This is the project that I created for the Home and Garden TV show "That's Clever" Episode #HCLVR-110 Air date Oct 7 2005 . I covered a glass vase with polymer clay and using beads, canes and transfer techniques created a unique art vase. It has a frog on one side and a beaded flower cane on the opposite side.
I start with my own original artwork and scan it into the computer. I then decide on the size, shrink it down and make several copies of the frog to be printed on a whole sheet of transfer paper. After printing I cut out several images to be transfered because it doesn't always work the first time.

Condition white clay and then run it through the pasta maker on a med-thin setting. Set the sheet down on the waxed sandwich paper that has been sprinkled with cornstarch. Rub a small amount of TLC on the surface of the clay –just enough to make it tacky. Lay the image on the transfer paper onto the clay and burnish with a flat burnishing tool. Let sit at least an hour.Rub the back of the transfer with rubbing alcohol and burnish again. Let sit 10 min.
Rub the back of the transfer with water to release the transfer. Peel the back off slowly making sure the transfer is staying on the clay. If it isn't’t totally releasing you can lay the paper backing down and burnish some more to release. After the transfer is complete let sit for another hour to dry.

Mix a block of translucent clay to a pinch of green clay to create a light jade color. Run through the pasta maker on the thickest setting to make 3 sheets big enough to cover the vase. Apply to the vase, smooth out the bubbles and seams, wearing gloves to keep the fingerprints off the clay.
Bake at 225 for I /2 hour in a preheated oven. ALWAYS USE AN OVEN THERMOMETER! BURNING YOUR CLAY IS NOT FUN AND CAN CREATE BAD FUMES. Let vase cool in oven until it comes back to room temp on it’s own (glass will crack if you take out while it is still hot) Sand the vase using wet/dry sandpaper in water. Start with 400 grit, to 600 to 800 to 1000.
Cut out around the image of the transfer using a sharp scalpel or small exacto knife. Apply a small amount of TLC to the back and place onto the vase
Bake again for 1/2 hour in a preheated oven.

To embellish the frog I create leaf and flower canes and bead several vines. To make the beaded vines I thread beads onto very thin craft wire. I put a drop of glue on each end to keep beads from coming off wire. I then apply glue to the backside of the beads and place in position on the vase. The canes are attached usingTLC lightly dabbed on the back. After the design is completed the vase is baked again.

 

To make the flower on the other side of the vase I first figure out my pattern I want to apply with my beads. I run a thin sheet of translucent clay on the thinnest setting and apply a heat resistant glue to the clay.[Lay the clay down on waxed paper powdered with cornstarch so it won’t stick] Using a needle or toothpick, I apply the beads in a pattern to the clay. I then cut around the beads and apply to the vase in a whole sheet. I then top with a large slice of a flower cane using a blob of clay to raise the flower above the beads.

 
Bake again. This time preheat to 250 NOT ANY HOTTER- use an oven thermometer. This is to make sure the rest of the clay bakes thoroughly, but be careful not to burn the translucent clay covering the vase. Check often, bake 30 min. After cooling a waterbased verathane sealer can be applied to protect the frog transfer.

ARTWEAR / SCHEDULE / STORES / ARTIST / TECHNIQUE / CONTACT / HOME

bugs / animals / botanical / quilt / faces / celtic / icon / fall / winter /

Click here to return to the top of the page