Penguins - Mini Makes for you and the little ones

Hi Everyone

Well we're at that time of year again where time just flies by and everything you wanted to get done somehow doesn't.  So I thought I'd show you a nice easy make that you can do on your own, with friends and with the little ones.

We are going to make penguins and I have to admit they are a little addictive so you may well end up with your own little waddle  - that's one name for a group of penguins on land, they can also be called a colony or a rookery whereas when they are in water they are called a raft (thanks Google!!).

So lets waddle away and get creating.......

You will need

Powertex Black (approx 75ml)

Powertex Stone Art (approx 20g)

6cm Polystyrene egg

2-3 cm Polystyrene egg

2 x 2-3mm animal eyes

Cocktail Stick

Masking Tape

Plastic container to mix clay in

Brush

Easy Varnish

Pigments (I opted for orange, white and yellow ochre)

Apron

Disposable Gloves

Optional - Pokey tool

Start by covering your work area with a protective layer.  This could be an waterproof tablecloth, oil cloth or even newspaper.

Break the cocktail stick in 2.  Using one piece connect the 2 eggs together to form a body and head

Place the head at an angle for a more realistic look

Using the masking tape cover the whole shape ensuring that the the transition from the head to the body forms a neck. Place the other piece of cocktail stick on the small egg where the beak will be.  Now coat with a layer of Black Powertex and set aside.

Place approximately 75 ml of Black Powertex into a suitable container (you are going to be mixing this so make sure the sides are high enough) and begin adding the Stone Art, using the non bristle end of your paintbrush begin to stir the mixture.  Add the Stone Art slowly and mix well between each addition.  Keep going until the mixture pulls away from the sides.  Now go in with your gloved hands and knead the mixture bringing together into a firmer clay consistency.  Keep adding more stone art until the clay doesn't stick to your gloves and there are no white flecks showing.  Make sure you pull the clay apart to check that there are no white flecks inside.

Make sure that the clay isn't too dry otherwise you will have difficulty covering your penguin. If it is just dip it in a small amount of Powertex and knead it thoroughly.

You can now use the clay or double wrap it in cling film for use later.  So long as you keep it airtight the clay will be useable for several weeks.  This is a bonus as you can make the clay ahead of time and have fun sculpting it later with the children.

Take approximately 2/3rds of the clay and roll it into a ball then flatten it into a disc approximately 1/2 cm thick.

Lay it over the beak and onto the head, then using your fingers push it down onto the body thinning it as you go.  Make sure it meets underneath to form a base.  Stand the penguin on your work surface and give it a little wiggle to make sure it will sit without toppling.  If it doesn't sit properly use a little of the remaining clay to make some feet and/or a tail to support it.

                                      

With the remaining 1/3 clay split it into 2 and form rolls.  Flatten them to around 2mm and shape to form wings.  Attach to the body on the sides.  If your clay has dried, paint on some fresh powertex to stick the wings to. Shape the wings to give your penguin character.

Now make any final adjustments, make sure the beak is a nice shape and push the eyes through the clay into the underlying egg.  You may need to use a pokey tool to make the hole first.

Using the Easy Varnish and pigments dry brush on the colour to complete your penguin.  I opted to colour mine in different ways to make a real mixed waddle.

Don't forget, you can always scale it up by using larger eggs to make bigger penguins just remember to increase the amount of clay you make.

I hope you've enjoyed this project and look forward to seeing your makes.  Don't forget to post photos of them over on the Powertex Studio facebook page

Until next time happy creative adventures

Annette

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

... especially with all the snow recently!  I hope everyone is keeping warm.

On the plus side, this is the perfect weather for staying indoors, hiding out in your craft room & getting creative, whether its making pieces to decorate the home, hand made gifts for loved ones or simply crafting for crafting sake!

For those of you with children or grandchildren, there is also the countdown to reindeer-led sleighs & a man in a big red suit & white beard bringing presents.  He goes by many names around the world - Father Christmas, Santa Claus, Saint Nicolas, Pere Noel, Weihnachtsmann & Kanakaloka (to name a few), but wherever you are in the world & whatever you call him, this is the inspiration for my make this month.

So to make a Santa inspired decoration, you will need

a Styrofoam cone, Powertex Red, Powertex Ivory (or White), Stone Art, Powertex Transparent, Paperdeco White, Easy Varnish, Powercolor Red, Powercolor Black & Colortricx Powerpearl

I started by giving the cone an initial coat of Powertex Red.  Powertex loves to stick to Powertex, so this forms a great base to work off.

While this was drying, I mixed up a quantity of Stone Art clay using the Powertex Ivory, & another larger batch of clay using the Powertex Red & Stone Art.  Wrap both batches separately in cling film to stop them from drying out.

Form the face using the Ivory Stone Art Clay.  I positioned the face about 2/3rds of the way up the cone, forming the nose from a ball of clay.  TIP: The clay can be smoothed by using a little water on your finger tip & rubbing it across the surface to blend the pieces of clay together.  Form the eyes using the end of a paint brush handle/your finger or similar.

The cone was then covered using the red clay.  Roll the clay out flat & apply to the cone, smoothing & blending the pieces together using a little water.

The Paperdeco White was perfect to add details like his beard, eyebrows & 'fur' trim on his hat & body.  I used Powertex Transparent for this to avoid colour transfer onto the red stone art clay, which would have happened if using the Ivory or White Powertex.  

Allow to dry.

The final stage was to add the details to his face - rosy cheeks/nose using Easy Varnish & Powercolor Red, eyes using the Powercolour Black & then a light overbrush with the Colortricx Powerpearl to add a frosty shimmer.

And here he is - all ready to deliver presents on Christmas Eve.....