Paper Clay Bricks, Quick and Easy.

     I thought I'd share a fast and easy way to make rustic bricks. 

 

      Ah, the mysteries of paper clay......I was very intimidated by all the lovely paper clay stone, bricks, and roofing I have seen.  I saw Rik Pierce at the Seattle mini show and thought about asking for his autograph.....I bought his book Techniques by Rik Pierce  long before I attempted any paper clay work.


     I bought this kit, which really is just a shell, not a complete kit, off of eBay some time ago. I decided to use it for a project we were doing for the Mini-Doll list. The project is a virtual town named Rose Creek based in the late 1890's. You get to make up your own character, and his/her backstory.....My Character, Sage Brush Sally, lives in a home in need of some repair...Here is the link for the project's information. https://www.danaburton.com/rose-creek-frontier-town

     First, tear off a hunk of the clay and then put the rest back in the package. Try to keep the unused clay sealed, as it will dry out. I usually get a piece that I can easily roll into a ball, maybe smaller than a tennis ball. I have a handy Dandy rolling surface that my husband made me. We went with what Rik Pierce suggested. It allows you to get a consistent thickness of about 1/8 inch. Rik sells them on his site, but you can use chop sticks as a guide. It is just so you get an even, consistent thickness. 

This is my rolling board. I use my French pin to roll it out, but a piece of PVC pipe will do the job.

Once you have it rolled to 1/8inch thickness, you cut the clay to go onto the piece that will have bricks.

 The bricks will go on the foundation sides of the porch

Cover the area with a nice coat of glue. I used Aileene's Tacky even though there is wood glue in the background

Cut out a slab of paper clay roughly the size of the area you need. Use a clay blade, X-acto knife, or even a thin metal ruler. Now, you can see my piece is not quite long enough, and it over hangs.
 Add another piece to cover the entire side.

Now smooth the clay seam with something round. I used a round glue bottle. Next take a sharp blade and trim the side so it is nice and neat.


Now, the easy way to make bricks!

Check out this cool tool. It just happens to be a herb slicer. I bought it off of Amazon! It is almost the perfect spacing for bricks. The hardest part (for me) is driving straight. More on that later.......;)

Now, take a flat tool and score your bricks in a pattern.
I used this tool, from a multi pack of clay tools, from a craft store.
Next I added texture with a stiff bristled brush.

Viola!


Sally on her porch.



Comments

  1. Great tutorial! I have never tried paper clay bricks (although I've always been intrigued by them). What a clever tool for cutting the lines! And your bricks turned out very well. Love how you've aged them!

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  2. What a great result, Carrie, fantastic tutorial, thank you for sharing!!
    Clever tool, this herb slicer, I've never seen such model before.
    Your bricks turned out well!
    Kind regards, Ilona

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  3. What a great idea to get perfectly spaced lines! And OMG so much quicker than egg carton bricks! I Love it!
    The porch looks awesome in black and white, and Sally looks like a gal that takes mo guff from anyone! Can't wait to see more about the project!

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  4. OH SO CLEVER!!!! I think that I'm going to get me some Paper Clay AND gonna hitch me up with one of them herb slicer too- YEE HAW!!! :D

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    1. Gurl....ride yer horse on over to Amazon. :)

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  5. This looks so great Carrie! And very jealous you got Rik’s book! Haha! It is on my shopping list when I visit Chicago next year. And love the idea of the group project, it sounds fun.

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    1. He sells them on Etsy. I don't know if the shipping is too prohibited for you, but check it out.

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  6. Beautiful work Carrie. I had to look at all your blog posts. Your use of dolls is the best I’ve seen, especially the Steampunk one!

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  7. Thanks for sharing this, Carrie. I've only recently tried using air dry clay for a project and it didn't work out great for me but I am not deterred! I will definitely try again after seeing your great results. - Marilyn

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    1. It wants to shrink when it dries, so add a nice layer of glue. Thank you for stopping by.

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  8. What a great idea, Carrie - using a herb slicer to scribe the bricks! Must get me one of those! In the meantime - I have been trying to reach you, Carrie, because you won the contest on my blog but I can't find an email address for you. Could you please contact me though the email address on my profile and let me know your mailing address so I can send you your prize? Thanks Carrie! - Marilyn D.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by Marilyn. I loved your Dorothy's Corner build. I contacted you. I am so excited!

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  9. This is really cool. If I get up the nerve to try paper clay I'll have to try this.

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  10. great job! I have tried a couple of different types of stone but not bricks (yet!) I will have to get an herb slicer. Thanks for a great tutorial.

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