I love creating small little characters and in the past I have always prided myself that I made their hands and feet using an old floral trick (florist here 35 years) of bending and wrapping wire. This technique has seriously taken over with many others doing it now, and I use to think I was original...oh piffle! I love the look it gives my primitive characters and lets be honest it just fits with cloth where clay is a whole different medium that belongs in a club all of its own.
Being "Soft in the Head" means just that, soft, which clay isn't! Now, over the years I have learned to combine the two but still staying true to myself. Lately (the last couple of years) my hands have started to show the wear that arthritis creates and wrapping wire has become increasingly more difficult so I decided a few months back to take a class about making polymer clay hands and feet for my characters. I had already been making shoes, noses, teeth and Lord knows what else using clay so why not hands and feet. I enjoyed the class and it opened my eyes to all kinds of possibilities..... but no one need worry I will still be making cloth characters, especially the mice!
I tried out my new technique on a custom piece last week and the collector "LOVED IT". This "Old Dog" really does hate new tricks but I have to be honest....IT WAS SO MUCH EASIER! I'll still do my "old school" way on some of my characters, cause personally, I just think it adds to their look.... but this new way of doing it was just so much FUN!
1 comment:
Well, well, well....you're giving all of us "old dogs" out here hope LOL...I'm not much for new tricks either...but hey, I hear ya on that arthritis...and "easier" is becoming a much more valued word in my vocabulary. I love the little clay hand and foot in pic...but I really don't think that's a trick this old dog could master. I am glad, though, to hear that you won't be completely abandoning your old ways. Smiles & Thursday Hugs ~ Robin
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