Cloth Paper Scissors Demo - (Page 3) I teach art in an elementary school and each week I see children come to school wearing a huge smile, carrying trays of cupcakes, a sure sign there will be a classroom celebration and perhaps a cupcake treat left on my desk. My favorites of these trays are the ones full of luscious confections, wonderfully lopsided and charming, made with love by mom and eager little hands. As an artist, my work and the materials I use to create my art are inspired by memories of childhood, play, and family. I collect and use vintage game pieces, worn from years of playing, sparking a memory of yesteryear. I am drawn to these pieces of childhood in an unexplainable way wooden bingo numbers, weathered metal jacks, Tinkertoys—my stash makes me happy and inspires me to create. These cupcake sculptures had me combining the warm memories of childhood celebrations with bits and images from those innocent times, all the while bringing a smile to my face. and width you want the cake to be. This becomes your armature. 4. Roll out a piece of every cupcake has its own unique personality. 6. Tear up small pieces of air-drying clay so that it’s round and thick like a large pancake. Gently place this round piece on the tissue paper mound, being sure to have it touching the top edge of your base, thus forming the “cupcake.” 5. Wet your fingers colored tissue paper and use matte gel medium to layer the tissue paper over the damp clay to create the “frosting.” Make sure you do this all in one sitting, because it’s important that the clay is kept damp for the next step. and gently play with the clay, smoothing and pinching until you are happy with the basic shape. Don’t try to make it perfect; embellish the cupcakes tip: I created my cupcakes on a Lazy Susan so I could continually spin and rotate each piece. Because they are sculptural you want to make sure you are covering all sides. directions make the cupcakes 1. Choose a base for your cupcake sculptures. The pastel ramekins I selected seemed perfect because they were fluted, giving the dish that “cupcake paper” look. I also think vintage metal baking tins would be fun to use. 2. Embellish the base. I used cloth measuring tape because I love the way the vintage numbers ground the piece. You could also use ribbon, lace, or bric-a-brac. To attach the measuring tape use a heavy matte gel medium. 3. Stuff the base with tissue paper, filling it to the approximate height September/OctOber 2008 | ClOth Paper SciSSOrS® 47
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