Finally started on the last part of the clay work.
- Draw the desired design on the 8 by 12 mdf board. The design I have chosen here is of Radha Krishna (a royal couple)
- Add the border using the same technique as that of the main board.
- Add leaves and flowers to the right corner.
- Roll out a flat piece of clay and add that as the dress of the king
- Add designs to the dress (I have used a toothpick to draw some lines and dots)
- Add the queen’s dress and her body.
- Add designs to her dress (I had a bunch of design stencils with me from when I was a little girl. I used those)
- To add a scarf for the king, roll out thin strips of clay and gently press one edge to his dress.
- Add some buttons to the scarf.
It is now time to work on the faces of the king and the queen.
- For the fingers I rolled 8 coils of clay and let them sit for a while before shaping them into hands.
- Added a wooden dowel for flute
- Added jewelry to both the king and the queen.
- The veil of the queen was sitting was too low to my liking. So added another layer of clay and raised it.
- Added jewels to the king’s turban
- Decorated the flute
Ran short of clay, so had to use some air dry clay that I already had. Thankfully it was gluable to the epoxy clay.
The key learning this week was it is better to let the mixed clay sit for a while when making add on pieces like jewelry and fingers/hands. This allows the pieces to hold shape when being moved. It is critical to time it correctly so that it doesn’t harden and become inflexible.
It is now time to work on the texture part of the project. The 4 corners of the main board is for texture work. For this we need All Purpose Joint compound ( easily available at any hardware store. I bought mine at Home Depot) and a rough brush. Apply a thick layer of the compound to the assigned area and and dab with the brush. This gives a rough effect to the painting.
This completes all parts of the mural. All that is left now is to put them together and paint.
Wow! As I check back at your blog and I still amazed at the work you are doing! The work seems very tedious and the patience you must have shows in your beautiful work. Do you teach art at your school? Does your school have the tools to teach this to your students? I'm sure many of your students would love to see some of the work you have been doing. Keep up the great work!
ReplyDelete- Andrea Hough
Sudha! I am SO impressed with what you have done. You did such a great job of "showing" off you project. You are so talented. It looks like you have learned a lot too. You do such a nice job of explaining what you have accomplished and it is very easy to follow. Your blog could definitely turn into a "teaching" blog and people could actually learned how to complete a mural from looking at your blog. Well done!
ReplyDeleteThis is truly amazing. I am in awe! Such tedious work, but you are creating a treasure that you can pass down to your family. The skill involved in this is beyond my scope. :) Such patience! I'm sure you take this amount of care when you work with your students. I will have to show my in-laws. They have similar art in their home and they will be so impressed by your endeavor. Congrats! - Julie
ReplyDeleteSudha:
ReplyDeleteYour work continues to astonish me! Have you ever considered incorporating art into the lessons you do with your students? Someone with your talent could certainly help students show their right-brain skills on any project. I really appreciate the passion and patience you have displayed throughout your project.
This is clearly amazing! How wonderful for you to be able to set a goal and watch it come to life. You are so talented and I have really enjoyed watching you through your blogs. Congratulation!
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