Friday, November 12, 2010

Sneak Peek



Since a batch of these guys just went into the kiln with the first Elsie bisque, I thought I would share a sneak peek. Each year I try to make something for Christmas. Usually it is a medallion or an ornament, but this year I wanted to do a pendant. He is really small - just over an inch tall. He is a shrunken and reworked version of the 2008 Christmas ornament. Unlike previous bas relief shrinks, which were done using the shrinkage of the clay, this (and the ornament before it) were done using a material called HydroShrink. I had hoped that it would make shrinking quicker (which it did) and easier (that part is a little questionable). I will try to get some pictures of the process and talk about its pros and cons in a later post.

He is designed so that holes for stringing can be worked in his mane, either one at the top or one to either side.

5 comments:

Kelly's Studio said...

LOVE this!!!

Kelly (I really need to email you about our trade....hehe)

Kelly's Studio said...

Forgot to say - I've used the shrinking resin too, it's very good but can warp if there are thicker and thinner bits, and as the final result is quite rubbery it can be tricky to recast, but I got good results and even better results with the growing resin too, however that one turned out too big to cast, would've cost me a fortune in rubber, hehe!

Lesli Kathman said...

I can understand about the "fortune in rubber part". I think I am up to $300 in rubber on Elsie. Oof! And I learned from this bit of shrinking that the parts that stick out (like this guy's nose) are what shrinks unevenly. (And yes, email me!)

Lesli Kathman said...

I really need to make a post about using the HydroShrink, because it is really useful even if it has a lot of drawbacks. I just need to shrink something so I can take pictures.

Jennifer MacNeill said...

Beautiful!