Work in Progress

I thought today I would share a little of how I create my shadowboxes.

I spent last week creating lots of new polymer clay leaves to use in my new pieces, it's one of my favourite parts - especially when I get to sit outside to do it!

We have had beautiful weather here in London this week and so I took my clay outside and sat at the table with a collection of leaves from my garden, including buddleja, cherry and some divine smelling mint.

I have experimented with several different types of air drying and polymer clays, but mostly use a type by Sculpey, as I find the air drying clays tend to be too brittle for thin pieces. 

To start with I roll my chosen clay as thinly I as think it can handle, then select my leaves. Once I have chosen I place the leaf on top if the clay and roll over it with the rolling pin to leave the impression and texture in the clay, then carefully cut around the leaf using a very thin needle to ensure that I get the edge of the model leaf as realistic as possible.

Doing this with the mint leaves last week was a real joy as with each roll the smell of mint became stronger.

Once the leaves have either dried, or been baked and cooled I then hand paint each one. I have tried using ready coloured clays before, and they are great for one pieces, but for my nature boxes I prefer to paint each one and keep them really unique, I feel it adds to the overall piece; once the paint is dry I finish each leaf with a varnish.

These are some of the leaves ready to bake last week 

(and a few models the kids made too!)

I tend to make a few batches of leaves at a time, with designs already in my head to use them in. My 3 new floating shadowboxes I shared with you last week all contain some of these new leaves, can you see each type?