(Note – If you’re new to my page, this is how it works: At the beginning of each week I randomly draw a new project from my Challenge Bucket, then see what I can create before the week is over. You can read all about my Creativity Challenge here.)
If you’ve read my blog the last few weeks you’ll have seen several art challenges in a row. While these have been lots of fun, they have been really challenging and stretching for my non-artist self. I was hoping for a bit of a break, so I was happy when I pulled a new project from the Challenge Bucket and saw… Fridge Magnets! Time for my crafty side to come out and play!
Ahh fridge magnets. There is such a range of materials and possibilities. I recall the little magnets from my childhood that were shaped like different fruits and lady bugs. There’s the souvenir-type magnets that I’ve picked up on a few of my trips across the ocean. Then there’s the fridge poetry magnets – remember those? They were all these little typed out words, and you could use them to become a poetic genius right there in your kitchen.
So which direction would I go this week? I could do something really pretty, like a flower or bird. I could do something meaningful, like a quote or a Bible verse. Or I could do something that was just plain fun.
As I perused different ideas on the internet, I came across some really cool 3D painted flowers. The art work looked really interesting and I knew this would be a fun technique to try out. But then I saw… Pac-Man fridge magnets. Well that just looked like a whole lot of fun!
I clicked on the website and learned that the creator had made them by pouring cement into silicone molds. Having neither cement nor silicone molds, I began to brainstorm alternative materials. Clay seemed to be the obvious choice, and I knew I had a pack of polymer clay I’d bought ages ago somewhere in my craft supplies. However, my hunt through my craft drawers turned up empty, and I began to wonder if I’d thrown the clay out in the great house declutter of 2023. At the time I didn’t know these craft escapades were in my future, so I’d let go of a lot of craft supplies I’d been holding on to for years. Searching through my drawers one more time, I finally had to accept that yes, the clay was gone. While my search didn’t turn up the polymer clay, it did find a pack of air-dry clay I’d bought for the kids. Not working much with this type of clay myself, I wasn’t sure how well it would suit this project. Still, it was the best option at this point, so I decided to give it a go.
Beginning to knead a chunk of clay, I realized I’d need some tools. I retrieved a glass jar to use as a rolling pin and found some various types of fittings in the garage to use as shape cutters.
The first character I’d attempt to create would be the Pac-Man himself. This appeared to be the least intimidating character, as he’s just a pizza with a slice missing. As I’m extremely familiar with pizza, this seemed simple enough.
I stamped and cut the shape then tried to smooth out the edges as best as I could. This guy was definitely simple and it was a quick win which felt great!
Next, were the ghosts. Though also on the simple side, I knew it would be a challenge to make them all look even. I decided to bend some wire into an arch shape to impress onto the clay. Using a knife, I then cut along the impression and carved out some waves along the bottom. Once happy with the shape, I proceeded to make 3 more ghostly characters. I tried impressing eyes into one of them but it did not work at all. I couldn’t keep the clay around it smooth. With the damage irreversible, I quickly created a 5th ghost to replace it.
Once the ghosts were done, I set the Pac-man next to them which quickly made me realize I’d made the ghosts too big! Knowing it would be easier to re-make Pac-man than it would be to re-make the ghosts, I rolled out clay and used a larger fitting to cut a bigger circle. Satisfied, I transferred them all to a wire rack to dry overnight.
The next day it was time to add color! I searched up different images of the Pac-Man characters to discern which colors I should use, then I pulled out my craft paints and set to mixing the shades. As I began to paint I quickly realized that some of the paints I had were really cheap. This made a significant difference in coverage, which gave me a ton of frustration. I’d load my brush and paint it on but it would just come off again with the next stroke! Once I realized which paints were at fault and abandoned them, the painting went a lot smoother and became much more enjoyable.
Finally satisfied with the coverage and colors, it was time to paint on the eyeballs. This part made me a little nervous – how could I get them all even without messing up? There was nothing to do but jump in, take it slow, and do my best.
Painting the white circles too small the first time, I went back over each one again to widen the eyes. Next was to add some blue pupils. Thankfully I was able to get all the eyes on without any major screw-ups (yay!).
While I liked how the characters were coming along, something still wasn’t looking quite right. I wondered if I should paint the sides black. Was it worth the risk to try it? What if I didn’t like it?
I decided that I’d try it on the red ghost – the one that would be the easiest to fix if I didn’t like it. Once I finished painting on the black I realized… I liked it! it added definition to the character and also camouflaged some of the uneven bumps.
Happy with my decision, I proceeded to paint the sides of all the other characters as well, then flipped them over to paint their backs black too.
To protect the paint, I sprayed it with a clear acrylic sealer. I chose this one in particular because… it was all that I had! It seemed to do the job well, though, as it provided a nice matte finish to each character.
Once the sealer was dry, I retrieved some rubber cement to attach the magnets. Upon discovering the rubber cement had dried out, I moved on to the next best thing – the glue gun. I wasn’t sure how well it would adhere to the clay or to the magnet, but I liked the fact that it hardens almost instantly, so I’d get my answer shortly.
Magnets firmly in place, it was time to display my newly completed project. I cleared a space on the fridge and was happy to discover they stuck well – and stayed attached!
This was a fun, low pressure project. The air-dry clay seemed to work well and I definitely learned a lesson on the impact of paint quality. The simplicity of the shapes and the cuteness of the characters made it feel easy-breezy and very enjoyable. It also doesn’t hurt that the video game lovers in my family totally appreciated this project.
Thanks for joining me on my Creativity Challenge this week!
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Those really turned out well and I love your flexibility and tenacity!
Thanks Naomi! And thanks for checking out my project 🙂
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