In the Halloween Spirit

October 31, 2013

Alright … I have failed at finding creepy cute thus far, but I do have a good candidate for this weekend. Must research further!

In the meantime, here is something tastefully cute and in the Halloween spirit for today. I think from a distance you might not see much more than pleasant color combinations and enticing texture, with a hint that something else must be going on and you should get a closer look. Because of that and because they’re so darn cute, I’m not sure I’d want to save these to wear for just this holiday.

il_570xN.483104333_fxfm

 

These earrings were created by the clever hands of Deirdre Dreams (I’m thinking that’s not her actual last name, but that is all she has on the half dozen sites her work is presented on) from the south end of the Netherlands. She works with tiny polymer details, exploring romantic, hippy, fantasy, and a wide variety of imaginative imagery. If you like the earrings here, check out more of her work on her website or her Etsy shop.

 

pg collage 13-P3 Fall 2013

To Cane Well

July 8, 2013

Most of us, if we’ve played with polymer for any length of time, have tried our hand at caning. Some of us have become obsessed and do almost nothing but canes, while some of us look at our attempts and then the many other great examples out there and decide to enjoy their wonder in the works of others. But no matter where you are on the caning spectrum, you probably use the concept of caning more than you think. The concept is a simple one that can result in immense complexity–lay various colors and shapes of of clay together lengthwise and cut it crosswise to reveal a pattern. In what we usually think of as a cane, the pattern is mapped out to result in a particular design, and the clay has been reduced so the pattern is solidified and spaces between the different pieces of clay have been eliminated. But that isn’t always necessary or desired.

This week I thought it’d be fun to look at what makes a good cane, what crazy things people do with them, and the way the concept is used in other areas. But today, let’s just admire some pretty caning work. Ivy Niles Koehn (pronounced ‘cane’, she says) creates the kind of canes I’m happy to sit back and admire rather than blunder through an attempt of on my own. Ivy’s kaleidoscope canes are richly detailed with recognizable images, like the leaves you can see here, as well as straight patterning. But generally her canes succeed because of color and pattern choices, as well as some decent skill in preserving  the lines while reducing.

il_570xN.472372315_10b0

In this cane of hers, the palette is reds leaning towards oranges and greens leaning towards blues, so all the colors contrast from opposite ends of the color wheel. There is also consistency in the changes within colors as they are all only tinted or shaded (having white or black added) rather than changing in saturation (brightness or density of color) or moving around on the color wheel. The patterns are also from a rather small range of forms … flowing lines or spot/circles, all organic looking with no hard angles. The consistency throughout of both color and pattern make for a strong design.

Ivy’s collection of available canes for sale in her Etsy shop, IKandiClay reveals other well-planned designs as well as some simple, basic canes that could be building blocks for more complex designs if you want to use her work to give you a good head start.

Have suggestions for other artists this week? I have been picking out canes to chat about, but if you have a favorite cane or caned piece that you think just must be shared and talked about, write me at sbray@thepolymerarts.com with a link to this icon of caning as well as your information so if I use your suggestion, I can show my thanks with a mention and a link to your own website, blog, or store!

 

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Intricacy is in the Details

February 9, 2013

They say it’s all in the details. And in the case of these pieces by Olga Zhukova that couldn’t be more true.

22-660x542

 

She has a detailed tutorial onher detailed work on her blog. This work would require some patience but even if this approach were used to accent a piece that has a different focal interest, it could be just the right touch of details.

In the Halloween Spirit

October 31, 2013
Posted in

Alright … I have failed at finding creepy cute thus far, but I do have a good candidate for this weekend. Must research further!

In the meantime, here is something tastefully cute and in the Halloween spirit for today. I think from a distance you might not see much more than pleasant color combinations and enticing texture, with a hint that something else must be going on and you should get a closer look. Because of that and because they’re so darn cute, I’m not sure I’d want to save these to wear for just this holiday.

il_570xN.483104333_fxfm

 

These earrings were created by the clever hands of Deirdre Dreams (I’m thinking that’s not her actual last name, but that is all she has on the half dozen sites her work is presented on) from the south end of the Netherlands. She works with tiny polymer details, exploring romantic, hippy, fantasy, and a wide variety of imaginative imagery. If you like the earrings here, check out more of her work on her website or her Etsy shop.

 

pg collage 13-P3 Fall 2013

Read More

To Cane Well

July 8, 2013
Posted in

Most of us, if we’ve played with polymer for any length of time, have tried our hand at caning. Some of us have become obsessed and do almost nothing but canes, while some of us look at our attempts and then the many other great examples out there and decide to enjoy their wonder in the works of others. But no matter where you are on the caning spectrum, you probably use the concept of caning more than you think. The concept is a simple one that can result in immense complexity–lay various colors and shapes of of clay together lengthwise and cut it crosswise to reveal a pattern. In what we usually think of as a cane, the pattern is mapped out to result in a particular design, and the clay has been reduced so the pattern is solidified and spaces between the different pieces of clay have been eliminated. But that isn’t always necessary or desired.

This week I thought it’d be fun to look at what makes a good cane, what crazy things people do with them, and the way the concept is used in other areas. But today, let’s just admire some pretty caning work. Ivy Niles Koehn (pronounced ‘cane’, she says) creates the kind of canes I’m happy to sit back and admire rather than blunder through an attempt of on my own. Ivy’s kaleidoscope canes are richly detailed with recognizable images, like the leaves you can see here, as well as straight patterning. But generally her canes succeed because of color and pattern choices, as well as some decent skill in preserving  the lines while reducing.

il_570xN.472372315_10b0

In this cane of hers, the palette is reds leaning towards oranges and greens leaning towards blues, so all the colors contrast from opposite ends of the color wheel. There is also consistency in the changes within colors as they are all only tinted or shaded (having white or black added) rather than changing in saturation (brightness or density of color) or moving around on the color wheel. The patterns are also from a rather small range of forms … flowing lines or spot/circles, all organic looking with no hard angles. The consistency throughout of both color and pattern make for a strong design.

Ivy’s collection of available canes for sale in her Etsy shop, IKandiClay reveals other well-planned designs as well as some simple, basic canes that could be building blocks for more complex designs if you want to use her work to give you a good head start.

Have suggestions for other artists this week? I have been picking out canes to chat about, but if you have a favorite cane or caned piece that you think just must be shared and talked about, write me at sbray@thepolymerarts.com with a link to this icon of caning as well as your information so if I use your suggestion, I can show my thanks with a mention and a link to your own website, blog, or store!

 

blog Banner Ad 230x125

Read More

Intricacy is in the Details

February 9, 2013
Posted in

They say it’s all in the details. And in the case of these pieces by Olga Zhukova that couldn’t be more true.

22-660x542

 

She has a detailed tutorial onher detailed work on her blog. This work would require some patience but even if this approach were used to accent a piece that has a different focal interest, it could be just the right touch of details.

Read More
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