IOD Cherub Mould Relief

The idea for this iod cherub mould relief came to me after I bought these drawer fronts from another vendor. It was early June and I had just ordered the IOD Cherub Moulds.I was excited that now I had found the perfect base for my relief!

While I waited for my moulds to come in, I spent time experimenting with the clay and moulds, perfecting my methods. I am so happy with the results and glad to be able to share this tutorial with you my reader.

Supplies Needed:

1. Base for your relief-Don’t go too large with a base [these drawer fronts are 15″ x 6″] The drawer fronts were perfect because they had an indentation which allowed me to create depth.
FYI-These drawer fronts cost me about $1 apiece and came from job site where they would have been thrown in a landfill as trash! Perfect RECYCLE-REUSE-REPURPOSE!

2. Moulds for the elements to make your design I named my Relief “Angels and Flowers” so those were the moulds I chose. Side note: The new moulds are arriving any day and the elements are bigger than in the past so they will work perfect for this project!

3. Paperclay or air dry clay or whatever medium you will use for your relief elements. [I used air dry clay]

4. Glue to attach the elements to the base. We always use this Titebond II wood glue.It has never failed us!

5. Chalk Paint- Painting the drawer and all the elements the same color is what makes the elements look like they are sculpted from the background.

6. Furniture Wax in clear and antique [I used Miss Mustard Seed Furniture Wax and Antique Wax.]

7. Something to attach to your base to hang your finished relief with. You sure are gonna want to show your friends what an artist you are! Attach this before you begin the sculpture.

A bit of Art History

Relief is a sculptural technique where the sculpted elements remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term relief is from the Latin verb relevo, to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane.

On With The Directions For The IOD Cherub Mould Relief

1. We had the workroom cut a piece of wood to fill in some of the indentation and glued that to the drawer front.

2. Start making the elements for your design. You need quite a bit in several size variations to make your design interesting. Lay them out to dry a bit so they won’t be too sticky while you’re experimenting with placement. I used pieces and parts of different designs. I cut swags into pieces, made the small cherubs without their wings and shaped the flowers and leaves to give them more life-like dimension.

3. After you make the elements, turn them to dry slightly on both sides.

4. When the elements are just slightly dry, begin placing them on your base [don’t glue yet] moving them around until you like the design. You may need more of some of the elements once you decide on a design placement. [I made many more little flowers to fill in the spaces]

The Fun Part

[Actually it’s all fun!]

1. Glue the pieces to the base using enough glue to make sure there will be a good seal when the clay dries.

2. Press the pieces into each other building dimension and making it look more like one cohesive piece.[I overlapped pieces as I glued to give the design depth and texture.]

3. Once it is all glued down, I let it dry completely. I didn’t get back to it for a couple of days so it was completely dry by then. [If I was doing this for a class I would have painted the piece while the clay was still not dry and sent the girls home with small amounts of wax.]

4. Paint the entire piece with chalk paint. I used Annie Sloan® Chalk Paint Old White. Really push the paint in the cracks and crevices. Let it dry. If you need a second coat go ahead and paint it. Let it dry. I used two coats on my piece for thick even coverage

5. Clear wax the whole thing getting the wax into all the cracks and crevices but don’t go heavy. A light, even coat of wax is best. Let dry a few minutes. Cover the whole piece with the antique wax getting it in the cracks and crevices. Immediately wipe it back on the high spots till you get the desired affect.Let dry
Miss Mustard Seed’s Waxes are soft and pliable making them perfect for this project.

6. Buff your relief and hang it in a prominent place for all to see!

Have Questions?

I know this is a long tutorial.It really doesn’t take that much time just lots of steps. I was a grade school art teacher so I give lots of directions.
Leave your questions or comments and I will be sure to get back to you!

Best Regards,
Peggy