I've been on a night light kick lately, having lots of fun with translucent polymer clay (liquid and solid) and alcohol inks. So I knew I would make a night light. I made two for the challenge and this was the one I decided to enter in the challenge.
As always I started with a sketch. I get these fun ideas and (at my age) if I don't jot them down RIGHT away they are gone forever. So this sketch ended up in one of many trusted journals. To the right is the drawing on graph paper that will be used to make the pattern.
The graph paper gets glued to thick card stock to make a sturdy pattern. Here are the pattern, pieces created and cut out.
Okay, now to dye the translucent clay. This is the hardest thing for me, to wait for the alcohol to evaporate so I can blend the color into the clay. Really, really hard. Patience is not what I am know for :). Also you can see the start of cutting the "wings" sections.
The assembly begins with extruded jungle green (I do love that color!), for the framework.
After I added the jungle green body, head and antennae, the piece was cured. Then it was time to build the backing. The backing is clear translucent clay, and the purpose is to provide strength and a clean back look. I use poly bonder to combine the layers.
The finished product is a large 5" tall x 4 1/2" wide by 1 1/2" deep:
light on
light off
on from the side
view of the back
Thank you so much for sharing my experience. I would love to hear your comments.
Your night lights are so charming! Thank you for the look behind the scenes.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Marie!
DeleteI love seeing your process, from idea to finished product! This one is just as lovely as all it's predecessors! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Beth. The idea-to-finish process is the most fun for me.
DeleteAwesome creation and idea! Lovely!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Micki!
ReplyDelete