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

Scarecrows in September

Wow, it's September already! I love September the start of autumn and all those fabulously rich warm colours.  As a farmers daughter the harvest was always such a special time, I loved helping dad bring in the harvest when the whole countryside appeared to turn rich rusty gold, snuggly nippy nights, warm mellow days...oh and scarecrow trails!

Did you know that scarecrows have been around for over 3000 years? The Egyptians were the first to use Scarecrows along the Nile River to protect wheat fields from flocks of quail (see link to a great source The  History of Scarecrows). The Greeks, Romans and Japanese all had a form of scarecrows.  I think the scariest story of scarecorws was from medieval Britain who use living Scarecrows!!! 9-year old boys and older patrolled wheat fields carrying bags of stones to pelt the crows if they landed in the fields.  

I hope you find my interpretation a lot friendlier!

To get started I needed to make an armature, now forgive me here because I was doing it all in a rush and didn't remember photographs until it was made ready to StoneArt.  I will try to explain...  

First I used a wooden base and some 2mm aluminium wire.  I pulled off around about a meter and starting from the centre I made a circle for the head by wrapping the wire around a jam jar. I extended out each side to made shoulders and arms and then wrapped the tail of each around the pole on the wooden stand.  

Once this was done I used masking tape to secure it in place and padded out the body, arms and head with a lot of cheap kitchen foil.  I then masked the whole thing with masking tape.

I then made up a quantity of StoneArt Clay - around 150ml of Ivory Powertex - once this was made I painted Powertex onto the masking tape to give the StoneArt clay something to key onto and then added pieces of clay that I had flatted between my fingers.  Once it was covered I used the end of a paintbrush to mark out eyes, mouth and nostrils.  I then painted a thin layer of Powertex over the clay and gently rubbed in more dry StoneArt Powder.  I left this quite rough as I wanted a rough weather work finish. I then set aside to dry.

Now it was time to dress the Scarecrow.  I used Transparent Powertex which I worked into some ivory paperdec to cover the the arms and head to give the impression of being stuffed with straw.   Next I used two similar sized pieces of natural paperdec and worked transparent Powertex in. Tip: it uses a lot more than you think but once dried it is clear and hard.  I draped them over the shoulders and about two thirds of the way down on both front and back.

I used additional pieces to cover the wooden pole and base to give the effect of a tree trunk.  I also covered a little mdf mouse that was left over from another Powertex MDF kit. Finally I added some more ivory paperdec to make a scarf.  I then left it to fully dry, it took about 3 days!

Now to add colour! I could fill the whole blog with the very many colours and layers I added. However I wont but I will say that i started with Powercolor ultramarine blue and a tiny spec of black pigment mixed with Easy Varnish.  to colour the blanket coat.  I used dark green for the base, orange and red for the scarf.  For the straw, I used yellow and red ochre in varying degrees and used red ochre on the mouse.  I then built more layers of colours to get a well weathered look on his coat using Colortricx in pearl and copper.  I coloured the tree trunk with Secret Artloft Pigment in Golden Olive.

I then made up a small quantity of StoneArt Clay using Bronze Powertex Fabric hardener. I used a golf ball sized ball of the clay and pressed onto the top of the Scarecrows head

 I rolled this with a craft rolling pin and shaped into a circle and draped over a yogurt pot to shape

Then I layed it over the powertex ball on the head and finished the shaping.  I also pressed a little butterfly into the hat that was left over from some other project.

I added two mdf ravens which i painted with Powercolor Black mixed with Easy Varnish. Once they were dry I used Secret Art Loft Pigments in Interference Lilac to add some shimmer and Tequila Sunrise to colour the beak. I stuck these on using some matte gel for speed and added some tiny rhinestones for the eyes on the mouse and ravens.

Hope you like my rather friendly but scruffy weathered Scarecrow! 

Have a fabulous autumn and don't forget to share your makes with us over in The Powertex Studio and Powertex Addicts United.

So what do you do with your spare Powertex??

Hello there

I hope you are well and have enjoyed this lovely Summer.

So here's the question........

What do you create with the spare Powertex left in your tub?

You know that little bit you have left when you've been slightly too generous with yourself when you've been pouring out....

Here are a few of the things I use it for.

1. Coat a spare piece of fabric and a plaster embellishment and create a brooch.

These can either be coloured or left as the base colour so that you can colour them to fit into your future project.













2. Coat a spare piece of fabric, scrunch it up and let it dry.  You now have somewhere to try out your dry brushing colours before going onto a finished piece.  This is great if you want to try something a little different to your normal colour choices.

3. Take a strip of fabric, coat it with the Powertex and roll it into a flower.  Once dry these can be added into a future project.  Again these can be dry brushed at a later date to fit in with your project.

4. Mix it with Stone Art and create a clay,  double wrap this in clingfilm and store in a sealable bag or box and this will last for several weeks.  Alternatively sculpt it into a freeform shape or use it in the moulds to create embellishments.  Again these can be kept until you need them.

5. Create a Powertex mask.  

Either let the Powertex set in the container or pour it out onto a non stick mat creating a more controlled design.  Leave to set then peel off.  

These can be added into projects to give even more layers and textures.













Here the Powertex was left in a round tub and gave a lovely curved effect to sit the skull into.














6.  Take some of your MDF embellishments, coat them with Powertex and apply Rusty Powder, spray with vinegar mix and leave to dry.  You then have ready rusted embellishments at your disposal















I bet you have other ways of using your Powertex,  why not hop onto the Powertex Studio facebook page and share your ideas with everyone.


Until next time happy Creative Adventures


Annette  x

Why I LOVE Stoneart............

Hello there

I hope you've been enjoying the recent spell of warm weather and haven't been too affected by those nasty thunderstorms.....living in the Midlands we've had the joy of both ends of the weather spectrum!!

This month I wanted to share with you my absolute love for Stone Art so I took the monthly theme from Powertex UK and created a masquerade statue using Stone Art in its various forms mixed with Black Powertex.

Stone Art is a unique fiber-composition which has been especially designed for use with Powertex Universal Mediums. 

The reason I love working with this product is the total flexibility you have with it.  You can use it with any of the Powertex Universal Medium colours although I choose not to use the transparent unless I'm adding pigment in to colour it at the same time.

To start off you can layer it on top of a coat of Powertex, press in to form a bond then gently wipe away the excess into a pot for reuse later.  By repeating this process you can build up the stone effect on canvas, polystyrene, wood etc and you waste nothing as all of the excess can be reused.  Polishing the layers with your hand will cause a more natural effect and will cause the darker areas to have a slight sheen.

Next you can mix your Powertex Universal Medium with the Stone Art in a pot to create a slurry of various consistencies.  In its loosest state you can paint this onto any surface to give a rustic texture.  As it gets thicker, you can use a palate knife to spread over your base.  The thicker the mixture the more control you have over it.

Finally you can go all the way and make up Stone Art clay by adding more powder to the slurry stage and then kneading (like bread) to make sure all the white has been absorbed into the coloured liquid.  Again you can choose how firm you mix this before working with it.  When covering statues etc I keep mine on the tacky side so that I can blend in any joins.   However when working on a canvas, I tend to make it firmer so that I can imprint into it with stamps and stencils, these imprints will come out with a rustic feel due to the nature of the clay.  In this firm state you can also use it in silicon moulds to create beautiful embellishments.


I finished my statue by adding the venetian mask from the Powertex range, I coated with black Powertex and then dry brushed with Rich Gold pigment.  As a finishing touch I tucked feathers into the collar.....after all this is all about masquerade!

Until next time Happy Creative Adventures and don't forget to post your makes on the Powertex facebook page

Axx

Twinkle, twinkle, little bat

by Abigail Lagden

I was so excited when I unpacked all the Alice in Wonderland goodies that I couldn't wait to get started. The acrylics were so wonderfully bright and bold that I decided I needed to create something totally different to my usual style. So, it is the tea party set that I have chosen to share with you all this month.

Anyone who knows me and my work, knows I hate flat surfaces so the first thing I did was add some texture to the body of the teapot using wallpaper and painted over this with ivory Powertex. On top of this, I added a piece of the delicious floral rice paper using Easycoat Matt.

I did the same with the saucers and I also used a little bit of wallpaper on the top part of the cups.

I mixed up some Stone Art clay using ivory Powertex and Stone Art and applied this roughly onto the teacups. I used some flower stamps from my stash to make imprints into the clay. 






I then used the gorgeous acrylic paints to paint splodges of colour onto the clay. I left this to dry for a short time before using a damp sponge to gently wipe the paint back off the surface of the clay.

The two saucers were painted using the acrylic paints and left to dry. Again a damp sponge was used to lift the paint off the raised pattern.

More ivory stone art clay was added to the handle, spout and outer edges of the teapot. Lots of daisies were made using stone art clay in the daisy mould and these were piled onto the teapot (leaving some space for Alice) and secured using a little Powertex underneath the flowers.

In the same way as the paints were used on the cups, I coloured the teapot and all the flowers.

The little Alice figure was also painted using the acrylic paints and powertex.

Once all of the individual pieces were complete and dry, they were all attached together using some transparent Powertex and the MDF bar included in the kit.

Et voila!!

The brightest most funky piece I think I have ever made - I have a feeling I may have been converted from the dark side (well... temporarily at least!)

I hope you will all enjoy playing with the new templates, paints and pigments as much as I have. Don't forget to share your makes in The Powertex Studio, we absolutely love to see them.

Until next time, Abs xx

Find me on Facebook

February Ramblings from Fi Potter

Hi Fi here, can you believe it's February already? I've been busy doing lots of arty stuff with Powertex of course but also mixed media art journaling.

I was asked by my friend Debbie Bulford if I would like to decorate some of her rather fab jewellery stands. Well I didn't need asking twice. They are such a neat design both for displaying your jewellery at home and even more because they pack flat making them super easy to carry to craft fairs.

I did two sets, the first I used neutral earthy tones of Powertex Bronze, Grey and Ivory. I used sand and Stone Art to add texture and then highlighted the edges with Bronze Gold and Silver Colortrix and Powerwax. Once the wax was dry I buffed them up to give a satin finish.

The second set I used Powertex Ivory and Bister's in Blue, Yellow and Red. I used the hairdryer to achieve some subtle cracking and left to dry. I then washed them back quite hard. I still have a little more work to do on this set to highlight the edges and also in the base of both sets.  More photos will be added to my Facebook and Instagram pages soon. Can't wait to display my own Powertex Jewellery on these.

I'm in my second year of doing Tamara Laporte of Willowing Arts Life Book.  I love the way Tam puts these online workshops together. Week one we created a Garden Fairy and this gorgeous girl is of my own hand,  I love her so much and can't quite believe that I did it.  Now watch this space because I am incorporating her in a new Powertex project which I shall blog in the coming weeks...join me as I create her fairy story "Once upon a time..."

That's all for now

Have a fab week and keep crafting ...

Fi xxx

Stolen days and Powertex acrylic inks

Hello Everyone

The other day I bounced out of bed ready for a morning of clearing leaves off the deck before it got so slippy that I ended up doing my Dancing (!) on Ice impression( other shows are available)!!

I came downstairs to this

Mmmm well that put paid to that idea so I found myself with rare thing......time.....that unexpected time that you get when your plans can’t be fulfilled, that time that feels like its been stolen as you shouldn’t really have it,  that magical time.......what would I do with it.

For a while I have wanted to play more with the range of acrylic inks brought to Powertex UK by the Secret Art Loft.  Now was the time...

I decided to narrow down my choices and stayed in the cool side of the shades and only allowed myself to use inks to bring in the colour.

I opted for Palm, Aqua, Viola and Deep Sea from the translucent range and metallic Viola.

The inks are so beautifully vibrant that the photos really don’t do them justice.

For my base I chose items from the Powertex UK MDF fairy door range






The inks work beautifully with all of the Powertex product range.  As these are very liquid I used a dropper to add small amounts to my base products allowing me to have more control over the colour and consistency.

I based the door with a coating of Powertex Ivory then added Stone Art clay, made with Powertex Ivory.  I used a rubber stamp to imprint an impression into the clay and whilst it was still wet, I used a damp paintbrush to blend the inks onto the surface,  I let this dry and then reapplied more inks to intensify the colours.

For the mushrooms I applied Powertex Transparent onto the MDF then dropped the inks from the dropper onto the wet powertex, as these were drying I added more layers of ink to get the intense glossy effect.


















With the door and window I applied a layer of Powertex Ivory then randomly scattered a selection of the 3D small and medium balls.  I decanted some of the inks into bottles and sprayed them on.

Finally for the lock I used Powertex Transparent as the base before applying the balls and ink.












I finished off my project by dry brushing with the Viola Metallic ink to give a slight sparkle.  Unfortunately the camera hasn't picked that up too well.

Now my fairy door is complete I can open it up and escape through into a lovely sunny Spring day.....oh well I can but dream.

What wonderful places will your door lead to?   Don't forget to post your makes on our Facebook page - Powertex Addicts United.  And don't forget to try the inks with all of the other Powertex Products for even more exciting results.

Until next time.......

Happy Creative Adventuring.

Axx