This fall I discovered Paper Clay–and boy, have I been having fun with it. I found I could make multiples of objects by making an original and then a mold. I love dogs, but their heads are all different shapes and sizes. Cats are relatively uniform in shape, and by applying wildly different paint jobs, I could create a whole herd of them.
Paper clay Cat portraits: molded, dried, painted, varnished, and be-ribboned!I modeled a cat face, then made a mold from it. It got a little thin at the tip of the nose so I have to fix the nose on each model.I use cornstarch to dust the mold so the damp paper clay doesn’t stick.Dusting the mold with cornstarch.I roll out the paper clay to about 1/4″ and lay it over the mold.The clay is pressed into the mold.I flip the mold over and carefully lift it up off the clay.The cat face before trimming.I smooth the edges and surfaces with a stiff, damp paintbrush. Each face is slightly different.Once the excess clay is trimmed away I shape and add details to the face with the beveled end of a paintbrush.A tray of cat heads ready to dry. While the clay is still damp I slide a small hanger eye into the top of the head. Now they need about 36 hours to fully dry.Once the cat heads are dry I paint them with Holbein Acryla gouache.Each one is an individual portrait. These three are modeled after a Mai Thai, a classic seal point siamese, Ms Bogart, a Russian Blue and Elizabeth, a tabby with a startling orange stripe up her face.Here are Dolly and Fern, two of my favorites.My cat loving friend Nancy displays all nine of her loved ones, past and present like this.
It started with scratchboard, then wood cuts and linoleum, and now gouache over black gesso.
There is a different quality to the line when you are taking it away instead of adding it.
I’m certain I didn’t invent this technique, but this is the version I teach at Hollins as the technique I used to illustrate several books.
Home Sweet Home and Each Living Thing were both done this way.
This lush style is great for lots of detail, but I’d like to simplify, so I’m working on a less realistic, more graphic look.
I start with a simple line drawing and rub graphite on the back to transfer it to a paper prepared with black gesso.
The traced line shows up as silver and is easy to see. If it lingers when I’m done painting I can erase it or paint over it with more black gesso.The 1st layer of paint looks pretty weak and grayed out, but keep adding layers. If you need to, spray lightly with workable fixative in between layers.When I saw the results of my initial drawing I added more flowers and grasses in the foreground by painting 1st with black gesso and then ‘carving’ away with the colored gouache.another cat, less stylized, with pimento stuffed martini olive flowers!
Try it–it is fun and meditative and your color scheme can be as wild as you want.
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Ashley Wolff 