Tuesday Tutorial -- PolyDollys

Here's a really cute tutorial for making these little polymer clay doll pins.  This looks like the perfect craft to learn how to use polymer clay.

 

 

Materials:
* Your choice of several bright colors of Premo! polymer clay- 1 ounce (1/2 block) each color.
* clay blade
* craft or Xacto knife
* pasta machine set to widest setting
* brayer or acrylic rod
* *small "kid shaped" cookie cutter. NOTE: if you do not have a kid shaped cookie cutter, you will need paper, pencil and scissors
* super glue
* your choice of magnet or pin back.
* oven,
* oven-tested metal or glass pan to bake items on NOTE: a ceramic tile works well, too.
* timer
Directions:
1. To make a striped cane, condition your clay by running two colors through the pasta machine on the thickest setting.
2. Lay one color on top of the other, and trim using the clay blade.
3. The beginning of the loaf should look like this once it is trimmed.
4. Cut the pieces in half and re-stack on top of each other being careful not to put two of the same color together.
5. Keep cutting and re-stacking until you have a cube of clay stripes. If you have a clay roller or brayer, it helps to adhere the clay to itself if you press it down.
6. Choose two more bright colors and cut each into long thin strips.
7. Stack as you did in step 2, trim evenly.
8. Begin the cane by tightly rolling one of the short ends up upon the striped stack.
9. Continue rolling until you have formed a tightly integrated spiral.
10. Create several different sizes and color combinations of stripes and spirals.
11. Slice a thin slice off your choice of one of the striped canes.
12. The slice should not be too thin-it should be approximately 1/8 to 1/16 inch thick
13. If you have a small "kid shaped" cookie cutter, use that to cut a piece of backing clay in your choice of colors.
NOTE: If you do not have a kid shaped cutter, use the provided pattern to cut out the shape from white paper and adhere it to the top of the clay sheet, and use a craft knife to cut around the outside of the pattern.
14. Arrange several thin slices of canes on the kid shape, being sure to wrap them around the edges if needed. Use the craft knife or clay blade to cut canes to fit if necessary.
15. Roll small triangles for hands out of beige or brown clay, and press them to the hand area. Roll a small flat ball of clay for the head and adhere it as well.
16. If you have the cookie cutter, press it to the edge of a cane as shown to create a hat.
17. Press it to the top of the kid's head, and cut a small striped strip for the hat brim, and press it to the edge of the hat.
18. Press two small seed beads in for eyes.
19. Create many different kids using your imagination and have a wonderful time dressing them! Bake in pan for 30 minutes on the center rack of an oven that's been tested and set to bake reliably at 275 degrees Fahrenheit. When cooled, add pin backs or magnets using super glue.
If you do not have cookie cutter: trace image onto white paper, clip with scissors and place on top of clay, cut around image using craft knife. (Note: image is 2 inches tall by 1/3/4 inches wide).

Here's the link to the original post

Window Shopping Wednesday -- Wall Dancers

Here's a look at a wonderful polymer clay artist that I truly admire.  Her work is funky, funny, unique, and particularly beautiful.  Just looking at her work makes me smile and feel good.  I have been reading her blog for quite some time and for a short while I thought she had quit blogging.  She is dealing with a health issue and so I worried about her status.  Imagine my pleasure to see that she is back and she is better than ever.

So, with no further ado, I give you Wall Dancers for your visual pleasure.

Great, huh?  Don't forget to visit her blog and maybe drop by her Etsy store to see even more beautiful items!

Wired Women Pins

Here's a quick and easy polymer clay pin to make when you need to have a quick gift.  I love working with polymer clay and the colors are all so beautiful.  I think if you try this project you, too, will become hooked on working with polymer clay.  These are simply too cute!  But they are fun to make, too!

I found this project on the Sculpy.com website.  There are many others there for you to try.  Remember that Mother's Day is just around the corner and I can't think of a mother who would not love one of these.

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Materials:
* 20 gauge wire (about 18")
* Artistic Wire 22 gauge wire (about 8-10")
* Artistic Wire Premo Polymer clay in 3 colors of choice
* Wire cutters and round nosed pliers
* Sculpey Super Slicer Pasta machine, acrylic roller, or straight sided Glass jar
* A tie tack or clutch pin


Directions:

The Wire Body:

Cut 18" of 20 gauge wire from the spool. · Starting at one end, form a loop for the head so that a 1/2" tail crosses the wire at about 3" from its end. Twist to secure.

At the "neck," bend the wire 90 degrees to one side to form the first arm. Measure 1-1/2", form a small loop, and bend back to the opposite side.

Repeat for the second arm.

Bend the wire straight down to form the body. Measure down 2" from the twist at the neck, form a small loop, and bend the wire back up.

Wrap the wire behind the neck, and then bend it back down to form the second leg.

Form a small loop again, and bend the tail end of the wire up again, making sure the legs are even.

Using the pliers, bend the loops at the ends of the arms and legs upwards to form the hands and feet.

Cut two pieces of 4-5" of a contrasting color wire. Bend each piece in half, and wrap them around the top of the head tightly to form "curls." Use the round nosed pliers to curl the ends.

The Clay Dress:

Condition all of the clay by rolling it into a cylinder or snake. Roll between your hands or on your work surface until it is long enough to fold into thirds. Fold it, twist it together, then roll it out again. Repeat this process two or three times.

To make a jelly roll: Roll two colors of the clay to small, flat sheets to less than 1/8" thickness. Cut out a rectangle of each color that is about 1-1/2" wide and 3" long.

Lay one rectangle on top of the other, carefully pressing them together from one end to the other. Then, beginning at one narrow end, roll up.

Gently reduce the size of the jelly roll by rolling back and forth on your work surface, pressing down and pulling slightly until it is the diameter you want.

Roll another sheet of clay very, very thin, less than 1/16" (#4 or 5 on a pasta machine). Cut paper thin slices of the jelly roll cane, and lay them on top of the surface of the clay sheet.

Smooth the surface with your roller, or roll through the pasta machine again.

Cut one strip, about 1/2" wide, from this very thin sheet for the dress top. Cut another strip 1-1/2" wide for the skirt.

Gently stretch the skirt piece, so that it ripples, but be careful not to tear it. Use your fingers to push pleats or gathers along the top edge. Then, wrap the skirt around the figure's waist (where the arms and legs intersect.

Push the back seam together with your fingers.

Lay the dress top piece across the front of the neck, and use your fingers to arrange it around the body top.

Cut the excess clay off in the back.

Before baking, push a tie tack through the back of the dress top so that the point sticks out the back.

Here's the link to this particular tutorial

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Twisted Dolls - Creepy Little Sweeties (play at your own risk)

Here is a really great blog entry that describes why these types of art dolls are so popular.  We have always liked gross and scary--why else do scary movies make so much money? I found this post on the blog, HandMadeNews.  I enjoyed reading it and I hope you will, too.  The pictures are great and I even recognized the artists!  Be sure to check out the links to the various artists' sites for even more wonderful art dolls.

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March 22, 2010 | By

Twisted Dolls - Play at your
own RISK!

The trend of dolls made to
reflect their owner'sinner child
may not be a new one. Handmade
dollswith that idea in mind have
been seen on the marketfor some
time now. However, the people
makingand purchasing horror dolls have inner children
with teeth and that is a totally, different story.
These dolls are truly like no other. They are
influenced by horror movies, books, music,
twisted childhoods, imaginary friends bad dreams
and so forth. One of the originators of this trend could be
said to be,The Living Dead Dolls. They were originally
handmade in 1998 and are now produced and available in
mainstream venues. Some handmade horror dollmakers
distance themselves from these
origins through theoriginal concepts
surrounding their dolls, as well as,
the distinction of being, "art dolls". 
Art dolls are typically just as their
name implies pieces of art. They are
individual in concept, execution and
display. These dolls are not toys.
They are expressions of ideas and
imagerythat speaks to their creators
and to those that purchase them. There are other differences
between horror art dolls and other art dolls.  These dolls embody
such things as sideshow freaks, horror victims and monsters,
disfigured children and adults.  They are truly some of the terrors
of humanity.  So you ask, why would anyone want a doll the
likes of these?  The resurgence of Victorian styles is a huge
trend that crosses over into a million others. Including
this one.  The Victorians had a real need to see and collect
oddities. There is also the in growing interest in places such as the
Mutter Museum, which is full of medical examples of naturally
occurring strangeness.  Another area of growing interest is the
history of carnivals and freak shows.    Add all of these things together
and you have all the reason you need for horror art dolls to have all the
adoring fans they're makers can handle.

These dolls are made from everything
you can imagine! You do not
have to be a traditional doll maker to
enjoy this trend!

For example
Polymer Clay - missmillificent 
Recovered/Recycled Dolls -
Sweetbutnotsourscreations 
Assemblage Art - readbetweenlines
Resin - Creepydolls


For generations dolls and sweet little girls have been like peanut
butter and banana sandwiches and bacon. They just to go together.
Well, just like little girls, dolls have changed. They aren't cute and
sweet anymore. There are little girls with skull hair bows and
black nail polish and there are dollies with stitches in their faces
and mix matched eyeballs. They are both creepy and neither
would look out of place in a cemetery. That being said, I for one
am glad to see them! Of course, I'm not the only one. This trend
has dug in its claws and won't let go no matter how much we
scream! (Scream for more that is!)











IMAGES in order of appearance
Ghost Doll Porcelain Repaint Gothic Horror by kittykatsue
Warrior Gothic Dead OOAK Horror Prop Doll Dark Art by DLMarian
Unique OOAK Hand Stitched Rag Doll Original 
Creepy Gothic Folk Art By Jodi Cain/ TatteredRags
Octowoman by mealymonster

LINKS to the world of unique art dolls
Strangedolls.net
Gail Lackey
Strange Moonart 
Demon Kids
INFLUENCES for your consideration
Jon Beinart
Morbid Anatomy 
The Human Marvels
Underbunny flickr
The Quay Brothers
Natural History Museum

Xane Dravor Likes the darker side of crafting. If it is dark, full of teeth and covered in stuff best left to nightmares, she might have it on her shelf somewhere. Sculpture and paintings being her primary mediums. Come by and see what we mean at - House Morbid Ltd