Gibson Girl Wall Placques - Sculpey Clay Projects

Gibson Girl Wall Placques
Design by Karen H. Prince

Materials:

Sculpey III in the following colors:
- Red Golden 1083
- Chocolate 053
- Gold 1086
- Beige 093
Sculpey Super Slicer
Wooden Skewer or needle tool
Index cards or copy paper

Directions:

Condition clay with hands until pliable. Begin by making the head first using the beige clay. Roll into a ball and flatten slightly.

Now, form the bodice from the Red Golden clay by pressing out the shape with your fingers. Using the wooden skewer, form the neckline area. Use the pointed tip of the skewer to add small holes for detail around the neckline. Adhere bodice to the neck.

To form the puff sleeves, first roll a piece of Red Golden clay into a log and flatten slightly and position for the arm. Roll a ball and flatten this slightly and place the at top of the arm and shoulder area. This will be the puff sleeve. Using your wooden skewer, make indentations in the clay to represent folds in the fabric of the sleeves. Using the rounded end of the skewer, make detailing in the straight sleeve pieces to represent lace.

After using the red golden clay, there is a lot of color left on your hands. Take some white clay, and roll it in your hands to give it a pinkish, marbleized look. Form some flat pieces to represent ruffles for detailing on the sleeves and the bottom of the dress. With the sharp end of the skewer, adhere the ruffle pieces to the sleeves, creating detail at the same time.

Now, you are ready for the skirt. Since you do not want the dress to be flat, simply use your hands and press out your pieces. You want to have folds and creases to represent dimension and fullness of the skirt. Add as many or as few pieces as you wish for the skirt. I added three (3) separate pieces.

The bustle is next. With your hands, press out four pieces. Two large pieces, one medium piece, and one small piece. These four pieces form the bustle. Place the small piece on first. The two large pieces next side by side, and then the medium piece is centered on the top of all layers.

To form the bow for the bustle, roll out two small rolls, and simply braid them together and form a bow. Press this onto the bustle.

Now, we are ready to finish the head. Using the chocolate for the hair color make a ball and flatten it. Press onto the head. To form the bouncy, long curls, roll small rolls of the Chocolate clay, and using the sharp end of the skewer, push into one end of the roll. Now, adhere the curls to the head.

For the headpiece, form a ball and flatten, pressing down on the top area of her head. Next form the brim portion of the headpiece, and press this onto the first piece.

Now, you can begin to embellish the headpiece. Here I have simulated feathers. Using wedges of the Gold clay, I use the blade to cut tiny slits to make feathers. Add these pieces to the headpiece and shape however you like.

Baking Instructions:

Baking is next. Place the index card(s) or copy paper (with your Gibson girl on top) into a glass baking dish. Bake the figure in a preheated oven calibrated to 275 degrees F. Bake for 15 minutes per 1/4 Inch of thickness. After she has completely cooled, remove her from the baking dish. Cover the entire back surface with tacky glue or super glue gel. Place onto mat board and let dry. Your piece can now be placed into a frame of your choice and displayed!
NOTE: Oven calibration is simply a matter of checking the actual temperature against what the dial or readout says. Use an external thermometer (available at hardware stores). Adjust dial up or down to achieve 275 degrees reliably.