Crafting

[Matt2584]

Hi folks,

I usually post pictures of my art on here and it used to be pretty frequent like maybe once a month or twice if lucky :).

Well lately I haven’t been posting frequently because I have more going on in my life now and I am part of a craft group as well.

Through this craft group I have learnt about a material called Powertex. Well, Powertex is the brand name anyway but the material itself is traditionally a fabric hardener.

You can make floppy things fo hard in other words... I don’t really mean that to sound dirty but it did :).

This material (which we just call Powertex) is like acrylic paint mixed with glue... it might even be mixed with artex (hence the TEX).

At the craft group, they do not use the Powertex strictly on fabric but also use other materials too but must be careful because Powertex does not stick to all surfaces.

So you can make really cool looking... things with Powertex and we add a bit of a steampunk theme also.

I have pretty much fallen in love with Powertex and I have my own bottle of it at home.

What you see in the picture is my first Powertex project at home.

It is a children’s cutlass I bought from a charity shop and I wrapped it up in masking tape first of all because the powertex won’t stick to glossy plastics.

After, coated it in Powertex.

Wrapped some fabric around the blade.

Coated that in Powertex.

Stuck embellishments on it such as lids from cartons, plastic eyeballs, a bottle topper in the shape of a bat, an MDF skull and crossbones shape, a key and some other little tools.

After all that was done I used some pigments/varnish and dry brushed it. This is what gave the colours and it really enhances the project as well.

So after I work on some Powertex, I then do some art, then back to Powertex.

My latest Powertex project is a hammer. Not just any old hammer but more like a DIY mallet. The shape of it made me think of Thor’s hammer but it’s going to be my own version :).

So far it looks good.

[cat3]

My kids used to make models with a home-made mixture of Polyfilla and PVA & then paint them. My son was really enamoured with his 2nd year infant's teacher, so at the end of term we made a little basket of yellow roses...…. she said she'd keep it forever !

I used to love doing all types of crafts 'til I was faced with renovating a Victorian terraced house...…. and the 'essential' work took over.

Keep at the crafts Matt (& drawing of course) ; it's obviously in your blood ! Love the cutlass. 😉 x

[Matt2584 in reply to cat3]

Work is such an inconvenience, my mum says that a lot.

I know people who actually like their jobs won’t agree and also the people who think ‘If you don’t work, you won’t get any money to pay for your house’.

Go and say that to those people who live off grid. They live the REAL life.

[cat3 in reply to Matt2584]

I was lucky enough to do work I really enjoyed and was sad having to opt out with health issues. My creativity now involves mostly gardening & landscaping etc ; it's my personal space where I can experiment with shapes, textures, colours etc . with no pressure. Can't wait 'til Spring ! x

[Marnie22]

Impressive!

[Matt2584 in reply to Marnie22]

Thank you :).

[Hidden]

Hi Matt, that's fantastic. Thanks for sharing, its really inspirational. I too have found crafting to be great for my wife who has an ABI and I think we might try this now after your great reviews. Normaly we do decoupage animals, postcard painting and FIMO models of animals or childrens TV characters.

Thanks for the tips!

Regards

[Matt2584 in reply to Hidden]

Hi Ric,

Thank you very much :).

What is FIMO models?

[Hidden in reply to Matt2584]

Hi Matt, I apologise for the late reply.

FIMO comes in many colour's and usually in a small hand size block or cube. It starts of feeling like soft modeling clay or plasticine and you can model what takes your fancy then put it in the oven and it sets hard. I will have to take a picture next time we do one and show you.

We buy it at our local hobby craft, although you can buy it online from other shops too.

Rich

[Matt2584 in reply to Hidden]

Ah I see.

I sometimes use air drying clay which I get from Hobbycraft or you can get some from The Range or from other art/craft shops.

I like using clay and the proper clay I used back in college (potting clay I think) when I took my art course was even better and after the project was finished it had to be heated in an oven or kiln.

[iforget]

I enjoyed working with Powertex too Matt... its quite expensive so if there are DIY alternatives that don't involve too much faffing about that would be of interest. I enjoy a working with a wide range of mediums and have been doing a lot of clay work recently. Its nice to see what you've been up to lately... this cutlass is really cool...love the eyeballs

[Matt2584 in reply to iforget]

Thanks iforget :).

Ah, you have also worked with powertex. It’s good to hear it being used by others. And yes, it is expensive stuff. It’s around £15-£20 for a medium sized bottle!

I have heard of alternatives to Powertex but was told that they weren’t as good quality.

I love working with clay and I have been using clay alongside Powertex in one of my creations that I am working on right now.

When I was in college in my art lesson we had to make an African mask out of clay.

So we all started making small masks that were a bit bigger than your fist.

It was only after the clay was dry that the teacher said they were supposed to be knee high and was supposed to fit on your face, at least.

Bit late for that.

But what I had done was really good and others seemed to like it.

But sadly, I think it broke :(.

[iforget]

I think I would have liked to go to art college but I was never in the least bit arty prior to my TBI....

The African masks sound interesting.... I guess that tutor was not paying attention if they waited until the clay was dry to tell you all that they were the wrong size and were supposed to be made bigger.

Shame your mask got broken....would have liked to have seen that.

[Matt2584 in reply to iforget]

The art tutor wasn’t paying attention at all, I don’t think.

One of the things that stuck out about the mask to me was the mouth.

Although it was just a straight line, 2 teeth were sticking out pointing up at the sides of the mouth. A bit like w little tusks, like a Warthog :).