Friday, 26 October 2018

Something wicked this way comes! by Anna Emelia Howlett



Some of our family live in Canada and it's kind of a big thing to decorate your houses and go trick or treating. Every year we get photos of the different outfits chosen and the copious amounts of candy my nieces have collected. We don't so much celebrate Halloween in our household. However, I do happen to have a Harry Potter inspired room. And this guy is going to fit right in. 


He was rather a challenge but here is my ghoul inspired Dementor. And I am about to walk through with you exactly how he was created. So you can make one as a decoration for Halloween or just as a permanent feature to your room. 

Suggested Ingredients list: Wire, empty kitchen roll, masking tape, skull head, Black Powertex, cheese cloth or old t-shirt, stockinette, powercotton, white powercolor, silver colortricx, interference blue pigment, varnish.



Step One: I had a spare mini skull in my stash. I cut his teeth out and changed the angel of his jaw. Holding it in place with a long piece of wire. Making a loop at the top I thread the wire through the top of the head holding the jaw in place, leaving a length as his neck. Then attached to a kitchen roll, which I bent into an arch for his shoulders and covered in masking tape. I measured about 60cm of wire to pass through the roll before taping up these would become the base of his arms.


Step two: I used some masking tape to fill in his mouth and around his eye sockets which I made a little larger by cutting out with a scalpel. And started wrapping the arm wire with foil. Using more around the top and bottom end of the section to create a bone looking shape.

Step three: I took 6 lengths of quite long wire. I wanted my ghoul to have long boney fingers. Taping at the base I bent one length done to be able to attach to the arm. The other lengths I trimmed so they mimicked the length of fingers on a hand. 

 Step four: Then I started covering with masking tape. Adding tin foil at the knuckles and then covering in masking tape. Attach the hands to the end of the wire arm by winding the spare wire at the hands wrist section around the bone arm base. Cover up with masking tape.

Step Five: This is the type of base you want to have created. I covered in Black Powertex and kitchen roll to give the base and extra sinewy finished. But you can skip that part if you like. 



Step Six: I draped a piece of cloth over the shoulders to create a base to work up from. An old pair of cheese cloth curtains, but you could use an old t-shirt.

Step Seven: Create a hood with lighter cheese cloth material or t-shirt. Then add stockinette to add depth and texture and then some Powercotton draped over for extra texture.




Drape all the different textures through the boney fingers.



Step Eight: My favourite part. Dry brush using varnish and white powercolor. I then used a touch of silver colortricx in places. And for the hands and the face a touch of interference blue powder pigment from The Secret Art Loft range. 






 I love to show how you can make a piece by re-purposing or building your own base. If you don't wish to create the structure you could always buy a skeleton base instead and decorate that in the same way. I also forgot to add some paper decoration. I love this as texture it would work perfectly for this project. The great thing about Powertex is you can add to it when dry. So I can always go back and add some paper dec at a later date! 

Don't forget to share all your makes with us on Facebook in The Powertex Studio group or on the Powertex Addicts United page.

You can find me at Rosehart Studio on InstagramFacebook and Pinterest. Toodles Anna xXx

Halloween Candlestick Holders


Sam is back with us at the Powertex UK blog and has been kind enough to share another of her fantastic projects with us. Read on to be inspired. Do leave a comment at the bottom of the blog or share your makes with us over on Facebook in The Powertex Studio group or Powertex Addicts United page. 


So here we are, all set up for another play.


I took a cardboard tube, the core of a kitchen roll, drew around the clay skull and roughly cut it out without squashing the tube.


I checked that the skull fitted in the hole, but I didn't want it loose.


Using masking tape I created a shelf about an inch down from the tops of the tube.


I started covering them with black Powertex. 


I covered the battery tea lights with cling film.


I covered both of the tubes in fabric and other embellishments. Once the fabric was on the taller tube, I pushed the skull into the hole.


Added more clay pieces, lace and wool.


Added the clay wings.


I painted everything in black Powertex and then set them outside to dry.


I brought them back inside and left them overnight to totally dry.


Once dry, I took out the tea lights which were still covered in cling film. The fabric where they'd been sat was still a bit wet, so I left them out to let the fabric fully dry.


Once totally dry, I dry brushed them with silver and turned on the tea lights.


And these are the opposite sides, ie the back.

Had loads of fun making these and love how they've come out.

Monday, 22 October 2018

Halloween Nightmare or how not to make a craft video!

I bet I am one of the few people who have a dread of Halloween. It's not that it scares me or that I don't like the art of it all, it's just that for some reason every time I try to create what's in my head, it turns into a Halloween Nightmare!!! 

I had this grand idea that I would use Powertex and some of the super Secret Art Loft bright acrylics and the Gothic Arches.
It has all worked out just fine except I had it all planned in my head that I would create my very first Craft Video!

As you may know that as well as being on the Powertex DT I am also a Resident Tutor on the Mixed Up Creative education platform, so in my infinite wisdom and being filled with oodles of enthusiasm I got myself all set up to create the video for them.  Bearing in mind I also have lots of experience demo'ing on TV craft channels this should all be so easy...well believe me it isn't!  
In a TV studio there is a crew, superb lighting and a presenter who asks the questions viewers want answers too; you have your step pieces prepared and you have everything laid out ready to head in the order you want to use them. Oh and with filming, all you have to think about is product placement and which camera to look at.
Hmmm this is where it all goes belly up!  I didn't have steps planned this was going to be a one shot product.  I had just one small light; I had to operate the camera in my very small studio - just 3 meters by 1.5 meters but every mm is packed tight rather tardis like!
I had it all planned though so it would run like clock work.  
I made sure my long suffering other half knew what I was doing and he was primed to stay well away.
OMG it was a total nightmare!!!  
Not at all the slick professional looking video I had imagined, planned for and not at all fun! It was my Halloween Nightmare and then some!  Dropping various bits, forgetting I had wrecked the first arch and the second had sticky tape on etc. etc.  Worse still is that that what you don't see or hear at the end of the video is my husband walking in on me, talking loudly about tea, apologising profusely, then me slinging the paintbrush and who knows what else across the worktop and sighing so loud I have every expectation even a Ghost would have shrieked in fright!
After all that I decided while it was a rubbish video I would share my experience with you because at the end of the day we all have to start somewhere.  Hat's off to all those highly polished artists and crafters who have mastered the intricacies of video, I am learning, I will not be defeated and I will master it.  
In the meantime have a laugh with me, share my pain and I hope the resulting Powertex Halloween tag is slightly OK.

Bye for now, Fi xx
ps Here's the link to the video


Thursday, 18 October 2018

Powertex Tutor Training Days

The last blog Sam shared with us was about her Garden Party experience. (We still have a few spaces left for next years Garden party, it's an event not to be missed!)
Now Sam is sharing her thoughts on her tutor training at Powertex UK HQ with Creative Director Tracey Evans. Read on to find out more. If you feel inspired to become a Powertex tutor for your area please send an email to info@powertex.co.uk.
Fancy learning from a tutor? Find your nearest in the new tutor directory at Powertex UK. 

So guess where I've been the last couple of days? Yes, on my Powertex tutor training course, along with three other lovely ladies all set to become tutors for their designated areas.


First of all we played with the ivory Powertex.


The mdf shape that I was given was an owl and there was a huge box of embellies to choose from, so as you can see I went off piste with mine (what's new there then!) and went down the skull, cog and Halloween route.


We then started working on the next piece.


This was the next piece, either an angel or a fairy, I chose an angel and the others made fairies.


Here at the end of day one are my three pieces all ready for their colour tomorrow.


Back again for day two and today the sun was shining.


We played with different colouring and layering techniques firstly on the bottle.


Everyone is on a roll now.


Michele popped down to see how we were all doing.


I went for the blue for my angel.


This is a photo of the projects I made taken outside this morning in my garden - love them all.


This is a snippet of my certificate, so it's now official!!


And my absolute special favourite is my fabulous apron which I shall wear with pride - thank you sooooo much.

Can't wait to also share my other news with you, but that will have to wait until nearer the end of the year!!

Monday, 15 October 2018

Some bling and a skull

Halloween, don't you just love Halloween?
I do because I can go all out spooky with the Powertex and my artwork.

So without further ado, here is my Halloween project for this month.
I have had this skull for eons and knew that at some point I would be able to use it.






I started by painting the skull with IVORY POWERTEX as I had an idea in my head.
I gathered some embellishments and bits of lace type material and started applying to the skull.



After I was happy with what I had added to the skull I painted the whole thing with some more Ivory Powertex and then added one of my favorite products from Powertex, some STONE ART.
I waited for it to dry a bit and then rubbed the stone art to add to the texture.

Now my finished result was not what I had in mind to create, I was going for a ivory and beige/faux bone type but this is what evolved.

I ended up getting out the new MICA POWDERS from the Secret Art Loft and added some gems, this is a bit lighter and colorful to my usual style but it is pretty... for a skull  :) 

The STONE ART helped the embellishments to blend in with the skull. I repainted the eye and nose sockets and added shadow to the teeth area



I dare say I may make some more spooky Powertex projects before Christmas gets here, oops did I say the C word, sorry!! 

You can see more of my projects at Mums Shed  and if I or any of the other Powertex Design Team have inspired you, go on over to Powertex.co.uk 

You can always get inspired via POWERTEX STUDIO on Facebook

Until the next time, 
LIVE
LAUGH
LOVE 

~Jinny~