Showing posts with label halloween. Show all posts
Showing posts with label halloween. Show all posts

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, 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~


Monday, 8 October 2018

Step by Step Powertex Zombie Hand




Apart from the time my daughter made me sit through Dawn of the Dead with her, I have never watched a zombie movie in my life, but this for this Halloween I decided to embrace my dark side and have a bit of fun creating a Powertex Zombie Hand.






  
What I used:

1 x Mache Hand (I got mine from Hobbycraft, but they are available in most craft stores)
1 x Powertex Wooden Base
1 x torn off cotton shirt sleeve
Masking Tape
Tin foil
Powertex Fabric Hardener
Various Powertex Pigments
Powertex Easy Varnish
Powertex Bister I used the ready made sprays of red and black, but again any colours will give a good effect
Bag of Halloween Spiders (or whatever else takes your fancy)
Small Tiles if you want to add a bit of weight to the base

What I did:

I made a hole in the base of the mache hand, and placed it over the top of the Powertex Wooden Base, securing it with masking tape.

I then bulked out the top of the base with tin foil so that there was not a sudden edge where the hand met the pole, and covered with masking tape and Powertex.  (It doesn't matter what colour Powertex you use for this as it will all be covered up anyway.



I painted the hand with Red Powertex Hardener, and then went to town with dribbling Black, Red and Green Powertex on top of this, spraying with my bister and blasting with a hair dryer to create lots of bubbles and textures.   

Top Tip: I keep my old Powertex containers that just have a few dribbles left in them for this purpose, I love a the effect of dribbling and spraying with bister, so absolutely nothing goes to waste by doing this.

I then soaked my torn sleeve in Black Powertex - being sure to keep the edges nice and raggedy, and also turning it inside out to make sure all of the inside of the sleeve was also thoroughly coated, before sliding it on over the base and playing with it to create lots of interesting creases in the fabric.


The sleeve took a bit of persuasion to stay in place, so I wrapped some clingfilm round it and left it overnight so that it would harden in the position I wanted it to be in.

Once the sleeve had set in place, I added some plastic spiders to really spook it up.  The spiders I used were plastic ones so I secured them in place with superglue.

I also wanted to add a bit more weight to my sculpture so I painted a couple of small tiles with Black Powertex and placed my Powertex Wooden Base on top of these.

Now it was time to add the final touch of colour.

I chose to use Red and Burgendy to give the effect of dried blood and fresh blood, along with the Golden Olive for the zombified hand.

The shirt I dry brushed with White and did the Spiders in Silver before going over the whole thing with the Wonderfully Spooky Terragreen to finish it off.


This was definitely out of my comfort zone, but great fun to make.  The Powertex Team would love to see your Halloween makes so please do post them on our Facebook Page Powertex Addicts United

You can see more of my makes on www.facebook.com/artmuralsbydonnamcghie 

or my website www.artandmurals.co.ukwww.artandmurals.co.uk




Monday, 1 October 2018

Tremendous Textures by Abigail Lagden


One of the things that drew me to Powertex was the amazing textures and depth that can be created. I now look at everything for its texture potential and powertexability. So this month I thought I would share with you just a few of my favourite textures that I have encountered over the years that I've been creating with Powertex.


T-shirt Yarn
I have to start with t-shirt yarn. Made from the off cuts from the textile industry, not only is it a great use of otherwise waste material, it was t-shirt yarn that first led me to Powertex. Originally, I was using it to crochet chunky bags and doorstops and wanted to make a plant pot that could go outside... so on the hunt to find something that would harden it and make it weather resistant, I discovered Powertex. (and then I discovered all the other amazing stuff you could do with Powertex, and the rest is history!!)
You can pick up t-shirt yarn from the Powertex website.


Embossed Wallpaper
If you've seen my previous work and blogs, or been on one of my workshops then you will have seen wallpaper crop up here and there. Perfect for creating background textures quickly and easily, it is also available in such a huge range of patterns to suit any style or project. This is definitely one of my go-to's.
I used a tree bark effect paper on the roof of my fairy house.


Stockinette Polishing Cloth
I am told this stripy cloth is for polishing cars, but it is even better Powertexed. Whilst the colours get lost under the darker Powertex, each stripe is actually a different knitted stitch and so the stripes are still visible as texture. I have used it for the cloak on this little hare.


My 'hideous fabric'
I have always jokingly called this fabric my 'hideous fabric'. I really don't like flesh coloured fabrics and the elasticated embroidered pattern on this would make it a nightmare to try and make anything from. But the texture created by the stitching is absolutely gorgeous.
I found it reduced in a fabric department (probably because no-one normal would want it) and I bought all that they had left. Sadly I haven' t been able to find anything even similar since and I am reaching the last of my stash!


Halloween decorations
This time of year is great for finding interesting spooky decorations that can be incorporated into projects. My favourite discovery this year is this fabulous netting from Wilkos (thank you fellow tutor Lin Shields for sharing her find with the rest of us).  Looks great on this bottle wrap created by Lesley in my workshop the other day.


Web fabric
Made from jute, this florists fabric creates beautiful effects, particularly as an interesting background texture. I love the irregularity of it.




Well, that's enough from me, now get out there texture hunting...
Until next time, Abs xx