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I finally finished my tree of life sculpture. It took a few days but it was worth it. With clay and wire you can make just about anything. I’m going to be posting this for sale on Etsy!

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I love pirates. When I was a kid and my mom would take me to Disneyland. I used to think about how I could hop out of the boat and hide in the props of the ride. I’ve seen the Johnny Depp movies more times that I can count. I made my wife buy me a pirate chest DVD player for Christmas. I love pirates and want to be one  except that I don’t do well in water. Go figure!

I made this bobblehead from polymer clay and a spring. I made the body and then mounted it to a block of wood. I painted it and attached a spring on top. I made the head and left the face smooth so I could glue a picture of my face on it. I used a marker to make a mushtache. This picture shows how I constructed it. You can make a bobblehead out of anything as long as you have a spring!

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My wife, Kathy, just recently stumbled upon the art of print making using linoleum squares and some wood carving knives. It’s called block printing or lino cuts. She was so thrilled with the technique that she carved a whole bunch, running in and out of the art room waving her newly pressed prints like a kid. She bugged me to try it but I’m the kind of guy that’s kinda reluctant to be pushed to do something, especially if its a new technique. But I did it today and there was a kind of therapeutic experience carving into the relatively easy lino board, and the prints have such a nostalgic look to them. You got to try it!!  This was  a fun and definitely MANTASTIC. Kathy said she is going to share the directions on her blog later this week. Stay tuned.

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What’s up people?

Patrick here,  knee deep in clay and glue and even glitter! I’ve been working on making some merchandise for a store in L.A. called Handmade Galleries that carries our art. Our booth just got filmed on a reality show called, “The Cougar”. It’s a show about a 40-year-old woman who is on the prowl for a 20-something. On the episode, they guys competing for her had to shop for her birthday. They stood right in front of our booth! The film people fuzzed out some of the parts of my paintings, but you can still see them.

However it was still mantastic!

I am also working on a tree of life project for a tabletop or altar. I’m using some wire hangers, some clay, a lot of glue, and some found objects..its gonna be so too much! I’m still working on figuring out how to construct it. Also I am currently making a mantastic version of the old scrap book…I know what you’re thinking - and you’re right! But here it goes anyways!

I am going to post these ideas complete with the how-to’s very soon!

Stay MANTASTIC!

My wife Kathy asked if I would teach a class on making these on her cruise. At first I didn’t want to share my secret recipe, but the chicas on the cruise were so nice and I’m glad I went ahead and shared my idea. Que chula, man. I was blown away at all the ways they made their sculptures! I’m already thinking about what I’m gonna teach next year! This class will be hard to top.

Want to create the look of tile? I tried this on 4×4 squares of cardboard! It is just acrylic paint and varnish. These are good for display purposes. I made them for our Heard Museum exhibit. Hollywood prop style…you know.

Supplies:

Small canvas
Assorted paper
Glue stick
Scissors

Directions: How do you perceive yourself? You never know until you make your self portrait in paper. This comes out best when you use different textures and finishes of paper. Don’t even sketch, just cut free form with your scissors and glue the whole mess down. Hang it and then admire your handsomeness.

Supplies:
Cardboard
White craft glue
Black and gold paint
High gloss varnish
Bola tie slide
Craft knife or scissors

Think you don’t have supplies? Look harder. Cut off a flap from a cardboard box and you can make a bola tie slide like this. First, sketch or trace your design on paper and then cut out the pieces from the cardboard. Cut a foundation piece and glue the design on top. It will look layered. Paint the whole thing black, and then use gold paint to accent it. This tie rocks for a stylin’ grandpa, dad or any other dude who sports stylin’ neckwear.