Well I've been playing with these little "widgets" since last year but I only started putting them on envelopes in early January. Pretty sure that only ~30 people have gotten any so far (sent out with the invoices of new sales of any horse or medallion). They're just fun "scribbles" in clay that I cast in press molds using Apoxie Sculpt. I have tried a good # of gypsum products (plaster of paris, art plaster, permastone, hydrocal, etc) in the molds too and generally find almost all types leave pin hole bubbles or are far too brittle in these wafer thin thumbnail sizes. They are essentially something I'm practicing casting in alternate media with but the ones I give away as extra fun bling on sales materials are all apoxie sculpt so far.
I have refrigerator magnets but they're too big & strong for these little flat works. I may get the flat magnets and sell them someday. They'd make fun pins I think too. I suppose I could consider metals. I have family that does metal work so it wouldn't be a stretch to go there and try that out.
So far however they just are outlets for creative ideas and I haven't really thought about marketing them. I should document them at least here or on my website. Not necessarily in a 'collect them all' way - but just to document them. Thus far I haven't sent out anything with the galloping Andy there on it.
These photos are disappointing to me, it's been hard to photograph them too. The metallic finish is from Sculpt Nouveau and will age/patina a bit more naturally than straight up paints (although I'm not sure how much). I don't have a photograph of it but I've also experimented with adding a bit of "faux" (less toxic to me!) green patina using acrylic and watered down white gesso and I quite like that effect because you can control the "oxidation" look better (focus where the pale green goes).
So there are several new faces to start off the year with. Nothing for sale at this time, just something different. :)
4 comments:
Hey Morgan thats a cool idea.. I had wanted to try casting in some of the things you mentioned like hydrocal.. but have you tried any of the clay paper out there for the flat ones? you could push it into the molds and it would be really light too.. and no pin holes.. I have seen it in Michaels but never tried it..but have seen lots of dolls done it in from push molds... it might work really well for like when you want to put them on envelopes like that.. ck out some of those type of things.. also theres a type of sculpey you could try thats more rubbery so it wont break as easy or its not brittle... and is good for push molds.. you would have to then bake them but it might work. but Id think the paperclay might work the best.. neat idea! I may have to try something like this for fun some day...and try paperclay for magnets.. I have thought of doing them in the past.. I used to make jewelry but had it cast in silver for people... I still have some of the tiny waxes fomr the castings.. .. Oh I do know some people do a sculpt make a rubber mold and use the paperclay for pins.. they then paint them in bright metallic paints.. very pretty some even ad feathers or dangly things like beads and stuff..... oh and you could even stick a pin into the back under the clay before it gets hard so you then have a nice blouse pin ... I really want to try out the paperclay someday.. it looks to be really nice and smooth and looks like a white fine clay... the packs are not very big though... anyways col idea nice work!
Rebecca Turner
www.solticeartstudio.blogspot.com
I haven't tried clay paper. Is this something that needs firing? & The idea about Sculpy is great - I didn't even think of it.
I'll confess that part of my experimenting here this way is for bigger projects planned in the future where I don't want to have to mess around with resin casting(and ouch the price!) for prototypes. So I'm trying out things like an Apoxie sculpt shell with plaster filling inside (done in stages). Sculpy stays "soft" doesn't it? That wouldn't work if so.
Someone suggested wax too & that's a great idea imo too for what I'm thinking of! :D
I love these little widgets!
Tx Liesl! I should add as an addendum to the post here that some folks are making necklaces out of em (cool beans man!). :) And I'm going to pick up some pin back things at a craft store this weekend I hope (in addition to the magnet stuff).
Post a Comment