Turning Clay into Faux Wood

CDHM is having a Halloween contest:

CHALLENGE
→ Create a miniature that you feel represents Halloween.
→ It can be anything you want, as long as it relates to the Halloween theme in 1:12 scale or smaller.
→ Entries must be 3-dimensional and created for this challenge.

Remember those rotten apples that I made?
This is where I used them.I put them in a wash tub made of petrified wood with a snake aka garden hose filling the tub to overflowing and then some.
My entry is entitled: "Hello dearies. Have an apple"


I thought you might like to make your own faux wood; so here's how:
Normally you'd use equal amounts of polymer clay in 4 shades of browns, say: chocolate, caramel, ocher/beige and white (or off white). I'm going to use black, dark green, grey and white. Condition your clays. You can do this by running it through your pasta machine if working it by hand is too hard.

NOTE: always condition from lightest to darkest or clean your machine in between colors. And clean your hands between colors as well.

You want your machine set for the thickest level and stack them in the order showing in the first photo.
Cut your stack into a rectangle. Roll your off-cuts into a pencil thickness; you'll be using it to make knots in your wood.
From now on you'll use a roller to reduce your clay stack. (This tutorial will not work using a pasta machine!)
Roll to 2x the original length, then cut in half and restack...
....always keeping to the original order of colors.
Roll again until your "wood grain" is reasonably thin (no thinner than I'm showing or you'll lose the grain.
Slice the stack in half again; use a pen to make an indention near one end. You might need to place a piece of saran wrap (cling wrap, kitchen plastic wrap, etc) on top in case your clay sections stick together.
Remove the plastic wrap & the pen and place your cut-off roll into the indentation. Cover with the other half of your clay stack.
Now as you can see by my photo, there are small air gaps on either side of the cut-off roll. You need to roll your clay stack again to remove the gaps.
Slice your clay and voila!: faux wood.
Now that's really the end of the tutorial ...except I'm just going to mention a few ways to show water

For the water that's in the tub, I used Magic Water, a 2 part resin that remains clear, does not yellow and best of all, once it's hard, it will not soften again. The disadvantage: it takes 24 hours to harden; it is extremely hard to use it to show running water because it just runs off.
The water in the tub is 1/2" deep. My apples all sank in the first tub that I made. With this resin, timing is critical! I was not impressed having to wait longer than 12 hours and having to make sure that the resin is thin enough to insert my apples but thick enough for them to stay afloat! I finally filled the tub in 3 stages and only added the apples during the last filling.

Easy Cast epoxy is also clear but it can stay/become sticky in warm weather. It's what I used to show the water around my fishing hut.

E-6000 is actually a glue that remains clear, flexible & is paintable. If you want to show a drop of dew hanging off a leaf, this is the glue to use!
My running water started off as a piece of clear plastic string (fishing line). Run the E-6000 along the string and position where you want it.

Along the left hand side of the photo is a bottle of Liquitex. Liquitex is the brand name of an artists acrylic Matte Super Heavy Gel that's non-yellowing, remains flexible and can be mixed with additives such as sand, sawdust or acrylic paint. If you use it, paint the surface underneath before applying. Disadvantage is it dries opaque. You can use it to show choppy water/waves as you apply it and it holds its shape.

New Years Resolutions

Normally I never make resolutions since I never keep them. We'll see if this year'll be any different.
In 2010, I want to become a better figural sculptor. I started to teach myself anatomy after my first sculpt looked more like an ancient elf than a baby. My second head sculpt actually looks like a child..... a bit big and more work needed but I'm happy with my progress.
The other big goal is to work my way thru both of Angie Scarr's books. I only hope this won't conflict too much with getting into a bikini this summer.

Starting off easy:
My cheeseboard... made of cernit (granite), is 1-3/8" in diameter and 1/16" thick. I added an inner ring for realism.

Yorkshire Wensleydale Cheese with cranberries....mmmmm, highly recommended! Mild with just a hint of sweetness.

Here's my tutorial using fimo:
waxy covering:
4 parts bordeaux red to 1 part navy blue.
cranberry pieces:
4 parts bordeaux red to 1 part navy blue and a hint of carmine red. Bake and grate into slivers.
cheese:
4 parts white to 2 parts champagne to 1 part light yellow. (I used a half inch ball of white to make 1 cheese)
Condition well and include some of your baked slivers. Roll into a ball. Flatten to 1/4 inch thick. My real life cheese is approximately 2-3/8" high and has an 8" diameter.
Roll out the waxy covering and cover your cheese smoothing out all seams. The easiest way is to cut a long piece the height of your cheese sides and 2 circles for the top and bottom of the cheese.
Chill in the fridge for about an hour.
Slice & lightly texture the cheese (not the covering) using a crumpled ball of tin foil.
Bake at the recommended time for your brand of clay.
When cool, paint the waxy outer wrap with a matte varnish.

Bon appetit! ....oh and don't overindulge, we have Camembert/Brie, Edam, Swiss and Danish Blue Cheese coming up.

Multi-tasking Computer desk Tutorial

As you all know, I love using Michael's hutches. Having heard several rumors that they're being discontinued, I've guaranteed my supply. At last count, I now own 14.
And I'm sure you also know that the easiest way to take them apart, is to warm the glue in the microwave. But I'll bet you didn't know the length of time between when the glue becomes pliable & the wood singes: it is the moment before you return to the kitchen!

Having taken my burnt Michael's hutch bottom apart, I decided that it wouldn't suit what I wanted afterall.

So taking the CPU, I drew a box on paper to fit around it. Then I measured my own chair & added 2 dollhouse inches to my box. Add the thickness of 2 pieces of wood & the width of the Michael's door to the other end. This makes my desk 3-7/8 inches in length. On the left side the depth is 1-3/8", allowing the CPU to just peek out. On the right, the desk depth is 1-1/4".
The Michael's hutch feet were a nice shape. I could have used them directly but decided against it as my kitchen still had that lingering eau de cologne odor of charred wood....I reproduced them from a craft stick: they are 1" x 7/8".
I exacto knifed the feet, used wood glue and attached them to the bottom of my desk, leaving them to cure long enough to feed Luna & Kitty. Luna gets a home cooked meal each evening!
The height of my own worktable is 27-1/2"; Kens desk is 25 tall. This means the computer desk height should be at least 2" in height. Deduct 2x the thickness of your wood (either desk side) from the length; deduct the height of the feet & desk bottom from the height. This made the back of my desk 1-1/2" x 3-5/8". Make sure that your cut piece is square. Again sand all cut edges.
Now cut the 2 sides: on the left, your side should measure: 1-12" x 1-3/8"; the right side should be 1-1/2" x 1-1/4". Cut another piece 1-1/2" x 1-1/8". This will be used to complete the cabinet. Again sand. Remove your T-square from your keyboard before your half-finished tutorial erases....and glue the 3 sides & the back to your desk bottom.
Ensure that your door will fit. If you want to show the door in an open position, add a shelf....as my desk will sit in a sealed roombox, I've no need for it. Allow glue to dry while you hang out a load of laundry.
Cut a top (1-3/8" x 3-7/8") and glue on. As it's 9pm & I've run out of household tasks to do...or care to do this late, use rubber bands while the glue dries. For your sliding keyboard tray, calculate where the keyboard should sit; allow enough room for the mouse unless you will be using a laptop. Measure the depth of your keyboard, in my case 7/8" & cut a notch on either end. Now find something slightly taller than the thickness of the wood that you're using for the tray plus the height of the keyboard; attach to all 4 corners of your desk. While you're waiting for the glue to dry, explain to your dog why the cat is allowed on your lap while at the same time typing with one hand & attempting to restrain the cat from walking all over the keyboard with the other.You are now ready for the final top. Contend with both animals who have left in a huff. Cut your top slightly larger on both sides & the front so it can overhang by 1/16 all the way around except for the back. Your desk is now ready to paint or stain: