly shredded the clay and dropped them into the food processor
Power ON, and WOW!!
I then added a generous few drops of TLS
Total Preparation + Mixing Time: TWO MINUTES,
Level of pain to my injured hand: ZERO
Foreseeable Benefits:
The first and most obvious is TIME. I have essentially cut an hour out of the sculpting process.
On a personal level, this takes the stress of mixing off my hands, ideal for people with hand injuries
I can 'store' the unused clay in the processor. I typically mix up more clay than required. I'd rather mix too much of a clay color, than to run out mid-sculpture and have to try copying the color combination and consistency
The clay keeps CLEAN!! the processor is so tiny, I don't see the need to remove the clay, I will simply store the entire unit on my craft-cart and take out bits of clay as needed. And if a few days pass in between uses I will simply power it up for a few seconds and recondition (re-soften) the clay.
I am in love with my new toy!!
Edited 11 July 2012Thanks to the comments below regarding the danger of storing clay in the food processor I will only keep the clay in during sculpting and then store in another container so as not to destroy my new toy
This post continues from V-day Fairy Part 1
Completing the fairy sculpture was half the battle, then came wing accessorizing and experimentation
I had a basic ‘plan’ with the intentions of ‘winging’ the rest
The Wings
I assembled the basic wing tools including red craft wire, Angelina film (also called fusible film) glitter, tiny beads, and pink feathers.
Angelina film is a magical discovery that I found at the Morezmore Estate. What starts out as a rather plain sheet of ‘plastic’ can be turned into magical wings that reflects a rainbow of colors
I started with the wing base. Since this is a Valentine’s Day fairy, I chose a heart shape for the wings. Using red craft wire I shaped two large hearts with a long enough tail to insert into the baby’s back.
I glued the heart wires to the Angelina film in the ‘Aurora Borealis’ color. Note the colors reflected in the untreated film. Angelina film is a special type of plastic that melts in the heat. The process of melting also causes the film to undergo many color transformations before melting into ‘nothingness’
The trick is to apply just enough heat for the colors to show without causing the entire wing to melt
This is accomplished by holding the wings a few inches above a candle, ready to pull away at a moments notice. Alas I wasn’t fast enough on the first set and melted right through the wings
Trial #2 worked out nicely though with a small rainbow of color surrounding a magical hole in the wings (where the film was intentionally over-melted and burned away)
I covered the film with a thin layer of pink crystal lacquer to ‘set’ the wings and add to the Valentine’s Day color scheme. I then doused the wings with a combination of fine glitter and micro-beads in shades of pink and white
I kept the sculpture unbaked till the completion of the wings to ensure a proper fit. Using a tapestry needle I placed 2 holes between the baby’s shoulder blades. I trimmed the wing stem to half an inch, inserted into the fairy, and made adjustments as necessary
Baking The Sculpture
Satisfied with the wings, my baby was ready for the oven. This is always the most torturous part for me.
When clay is in the oven, it gets soft, and soft clay is unpredictable. I planned for the bake by supporting the arms with strong wire, but I didn’t want to take any risks. My ‘amazing’ oven support discovery = PAPER!! That’s right, a rolled up piece of paper has A LOT of strength as long as it cannot unroll. (Provided there is internal support in the armature too)
I placed a roll under the baby’s arms to discourage them from sagging. I used my oven thermometer to support the baby from the side placing a piece of paper between metal and baby to prevent a metallic sheen (and increased heat/burning)
I set the timer, set my panic button, and began the scary wait. Luckily all went well. I checked the temperature every few minutes, and breathed a deep sigh of relief when the baking was over (after escaping the baking fumes from the kitchen)
I kept the fairy in the oven overnight to ensure a slow and even cooling process. This increases the long term durability of clay sculptures, and also prevents accidental breakages of the soft/warm clay
Blushing the Fairy
I blushed the fairy with my new discovery – Genesis Heat-Set oil paints. This is a special type of oil paint that doesn’t dry unless heated to a temp of 250F (oven temp). Unlike water-based acrylics, once baked the genesis paints will never wash off. I ‘blushed’ the entire fairy giving the baby a ‘healthy’ glow especially around chubby portions like the thighs and belly, and areas like the cheek, fingers, and toes
Once again the fairy was allowed to cool before handling.
The Finishing Touches
I chose to use fine feathers in place of ‘hair’ for this special creature. I placed a healthy plume of pink feathers at the base of each heart shape wing, a few wisps onto the fairy’s head, and a tiny feather on each of the eyebrows.
Additional Photos will be featured on My Website
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Good Morning and welcome to my very first blog post on my very first blog
Since this is my first post, I will use this opportunity to introduce myself. And I ask YOU, my fellow readers, to introduce yourself in turn using the comment section below
My name is Leah, pronounced ‘lay-ah’ as in princess Leia, and no I have never seen Star Wars (I know, I know..) I cannot tell you how many times my name gets mispronounced. I often get ‘Lee-ah’ and once even got ‘Lee’
But enough about my name
In the ‘real world’ I work as a private educator. I help high school and college students dissect the mystery that is science, prepare them for their standardized exams, and help them get into the medical field by helping them prepare for their MCATs, DATs, OATs and the application process.
I believe that if you work hard you will achieve your goals, it may not be easy, but it’s certainly not impossible. I learned this valuable lesson in the 'middle of nowhere' on the North Arabian Gulf (ABOT)
After graduating high school I was torn between adventure and education, so I settled for both by joining the Navy Reserves and attending college full time. I studied the sciences during the week, and served my country on weekends.
In 2010 my unit was called up for deployment to the Middle East for OIF/OEF, where we served a dual mission between security at Port Ashuaiba – Kuwait, and the training of Iraqi military in security on the Al Basra Oil Terminal (ABOT) Iraq. Here’s an excellent clip from CNN showing my unit working with the US Coast Guard and Coalition forces on this exciting yet tasking mission
After returning from deployment I settled in for the 'nice and quiet life' by starting my own tutoring business: Leah4sci (Tutoring/Educating mentioned above)
When the students are gone and the academics are cleared away, THAT is when the real adventures begin. Papers are replaced by clay, and writing instruments are replaced by sculpting tools. Polymer Clay, my hobby/addiction, allows me to bring the magical creatures from my fantasy world to reality. Sculpting helps me deal with the stressed (read: adventures) of the day, relieves tension, and gives me something fun to do
I love to imagine which creatures will emerge next from my blob of uncured 'plastic' (polymer clay). Inspiration for my sculptures come from the things around me. I will get ideas from the things I see in my daily routine, on TV, and all around me. I will sometimes wake up in the middle of the night to jot down a great idea from my dreams, or rush out of the shower to record yet another brilliant (read: hair-brained) scheme
So join me, on this magical journey, and together we can explore even deeper fantasies, and unlock the mysteries hidden in the world of polymer clay
You can find a gallery of many past works on my website: MagicByLeah
Some of my artwork is available for sale in the following of my shops:
My Artfire Shop
My Etsy Shop - Sculptures
My Etsy Shop - Trinkets and Jewelry
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