Ornaments

Recently I made some ornaments inspired by my two dimensional designs. I discovered paper clay which is like clay but it air dries, instead of needing to bake. It is a fantastic medium and I just fell in love with it. I started out with a wooden or Styrofoam center so that I would have something solid to put my clay on. I also added the metal hoop at the top before the clay dried. It is fairly fast to work with, the only thing that really took time, is waiting for the clay to dry. But as one ornament was drying I worked on another. I layered the clay, and sanded them smooth in between application, and gave them a final sanding before I painted them.

When I thought about how I wanted to paint each one, I wanted them to have a somewhat distressed look. So I thinned out my paints and used them more like glazes and layered them up, so there would be more dimension to them. I also used a dry brush technique, to give each one more of an antique look. Using a paint pen is helpful in making small lines, or dots for eyes. And finally sealing them up with a varnish for protection is the final step.

I used a glossy varnish for the red bird, and a satin varnish for the others. I couldn't decide which varnish I like best. Also the birds have the Styrofoam underneath, and all the others have the wooden, which makes them a bit heavier.

The fox is by far my favorite! I think he has tons of personality, and he looks cute at every angle. I basically started him out as I would for the owls, but added the arms, legs, nose, and tail.