This
week we are going to make some cheese to go on that cheese board we
are working on. This time we are making 4 of my favorites both in
real life and to make in mini.
One
of the beauties of making mini cheese is that the shapes are pretty
simple so once you mix your colors of clay together the forming of
the clay to get the end result it fairly easy.
Before
we talk about the individual cheeses and what clays to use I want to
say that I have been working on the color mixtures for a long time, I
don't even remember where I got the clay “recipes” from in the
first place. Depending on the brands of clay and the exact colors I
use I almost always have to fiddle with the proportions each time.
That is where baking off a sample of the clay mixtures will save you
both clay and time in the long run. On the mixture I was using for
the Swiss and Gouda cheeses I showed an example the value of this
step. I do bake off samples on most of the projects I show you but I
don't always tell you about it. This time I wanted to use it as a
part of the tutorial.
Also
before we get to the individual “recipes” for the cheeses I want
to talk about the measuring system. You can make as much or as little
of these mixtures as you want. Simply pick an amount to represent 1
part. For me this was based on how much clay I had left in a block of
white clay I wanted to use up. I knew I needed 8 parts of white for
two different mixtures today so I cut the amount I had in half and
then one of those halves into 8 pieces. That amount became my “1
part” you could use any measurement you want as long as you keep
the that measurement the same throughout the project.
First
up is cheddar, I figured most of us are very familiar with this one
so it is a good place to start. Now I know that cheddar from
different areas can be vary a bit in color. This is the color that
works for what I buy, you can add or subtract clay to get the color
you want. My mix today was:
8
parts Fimo White
2
parts Fimo Sunflower yellow
1
part Tangerine orange
For
my cheddar I just wanted to form a block or brick of the cheese and
to make some slices for display.
Next
we made a clay mixture for two varieties of cheese the Swiss and the
Gouda. For this one my mix was (this is corrected one that I used in
the end)
8
parts Premo Translucent
2
parts White (this one had no label it was another leftover bit)
1
part Fimo Sunflower yellow
Today
I made the Swiss into a wheel shape but just as often I make a brick
of it also. I used a ¾” round clay cutter for the wheel.
The
Gouda uses some of the scraps of the clay left from the Swiss. Simply
form some clay into a small ball and cover it with a very thin layer
of red clay (I used Fimo Indian Red) You could also change out the
color of this outer “wax” coating to fit your brand of cheese.
Lastly
we made a round of Brie. Just form a slab of clay and cut it into a
circle with another cutter, I used the 1” one.
Now
before we can go on that clay needs to be firmer and to accomplish
this we are going to freeze it. It doesn't hurt the clay to freeze
it and it makes it a lot easier to work with. I wanted some of these
pretty solid so I froze mine for 30 minutes. You want it firm but not
totally frozen hard.
Once
the clay is frozen to the point of being firm we can go ahead and do
any cutting without worrying about distorting the shape of our
cheese.
When
you are happy with how you have cut the clay let it come back to room
temperature and do the final work on shaping on the cheeses that need
it.
For
the Swiss we need to add the holes. Super simple to do with a ball
stylus or two. Add as many holes as you want.
Since
I like my Brie on the runny side that is how I make it in miniature
too. For that just mix a bit of the clay that we cut out of the wedge
with some TLS and add it to the cut edges.
When
you are happy with the way your cheese looks go ahead and bake the
cheese and allow to cool.
Now
the only step left for today is to paint the rind onto the outside of
the Brie. Just be careful not to get the paint on the cut area.
I
hope you enjoyed today's project. I would love to see pictures if
you make any on my projects.
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