Fimo Air is ultralight modelling clay that you can harden in the microwave.
I tried this weekend to make some earrings with it. I have a favourite pair of earrings*, they are orange jaffa-sized balls which hang like cherries from my ears. I bought them in St Remy de Provence in 2012. I wear them pretty much all the time. A friend bought me a turquoise pair in 2013 (at Les Vans), and I lost one recently. I figured it was such a simple form that I could replicate it.
This is my first draft. Things which I hadn’t considered when I began the project:
- Fimo air can’t be microwaved if it’s got a metal piece in it to hang off your ear (d’oh!)
- Fimo air isn’t smooth, cracks appear in the drying process as well as in the moulding process (so my balls are a little lumpy)
- precision is actually required to make evenly sized “cherries”: i cut down on variance by ruling out 1cm squares of the original clay (and different sizes to make bigger or smaller ones), so that was challenge number 1 met; but they still aren’t exactly spherical, some are close to cubes with rounded edges, some closer to eggs
Here is the first batch. My next challenge will come when i try to sand them, secure the metal hanging bits and then paint and eventually varnish them. And who knows what else? This is the joy of making in a new medium. Once I got over my initial “what if I get it wrong and waste my time and money” I’ve been ok with that!
* the featured image shows an image of my face, and I’m wearing my orange earrings.
