twentieth bird

Clay. Yes. I have finished. For now.


Make some clay and then use it like you never have before.
--By the by, that's really a ridiculous sentence.


Well, not being much of a sculptress, really anything I do with this clay is going to be "using it like I never have before." So, win?


"Baker's Clay" Recipe
--You can't really make clay. It sort of comes pre-made when you find it in the ground (or at Walmart). This is more of a homemade play dough.
--This recipe is found in 365: A Daily Creative Journal: Make Something Every Day and Change Your Life! by Noah Scalin
Supplies
4 c. flour
1 c. salt
1 1/2 c. water
Measuring cups
Mixing bowls
Cookie sheet
Oven
Paint or other decorating materials
Food coloring, optional


Directions
1. Put flour in a large bowl.
2. Mix in salt.



















3. Slowly add water (add more if the dough is too dry and crumbly).
4. Knead with your hands until smooth.

5. Create things that are under 1 1/2 inches (3.8 cm) thick or they won't dry properly.
6. Bake on a cookie sheet at 300°F (150°C) for 30-60 minutes to harden (just don't let it get brown).


I used whole wheat flour because that was all I had (low-carb diet means I'm not really restocking my flour reserves at the moment). I think this made the dough a little drier and a little harder to handle. It never really got smooth.


Also, it was rather frustrating that I couldn't make anything thicker than 1.5 inches. At which point, it was more like making cookies than sculpting. One batch makes a ridiculous amount of dough if you're making everything flat, so be advised.


I made an octopus,

some weird little pendant-y things,

and a bunch of buttons.

And I STILL didn't use all of the dough up. But, I threw the rest away. There's only so much extra clutter I need.


When they baked, they smelled like crackers. MMMMMMM...

Prepping to paint! 

I painted everything with regular matte spray paint. Then, I used acrylic paint on the octopus where I needed a bit more precision. I also used a black sharpie on some of the other pieces to make them slightly more interesting. 

After painting them, I varnished everything, which took about 2 hours to dry completely. I had two boxes that needed varnishing as well, so I knocked them out while I was at it.








In the meantime, I felt like I needed to come up with somewhere for my octopus to live.

I layered paint and scratched through it with a stick to make the effect. Just in case you wanted to know. Probably not.

I glued Mr. Octopus to the board,

and gave him some friends!

 

I'm not sure what exactly I'll do with these. Hang on to them for something. Until then, I can keep them in this fine and dandy little box.