The Red Dress Sculpture

The Red Dress by Iris Rodriguez 

Hello Makers!

One thing about creating with clay is you’ll always will have scraps. However, that does not have to be the end of your clay; just reuse the clay. One way to reuse Makin’s Clay scraps is by placing them in a sealable bag; spray with water and let it soak for a couple of days. It turns into a thick paste that you use to sculpt relief type pieces. As you work through your piece if it’s too wet, let it sit out for a bit it begin to harden. Conversely, add water to make it soft again. After completing your piece, let it dry for a day or more, depending on the thickness. Then finish it off with paints or waxes. Check out how I made my red dress using this process.

Materials:

Makin's Clay®– White, Black
DecoArt Americana Acrylic Paint-Santa Red
Baroque Art Gilders Paste- Slate, Cream
Finnabair-Ruby Red Metallic Wax
Ziploc Bag
Substrate-Canvas or wooden cradled board

Instructions:

Begin by selecting a substrate. Here I used the lid of a cigar box, I used the main box for another project, so I was left with just the lid. Makin’s Clay® is lightweight, so you can safely use a canvas. Or you can use a wooden cradled (shadowbox) or flat board.  

Place the clay in a sealable bag and spray water into it, ensuring to soak the clay thoroughly. Allow the clay to soak for a day, then check on the clay. At this point you can determine the viscosity of the clay. The consistency can vary from a mash potatoes to a soft dough. I would recommend something in this range. If it’s not soft enough, add more water and allow it to soak some more. If it’s too soft, take it out of the bag and let it sit out for about 20 mins; it will begin to harden.

When handling the clay, your hand will get dirty. Don’t worry, Makin’s Clay® does not stain your hand or your surface. Nor does it leave residue. Clean up is very easy; Makin’s Clay® is water soluble. As you work through your piece, clean hand with wet paper/cloth towel. Wipe your surface with water and paper/cloth towel.

Sculpt your piece. Recommend sculpting pieces that can take advantage of the irregular texture. Think wabi sabi, abstract, no rules…just create. Allow your piece to dry for one to three days, depending on the thickness.

Paint with gesso; it helps the paint to better adhere to your piece. 

Paint the dress with a makeup sponge or brush. I added a little Ruby Red metallic wax on top of the paint to give a little shine

Using Slate and Cream Baroque Gilders Paste wax, add some color to the background.

And just like that, you have a new dress, lol! Enjoy!