2016 #17 Clay Impressions {by Nicole Maki}

 2016 Topic 17: Making Marks

Hey Everyone, I’m Nicole Maki, a mixed-media artist from Portland, Oregon, USA. I’m thrilled to be here today sharing space with the talented artists of Paper Artsy. Thanks so much for having me.

Since we’ve been back in the Pacific Northwest I’ve grown to appreciate clay and pottery as the NW is home to a thriving potter scene that continues to push the boundaries of this ancient art. In particular, I am a big fan of the work of Barbara Campbell. She creates functional pieces like cream and sugar sets, vases, mugs and bowls in bright colors with black etched marks made by items she presses into the soft clay. The theme, ‘mark making’ brings to mind her incredible work and I thought it would be great to create my own version of this Paper Artsy style.

Step1. Roll Das air-drying clay (or the brand of your choice) into a thin flat disc and stamp into the clay using Staz-On ink. The stamps used here are from the Ink and The Dog line: Mini 18, Mini 23 and Mini 61.

Mini 18

Mini 23

Mini 61.

Step 2. Form your pieces. For the vase cut the slab into a circle for the base and a rectangle for the sides and join them together taking care to not disrupt the stamping. The plate is made by cutting the clay into a circle. Push it into a saucer and flute the edges like you would a pie. For the apple and heart, make the general shape out of aluminum foil and then encase the foil in clay. Cut off the excess and smooth the edges. The foil shapes are much easier to work with than slab pottery. Allow to dry 24-48 hours.

Step 3.Thin paint roughly 50/50 with water and brush loosely over your pottery. For the apple I used London Bus, I used Beach Hut for the heart and black for the vase and plate.

Step 4. Wipe off all the paint you can with paper towels immediately. This will allow the paint to settle into the marks but not on the main part of the piece. A dry paper towel will leave quite a bit of color behind. If you want a cleaner base, dampen your paper towel to remove more paint.

Step 5. Paint the main surface of your object taking care to not paint into the crevices. This is easily done with a make-up sponge or by using a dry brush. The heart is painted with London Bus, the vase with Zesty Zing, the plate with Beach Hut and the apple with Inka Gold. Once dry, spray with varnish.

Tips:

I use black ink to stamp the clay even though it will likely be covered up in case I want to leave the finished piece white. If you’re sure you will be painting your item feel free to impress the stamp into the clay without inking it first.

Always wash your stamps right away after pressing them into clay as it can ruin your stamps if you let it dry.

If your object is drying on a mold like my plate was, put a layer of waxed paper between the clay and the saucer. 

Buffing the painted project with a metallic medium adds dimension and interest. I used a combination of Inka Gold and gold paint.( Treasure Gold would be a brilliant final layer)

Thanks for joining me this evening,
Nicole.

You can find me on:
Etsy at PerkyNihilist
Blog: madebynicole

Wow Nicole,I gasped when I saw that clay, how amazing does that look with the stamp impressions! I love every bit of this post, such a great way to leave marks behind. thanks for sharing your ideas and tips with us. ~Darcy

We would love to see how you interpret this Making Marks topic by linking what you make to our 2016 Challenge #17: Making Marks, on this page HERE.

All of our bloggers love to see your twist on their ideas,  particularly if you were inspired directly by their post. 

All links go in the draw to win a £50 voucher to spend on products of your choice from the PaperArtsy online store. The Making Marks link will close 17:00 (London Time) Sunday, Sept 18th 2016. The winner will be announced 2  hours later at 19:00.