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This article was written by Gloriann Irizarry

Hi my dear friends. It is Gloriann Irizarry once more with a nice one of a kind tutorial. I notice how much my little girls love to play with theirs dolls and letting their imagination go to far away magical lands. This gave me an idea. Why not make a Magical Throne.  Yes something really mystical and beautiful.

Well I created another Paper clay tutorial. It will include the full instructions and easy steps to follow to  complete this project.

Materials

1 Foam board

Ruler

Xacto Knife

Eraser

Pencil

Scissors

Hot glue gun and refills

Mulberry paper roses

2 Bags of Creative Paperclay Material

Clay roller

Ivy leaf cutter

Water spray bottle

Acrylic paints ( Dark brown, Pearl hunter green, Gold and black)

Paint brushes

Embossing tool also know found on nail art to add small details

Cotton Balls

These are some of the materials I use but feel free to add more items is you prefer to.

Instructions for Paperclay Fairy Throne

I like to start the creative process with a sketch out. This will give me a guide to how the final project should look like and allow me to get the measurement just right before the final piece is complete.

I used the sketch and create a template following the doll measurements so the throne will fit her just right once the sculpture is complete. Trace the pieces down to your foam board and carefully cut with a sharp Xacto knife blade. Line them up for easy assembly with the hot glue.

Use the hot glue gun to piece them up. I like the hot glue due to be stronger and faster bond for the foam boards.

Fell free to use has much glue that you want. This is going to be out armature so do not worry about drips or over glued seems.

We  are  going to cover all of the foam board later with the Creative Paperclay.

Once the hot glued item is all dry and you had confirm the armature has all the dimensions and measurements just right  I start by rolling our the Creative Paperclay material out ins a 1/4 thickness sheet. I used my really big roller to complete this project faster but the smaller roller will also work  just make many smaller sheets and layer the foam board little by little.

Make sure the entire foam armature is entirety cover from head to feet with the 1/4 thickness sheet of the Creative Paperclay. Use your scissors to cut any clay excess and your water spray to smooth the out.

Once the entire Throne is all covered with the first layer of 1/4 Creative Paperclay sheet layer carefully to dry. Yes the piece will be heavy and fragile due to the clay  moisture so make sure it is carefully placed in a safe spot and wait for the clay to be completely dry.

During the winter I lay my sheet in front of the heater vent so the warm air will dry the whole first layer.

Once the first layer is all dry and the chair is much lighter you will know it will feel a little more stronger and sturdier than when it was wet. Still handle the piece with caution since the clay sheet was only 1/4 thick and we are going to add another 1/4  wet sheet over it. This will get the first layer a little soft. Work the second coat all over the first layer from head to feet once more.

Don’t let the second coat completely dry. Mist the Throne with the spray water so it is a lot easier to add the final details to the piece.

The ivy vines are fairy easy to make.  I rolled the clay to the same 1/4 thickness and cut stripes out in different lengths. You probably wonder why cut stripes but aren’t the vines round?  Well I prefer to have round for the vine look but have a a flat back to adhere them easier to the Throne and achieve the natural look without being worry of the peeling off once the clay dries.

The flat clay sheets I cut will average 3/4 inch and 1/4 thickness. Fold them in half  on the short end . From 3/4 inches x 8 inches long will end up being 3/8  x8 inches long.  Completely moist the flat portion and attach it to the Throne from the flat part. Leave the rounded curve exposed to the front view. You will end up with a very secured vine to the Creative Paperclay  to the Throne.

Make sure to be very gentle at this stage because the moisture from the second Clay sheet has made the piece heavier once more and very susceptible to breakage if not handled carefully.

Not to worry and make sure you don’t have to touch it too much, place the Throne in a cheap one dollar oven tray. That way you can rotate it without leaving finger marks or breaking a leg off and since the tray is only a dollar you can dispose of it or save it for your next project.

Remember to keep the entire Throne wet by mist the water all over it. This way you can add the wood details one the whole vines are attached. Use your favorite tool to complete this wood detail by carving the grain. I prefer the round embossing tool. Why? Simply they come in different sizes and I can alternate them so it look natural and not plain. Carve little by little with the tool and clean it every so often with a paper towel to be able to get clean groves and the grain pattern to look more natural. You can use a visual reference to get the grain to flow beautifully. This will be noticeable at the last paint coat.

I start the first coat with the dark brown acrylic paint. Cover the entire piece vines and all. This will be the base color anyway and the details will be added in the later coats.

I used wet cotton balls to clean off some of the base coat. Doing this will reveal the wood grain detail and made the wood look age and natural. You will repeat this process of wetting the cotton ball and clean the Throne until you feel you had achieved the right aged look. Once the cotton ball is too saturated in paint use a new wet cotton ball.

For the vines I use a water down Pearl Hunter Green color. Do not over saturate the paint  brush. You don’t want the vines to look like an old cartoon. To make these look aged moist the brush and dab any excess paint and little by little stroke the vines until you like how they look.

Do the same on the base. You can use the paint brush or a wet cotton ball over one coat of green,  one  coat of brown and one coat of black acrylic paint dabbed one over another this will create the effect of a moss aged look.

I like to place the vine leaf on top freely before I decided where I will be placing the final glue. But before I do that placement I will show you how I painted them the fast Glori’s way.

It might look overwhelming to think “OMG I have to paint over 100 individually pieces one by one?”

Well My answer is: Nope, Their is ALWAYS a better and easier way.

I really don’t have the luxury of time. Having a full time Office  job, also being a mom and wife  it makes my crafting time very limited. I had put that conflict to work for me. Yes, It has me always developing new time saving techniques all the time.

I cut or punch out all my Creative Paperclay  Ivy leaves out of 1/4 thickness clay sheet. Let them fully dry to a light crispy feel. This is essential to the next step.

In a ziplock bag add the leaf-colored acrylic paint. Completely mix the paint with some water and create a very thin wash. You will end up with a light watery inky green color. Now the fun begins. Fill the Ziplock bag with all those tiny leaves.

Make sure you do this in a very short time. Remember they are made out of a thin sheet of paper clay and they will get soft once more if they are exposed to the water for a long time.

Carefully mix the leaves with the watery inky green paint, rotating the bag and lightly shaking them all over. Look at the bag to make sure the water had mix in with all the pieces.

When all of the leaves are painted, use scissors made a small cut on the corner of the bag to drain all the excess paint off.

Carefully remove the leaves and place them over to dry over a baking sheet. Let them to dry over night.

For the second coat I wanted the veins of the leaves to really pop. So you can repeat the Zip lock bag trick but this time with a darker but watery tone . Now once removed from the bag, place them facing up over a washcloth. This will ensure the watery black-green will pool over the veins and once dry you will notice the veins.

In this photo you can see to the left is the final leaf, the middle leaf is the with the first green coat only and the right is the naked Creative paperclay cut.

Before placing the leaves onto the throne I added one more layer of a very, very watered down black paint all over to make the wood grain look even more natural . I like how the black pool inside the grove and when it dry gives the effect of an aged magic forest tree trunk.

I apply the watered down black paint the back  too.

I will now decided where I want the leaves to go. Glue every single one carefully.

Once the hot glue is strong you can seal your piece with your favorite clear sealer and wait to dry.

Wait for the sealer to be fully dried and add the Mulberry paper roses to the Elf Fairy Throne.

I purchase 4 different blooming stages of the flowers, so the piece will have a real mystical and magical feel.

I started to glue the rose buds to the top and in the mid section, then I glue the second open rose bud. Lower little by little to the fully open roses. I added the old roses one to the top of the Throne,  2 on each hand reach and one to the button right of the Throne leg.

One the back only one right on the center to make the rose pop.

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My name is Gloriann Irizarry. I was born and raised in the beautiful Caribbean island of Puerto Rico. Ever since I can recall, I always had my hands on crayons, scissors and paper. My parents knew from the start how much I love to create!

As a mother of three young wonderful daughters, I find myself working, caring for my family, and taxiing kids from here to there for various sporting events.  I have to say I’m never bored!  I enjoy every little moment I spend with my girls, but will always continue to work time to create art into my daily schedule as that means doing what I love the most. My girls are learning the joys of creating also!

I love to sculpt and will never stop creating. I was born this way and for that I thank GOD every day. Art has been a great way to be creative and to express myself.  I like to keep my hands busy creating – whether it is unique jewelry, art dolls, oak sculpture figures, fairy wings for all your project needs, or even wigs and clothing for your sculptures.  I love all the variety in art! Why? because ART is so rewarding. Seeing your creation take form is an awesome feeling.

You can see more of my work on my website – ByGlori

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