My Afternoon Trying Out That Anita Jimenez Technique
So, I came across some stuff from Anita Jimenez the other day. Not sure where, maybe scrolling online, you know how it is. It was about making these little clay figures, looked real simple, rustic. She made it look easy, like anyone could do it. I had some air-dry clay lying around from ages ago, thought, why not give it a shot? Needed something to do with my hands besides typing or holding a remote.
First step was getting the stuff together. Found that block of clay, thankfully it wasn’t rock solid. Just needed a bit of water to get it workable. Grabbed a plastic knife, an old pencil, basically whatever was on my desk that could poke or smooth clay. Didn’t have any fancy tools like Anita probably does, but figured I’d make do. Her whole vibe seemed pretty down-to-earth anyway.
Getting Started
I decided to make a small bird figure. Looked like the easiest thing she demonstrated. I kneaded the clay for a bit, trying to get the air bubbles out like I remembered from school pottery class, which was, like, decades ago. Felt kinda nice, actually, the cool clay in my hands.
- I broke off a chunk.
- Rolled it into a sort of egg shape for the body. That part went okay.
- Then I tried pinching out a tail at one end and a head/beak shape at the other.
This is where things got tricky. My “pinching” wasn’t as delicate as Anita’s looked. One minute it was a blob, the next I’d nearly pinched the tail right off. Had to smooth it back on, add a tiny bit more clay, try again. The head part was even worse. Getting a recognizable beak shape without squishing the whole thing was tough.
Hitting a Few Snags
After wrestling with the basic shape for maybe twenty minutes, I had something vaguely bird-like. It was a bit lumpy, not quite the smooth, elegant form Anita’s had. I tried using the damp pencil end to smooth some rough spots, which sort of worked but also sometimes made new dents. Patience, right? I kept telling myself that.
Then I thought about adding details. Anita’s pieces had these simple carved lines for wings or eyes. I took the plastic knife and tried to carve a wing shape. Big mistake. The clay was starting to dry a bit on the surface, so the knife dragged and made crumbly edges. Looked messy. I tried to smooth it over with a wet finger, which just made a muddy patch.
The Result and Thoughts
Okay, so maybe “success” is a strong word. What I ended up with after about an hour was… well, it’s a lump of clay that suggests “bird” if you’re feeling generous. It’s definitely not something Anita Jimenez would put her name on. It’s sitting on the windowsill drying now. Looks a bit sad, if I’m honest.
But you know what? It was actually pretty absorbing. Focusing on trying to shape the clay, messing up, trying to fix it. It wasn’t about making a perfect thing, more about the process. Following someone else’s idea, like Anita’s, gives you a starting point, but you quickly realize your hands don’t work the same way. You gotta figure it out as you go. It wasn’t exactly relaxing, sometimes frustrating, but it was definitely engaging. Maybe I’ll try again sometime, or maybe I’ll just stick to looking at Anita’s work and appreciating it from afar. At least I used that old clay.
