More Fun with Extruders
September 13, 2014
Inspirational Art
So after a week of extruder contemplation, have you gone into the studio to try out some new ideas yourself? Well, if not, but you’re anxious to try something out, here are a few ideas for you.
A shaped cane with no background fill? Is that possible? According to Lilu of Russia, you can do this with an extruder. How is that possible? Even our brave artist here can’t say how this works, but can show us successful results. The caveat is that you lose about half your clay to scraps as the ends come out mangled. But, with so many scrap cane techniques to put those towards, that might not be the worse thing to happen.
For those of you who want something more straightforward and less experimental, try these extruded snake surface designs with graduated colors created by Lucy Struncova. No real mysteries here … just extrude small snakes in graduated colors (if you’ve not done that before, go here for the classic tutorial on creating rainbow snakes with an extruder), lay them side by side, use the edge of a credit card, or long thin needle tool to impress the lines perpendicular to the snakes and cut out shapes as desired. A quick easy way to get a surface design with a range of colors and complex looking texture.
Or, you can do both! Roll your scrap ends from the background-less extruded cane through the pasta machine, punch a stack of discs to put back into the extruder, extrude snakes to your heart’s content and make Lucy’s snake and line textured sheets. Then accent them with cane slices. Don’t you love how versatile polymer can be? Even using the same stack of clay through several techniques.
If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or issue of The Polymer Arts magazine as well as supporting our advertising partners.
Mandala Yarns
September 10, 2014
Inspirational Art
Today, I pulled up this fun piece for you.
This is not, obviously, all about extrusion, but I couldn’t pass it up. This elephant is only one in a series of decorated elephant forms created by Latvian artist Kni Kni. She did one for each month of the year. This mandala elephant was created for August. She uses extruded ‘yarns’ as she calls them, to wrap around the center form, which was pressed from a handmade stamp. Her ‘yarns’ were also used to decorate the elephant’s features.
In other work, we see quite a bit of the extruded ropes wrapped in swirls and even indented to make the striated lines you see here, but it is usually used on fully covered forms. The open space on the elephant helps keep the finely and skillfully decorated piece from getting overwhelmingly busy.
You can read about how and why Kni created this particular elephant on her blog. These are actually even more amazing when you see the whole series. Go take a look at them all on her Flickr photostream.
If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or issue of The Polymer Arts magazine as well as supporting our advertising partners.
Woven Vessel
September 9, 2014
Inspirational Art
The popularity of the extruded cane has led to some wonderful experimentation using the reveal options provided by the nature of the cane. Laying these canes sideways gives you a series of layers to dig down into and expose.
This particular vessel created by Germany’s Vera Kleist Thom has these canes laid out in a weave pattern, but the shaving down of the outer layers gives it a kind of worn stone appearance. So, do we have woven stone? Intriguing. The combination makes for a beautiful, calm visual texture. The colors follow this calm theme by being primarily neutral, but there are a few rich reds and brilliant, ocean blues that accent the weave.
Give yourself a treat and look at the other vessels and jewelry she has created using this technique on her Flickr page. Just beautiful, contemporary pieces.
Carving out and revealing layers is nothing new for Vera, and right now, you can get some of her amazing cut-in bead necklaces and loose beads that we featured here in November of 2013 from her Etsy shop.
If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or issue of The Polymer Arts magazine as well as supporting our advertising partners.
Outside Inspiration: Building from a Thread
April 18, 2014
Inspirational Art
From these fabulous bowls light, airy appearance, you might think they are made from feathers. But no … textile artist Anne Honeyman makes these bowls entirely from thread. The ones pictured here are from her Cottage Garden, Miniature, and Gold Edge bowl collections. I bet one could get a similar effect with polymer clay by using thin extruded coils and feathering the edges. You would just need a nice round bowl (or whatever shape appeals to you) to form it on.
Anne’s work is drawn from nature as well as man’s impact upon it through the ages. She specializes in free machine embroidery, but draws on a wide range of techniques to realize her ideas. Much of her work could be the basis for polymer inspirations as you can see on her website, in her Etsy and on her Folksy pages.
If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or issue of The Polymer Arts magazine as well as supporting our advertising partners.
Lentils, Snakes and Extrusions
March 28, 2013
Inspirational Art, Tips and Tricks
Lentils, snakes of clay and extrusions are more than a little common in polymer but how often are they brought together?
I do enjoy discovering new ways to use scrap clay. Below is another option for making something beautiful from leftovers. These wonderful colors–and a new take on the possible definition of a ‘swirl’ lentil–are from Russia’s Tatiana Begacheva. I can’t say for certain that she used scrap (the Google translation makes her sound like an ethereal poet–which she very well may be–but it didn’t help explain her process.) Nonetheless, it is a fantastic idea for scrap and a jumping-off point for using scrap-extruded snakes.
I do wonder what would happen if you actually applied the swirled lentil process to these wrapped beads. As soon as I have time to spend in the studio, I think I’ll try it. If anyone tries it out before me, do send photos or share with us on our Facebook page.
So after a week of extruder contemplation, have you gone into the studio to try out some new ideas yourself? Well, if not, but you’re anxious to try something out, here are a few ideas for you.
A shaped cane with no background fill? Is that possible? According to Lilu of Russia, you can do this with an extruder. How is that possible? Even our brave artist here can’t say how this works, but can show us successful results. The caveat is that you lose about half your clay to scraps as the ends come out mangled. But, with so many scrap cane techniques to put those towards, that might not be the worse thing to happen.
For those of you who want something more straightforward and less experimental, try these extruded snake surface designs with graduated colors created by Lucy Struncova. No real mysteries here … just extrude small snakes in graduated colors (if you’ve not done that before, go here for the classic tutorial on creating rainbow snakes with an extruder), lay them side by side, use the edge of a credit card, or long thin needle tool to impress the lines perpendicular to the snakes and cut out shapes as desired. A quick easy way to get a surface design with a range of colors and complex looking texture.
Or, you can do both! Roll your scrap ends from the background-less extruded cane through the pasta machine, punch a stack of discs to put back into the extruder, extrude snakes to your heart’s content and make Lucy’s snake and line textured sheets. Then accent them with cane slices. Don’t you love how versatile polymer can be? Even using the same stack of clay through several techniques.
If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or issue of The Polymer Arts magazine as well as supporting our advertising partners.
Read More
Today, I pulled up this fun piece for you.
This is not, obviously, all about extrusion, but I couldn’t pass it up. This elephant is only one in a series of decorated elephant forms created by Latvian artist Kni Kni. She did one for each month of the year. This mandala elephant was created for August. She uses extruded ‘yarns’ as she calls them, to wrap around the center form, which was pressed from a handmade stamp. Her ‘yarns’ were also used to decorate the elephant’s features.
In other work, we see quite a bit of the extruded ropes wrapped in swirls and even indented to make the striated lines you see here, but it is usually used on fully covered forms. The open space on the elephant helps keep the finely and skillfully decorated piece from getting overwhelmingly busy.
You can read about how and why Kni created this particular elephant on her blog. These are actually even more amazing when you see the whole series. Go take a look at them all on her Flickr photostream.
If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or issue of The Polymer Arts magazine as well as supporting our advertising partners.
The popularity of the extruded cane has led to some wonderful experimentation using the reveal options provided by the nature of the cane. Laying these canes sideways gives you a series of layers to dig down into and expose.
This particular vessel created by Germany’s Vera Kleist Thom has these canes laid out in a weave pattern, but the shaving down of the outer layers gives it a kind of worn stone appearance. So, do we have woven stone? Intriguing. The combination makes for a beautiful, calm visual texture. The colors follow this calm theme by being primarily neutral, but there are a few rich reds and brilliant, ocean blues that accent the weave.
Give yourself a treat and look at the other vessels and jewelry she has created using this technique on her Flickr page. Just beautiful, contemporary pieces.
Carving out and revealing layers is nothing new for Vera, and right now, you can get some of her amazing cut-in bead necklaces and loose beads that we featured here in November of 2013 from her Etsy shop.
If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or issue of The Polymer Arts magazine as well as supporting our advertising partners.
From these fabulous bowls light, airy appearance, you might think they are made from feathers. But no … textile artist Anne Honeyman makes these bowls entirely from thread. The ones pictured here are from her Cottage Garden, Miniature, and Gold Edge bowl collections. I bet one could get a similar effect with polymer clay by using thin extruded coils and feathering the edges. You would just need a nice round bowl (or whatever shape appeals to you) to form it on.
Anne’s work is drawn from nature as well as man’s impact upon it through the ages. She specializes in free machine embroidery, but draws on a wide range of techniques to realize her ideas. Much of her work could be the basis for polymer inspirations as you can see on her website, in her Etsy and on her Folksy pages.
If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or issue of The Polymer Arts magazine as well as supporting our advertising partners.
Lentils, snakes of clay and extrusions are more than a little common in polymer but how often are they brought together?
I do enjoy discovering new ways to use scrap clay. Below is another option for making something beautiful from leftovers. These wonderful colors–and a new take on the possible definition of a ‘swirl’ lentil–are from Russia’s Tatiana Begacheva. I can’t say for certain that she used scrap (the Google translation makes her sound like an ethereal poet–which she very well may be–but it didn’t help explain her process.) Nonetheless, it is a fantastic idea for scrap and a jumping-off point for using scrap-extruded snakes.
I do wonder what would happen if you actually applied the swirled lentil process to these wrapped beads. As soon as I have time to spend in the studio, I think I’ll try it. If anyone tries it out before me, do send photos or share with us on our Facebook page.
Read More