Mindys Clayworks's

 I start by selecting a clear glass canister—this allows light to shine through the windows when illuminated from within, creating a magical effect. I cover  the bottom half of the canister with conditioned white pearl clay, making sure to apply an even layer. Then, I use a stiff brush to gently texture the clay’s  surface, giving it the realistic look of stucco.  

I shape the house intuitively, combining sculpting, caning, and form-building techniques to create a whimsical structure. For the door, I cut clay and use  a needle to add realistic wood grain texture. I hand-sculpt and attach details like hinges, a door knocker, mailbox, and doorknob to give the entrance  character. To achieve stone or concrete effects, I mix white and black clay with colored sand, then sculpt rocks to place around the door. I also sculpt  window frames and shutters, adding wood grain with a needle, and cut a heart from clay for each shutter. To prepare the base, I cover a cardboard circle  with scrap clay and decorate it with tiny pieces of colored clay to resemble a vibrant forest floor. I hand-sculpt individual rocks to create a charming  walkway and use alphabet stamps to personalize a welcome mat at the entrance.  

 A polymer clay cane is a log of polymer clay that is made with a design that runs the entire length of the log.  Slices from the cane will reveal a design and all slices from the  cane will have identical designs.  In this project the green leaves are a cane.  A polymer clay complex cane is multiple clay canes put together to form a  highly detailed design. For this project, the pansy flowers are complex canes in two designs: purple/pink and blue/yellow. I carefully reduce the canes so  the flowers are small enough to adhere to the house walls. To make leaf canes, I blend two shades of green, accordion-fold the clay, and impress lines  with a knitting needle. I add thin sheets of dark and light clay to form the leaf rib, then shape and reduce the cane as needed. 

 To construct the roof’s armature, I start with the original cover to the glass canister.  I use cardboard, tinfoil, and masking tape, then cover it with a thin layer of  clay for a sturdy foundation. I cut and texture each shingle by hand, sculpt rafters for added realism, and fashion a loop handle from clay to complete the  roof’s whimsical look. For the chimney, I shape a base from tinfoil and tape, cover it with silver clay, and securely attach it to the roof.  

 I craft a bench and ladder using veneer techniques to form realistic wood-like planks, incorporating small canes to mimic natural wood knots. I position  hand sculpted clay pots on either side of the front door, fill them with clay “dirt,” and decorate them by slicing canes to create vibrant flowers and leaves  that trail around the house in a vine-like pattern. To add dimension and movement, I shaped a sturdy, upright vine coming from the pot by wrapping wire  with clay. For the finishing touch, I blend shades of green clay and press them into a silicone mold, the only mold I use in this project, to create lifelike  grass around the base, enhancing the overall sense of a whimsical garden setting.  

 I sign then cure both the top and bottom pieces in a standard oven at 275°F for 45 minutes.  Once cured and cooled, I take moss colored clay and using a  ball stylus adhere moss to the roof and the structure utilizing liquid clay as the bonding agent.  Both pieces are then put through a second cure for 25  minutes.  After cooling, I use acrylic paint to add highlights to the wood door, roof, shutters, windows, and chimney to give it an aged realistic look.  As a polymer clay artist, I use a wide variety of tools.  My main piece of equipment is my motorized pasta machine which is used to condition  and blend clay. For example, the photo depicts a turntable, magnifying glasses for small detail work, rollers, blades, sculpting tools, ball  stylus,’ small knitting needle, long needle, liquid clay, gum dental tool, and texturing brush.