Autumn Leaves Collage

Autumn Leaves Collage by Iris Rodriguez

Fall is my favorite time of the year. I enjoy the temperatures, the colors, and the fresh, crip air. In honor of my favorite season, I decided to make a fall leaves collage using the Makin's Clay® Leaves push mold.  

Materials

• Makin's Clay®– White clay 
• Makin's®– Leaves Push Mold
• Makin's Professional® - Cutting Mat, Ultimate Clay Machine®
• Ephemera paper; tea bags
• Burlap
• Substrate; a canvas or shallow cradled board
• VersaMagic – Dew Drop 4 pack Southwest
• Brilliance Dew Drop – Moonlight White
• Brilliance Dew Drop – Galaxy Gold
• Brushstix
• Acrylic paint; Teal, Yellow, White, Burn Umber, Raw Umber
• Glue
• Baby wipes
• Satin Polyurethane

Instructions

Roll the clay through the Ultimate Clay Machine® beginning on setting #1 and ending on the second thickest, setting #2.

Begin by making the leaves. Push the clay into the leaf mold and cut out the leaf with a precision knife. Let the clay cure for 24 hours. While the clay is drying, work on the substrate.

Paint the substrate teal and white.

Add layers of emphera paper to the center of the substrate. For the substrate, I used a cigar box lid, which is 5 inches wide, 7 inches height and ½ inch deep. Alternate the paper between light and dark layers to give some contrast.

Once the 24 hours have elapsed, the leaves will have cure. Add Raw Umber acrylic paint to the leaves and wipe off the raised areas, leaving paint in the crevices. Let it dry.

Paint a piece of corrugated cardboard with acrylic paints; yellow, brown and burn umber. The blending of these colors makes for a rusted colored look. Then glue the cardboard on top of the ephemera paper. On top of cardboard glue a piece of burlap and on top of the burlap, glue pieces of tea bags and ephemera paper.

Use your fingers or Brushstix to color the leaves with VersaMagic Inks; Gingerbread, Red Brick, Turquoise Gem and Brilliance Galaxy Gold. Add the colors randomly. Do not blend the colors, it loses the vibrancy, which look great on the leaves. Polymer clay is plastic based, as a result, the inks will tend to rub off, if handled. Ensure to seal the leaves with a clay sealer, which also adds to the vibrancy. I used a Rust-Olean Satin Polyurethane.

Once everything is dried; glue the leaves to the substrate.