Bas Relief Winter Scene Christmas Ornament
Design by Marie Redmond

Materials:

Directions:

Snow Base:

Condition your larger pieces of clay by running through the pasta machine several times.

Make a 1/2" diameter snake out of the white clay and run through pasta machine on the #1 setting. You should now have a ribbon of clay approximately 1" wide.

To this ribbon, add small flecks or gratings of turquoise and cobalt blue clay intermittently. Fold and run through the pasta machine again (folded side first), until the blues soften into the white. (A little lavender is also very nice. You can mix lavender or use Sculpey III.) This will create an illusion of "shadows" on your snow. Take the ribbon and squish it up in your hand and re-roll to form a log. Put this log through once more on #3 setting. You should now have a white ribbon os snow with soft blue random shadow colors.

Take your snow ribbon and gently wrap it around the glass ball a little below the center, butting and smoothing edges together. You can decide if you want to leave the glass showing at the bottom of the ball, or cover it with clay. Put the remaining "snow ribbon" aside until you are ready for the mountains. You now have a snow base on which to create your unique scene. Using a clay shaper or fingers, make little indentations in the snow, moving it here and there to create snowdrifts.

Log Cabin:

Run scrap brown clay through the pasta machine on #3 setting. Cut out a cabin or house shape using a cookie cutter, OR you can do a 'free form' version of your own building. This will be the template on which to actually build your cabin.

Shape burnt umber, raw sienna, and ecru clay into snakes and roll them together to form a log. Stretch the log until it breaks, and then re-combine. Repeat this step a few times, and then roll the snake into a log again. You should get a wood grain effect on the log.

Now, roll out logs to about 1/8" in diameter. Using your blade, slice off enough of the log to form the first "base log" of your cabin. Repeat, following your template until your cabin form is complete. Outline roof with narrow strip of brown clay, overlapping edge of logs. Cut two more small logs, and apply to bottom of windows to form window boxes.

Using your needle tool, cut out doorway and windows. Smooth around windows and door.

Cut out piece of clay in the shape of door and stick on back of cabin over door cutout. This could be a darker or lighter color than the cabin, or a bright color.

To create the "lit" window illusion, mix marble size amount of translucent clay with bits of yellow and orange. Put through pasta machine on #4 setting or roll out with roller. Cut out window shapes and attach to back of windows.

Turn cabin right side up and secure to Christmas ball. Add more of the snow ribbon around door and create walkway to cabin by ploughing through snow with smoother.

Mix 1/8 pack of Translucent with a small pea size ball of Turquoise and a speck of Cobalt Blue until completely blended. Put through pasta machine on #1 setting, and then set aside.

Run 1/8 pack of white clay through pasta machine on #1 setting. Trim to form rectangle and place on work surface.

Cut the Translucent blend to the same size as your white sheet. Place on top of white and run through pasta machine again on #1 setting. This will be used for snow covered roof and window boxes. The blue translucent gives it a "shadow" effect. We will call this your snow blanket.

Cut a strip of your snow blanket into a rectangle long enough to form an overhang on the top of your cabin roof. Make sure that the blue/translucent color is on the bottom. Gently place it on the roof. It should protrude by about 1/8 inch.

Cut two more tiny strips from this sheet, and using your fingers, gently roll them into a cylinder, being careful to keep the "shadow" effect showing on the bottom. Gently place them on the "window boxes" and secure with gentle pressure.

Create a chimney from some brown clay and attach to roof. Insert jpeg cabindetail Pinch a small bit of the "snow blanket" clay and roll around in your fingers, mixing the colors further. Stretch it out, flatten, to form the "smoke" for the chimney. Apply to ornament.

Take your needle tool and gently "pull" icicles down from the edge of your roof and window boxes. You will only need a very soft touch for this.

Mountains:

Fold and run your remaining "snow ribbon" through the pasta machine on the #1 setting. It should be at least 1.5" wide. Place sheet of clay on tile or glass, and cut out a ribbon of mountain shapes to stretch around the glass ball. Don't be too particular. There are no perfect mountains! Adhere to the glass ball.

Move the clay around with your clay shaper or fingers to form ridges and valleys in the mountains. Don't be afraid to play with it. The #1 thickness is more than ample to create mountain passes.

Using your clay shaper as a paint brush, pick up slivers of Turquoise or Cobalt Blue clay and apply to mountains, carefully blending into the white clay, creating nooks and crannies. This will give the illusion of shadows. Smooth out the base of the mountains to blend into your snow base. Voila, your ornament is complete!

Optional: If you have any brown clay leftover, you may want to add fenceposts, or a mailbox. Don't forget to cover them with snow.

Baking:

Before baking, rub a little "snowflake" embossing powder over the entire ball. Bake entire ornament at 275 degrees F (130 degrees C) for 30 minutes in a calibrated oven. Calibration means you have checked the accuracy of the stove's dial against an extra thermometer.

Remove from oven and let cool. Insert jpegs Finished Ball, Ball Variations

NOTE: Use these instructions as a "guide" only. Creativity is a very personal thing. Use your imagination and create scenes with snow-covered trees, lakes, and barns. Have fun!

Another idea: Use same techniques, but create a 3D Glass Votive Holder. You proceed the same way, but start with a sheet of tinted Translucent clay initially on the glass votive. These are gorgeous when lit!