Update and Tip of the Day

I've finished the paper mache layers on the diorama pieces.  The weather was nice and I was able to get outside and sand all the pieces also.  I plan to get a layer of gesso on the pieces today.  It feels like I am finally making some progress.  Next update I will have pictures of the project.

Tip of the day:  Powdered resin glue can be added to the flour and water paste to make the paper mache harder.  I have also used diluted white PVA glue (like Elmers) to the mix to harden a project.  These additives do make the material more durable, but it also adds to the difficulty of the sanding the project.  The hardened projects are so tough that I use a palm sander to smooth the project. I only hand sand smaller delicate items or tight corners.

Always wear a dust mask when sanding paper mache.

Why Paper Mache?

From time to time, I have been asked why I choose to work in paper mache.  This question is often followed by (or sometimes preceded by), “Why take the time to make things at all when you can purchase just about anything you want with the click of a button?”  My answer to those questions is complex and multifaceted, and took my thoughts in unexpected directions.  It has taken three days to get these ideas into a coherent article.

Paper mache is a true Folk Art medium.  In times past, paper mache was used as a decorative arts medium and many homes had ceiling and wall medallions created from paper mache pressed into molds.    There were many cottage industries based around creating Halloween and Easter decorative items from paper mache.  Few old paper mache items remain, because paper mache is basically paper mixed with a paste made from a starch and sometimes a hardener.  Although a well-cared for paper mache piece can last for a century or more, most paper mache items (especially holiday decorations) were discarded after a single use.  I feel ephemeral nature of the medium is part of its charm.  It is a medium to be enjoyed in the moment without worrying about its future.

 Another thing I like about paper mache  is that it is a medium accessible to everyone.  For the cost of a few cents of flour, some scrap paper, and some paint, anyone can create something of interest and beauty.  Art and craft products have become expensive.   Using recycled materials helps stretch the money budgeted for creative products.  Less money spent here is more money to spend somewhere else.

The second question: Why make something when you can buy something (sometimes followed by the silent adjective “nicer”)? 

 I can always site the creative urge, but my feelings on the subject run much deeper than that.  I like to make hand-made objects because they are one of a kind.  I like to manifest my ideas, however imperfectly they are made, because no one else will have something exactly like it.    I prefer having an original product to having a product that can be purchased anywhere by anyone.

Today, with computer controlled machines, products are created to tolerances of thousandths of a millimeter.  Every product is perfect; flawless.  (Yes, I do know that the imperfect ones are culled out and recycled before they reach the public.) My point here is that the younger generations wre living in a time when things are massed produced and perfect.  They are so saturated with the concept of perfection that they have come to reject that which is not perfect.  This is a problem for every individual.  As human beings, we are never going to be perfect.  If we reject the imperfect, what does it say about how we view ourselves?  

My feelings on the concept of the imperfect object are at the very root of my reason for wanting to be creative.  Regardless of the skill level I reach, my work will never be as wonderful as the objects of the natural world.  I can create a rose from paper mache and paint, but it will never match the beauty of a real rose. Nor will any doll I create every match the energy and vitality of a person.  However, I have learned that I can embrace and even cherish these imperfect things.  And is that understanding has led me to a greater acceptance of myself and my fellow human beings.  Art passes on information on both conscious and unconscious levels, perhaps that why I really like to create.  I have a message for you about love and acceptance.  You can’t see it in the art, but somewhere along the line you are being sent a message on accepting and loving an imperfect thing.

More Jack Frost Art Doll Photos

I said in my last blog post that I would include a couple more pictures of my Jack Frost art doll.  I added a profile view so you could see how his cape flows behind him.  I also added a close up view of his skis.

The cloak was made with floral wire sewn between two layers of batting to hold it out as if is being blown by the wind.  All the knots from the beading threads are pulled down into the batting so none of them show.

The skis were made with paper mache over a foil armature.  After that I covered the skis with bits of cut up CDs that were glued on like mosaic tiles.  There is no grout, the pieces are just laid end to end. 

Most people consider the skis the best part of the doll.  It is the most interesting feature.  They sparkle and shimmer and draw the attention immediately.

I had originally planned to use a different covering for the skis: small clear plastic pellets used for weighting stuffed animal projects.  Their small square shape made them look like ice cubes.  However, they did not stick well with the glues I had on hand, and tended to come off easily.  I decided that it was a safety issue and changed to the CD pieces which glued down well.  In the long run I am satisfied with the way things turned out.

Jack Frost Art Doll Photos

 It is February and we had snow last night, so it seems like a good time to blog about one of my dolls.  These photos are of one of my art dolls, Jack Frost.  I wish I was a better photographer.  I'm still learning.

This is the third doll in my series called "Jack".  A Jack is an old word for a nature spirit that takes on anthropomorphic form.  The story of Jack Frost is an old one.  It is said that he was a mischievous spirit who comes to write on your windows at night.  Most times of the year this doll looks too plain, but when the snow comes and blankets everything in white, he seems just right.

When I was making the doll, I asked myself, "What kind of spirit is Jack Frost?"  My answer was that he was some sort of punk who painted graffiti on your windows.  So, I gave him a punk hairstyle made of silver beads to represent icicles.  His cape is covered with silver beads as well.  They remind me of the glints of light sparkling off the snow on a sunny morning.  The ski poles are small dowels wrapped in Mylar to shine like icicles as well.  

Jacks head, face, and hands are made of paper mache.   His boots are made of paper clay.  The head, hands, and boots are painted with acrylic paint and sealed with an acrylic sealer. The doll body consists of a wire armature covered in batting, wrapped with string, and then a skin of muslin.  His suit is made from batting.  The skis are paper mache over an armature of foil with cut up pieces of an old CD glued on like pieces of mosaic tile.  (I'll post a close up picture of his skis next time I post a blog.  The picture I took of the skis was out of focus.  I'll have to take more photos.)  The base is a piece of wood covered in cotton batting.  The doll is a free standing sculpture.

Some people think folk art dolls should be old fashioned rag dolls dressed in costumes of a previous era.  However, I define a folk art doll as a doll made by a self-taught or non-academically trained artist, or an art doll made of bits and pieces of recycled material.  Folk Art is constantly changing. It reflects the current situation of the artist.  Why should a folk art doll have to look like it came from 1860?  Would you want to be wearing the same style clothes you wore in the 1980s?  I thought not. 

Diorama Update 2/17/12 and Tip of the Day

I am still putting paper mache on the buildings for the folk art diorama.  This is the tedious part of the project.  The area has to dry before I can turn it over to add more paper mache to the other side.  I'm putting three layers on each side.  I don't have time to work on it every day, so that adds to the length of time it takes to get through this section of the project  It can be frustrating when I walk by the project and don't have a place in my schedule to sit down with it. Another two hours of project time should have the paper mache layers finished.

Tip of the Day:  When working with an armature for a paper mache project, it may be hard to keep track of which side is the front and which side is the back.  Sometimes it will not matter.  Other times, for example, due to minute cutting errors, it might be necessary to determine which side you want to be the front.  To keep track of which side is which, I will apply a small piece of colored construction paper to the back and bottom of the armature while the paper mache is moist.  The brightly colored material will tell me at a glance which side I have facing me.  With each layer of paper mache, I will add a new piece of colored paper.  I have found that newspapers tend to have a lot of red color in their advertisements, so when using newspaper strips it will be easier to spot if you use a green or blue construction paper.

Last of the Steping Stones and Tip of the Day

This is the last of my stepping stones.  I was inspired to paint this one after a trip to Hawaii.  It has been outside for about three years and still has good color.  In fact, it even survived being run over by a riding lawn mower pulling a heavily laden cart.

Tip of the Day:  Many people enjoy painting on rocks rather than stepping stones.  If you should choose to use this paint on rocks, make sure you bring the rocks inside and let them dry out for a long time before painting them.  Moisture from rain or a stream can penetrate into crevices in the rock.  When  the painted rock is heated to bake the enamel, the moisture could turn to steam and cause the rock to explode.  It might be a good idea to have a toaster dedicated for craft projects if you choose to use this type of paint on rocks.  At least that way you won't risk wrecking the oven you need for cooking.  The risk can be avoided altogether by painting rocks with acrylic craft paints that do not need to be heat set and using a sealer recommended for use on stone.  However, that type of paint will fade faster if left in sunlight.

I have not tried using this type of paint on rocks, but I have had the experience of rocks with moisture in them exploding when they were used to surround a camp fire.  Rocks can be frighteningly explosive if they are heated after just being pulled from a stream.   So hopefully, a word to the wise will be sufficient.

Stepping Stone Experiment and Tip of the Day

I like to experiment with materials and use them in ways that are not their intended use.  Sometimes these things work out and sometimes they don't.  And sometimes they lead you in interesting directions that you did not expect. 

I cast this stone using small bits of aquarium gravel.  I drew a picture of the design then slipped it under some sticky clear paper used in making mosaic designs.  I think the brand was called Mosaic Mount, but it was so long ago that the name could be incorrect.  Then I set the stones on the paper on the sticky side of the paper following my design.  The sticky paper holds the stones in place.  Once the design was finished, the Mosaic Mount paper was cut to the size of the stepping stone mold and laid in the bottom of the mold.  Then I poured in the stepping stone cement.  Up until that point, the experiment was going okay.

When I took the stone out of the mold and peeled off the paper, it was a disappointment.  The concrete color was a dull gray and did not show off the design well.  So I needed to figure out how to make the design stand out and bring in some color. I decided to use the bake in the oven acrylic enamel glass paint because I had some left over from a glass painting project.  So I painted the stone gold, and outlined the designs with brown paint and baked it in the oven to set the enamel.  This was the first stepping stone I had used this paint on and I was really happy with the results. It changed the experiment from something that did not work out and was destined for the trash into interesting garden art. This experiment that started as a failure set me onto my other painted stepping stone projects and now I have colorful stepping stones in my garden and throughout the yard. (Once you get started, one is never enough.) 

This stepping stone has been outside year round since 2004 and is still retaining its color nicely.

A Tip of the Day for Crafters about this type of project:  I tried to sell some stepping stone art at a farmers market.  It did not work out well.  The stepping stones were actual paintings.  One was an ocean scene of a light house on a bluff.  The other was a geometric pattern with words inserted such as "inspire" , "enjoy" etc.  You have probably seen some of that type of art somewhere.  Anyway, they took a significant amount of time to paint.  Everyone liked them, but no one wanted to buy them for the price I was asking, $25.00.  This price was not exorbitant considering the amount of time spent painting them and the cost of materials.  People offered $5.00 for them.  I would not accept that because that would not even pay for the materials used to make them.  I could not even buy a blank stepping stone for that.  The problem is that home crafters cannot compete with China where the labor and materials are government subsidized.  So if you plan to make them, plan on making them for yourself of for giving as gifts because buyers don't want to pay enough to make it worth doing for sales.

Sadly, I gave those stepping stones away as gifts before I took pictures of them.  That is unfortunate because they truly Art for the garden rather than just being a craft project.

Tulip Stepping Stone

This is another of my baked acrylic enamel stepping stones.  I always have tulips in my garden with this stone. 

When using the acrylic enamel paints on stepping stones, give each coat of paint 24 hours to dry before applying another coat.  On one of my early stepping stones I added coats of paint before the previous coat was completely dry.  When I heated the stone, the paint bubbled and blistered.  I tried to repaint and reheat the stone, but the paint looked uneven.

Tip of the Day:  If you are uncomfortable with drawing free-hand, patterns for stained glass offer a line drawing that can be used as a pattern for your stepping stone.  Base coat your stone then use tracing paper to trace your design onto the stone.  Paint as desired. 

Update and Tip of the Day

Last week was a very hectic week.  I didn't get a chance to start putting paper mache on the buildings of my diorama until yesterday.  I have one layer on 3/4 of each building. (A total of five buildings.)  The paper mache dried overnight and I hope to have time to put a layer on the other side of the buildings today.  I am using the newspaper strip and flour paste method. 

Ideally the buildings will look like a row of buildings from a small town, kind of an older style from a bygone era.  They will be the backdrop for my devil and skeleton riding in a car sculpture which will be cruising down the street.  I think the title will be Devil Looking for Trouble in a Small Town.  I was originally thinking this piece would be a Halloween sculpture.  The devil was a very popular Halloween decoration from the 1920s and 1930s.  You rarely see a devil in Halloween decorations these days, so I will go in more of a folk art direction.  Southern folk art many times has a theme of the devil causing trouble or tempting people.  I am really looking forward to finishing this project and putting up a picture of it. 

I like to recycle newspaper into my art projects.  The newspaper is about all the good and unfortunate things that are happening in our world.  It is about the things we hope for and fear, the things we create and the things we demolish.  It seems only fitting that the newspaper should be recycled to make art, which is reflection of our lives.

Tip of the Day:  When putting paper mache on an armature, the first layer is the most difficult.  On vertical or rounded surfaces, the the paper mache strips tend to slip.  I paint a layer of white PVA glue (Like Elmers) on the armature and give it a few minutes to become tacky.    The paper mache strips will stay in place on the tacky surface.

Other Garden Art and Tip of the Day

I suppose some readers are wondering "Where's the Folk Art?" because this is all garden art.  I decided to start with my garden art because it is winter and many gardeners are home making their plans for spring.  I thought garden art would be something fun for them to plan to incorporate into their gardens. I will start posting pictures of some of my other types of art soon.

In an earlier Tip of the Day I had suggested that people who were new to Arts and Crafts  begin studying different types of Folk Art and see how they could incorporate those types of art into their own projects.  This stepping stone is one example of doing just that.  When I was first learning about Folk Art I studied Pennsylvania Dutch hex signs. (I have pictures of hex signs I painted that I will post later.) 

This is a picture of a stepping stone I painted for my garden.  It is painted on a cement stepping stone that I cast myself and painted.  The stepping stones are less expensive if you purchase a mold and a bag of cement and cast your own stones if you plan to make several.  Make sure to clean your mold thoroughly between each use.

Many people paint their stones with acrylic craft paint.  That tends to fade over time.  I use an acrylic enamel paint used for painting glass that is set by heating it in the oven..  (Make sure you open your windows to ventilate.) The brands I use are Pebeo Porcelaine and Liquitex Glossies.  The baked enamel can stay outside for years and still retain its color.  There is an area where the paint has flaked off on the neck of the bird.  That was not due to weathering, but because I carried two stepping stones out on top of each other.  The stone on top scraped against the lower stone and removed some paint.  There is always a lesson to be learned. 

I seal my stones with Armourcrete concrete sealant.

Tip of the day:  If you plan to cast several stepping stones, purchase a bag of cement from the hardware store.  It will be less expensive than the single stone bags purchased at a craft shop.  Mix up as much cement as you need for the molds you have.  The remainder of the bagged cement will keep long enough that you can cast a mold each day until you have finished the bag provided you keep it in a dry place.  Don't expect the bag to sit for any length of time.  Plan on casting the stepping stones as quickly as possible. 

I also use an acrylic admix along when mixing the cement.  It helps to waterproof the stone and it won't absorb water when sitting on the ground.

New Picture of the Previous Ball

I just wanted to add a (hopefully) better picture of the gazing ball I posted yesterday.  The glass has a slightly greenish tint to it from the recycled glass.  I used oblong glass gems for this project.

A Different Gazing Ball and Lessons Learned

Sometimes it is worthwhile to think of different ways to do things.  This gazing ball is made exactly like the others except for how it is "grouted".  The grout is not the regular type of grout used in mosaics.  This was grouted with clear epoxy and frit.

Frit is ground glass particles.  It comes in a number of sizes, from fine powder to pieces a few millimeters in size.  I used a fine sized frit for this piece.  I had not started out to use frit at all.  Its use came about from lessons learned.

I wanted to "grout" this ball with clear epoxy.  I was hoping that clear epoxy would allow the shiny silver tape to show through and reflect back most of the light.  So I bought "guaranteed to dry clear" jewelry grade epoxy.  It was clear.  It was also as runny as water.  So my initial plan to use it as "grout" obviously was not going to work.  My husband suggested mixing the epoxy with frit until it formed a paste.  That worked, more or less.  The epoxy still tended to run, dripping out of the paste of frit, so I could only "grout" a small portion of the ball at a time  I'd have to wait until that section was dry and then "grout" another section.  It took quite a while to finish this ball.  I worked on this ball daily for a couple of weeks.  Another lesson I learned along the way was that frit set in epoxy can still scratch you.  I was moving the ball on one occasion and received a some scratches from the frit.

This ball stayed in direct sunlight all summer and did not crack.  I'm not sure if that was due to the epoxy being more flexible than regular grout or because the tape reflected so much of the light and heat.  I have read that it is recommended that balls be kept out of direct sunlight, although I have also read that many people have done so without the balls cracking.  If you make a gazing ball, you'll have to decide whether you want to risk putting your ball in direct sunlight.  If it is a really great ball, you might want to err on the side of caution.  If the results are just average, I'd use that ball to test whether or not your climate will allow you to leave the balls in direct sunlight.  Just a reminder: bring your gazing balls indoors during freezing weather. 

  As you can see from this photo, when the sun strikes the ball, the light reflects back through the glass.  The frit also reflects light.  When the sun hits from a good angle, the ball is ablaze with light.