A little papermache mask form and a little friendly plastic is all you need to create beautiful masks. Adrienne Goodenough share's her technique:
My step daughter asked me if I could make a mask similar to the one I had made for my daughter:
but in greens.
A mask takes between 3 and 4 sticks of Friendly Plastic, so I checked my stash and found 2 iridescent green sticks and 2 gold. I cut one of the gold sticks in half and then cut each half lengthwise into 7 strips. I did the same with one of the green strips.
I have a paper mache mask form, which I covered in aluminium foil, so that the Friendly Plastic wouldn't stick to it.
I then set my melting pot to 140 degrees and filled it with water. I dropped a gold strip into the water, coloured side down, and after about 10 seconds I fished it out (using a wooden handled pointy tool), and laid it onto the mask form. I repeated with all my gold strips, until I had my mask base. I pressed the pointy tool into each joint as I worked, the joints are what holds the mask together and I wanted them to be as strong as possible.
I topped up the water, and repeated the process using the green strips, overlapping and joining onto the gold strips as I went.
Next, I put a green strip onto a piece of non stick craft sheet and heated it with my craft gun until soft. I pushed a cutter into the Friendly Plastic then dropped the craft sheet, plastic and cutter into a bowl of cold water. After 10 seconds I took it all out, removed the cutter, peeled the plastic off the craft sheet and used sharp scissors to separate the shape I had cut out from the plastic. I repeated with the green and gold until I had 6-8 shapes of each colour.
I heated the centre of the mask with my heat gun, just enough to make it tacky, then laid a shape at top centre, and continued heating until I could see the shape was soft. I pushed into the shape with the end of the pointy tool - this gave a 'crease' down the 'petal' and also pushed the shape firmly into the layer below, making a strong joint.
I repeated with more heat and more shapes until the mask was finished. You need to be careful not to apply too much heat at once, or the mask will melt so much that it loses definition and oozes off the foil...
Once happy with the mask, I left it to cool on the mask form for an hour or so, then just popped it off.
Designers and manufacturers looking for ideas for making sustainable products can take some ideas from a couple of plastic products featured today in the Treehugger.com blog. One is a rotationally molded kayak dubbed the Tequila! with an unusual feature: it...
I heard people say...."I'll do that as soon as I see pig's fly!".....well....Now you have it....The Pig's have flown! No more excuses in waiting to try Friendly Plastic this amazing art medium.
So...If you are one of those "Pigs Fly People"....you'll have to come up with another excuse...
And..if you dont want to MAKE things in Friendly Plastic...at least BUY things made with Friendly Plastic!
Visit Patchwork People Arts etsy site by clicking here
Linda Peterson is compensated and endorsed by AMACO. The guests features may or may not have any affiliation with AMACO., Inc.
I heard people say...."I'll do that as soon as I see pig's fly!".....well....Now you have it....The Pig's have flown! No more excuses in waiting to try Friendly Plastic this amazing art medium.
So...If you are one of those "Pigs Fly People"....you'll have to come up with another excuse...
And..if you dont want to MAKE things in Friendly Plastic...at least BUY things made with Friendly Plastic!
Visit Patchwork People Arts etsy site by clicking here
Linda Peterson is compensated and endorsed by AMACO. The guests features may or may not have any affiliation with AMACO., Inc.
Jana's designs are simply elegant and beautiful. I love all the little bits and pieces that she adds to create interest in her pieces...
Jana's vintage style and attention to detail reminds me of watching a favorite movie over and over again....you just can't get enough and every time you watch it you find something new.
If you'd like something new to add to your jewelry collection - check out Jana's etsy site!
Linda Peterson is compensated and endorsed by AMACO. The guests features may or may not have any affiliation with AMACO.
This could be the ultimate in design-for-recyclability: a team of students from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have designed a teddy bear made entirely from PET. The toy, dubbed the "Sustain-a-Bear," recently won first prize in the 2009 Manufacturing Student Design Competition...
Remember seeing 3D movies with flimsy cardboard glasses? If that's your recollection of 3D movies, get ready for some big changes. Today's 3D glasses are made of plastic and cost as much as $50 each. Movies like Avatar are making...
I love checking my email everyday to find viewer email! Really...it makes my day! So today's SHOUT OUT goes to Molly Fischer.
I'd like to share the email that I received yesterday from her- she writes:
Hi Linda:
I am a newbie at friendly plastic and I've been trying to create jewelry.
Attached is an earring and necklace set that I made for a co-worker for Christmas. I check the blog everyday for any and all inspiration and instruction. I am a web learner. Because of my husband's work I've had to leave my create friends in Reno, NV and Fremont, CA (stamping groups) so I am stuck here in Milford MASS. - not much in the way of creative groups near by.
Thank you so much for your web site and the Friendly Plastic Blog - my salvation to creative road blocks and great inspiration and education.
Molly, thank you sooooo much for sharing your work! We're so glad that you were willing to try Friendly Plastic too!
Let's all show Molly that she's not alone and email her what a great job she did - just click on her name above! And if you're an FP Artist living MA...well...I think you've found a creative friend nearby! Missy...maybe your husbands next job can bring you to Missouri?
Linda Peterson is compensated and endorsed by AMACO. The guests features may or may not have any affiliation with AMACO.
Strikes are pretty rare events these days -- according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were only 15 lockouts or strikes in the United States in 2008. With the economy slumping this year, the number is probably even lower....
Gift giving doesn't have to be a chore....or a "have to" thing. Think of how warm you feel when you open a card from a special person who says...."Just because..." or "thinking of you". Makes you feel good doesn't it????
In this video, I've combined that warm fuzzy feeling with a card that is truely a gift in itself. So hope you enjoy this month's program......
Roll 'em!
Linda Peterson is compensated and endorsed by AMACO. The guests features may or may not have any affiliation with AMACO.
I repeated with more heat and more shapes until the mask was finished. You need to be careful not to apply too much heat at once, or the mask will melt so much that it loses definition and oozes off the foil...
