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The prototype was constructed of 1" thick and 1/4" thick builder's foam (photos coming soon). Patterns were scaled down to half size so they could fit on 8 1/2" x 11" sheets of paper, and the pieces are laid out on a half-inch grid with dimensions given on each piece so you can use those to scale them up to full size. A quarter scale pattern is also included in a separate file. This could be printed out on card stock and the pieces cut out for templates. If you have any problems with the files please email tucsonminiatures@gmail.com Have fun! 
Looking forward to seeing what wonderful things the club members will come up with!
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Here are some fun bumper stickers in 1:12th scale to add you your travel trailer project. You could print them out on a sheet of sticker paper, or print them on regular paper and glue them on as desired. The image is just a preview, you can download or print the pdf file by clicking on the link. 
Cindy writes:
"Today, I was working on my trailer, painting it. I was using red and it was a brand new brush. I couldn’t get the paint off the dang brush. So I thought and thought. I went to the laundry room and grabbed less than a ¼ teaspoon of oxy clean (powder type) and mixed it in the brush, a few seconds later my white brush that was red was bright white. No need to throw away ruined paint brushes anymore. (the paint was metallic with glitter flakes also.)" Thanks, Cindy, I'm sure we've all had trouble getting brushes clean now and then! Member Sue Blakesly shared her formula for Landscape Glue
1/3 alcohol 1/3 water 1/3 white glue 4 drops dish soap Sue says this dries clear and holds tight, can be sprayed, brushed, or dabbed on  Here is how I paint my miniature jack-o-lanterns Colors on my palette: (Delta Ceramcoat Acrylic Paints) Bright Red Opaque Yellow Golden Brown White Phthalo Blue Burnt Umber Dark Forest Green In general if you want a more natural look to your paints for things like apples, leaves, (pumpkins) you will get better results if you add a small amount of the base color's complimentary color into the mixture. This is why I have phthalo blue on my palette for the pumpkins. Start by mixing a base color for the pumpkin with 1 part red to 2 parts yellow (9 drops red and 18 drops yellow is a good amount to start with) then add a TINY amount of phthalo blue. (mix red and yellow and just barely dip one edge of paintbrush into the phthalo blue, then mix into orange). Phthalo blue is a very strong color, so a small amount will do. If you get too much blue in the mixture you will end up with brown instead of pumpkin orange - just add some more yellow and red to the paint mixture to fix this problem. This is a photo of the difference between pure orange (on the left), and orange with blue mixed in (on the right). I had a hard time trying to get the colors to show up accurately on the digital photo, but trust me, the color on the right is a much more natural pumpkin color. You'll just have to try it to see how much better the color looks with the addition of it's complimentary color. Now you have this puddle of basic pumpkin color - we are going to work from this for the other colors, starting with the color for the inside of the pumpkin. Pull some paint away from the puddle and add in 4 or 5 drops of yellow, 1 drop golden brown, and 4 or 5 drops white. In this instance, it's better to get the mixture too light than too dark, since for a miniature jack-o-lantern there is not going to be much actual light coming in from the front (if you are going to be lighting your jack, you might want to add a bit more yellow and golden brown if using a white light, or a bit more white if using an amber light).  Paint the inside of the pumpkin, making sure to paint the edges of cut-out areas (and don't forget the top!)  Next make another small puddle with about 1 part burnt umber and a small amount of dark forest green, then pull some of your base pumpkin color into the mixture. Make a wash of this color and apply to stem. Then paint the outside with your base pumpkin color. Brush a light wash of burnt umber over the entire jack-o-lantern, stem and all. This will deepen the colors, enhance the sculpting, and help blend the edges between the inside and outside colors.  Next we are going to highlight the raised sections. Into your puddle of base color, mix a little white and yellow. Make a wash of this color and dry brush ACROSS the pumpkin, just hitting the raised areas. (it may seem like an oxymoron to "dry brush" a wash, but here is how to do it - create the wash, load your brush, then wipe most of it off on a paper towel before applying to pumpkin. If you can see brush strokes, you can blend them in with your fingertip.) When that layer of paint is dry, go over jack once more with a very light wash of the base color. Dry brush stem across the grain with a mixture of burnt umber and white. When those layers are dry, add a final light wash of burnt umber over the entire jack-o-lantern.  The final step is to let the paint dry, then buff with a piece of brown paper bag until the jack-o-lantern has a soft sheen.
 For this project you will need: Creative Paperclay 1 piece of plastic wrap, approx. 6" X 6" craft knife masking tape thread scissors sand (or baking soda) sculpting tools water for smoothing paperclay paints * optional but not necessary: tweezers, needle files, 600 grit sandpaper - Cut masking tape in to strips approx. 5" long by 1/8" to 1/4" wide - Apply strips of tape to plastic wrap, in diagonal criss-cross pattern as shown.  - turn plastic wrap over so side with tape is facing down. - pour about a tablespoon of sand in center, more or less depending on the size of jack-o-lantern you are making. Remember though, that this is going to be the INSIDE dimension, so don't use too much sand.  - Pull plastic wrap up around sand and tie top securely with thread. At this point you will have a little floppy baggy of sand. Trim excess plastic wrap from top. In the next step, you want to firm up the bag and form the shape of jack-o-lantern you want. Do this by wrapping additional strips of masking tape around the bag.  If you want a short, fat jack-o-lantern, wrap from top to bottom of bag first. If you want a taller jack-o-lantern, start wrapping sand bag in center, and shape with additional strips of masking tape around the bag as shown. You should end up with a firm packet of sand in the approximate shape you'd like your pumpkin to be.  - Roll or press out a circle of paperclay big enough to cover bag, and about 1/16" thick. Place bag in center of circle and begin pulling clay up over bag, pinching off excess as you go.  Cover bag and smooth clay by dipping your fingers in water and rubbing over clay.  Here is the bag covered with clay and smoothed out. Don't forget to leave a little stem!  Sculpt sections and stem into clay.
 When you are finished sculpting the pumpkin, cut top and face design into pumpkin. Use an up-and-down motion with the knife, and cut to, but not through the masking tape. Do not remove the sections you are cutting, leave them in place. Now comes the most difficult part - Set the jack-o-lantern aside to dry. Wait. Patiently. It will take about a day to dry, depending on your climate. You can console yourself while waiting by making more jack-o-lanterns! - When clay is dry, cut around top again. Use an up-and-down sawing motion with the knife, this time cutting all the way through the masking tape and into the sand. - Carefully remove top and pour sand out of bag. - Remove plastic wrap from inside of jack-o-lantern (tweezers are useful for this). - Re-cut lines in jack-o-lantern face design if necessary and remove pieces. - File edges of cuts if desired, and, if desired, lightly sand jack-o-lantern with 600 grit sandpaper.
Paint with acrylic paints and polish with tissue paper or a paper bag.
  If you want to make the corners more secure, cut a piece of foam core or cardboard to match the size of the mending plates and add that in the holders with the plate as shown.  Here is an example of the completed project in use - by Myrna Williams
at our last meeting, Dottie shared this handy supply list  General guidelines for working with Creative Paperclay
- Keep package sealed until ready to use. Once opened, place as soon as possible in an airtight baggie and/or plastic wrap. Paperclay should be soft when the package is opened, about the consistency of a soft pie dough. If it isn't, then either you have an old package of paperclay, or air has gotten into it somehow. If it is not completely dried out, you may be able to save it by kneading in some water. Note – this really needs to be worked into the clay until the clay is smooth! - Kneading fresh paperclay is not necessary, however you may knead some water into the clay if you like to work with a softer clay. - Keep a container of water on hand for dipping sculpting tools in, and have paper towels available for wiping off hands and tools. - When rolling out clay, tape a piece of plastic wrap onto smooth work surface, place clay on plastic wrap and cover with a second piece of wrap. Roll out the clay between the plastic wrap. If you want to make the clay a specific thickness, you can place wood strips of the appropriate thickness on either side of the clay and tape them to the work surface, place the second piece of plastic wrap on top and roll clay until the rolling pin is riding on the wood strips. - When cutting wet clay, use an up and down “sawing” type of motion with your knife rather than dragging it through the clay. - Paperclay will stick to *most* surfaces. However, if you are having trouble getting it to stick to the desired surface, paint a thin layer of white glue on the surface and allow the glue to dry to the “tacky” stage before adding clay. To attach wet clay to dry clay, apply a small amount of glue and water to dry clay and allow mixture to soak into the clay for a few seconds, then apply wet clay. - To transfer patterns onto wet or dry clay - Draw design on tracing paper. On the reverse side of the paper go over the drawing lines with a No. 2 or softer pencil. For wet clay; after rolling out the clay between sheets of plastic wrap, remove top layer of wrap then immediately place design onto clay and smooth out tracing paper. Carefully lift one edge of paper and see if design is transferred - if the entire design does not show up on the clay surface, you may need to go over the design very lightly with a soft pencil. Try to press just enough to transfer the design but not hard enough to indent the clay. For dry clay; tape design to surface of clay and trace over the design with a hard pencil or ball-point pen. - Paperclay shrinks very slightly as it dries - by approximately 6 percent of the original. - When dry, paperclay can be worked in the manner of most soft woods. It can be carved, sanded, etc. WEAR A DUST MASK while performing any of these operations! |
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