 
this is my FAVORITE gumpaste figures to create. |
LIST OF ALL GUMPASTE/FONDANT CUTTERS - TOOLS Home-Menu Watch instructional video Instructions and Ideas pictures MY INSTRUCTIONS |
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The CelShapes People Booklet is a compilation of methods to make a number of the figures originally created by Margaret Ford in 1993, They featured in 'The Little People' booklet. Unfortunately , this title is now out of print. This new booklet revises the information from that publication, to assist you with the making and dressing of the figures produced with the CelShapes Fairies mould (CM08). 
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Angel Wing Cutter & Double Veiner Based on the same concept as the fairy veiner, but this veiner gives the effect of tiny overlapping feathers. The scalloped stainless steel double-edged cutter creates perfect left or right wings every time. #HPAWCV $21.65 |
CelFlap SINGLE SHEET cover your fondant/gumpaste cut-outs until ready to form to help keep soft and pliable #43-CC145 Available here |
Instructions
- Fairies
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FLEXIBLE SILICONE FAIRY PUSH MOLDS Press fondant dough into mold and pop it out. More Help |
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Project No 8 Magic & Imagination May be ordered here |
| BOOKS FOR MAKING "PEOPLE" |
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Instructions
show Fairy holding daffodil Push Mold by Sunflower, above
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Fairies cake instruction |
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Use these tiny molds to make this cake. Sorry I have no written instructions. Everything is edible and the decorations are made of gumpaste. This substance dries very hard though fragile.
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Reference file We may not have all of these above but we can order them for you. They are imported so please allow 4-6 weeks BEFORE you place your order. Left Picture shows a selection of heads, limbs and wings made from some of Holly Products moulds as follows (left to right): Line 1: (HPM13) Miniature Clown Head also shown painted & (HPM09) Miniature Man & Woman Line 2: (HPM11) Adult Lower Limbs Line 3: (HPM10) Child Lower Limbs & (HPM08) Babe, Girl & Boy Head Line 4: (HPM07) Fairy Head and Wings made with (HPFWC) Fairy Wing Cutter and (HPFWV) Fairy wing Veiner Line 5: (HPM14) Miniature female Head & Breastplate, (HPM20) Fairy Limbs & (HPM21) Special Edition Young Adult Head & Breast Plate |
Hawthon Elf (left) use (HPM07)Fairy head mould, (HPM20) Fairy limb mould Brownies (right) use (HPM08) Miniature Babe, Boy, Girl, (HPM20) Fairy limb mould this picture was taken from June Twelves book 'Fairy Folk and Little people' |
Sorry, no inst., just ideas |
Tips and Techniques Cake Idea
Detailing tools can be as simple or complicated, as inexpensive or expensive as you decide. You can even make your own! I use a wide variety, ranging from dental hand tools, gumpaste detailing tools, and many I've made myself. I've even used my own face make up and nail polish for nails. If you intend to do your work on the small scale I do, these are the tools I recommend you have to start with:
* A good work
surface such as Celboard/Celpad.
Very durable and cool, it is easy to clean and your clay won't stick to
the surface.
* A good motorized
pasta
machine. I use mine to condition and blend gumpaste and roll uniform
sheets for miniature "cloth".
* The PME
Modeling too 2. This is a flat spatula at one end and a small, flattened
knob at the other. My favorite tool, I use it to blend seams and create
a smooth surface.
* Large and small
PME
Modeling Tools. With the blunt tips you can draw or impress lines in
the gumpaste without creating a rough edge. Rolling a Celpin
over the surface of the gumpaste will give you a very smooth finish and
hide seams. I have very thin spatulas of several sizes to remove gumpaste
from crevices or to impress circular patterns into the gumpaste.
* I like the
PME6T Scriber Needle. You can use it to draw very fine lines in the clay.
If you lay the needle against the surface and drag it gently, you will
be able to draw a smooth fine line, great for fur and feathers.
* My PME7 Knife
with Ribbon Inserion tool is great for cutting tiny gumpaste items. You
could use an unserrated knife or razor knife.
* Tiny wire on
a spool (available in craft stores) works great to sturdy tiny fairy arms,
legs etc.
* Their ‘hair’
is royal icing. They were dressed in gum paste clothes. See 'WINGS' below:
The fairies’ ‘wings’ are made of plain gelatin on the fine wire frame-shape,
tinted with food coloring, let dry, remove wire frame, and fasten to the
fairy with a dab of royal icing.
* WINGS: 1/4
cup cold water and 2 teaspoons plain gelatin, food coloring. Make a wing
form using the fine wire from the spool. Dip the wing form in. Lay it down
until dry. Then remove the form. I've only done this once. I suppose if
you experimented you could even do this with larger wings and things. You
may need to use more gelatin and less water for more strength. Just guessing.
* These instructions
are the result of my studies with Angela Priddy of South Africa.
Angela
has a wonderful book showing some really innovative ideas using gum paste
and other fine mediums. I'm sorry but it is no longer
available.
Creating Textures:
Giving texture to a figure is one
of the greatest challenges in creating a realistic piece. Whether the texture
is fur, feathers, folds, or warts, the devil is in the detail. At first,
you should experiment with direct etching, using the tools of the trade,
perhaps etching fur or feather lines with a needle held so it drags along
the surface, rather than gouging. The process can be tedious, but the act
of creating these details teaches you a great deal. Once you have mastered
the detailing for the piece you are sculpting, and. especially if you intend
to reproduce it, the next logical step is to create direct surface application
molds that will do the work for you. These molds (or stamps) are reverse
images of the repetitive features you find in the subjects you sculpt and
can be taken directly from your finished work or etched directly on the
mold by hand. Not intended to "stamp out" the entire element of the sculpture,
they recreate subtleties in texture. Impressing areas of a sculpture with
a press mold made of polymer clay, saves time and effort.
Proportioning the Human Figure:
This section is devoted to the figurative
artist. We always struggle to "get the proportions right". The illustrations
below will help you translate the human form to fit the scale you are working
in. They're from my book Creating Life-Like Figures in Polymer Clay.
For centuries artists have divided and subdivided the human form, each seeking to improve their understanding of the body's particular proportions and to enhance their art. Drawn from several sources, this is a brief compilation of the proportional landmarks used by Da Vinci, Lanteri, Cousin, Richer, and Rimmer which you'll find useful in sculpting the human form. All of the proportional landmarks have variations which are effected by by race, gender, age, and body type; the differences that make each of us unique. For that reason, always keep the individual in mind while you sculpt.
Don't let the number of measurements
discourage you. Put them to work and they'll become second nature. Learn
to think in terms of head lengths, not inches or centimeters as you apply
these landmarks to your polymer clay sculpture to achieve the realistic
figure you envision.
Landmarks of the Head
* The cranial
box and the bones of the facial skeleton are roughly the same size and
volume.
* The face is
3/4ths the length of the head.
* The width of
the head on a level with the eyes is equal to 2/3rds the length of the
head.
* The width of
the mandible (lower jaw) is 3/4ths the width of the head at its widest.
* The eyes lie
on a line midway between the top of the head and the base of the chin.
* The eyes are
equal 1/5th the width of the head, and the space between the eyes is equal
to one eye width.
* The base of
the nose lies on a line equidistant between the eyebrows and the chin,
1/2 head width from chin.
* The width of
the nose is equal to the width of the eye.
* The mouth lies
on a line 3/8ths from the tip of the chin, or 1/2 head width from midline,
and its width is equal to 1 1/2 eyes.
* The upper rim
of the ear is level with the highest point of the eyebrow and the lobe
usually lies on a line level with the nostrils.
* The ear begins
on a line midway between the facial plain and the cranial box.
* The width of
the neck is 1/2 the head and the length from the chin to the pit of the
neck varies from 1/4 to 1/3 of a head.
Landmarks of the Torso and Limbs
The length of the figure can vary
from 6 1/2 heads to 7 3/4 heads tall. For their gladiators and gods, the
Greeks and Romans preferred the dignity expressed by proportionally taller,
longer limbed figure, 8 heads tall. The Mannerists often rendered figures
9 heads tall. Many of my sculptures follow the classical dimensions and
are 8 heads tall, but most follow the average rule; and are 7 1/2 heads
tall. The following are some of the prominent structures of the torso and
limbs that serve as landmarks for proportion:
* The distance
from the tip of the chin to the nipples is 1 head length. The shoulder
blades lie on that same line.
* From the nipples
to just above the navel is 1 head. The height of the buttocks lies on that
same line.
* The fork in
the female and the base of the buttocks in the male lie 1 head length below
the navel.
* The shoulders
are 2 heads at their widest in the male. In the female, the shoulders are
slightly narrower.
* The hollow
between the collar bones is one head length.
* In the male,
the chest and hips are same width, 1 1/2 heads wide. In the female, the
hips are 1 1/2 heads wide and the chest 1 1/4 heads wide.
* The waist is
a little more than one head wide in both.
* Measure the
legs and you'll find the distance from bottom of the foot to the gastrocnemus
(inner calf muscle) is one head, and from the inner calf to the articulation
of the knee is one head.
* The distance
from the knee to base of gracilis muscle (upper, inner thigh) is 1 head,
and from the thigh to the fork is 1 head.
* The midpoint
of the body intersects the trochantor major (hip bone) in the female and
lies just below that point in the male.
* The arms are
3 head lengths, from the tip of the middle finger to the top of the armpit
(the midpoint of the deltoid or shoulder muscle).
* The elbow is
1 head length from armpit.
* In the male,
the distance from the head of ulna (wrist bone) to the tip of the middle
finger is 1 head, falling above that line in the female.
* The wrist (head
of the ulna) lies on a line with the midpoint of the body.
* The width of
the arm averages a little less than 1/2 head at it widest.
* The hand is
the same size as the facial plain.
* The arm of
the male is slightly longer than the female's. The tip of the little finger
falls on a line 3 heads from the bottom of the foot in the male, and slightly
above that in the female.
* The foot is
equal to the twice the length of the face from eyebrows to chin, or 1/6th
to 1/7th of the height.
Tip: Remember to proportion your scultures like the masters, always use your head.
Modeling the Animal Figure:
As with the human figure, every
animal species has its own unique proportions. To achieve a credible finished
work, it is important to study and measure the animal's features from all
vantage points to avoid distortion in the sculpture. Your study should
be so detailed that you can accurately render the growth patterns of fur
or scales on each part of the subject. The devil is in the details. Tip:
Keep notes, drawings, and graphs of the subject for reference.
The following sequence is an example of the process I use to sculpt a mouse. Of course there were many views and measurements in between, but I hope it gives you the general idea. The "measurement stage" graphs not only help to determine proportion, but also to estimate the amount of clay for each body part. For this project I used a component technique, modeling and assembling each of the components, and creating surface details before the mouse was baked. With the exception of the prebaked eyeballs, this can be a single-bake project, provided the scale of the figure is as small as this one was (approximately 3 inches tall). Tip: This figure uses armatures in the ears (paper), in the tail (thin wire), and a mounting wire rod at its base.
