Silver Lining Assemblage

Hello Makers!

I am fond of quotes and words in art. The idiom “Every cloud has a silver lining” goes back to around 1634. The meaning to this phrase …there is hope in a difficult situation. Today we still use this phrase and still manages to motivate me when I see in writing or think of it. This assemblage celebrates this very old, but still relevant phrase; made using Makin’s Clay® and a wooden substrate.

Materials:

Makin's Clay® - White
Makin's®

Clay Tools - Roller
Water Drop Clay Cutters

Makin's Professional®

Cutting Mat
Ultimate Clay Machine™

White Gesso
Acrylic Paints: Blue or Aqua, Gray, Payne’s Gray, Titanium White, Titan Buff
DecoArt® Frost White Metallic Lustre™ Wax
DecoArt® Craft Twinkle Gel Silver Glitter
Baroque Gilders Iris Blue Paste
Wooden shallow cradled substrate (7 in. x 5 in.)
Tracing paper
Stylus
Micron Permanent Fine tip ink pen (.05 mm)

Instructions:

I used the lid of a cigar box measusing 7 in. X 5 in. I primed the lid with gesso. Then painted it with Payne’s Gray, light blue, Titan Buff, and Titanium white. I used Payne’s Gray as the undercolor because it make the brighter colors standout and left parts of it to simulate darker areas of a stormy sky.

I first drew my design on tracing paper to determine size and placment of the various pieces. Using the illustrations on the paper, I traced my design onto the clay with a stylus, then I cut the clay. I like to use tracing paper because later on when I need to determine lettering position relative to the the clouds I can see through the paper.

Cut out a piece of tracing paper to fit the inside the of the box and stamp the words on tracing paper as well.

Draw the design. Use the smallest Water Drop clay cutter to trace the drops.

Roll white clay through the Ultimate Clay Machine™ on setting #1. Use these sheets for the clouds. Or you can roll out clay using a roller. Trace the clouds onto the clay using a stylus or something pointy but not sharp.

Stamp the words. Use the stamped words on the tracing paper as your guide. An alternative is to stamp the words first, then trace the clouds over the words. The tracing paper allows you to see words on the clay. I made clouds using both methods and both work equally well.

Cut the clay. Then smooth out the edges.

Cut out the drops using Makin’s Clay Water Drop cutter. Stamp the words “has a” on the water drop cut outs. Let the clay dry for 24 hours.

Paint all the pieces using Titanium white acrylic paint. Use a permanent ink fine tip black pen to paint in the letters. I used a Micron pen .05 tip.

Rub on DecoArt® Frost White Metallic Lustre Wax with your fingers or use cotton cloth on the cloth. For the water drops use DecoArt® Frost White as well as Gilder’s Paste Blue Iris. Use Blue on the sides and a little in front; ensuring to blend both colors. Making the sides darker gives the water drops more dimension.