Gem cluster (home made) help needed...Squiggles???

Ok...what am I doing wrong...I have my rubber cement, I have my assorted gems....I've tried all kinds of plastics, sheets, mylar etc... I can't get the gem clusters off the plastic...and they pull apart....how long do I let the rubber cement dry??? AAAGGGHHHHH I am SOOOOOOOO frustrated!!! What am I doing wrong Squiggles?????

Squiggles said transparencies in this thread. http://www.facepaintforum.com/t8239-creating-your-own-gem-clusters

Thanks Martha...I'll look up transparancies and see if they are what I'm using - I have to remember to let it dry at least 24 hours too...wish me luck! thanks for the help!

Welcome!

Thanks, Marta!

Yep, you can use just plain transparencies that you can buy at Walmart. I'm also a home designer and have some mylar left over from when we drew blueprints by hand with ink (yes, I AM that old!) and I've been using that, but I've used the transparencies as well and they work just fine. Give it at least 24 hours to dry... preferably 2-3 days if you can. And you MUST use a large cushion of glue, not just brushing a little on the plastic then putting the gems down. The gems need to "float" on top of the glue.

My daughter has finally agreed to let me paint on her again (long story...) so I'm trying to get some new pics done with the homemade gem clusters. I'll post them as soon as I do

Why bother about peeling the gems off the transparencies? I tried this and the clusters came apart so I decided to shape the plastic around the gems and it worked perfect, we just can glue the transparency to the skin with the body glue.

Yes, that would probably work for small clusters

The ones I'm doing are quite large and need to be more flexible than the transparency would allow. I tried doing that and it just wasn't flexible enough to lie flat against the skin in between the eyes/lower forehead area.

This is one of my home made gem clusters... a very large one for the center and two smaller ones for the sides. These were done with rubber cement, let dry, then I just peel them off the plastic and use body glue to attach them to the skin. Hope this is clear enough for you to see:



The individual gems are still flexible enough in the cluster to position as I need to, to make the entire cluster lie flat against the skin. Working in the 3D environment with a face, the cluster really needs to be very flexible.

They're gorgeous, Dawnie. I'm doing something wrong. (sigh)

You could try wax paper... I've used that as well. The surface where you glue the clusters needs to be very slippery for the glue to "slide off" when it's dry... does that make sense? LOL It's very hard to describe. If I don't use enough glue (rubber cement) then the gems do not come off the plastic, no matter how hard I try. Use waaaay more glue than you think you need to.

I experimented with this over and over, using all types of glues and ways of glueing, until I figured out that the gems cannot come close to the plastic- there HAS to be the rubber between them.

LOVE you!! squiggle, now I understand what you mean, I didn't use enough glue and my clusters were small, they didn't come out of the plastic or peel with the silver part of the gem.

I'm glad! This is so hard to describe... you're pretty much peeling the rubber cement off the plastic, not the gems.. the gems just come with the rubber when you peel it up... that's about the only way I can explain it LOL

Ahh, I see now! Will try again tonight. Thanks, Dawnie!

ok I mde 4 examples which are in the process of drying. I don't know that I would do these again on regular basis, but if there was a special look that I wanted to create then I would. I prefer the ones I bought and have enough of a stash to last a very very very long time.

Here they are

Ok here is one of the four gem clusters applied. Did a real quick no thought design just so I could stick this thing on my face.

Did it work (yes)
Am i gld I tried it (yes)
Would i do it again ( uhhhh no)