Skinny Legs and All

One of my favorite art experiences of 2012 was attending Art Is You in Connecticut.  And one of my favorite classes there was Sculptural Birds and Beasts Ornaments with Doreen Kassel.  Click HERE to see that post. So when I saw that Doreen was coming to Michele's studio, I signed up immediately.

Yesterday Heidi, Pat and I went downtown and had such a fun day with Michele, Doreen, and four other students, working with polymer clay, and enjoying each other's company.  And many thanks to Heidi's hubby Marty for providing door to door transportation.....both ways!

 

Doreen teaching and demonstrating:



In this class we made sculptural creatures with long skinny legs.....much more detailed than the birds I made at Art Is You.  Here are some of Doreen's spectacular skinny leg pieces (photo from Doreen's site):

 



After conditioning the white polymer clay we ran it through a pasta machine to make very thin sheets, and used them to cover a ball (some of us used glass ornaments, some used papier mache spheres, and some {like me} used compressed paper balls that Doreen gets from France).



Then comes the fun (and challenging) part: deciding what to make and then adding clay to the covered ball to create the features.  The skinny legs were formed from lollipop sticks which were also covered with the clay.  For the arms we used 14 gauge aluminum wire (again, covered with the clay).
I decided to do a mouse.

 

 

 

OK, it doesn't look much like a mouse yet.  But wait.....

 

After a half hour or so in the convection oven, my mouse is ready for paint.

 





Doreen showed us how to make ruffles, puffy sleeves, outsized shoes, and anything else we wanted to add to our creations.  Pat also decided on a mouse, while Heidi did a Pomeranian.  Doreen is so helpful with any problems that come up, and if someone wants to do a creature she doesn't have a sample for (like Heidi's Pom), she will work with that person.  Heidi had never worked with polymer clay before, and her clay Pom looks just like Hunter, the real deal.

Here is Heidi's finished piece, followed by Pat's:

 

 

 

After painting (we used oil paints) and any necessary repairs or additions, the pieces go back into the oven to cure. 

 

 

 

The paint on my mouse was still too wet to allow me to handle it, so I waited until I got home to take pictures of my finished piece.  Well, almost finished.  Those bare legs will definitely get the striped stockings treatment.....just as soon as the white paint dries.

 

 

 

Can you guess what the crown is?

 

 

I won't keep you in suspense.  It's the top part of a Christmas ornament.  Doreen uses so many ornaments in her work, and since not all her pieces are meant to be hung, she always has leftover tops.  Clever woman realized they make the perfect crown.

 

 

I think my royal mouse has mastered that Queen Elizabeth waving-to-the-masses look.