The Freedom to Create

Paper Clay can be made using any kind of paper. For this project I chose newspaper, toilet roll cardboard, paper towel, napkin, and dryer lint. First soak paper with water. Each paper has a different absorption rate, soak the paper and let it stand for a few minutes to see how much is absorbed. Do this in a large bowl or right in the food processor. Next add a paper mache paste. I used the cook method. Combining 1 c water, 2 tablespoons of flour and 1/4 tsp of salt (to aid in the prevention of mold). Sprinkle the flour over the water and use a whisk to remove lumps while it is heating up. As it heats up it will begin to thicken. Just before boil remove from heat and allow to cool a bit before add to the paper mix. When it has cooled add it to the paper mix, lock the lid to the processor and pulsate. In a few short moments you will see how the paper has blended and you now have clay. If you have added a bit more water than the paper absorbed just squeeze out the excess wate...

This foot was made for walkin'...and that's just what it'll do....one of these days this foot is gonna walk all over you. Singing to Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots are made for Walkin'" while painting my foot. Adding color, trying to control a realistic feel of this foot. I am still not satisfied with the toenails but I am satisfied with the overall appearance.  ' In the picture above there is a vein that I think is too large, so I will add a bit of flesh tone to narrow it out a bit. Overall, I don't think it's to bad for a first timer. Next, I'll be constructing a hand.  Stay tuned! I would love to hear  some feedback as to any suggestions. Please feel free to post and comment.

This post is a continuation of " The measure of a Foot ". The final goal is that this clay model represent the life-like quality of a human foot. After allowing the clay to air dry. I began applying gesso as a primer before applying acrylic paint.  The above picture shows the application of 3 coats of gesso. The picture below shows the application of acrylic paints. Human flesh is comprised of several shades. The color is not one single color. I mixed some red, some blue, some sienna brown, along with a touch of yellow. All in varying degrees adding gesso to the paint as I did not want the transparency of the pure paint. I used a papertowel dipped with a touch of water to smooth over the surface. I think this foot is developing nicely . I hope to see it walk off the table by itself. I see that I still have the toenails and maybe another over all thin coating of color. I will post the completed piece in a final entry on this project. Hope you'll follow along.

What is the measure of a foot? Oh.......I know.........12 inches. Did you get your chuckle on?  This is a project I've had an itch on for some time. I am fascinated with the structural quality of hands and feet. I had posted the first slumping over at SandnShovel . Since I am continuing with refining the cast, I am posting the rest of the project here at Bongo Creative. The clay being used is raw Georgia clay. I just wanted to get my "feet wet" as I hadn't worked with clay for some time. This is day one:   Achieving the basic shape of the foot and some contouring of the heal, bones on top of the foot, and toes. I did play "This little piggy went to market". Continually wetting the clay with my fingers and massaging the clay as you would a foot massage. When I was finished for the day, I apply a wet towel over the top so that I can return to it another day. The wet towel keeps it just wet enough to continue manipulating and moving the clay. Day 2:...