(ESP-ENG) Cuadro Decorativo. Un sol indígena con textura de arcilla. /Decorative painting. An indigenous sun with a clay texture.

The first thing I do is cut the gray or compact cardboard into a 28 cm by 28 cm square. To do this, I use a sharp utility knife. The idea is to make the cut as clean as possible, without irregular edges or cardboard fluff.

Once I have the square ready, I transfer the sun design to the center. Now comes an important part, which is to paint the entire background black, leaving the sun figure unpainted. This keeps the design visible and will serve as a guide later on.

While the black background of the painting dries, I take the sun design again and transfer it onto regular cardboard (the most common type). This time, I will only cut out the pieces of the design: each ray, each curve of the face, everything that makes up the main figure.

Now comes a very important part: the mixture that simulates clay. To achieve that special texture, I make a combination of paint and baking soda. For each portion of paint, I add two portions of baking soda.

In my case, I use three teaspoons of brown paint and six teaspoons of baking soda. I mix it well with a palette knife until I get a paste-like texture, like thick cream. And with a short-bristled brush, I apply the mixture to each piece with small dabs of pressure. Here's a tip. Don't drag the brush as if you were painting normally; the idea is to create that rustic texture reminiscent of modeled clay.

Once all the pieces are dry, I give them that sparkly effect that some clays have. This time, I'm going to use a simple but very effective trick. I take an old toothbrush and prepare small portions of white, black, and orange paint, separately. I load the brush with a little paint and, with my finger, gently scrape the bristles so that small droplets jump onto the pieces. Finally, I glue each one to the square with liquid silicone, and it is at this point that the template I painted at the beginning serves as a guide to place each part in its exact location.

And finally, I will make a small border to frame the picture. I will measure 0.5 cm from the edge on all sides of the picture. I will place paper tape (Tirro) and apply a thin layer of the mixture that simulates clay, taking care to protect the design. I will also apply the same sparkle effect.

This step is optional. I wanted to add a little light. To do this, I decorated the entire edge with wick thread and made some simple little decorations in the corners.

And there you have it: a special picture frame made from simple materials but full of possibilities.

Thank you for joining me on this creative journey..