How to Make Polymer Clay Cats

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Creating these fun creatures is not difficult and will start your own sculptured collection. They are great to give as gifts, or just to add them to your shelf containing other precious art pieces.

For More Information's about the Marble Sculptures please visit Here!

Steps

Start by kneading the clay into a ball. Squish and roll it and warm it until is is a soft pliable consistency. Make it spherical and work it from there.

Pull out the various appendages: Four more-or-less equal legs, a longer tail and a fatter head. Give the head a couple of ears, and it should already be starting to look a little bit like a cat.

Keep sculpting until it's a plausible cat shape. It might even have some personality - if so, you might like to go with it.

Keep making the tail more tail-like, keep making the head more cat-like, and hopefully a personality will emerge, whether through design or of its own accord.

Roll out a sausage of glow-in-the-dark clay for the eyes (it’s easier to divide a sausage evenly). Surprise cat eyes glowing in the dark are amusing but use your own personal preference.

Split the sausage into two equal parts and roll them into balls. Work carefully on the eyes, as they are the single most important part of almost any critter. Every little change or move can change the look. For example, unevenly sized eyeballs give an air of derangement. So take care when working with them but be prepared for them to surprise you.

Attach the balls to the front of the head, and presto! You now have a cat that can stare at people.

Split a very small black sausage of clay in half and roll up the pieces to make the pupils. Attach them to the eyes. This is one of the most delicate parts of the whole process, because the amount of clay involved is so tiny and black; you may need to use a sculpting tool or a blunt knife to attach them to the eyeballs.

Give the cat eyelids (optional). You can give the cat upper and lower lids, or stick with just upper lids. Make them from a semi-circle of clay, created by forming a ball, then squashing and halving it.

Shape the lids into rough semicircles and carefully affix them at a precise angle. The way that the lids are attached can easily make the difference between a critter which is sweetly looking for affection, and one which is brimming over with malevolence.Take care in attaching them

Carefully concentrate on the details of its body language. Make the cat look the way your imagination and artistic nature take you.

• A tail is a beautifully expressive thing
• The set of a cat’s ears and the angle of its head can tell you a great deal.
• The way it is standing is crucial.

Take care to make the texture of the piece as smooth as you want it with gentle rubbing, and correct any minor flaws. Then place it on a baking tray, laying it on its side or supporting it around the middle, because unbaked polymer clay legs are flimsy, and become softer while being baked. Place the tray in an oven preheated to 130° C (265°F), and bake for 20-30 minutes according to the instructions that come with the clay.

Tips

• The directions provided in this article are to assist you to learn how to sculpt this piece. The final sculpture that you create, however, should be guided by your own creativity; after all, it will live in your home, and it should reflect the artist in you.
• Use any color that pleases you; be creative and make it multi-colored if you wish.

Warnings

• Before the piece is hardened, be especially careful with the legs. Handle them gently, and grasp it lightly around the belly. The shape will not remain until you have baked it.

Things You'll Need

• Purchase any brand of oven-baking polymer clay, such as Sculpey III, Premo or Fimo Classic or Soft.
• Colors of your choice.
• For the pupils buy black or other dark polymer clay.
• For the irises, white, glow-in-the-dark or green polymer clay work well.

Related wikiHows

• How to Animate Clay
• How to Sculpt Using Sand and Portland Cement
• How to Mix Plaster for Sculpture
• How to Do Ceramic Sculpture
• How to Learn All About Polymer Clay
• How to Make a Polymer Clay Tiny Book
• How to Paint a River Rock
• How to Soften Polymer Clay

External Links

• oolong blog Original source of this article. Shared with permission.

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Make Polymer Clay Cats. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to Mix Plaster for Sculpture

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
Mixing plaster with a "rule of thumb" method doesn't require precise measurements. Sculptors typically use this method to mix small to moderate amounts of plaster (less than five gallons/22 liters) for molding and casting. The same instructions apply to all standard gypsum plaster products, such as Plaster of Paris, Hydrocal, Densite, etc.

For More Information's about the Marble Sculptures please visit Here!

Steps

1. Estimate the amount of mixed plaster and silica your project requires. Remember it is 1/3 plaster, 1/3 silica flour and 1/3 water. Experience is the best guide here, so as a beginner you will just have to make your best guess, then mix extra to be sure you have enough. Use commonsense.
2. Premix plaster and silica flour.
3. Pour clean, lukewarm water into an empty, flexible mixing container. A a standard two-gallon (7.5 liter) plastic bucket is a good container. The amount of water should be approximately one third the total amount of mixed plaster/silica you estimated in Step 1.
4. Add dry plaster and silica to the water. Gradually pick up handfuls and sift the powder through your fingers. This will break up any clumps, letting the powder fall into the water. Work quickly, but avoid dumping the plaster into the water. Don't stir or mix the combined water and plaster/silica.
5. Continue sifting plaster/silica into the water. Watch for it to start sinking slowly. Eventually some of the powder will stay on top of the water. As you add more plaster, distribute it to areas that still have water on top.
6. Stop adding plaster/silica when there is no more standing water in the bucket. The surface of the combined water and plaster/silica should be mostly grayish in color, with some areas of white dry powder. Don't mix it yet!
7. Let the bucket sit for a few minutes. Let it stand during the time that you make any final preparations for your project. If you are molding or casting with the plaster, this is a good time to double-check that you have applied the proper release agent to your pattern or mold.
8. NEVER mix the plaster with your hands. Plaster reaches a high temperature as it reacts chemically with the water and can cause serious burns!. Use a wooden spoon or similar instrument as one would use an egg beater: Reach down to the bottom of the container and use a side-to-side movement like an exaggerated "hello" wave.
9. Try to eliminate any lumps and break them up. When thoroughly mixed, the plaster is ready to use in your project.

Video

Tips

• The water temperature makes a difference. Hot water will speed up the setting of the plaster; cold water will slow it down. Depending on your project, you may want to use either hotter water for faster turnaround when pouring molds or cooler water for a slower process.
• Plaster tends to leach moisture from skin. You may want to use hand lotion after mixing. Almond oil is excellent, as are your normal moisturizers.
• The easiest way to clean up unused plaster is to let it harden in the mixing container. It can then be popped out into a trash can easily by turning it upside down and hitting the bottom and sides of the container with your hand (hence the importance of using a flexible bucket).
• You can use any movement you like for mixing the water and plaster, but avoid whipping air bubbles into the mix. Bubbles can be detrimental to the surface of your mold or casting.

Warnings

• Always wear a dust mask as the inhaled plaster dust particles will mix with fluid in your lungs and harden there. This is very dangerous and easily avoided.
• NEVER use hands to mix plaster or apply plaster to set directly on any body parts or skin- serious burns have occurred resulting in amputation of fingers and limbs.
• Never pour plaster down a sink or other drain. It can solidify and ruin the plumbing. Dispose of unused plaster in the trash. Rinse wet plaster off hands in a bucket of water before washing them in the sink.
• Avoid getting plaster on clothing or other items of value. It can be very difficult to remove from fabric and other porous surfaces. However, if there is an accident and it spills on fabric, it's worth trying to remove it. Don't automatically deem any soiled item ruined.

Things You'll Need

• Plaster (dry powder)
• Source of clean water
• Plastic bucket or other flexible mixing container
• Project needing mixed plaster

Related wikiHows

• How to Learn All About Polymer Clay
• How to Make a Polymer Clay Tiny Book
• How to Sculpt Using Sand and Portland Cement
• How to Make Polymer Clay Cats
• How to Do Ceramic Sculpture
• How to View an Art Exhibit
• How to Make a Plaster Cast of a Lady's Derriere

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Mix Plaster for Sculpture. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to Sculpt Limestone in Your Own Home

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
An easy way to make limestone sculptures without the need of fancy tools.

For More Information's about the Marble Sculptures please visit Here!

Steps

1. Get some CaCO3 (limestone).
2. Cook the CaCO3 (limestone) at high temperatures until it turns into a crumbly powder.
3. Take the CaO (the crumbly powder) and thoroughly mix with a small amount of water until paste.
4. Sculpt the CaH2O2 (the paste) into the desired shape of your limestone and dry. The use of a heat lamp might also be of some benefit if used correctly.

Tips

• Don't be alarmed if your limestone doesn't look right; normal limestone is formed under intense heat and pressure, yours wasn't.
• CaCO3 (limestone) ---> CaO (powder) + H2O (water) ---> CaH2O2 (paste) ---> CaCO3 (limestone)

Warnings

• Don't use oil.
• Danger! The CaH2O2 (paste) is a strong base. Very corrosive!
• This powdery and paste substances can burn skin slowly. The more moisture involved, the greater the burn.

Things You'll Need

• limestone
• rubber gloves (for handling the CaH2O2 (paste)
• goggles

Related wikiHows

• How to Mix Plaster for Sculpture
• How to Do Ceramic Sculpture
• How to Make a Wire Tree Sculpture
• How to Create a Packing Tape Sculpture
• How to Sculpt Using Sand and Portland Cement

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Sculpt Limestone in Your Own Home. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.