Guest Linda Welsh designed and demonstrated this project. She notes that while this project may seem intimidating at first, a beginner can successfully create this bowl with ease following these instructions.
Materials:
eight 2 oz. blocks sahara Fimo soft clay
Wireform wire mesh
artists chalk palette
craft knife
bowl
corn starch or baby powder
needle tool or toothpick
brayer
flat, soft paint brush
scissors
burnt umber acrylic paint
acrylic sealer
graph paper
pencil
ruler
wax paper or aluminum foil
Steps:
1. Turn the bowl upside down and place it in the center of the graph paper. Trace around the opening of the bowl.
2. Remove the bowl from the paper and draw another circle approximately 2-1/2 or 3 inches wider than the traced circle. Cut out the larger circle with scissors.
3. Flatten wire mesh with a brayer until smooth. Place your pattern over the wire mesh and cut out the large circle.
4. Condition the clay by passing it through the pasta machine until it is pliable and smooth.
5. Using the #3 pasta setting, flatten two sheets of clay to measure 5 1/2" x 12."
6. Trim the edges lengthwise. Place both sheets down lengthwise onto aluminum foil, slightly overlapping seams. Press the seams together with your finger to smooth, but the seam does not need to be perfectly smooth.
7. Place wire mesh over the clay and trim the edges of clay with a craft knife using the wire as the pattern (figure A).
8. Press the wire mesh into the clay with the brayer by rubbing back and forth. Repeat the step to apply another layer of clay on top of the wire mesh, and trim the clay to match the wire mesh.
9. Smooth out air bubbles with the brayer, applying gentle pressure. Now the wire mesh will be sandwiched between two layers of clay (figure B).
10. Turn your soup bowl upside down. Peel the aluminum foil off of the sandwiched clay and sprinkle baby powder over one side. Center the circle of the clay over the center of the bowl, making sure all sides are as even as possible.
11. Gently but firmly begin to pleat the clay about every 2 inches so that it molds to the shape of the bowl. Continue pleating until the sandwiched clay has completely been shaped around your bowl (figure C). If the wire mesh is exposed, push a small amount of clay over the bare area and blend in with fingertips. Turn both pieces over and remove the bowl form.
12. Place the bowl on a counter top and look at the top of the bowl at eye level. Trim off any high areas, and trim edges so that they are even. Smooth out any large dents inside and outside the bowl. Perfection is not absolutely necessary. Small seams and small indentations give this bowl character.
13. You may notice that the outside of your bowl is getting a little soiled. Do not worry. Lightly rub noticeable areas with a baby wipe to remove excess dirt. Soiled areas will be covered up by the antiquing process.
14. Bake the bowl at 265 degrees for 1 hour and let cool.
15. White the clay is baking, make leaves and grapes to apply to the rim of the bowl. To make grapes, roll four logs of white clay, about 18 inches long by 3/8-inch diameter. Place logs together and slice 1/4- to 3/8-inch sections (figure D).
16. Spread sections apart and roll slices into various size balls, some a little bigger and some a little smaller. Continue until you have about 120 balls.
17. Then roll four logs of white clay, 12 inches by 1/2-inch diameter. Cut in 1 /2-inch sections. Roll each section into a ball and press flat between thumb and middle finger to form a circle. Flatten the clay circle to the same thickness by gently pressing around all edges (figure E).
18. Pinch one end of the circle to form a point. Starting on the rounded end, press down and draw a vein down the center of the leaf with the needle tool. Make shorter veins on both sides of this center vein, varying the length of each vein (figure F).
19. Press indentations into the side of the leaf to make scalloped edges. Re-establish the leaf's point if it has become distorted. Shape leaf by giving it a slight curve. Repeat to make about 32 leaves.
20. Apply leaves in sections of three--one to the left, one standing upright, and one facing to the right--by pressing the bottom of each leaf directly on the rim of bowl. Leaf sets should slightly overlap one another.
21. Fill in center of leaves with grape balls. Add layers and various size balls to create a realistic effect. Apply grapes in the form of a comma.
22. Add curlicue twigs by rolling balls into fat small logs and twisting them (figure G). Apply the curlicues between grape sets. Repeat this step until the entire perimeter of bowl has been covered. A good hint is to sit back and look at the bowl periodically to ensure you are satisfied with the results. Make sure it has good form. This will show you where you need to add or remove grapes (figure H).
23. Apply chalk after the leaves and grapes have been pressed onto the bowl.
24. To paint the leaves, dab the brush into the lightest shade of green, picking up a good amount of chalk in the brush. Apply to the center of each leaf. Work from center out. Repeat this step using the medium green. This time, work from the edge to inside. Repeat these steps progressively with a darker green. Other colors such as blue or purple can be added to the tips of leaves to add highlights.
25. To paint the grapes, dab purple chalk onto parts of each ball. Make this a hit-and-miss process, leaving some areas of clay untouched. Repeat this step with other shades of light blue and purple, covering more of the clay areas.
26. When you are satisfied with the results of your grapes and leaves, bake the bowl at 265 degrees for approximately 45 minutes. Let cool before touching.
27. Lightly sand the bowl surface to remove any built up or soiled areas and to create a smooth texture.
28. To antique the bowl, work quickly and in small sections at a time. Brush acrylic paint over the entire outside and rim of the bowl (figure I). Immediately wipe off excess with a moistened cloth, leaving paint in the cracks. If an area has become saturated with paint, moisten the brush with water and rub that area. Repeat these steps until all areas of the bowl are covered (figure J). Do not antique the inside, but be sure to get the backside of the leaves and grapes.
29. When dry, apply a thin coat of acrylic sealer to protect the finish. Any repairs necessary can be made with Super Glue.
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
