Page 17 - Creating Whimsical Characters Using Simple Wood and Paper Forms, Wire, Paperclay, and Encaustic Medium

Arms and legs are typically assembled as separate forms and

allowed to dry 24 hours. If there are multiple sections to the limbs:

• Use a round file to groove arms at the elbow and/or legs at the
knee.

• Gluing the parts together can get pretty messy. It is important
to cover your work area with wax paper before you start gluing.

And be sure to place the limbs on clean wax paper while they

are drying.

• Apply glue at the groove and use blue painter’s tape to hold the
upper and lower limb together while the glue is drying. For
larger size pieces, you can use small finishing nails or small

wood screws in addition to the glue.

Heads can be made with unfinished wooden beads, balls, knobs,
or eggs.

• Before drilling a hole in the head piece, you need to determine

the angle of the head in relationship to the neck. For round
heads, this is simple to determine, but heads made from

wooden eggs need to be matched to the final pose (is the chin
down or up, the head looking forward or to the side, etc.).

• Once you’ve determined the angle, mark it on the form and use

it as a guide when drilling the hole.

• Use a hobby vise to secure the wooden head and drill a hole for
the dowel stick neck.

• Glue the head to the neck and use painter’s tape to hold them
together while drying. Once it is dry, you can glue the head to

the body.

17