Working in a Wisteria

April 4, 2015

Starkov wisteriaNature has such a wide variety of flower forms, and not just the nested petals we are so familiar with such as roses, peonies, daisies and the like. The forms, not to mention the colors of course, are incredible. Search “Unusual Flowers” on Pinterest or Google images and you will see some of the craziest shapes and textures in what are considered flowers. Some are stunning while others are kind of scary, and others still are just plain weird. But see if you find any that get your fingers itching to recreate them in polymer or have you scrambling through your clay to see if you can recreate the color combinations.

In the meantime, how about practicing some unusual flower shapes by creating wisteria flowers? These are a little oddly shaped for flowers, but their purple and pink colors are just so lovely, especially in the way they drip off the trees in delicate falls. Catherine Starkov shares her method for creating a fall of wisteria for a set of earrings in this easy tutorial (click here for the English translation). Have fun with this or whatever you find yourself creating or enjoying this weekend!

 

If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or an issue of The Polymer Arts magazine, as well as by supporting our advertising partners.

 

     TPA_McGuire_blog ad    sfxpaad-diffuse

A Sprinkle of Spring

April 1, 2015

handmade exp field flowersSpring is not just about the flowers, but also about the vast expanses of green many of us were longing for during the winter. This little field with its scattered few flowers made me smile when I saw it. That really is how the fields are out here right now, densely green with a sprinkle of wildflowers here and there. The simplicity of this piece is the key to the design.

I know very little about the creator except that she lives in Baia Mare, Romania, sells her work under the business name of Handmade Experience and doesn’t like to talk about herself. I prefer not to post work without having a name to go with it, but it is better to be seen without a name attached than not at all.

Update: Thanks to Sara Kroger we have a name for our artist–Anca Ursentea. She unearthed this interview with her: www.revista-atelierul.ro/2014/03/22/despre-lut-polimeric-cu-anca-ursentea/ 

Speaking of things not being seen, I had quite the collection of possible pieces to show this week, but so much was removed from the list for reasons that make me a tad sad. Mostly it’s about the photos. I’ve said this before, and I’ll keep saying it … take good, clear, well-lit photos with simple contrasting backgrounds. Most of the work I decided not to post this week had terribly busy backgrounds that made the art hard to discern. Maybe the flower theme gets people thinking about texture, and they feel this draw to fill the image with busy backgrounds. Some textured backgrounds can be nice and add atmosphere to the image, but most of the time, it just takes the focus away from your work. And if it’s a primarily green piece, don’t shoot on a green background. Also, avoid too much photo manipulation, and don’t use special photo effects. Get a good shot into the camera so you can do a minimal amount when you get to the computer, leaving you with a fresher, truer image of your piece.

I’m just saying … if you would like to get your work into any of the many quality, well-read blogs and websites that report on and re-post images from the web, give them something great to work with. You and your artwork deserve it.

 

If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or an issue of The Polymer Arts magazine, as well as by supporting our advertising partners.

     TPA_McGuire_blog ad    sfxpaad-diffuse

Sudden Color

March 31, 2015

4ddf3ca2204958b57dcbb7c1c1d4ae78Isn’t one of the most breathtaking things in spring really just the blossoming of color after long months of a barely-there tint to the world? It’s a simple and even expected occurrence, the return of brilliant color, but when starved of something for a while, we become so much more appreciative and even excited by it, as if it was our first glimpse all over again.

Simple, but perfectly bright and cheery, is what I thought of this hair slide by Kathy of Flowertown Originals on Etsy. It’s really those jelly roll canes, going from light in the middle to bright color on the outside that makes the composition seem to glow. (See our Summer 2014 article in The Polymer Arts on creating the illusion of light for more on these techniques.) Between the blossoming flowers, the greening of the grasses and the lengthening days, this is just the kind of work that will be very well appreciated this time of year!

 

If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or an issue of The Polymer Arts magazine, as well as by supporting our advertising partners.

  tpa-blog-125x125-2015 LP-PA-FoilsDf0215   ice cream ad  TPA_McGuire_blog ad;

Little Flower Details

October 13, 2014

DIY-Nice-Polymer-Clay-FlowerI just got back from nearly 3 weeks in California taking care of family matters and have 4 days before I am off again to the Racine Art Museum polymer symposium, so I will be looking towards the fine examples and ingenuous ideas of others this week to keep you inspired in case my words fail me. I have noticed a number of very clever tutorials and tips roaming about the online waves. Most are, after you see them, very obvious little tricks and ideas, but it’s so often only obvious after you see it!

Take this flower petal texturing method. I have seen many examples of lines in canes to create the visual look, but the actual tactile look of lines running across petals is far less common. Here is a very simple way to get those tactile lines into the petals: just scratch a series of lines into a soft but sturdy material and press your petals into the texture. I think texture was created on foam of some sort, but you could, of course, use polymer and bake it. It adds a wonderfully realistic quality to the petals. Here is the full visual tutorial.

Are there other items you tend to texture with hand tools that you could create a basic texture form to press or stamp with instead? It’d be worth a try if you think of something.

All I know about the creator of this tutorial is that he or she is going by Lufy, or did, on Livemaster.ru, but the Livemaster link for Lufy is not working, and this tutorial is spread all over on various sites without credit. Maybe we can correct that? Does anyone know who the craft artist is? Let me know if you d,o and I’ll dig up more about this clever clayer.

Note added on Oct 14th: Thanks Natalja for solving the mystery!  It is not Lufy, but -Luly and the artist’s name is Julia Kotselova. Here is the link to her Livemaster 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.

14-P3 Fall-Play cover Full sm  Blog2 -2014-02Feb-3   polymer clay butterfly ornament sm   TPA Blog Newsletter Ad  ShadesofClay 1014 v2  tpabl-10-9072014

Masses of Flowers

August 12, 2014

Áðàñëåò øèðîêèé ñ öâåòàìè èç ïîëèìåðíîé ãëèíû ðîçîâûéIn all of the comments and emails that I received regarding yesterday’s post, it seems as if we find nature’s masses of similar items most alluring.

Flowers are, of course, an obvious example. Nature packs them in bunches on bushes, in small explosions of colors in meadows and amassed across the canopy of trees in the spring.

So, I went looking for a polymer example, and there are plenty of them, but I particularly like this bracelet due to the likeness of the flowers in shape and size, with just a little change in color. I think this is more nature’s type of design versus the lovely, but very varied designs of the more ornate floral pieces we have seen so much of the last few years.

This was created by a Russian artist who lists her name as Valeria-Maslova in her Livemaster shop. She has a lot of lovely items in her shop, which include more masses of flowers, circles and colonies of shapes that will intrigue you. I am off to keep working on polishing up the next issue, and as you all suggest, I will head off in search of more of these designs to share with you.

 

 

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.

14-P2 CoverFnl-blog   Blog2 -2014-02Feb-1   marble cane ad

Working in a Wisteria

April 4, 2015
Posted in

Starkov wisteriaNature has such a wide variety of flower forms, and not just the nested petals we are so familiar with such as roses, peonies, daisies and the like. The forms, not to mention the colors of course, are incredible. Search “Unusual Flowers” on Pinterest or Google images and you will see some of the craziest shapes and textures in what are considered flowers. Some are stunning while others are kind of scary, and others still are just plain weird. But see if you find any that get your fingers itching to recreate them in polymer or have you scrambling through your clay to see if you can recreate the color combinations.

In the meantime, how about practicing some unusual flower shapes by creating wisteria flowers? These are a little oddly shaped for flowers, but their purple and pink colors are just so lovely, especially in the way they drip off the trees in delicate falls. Catherine Starkov shares her method for creating a fall of wisteria for a set of earrings in this easy tutorial (click here for the English translation). Have fun with this or whatever you find yourself creating or enjoying this weekend!

 

If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or an issue of The Polymer Arts magazine, as well as by supporting our advertising partners.

 

     TPA_McGuire_blog ad    sfxpaad-diffuse

Read More

A Sprinkle of Spring

April 1, 2015
Posted in

handmade exp field flowersSpring is not just about the flowers, but also about the vast expanses of green many of us were longing for during the winter. This little field with its scattered few flowers made me smile when I saw it. That really is how the fields are out here right now, densely green with a sprinkle of wildflowers here and there. The simplicity of this piece is the key to the design.

I know very little about the creator except that she lives in Baia Mare, Romania, sells her work under the business name of Handmade Experience and doesn’t like to talk about herself. I prefer not to post work without having a name to go with it, but it is better to be seen without a name attached than not at all.

Update: Thanks to Sara Kroger we have a name for our artist–Anca Ursentea. She unearthed this interview with her: www.revista-atelierul.ro/2014/03/22/despre-lut-polimeric-cu-anca-ursentea/ 

Speaking of things not being seen, I had quite the collection of possible pieces to show this week, but so much was removed from the list for reasons that make me a tad sad. Mostly it’s about the photos. I’ve said this before, and I’ll keep saying it … take good, clear, well-lit photos with simple contrasting backgrounds. Most of the work I decided not to post this week had terribly busy backgrounds that made the art hard to discern. Maybe the flower theme gets people thinking about texture, and they feel this draw to fill the image with busy backgrounds. Some textured backgrounds can be nice and add atmosphere to the image, but most of the time, it just takes the focus away from your work. And if it’s a primarily green piece, don’t shoot on a green background. Also, avoid too much photo manipulation, and don’t use special photo effects. Get a good shot into the camera so you can do a minimal amount when you get to the computer, leaving you with a fresher, truer image of your piece.

I’m just saying … if you would like to get your work into any of the many quality, well-read blogs and websites that report on and re-post images from the web, give them something great to work with. You and your artwork deserve it.

 

If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or an issue of The Polymer Arts magazine, as well as by supporting our advertising partners.

     TPA_McGuire_blog ad    sfxpaad-diffuse

Read More

Sudden Color

March 31, 2015
Posted in

4ddf3ca2204958b57dcbb7c1c1d4ae78Isn’t one of the most breathtaking things in spring really just the blossoming of color after long months of a barely-there tint to the world? It’s a simple and even expected occurrence, the return of brilliant color, but when starved of something for a while, we become so much more appreciative and even excited by it, as if it was our first glimpse all over again.

Simple, but perfectly bright and cheery, is what I thought of this hair slide by Kathy of Flowertown Originals on Etsy. It’s really those jelly roll canes, going from light in the middle to bright color on the outside that makes the composition seem to glow. (See our Summer 2014 article in The Polymer Arts on creating the illusion of light for more on these techniques.) Between the blossoming flowers, the greening of the grasses and the lengthening days, this is just the kind of work that will be very well appreciated this time of year!

 

If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or an issue of The Polymer Arts magazine, as well as by supporting our advertising partners.

  tpa-blog-125x125-2015 LP-PA-FoilsDf0215   ice cream ad  TPA_McGuire_blog ad;

Read More

Little Flower Details

October 13, 2014
Posted in

DIY-Nice-Polymer-Clay-FlowerI just got back from nearly 3 weeks in California taking care of family matters and have 4 days before I am off again to the Racine Art Museum polymer symposium, so I will be looking towards the fine examples and ingenuous ideas of others this week to keep you inspired in case my words fail me. I have noticed a number of very clever tutorials and tips roaming about the online waves. Most are, after you see them, very obvious little tricks and ideas, but it’s so often only obvious after you see it!

Take this flower petal texturing method. I have seen many examples of lines in canes to create the visual look, but the actual tactile look of lines running across petals is far less common. Here is a very simple way to get those tactile lines into the petals: just scratch a series of lines into a soft but sturdy material and press your petals into the texture. I think texture was created on foam of some sort, but you could, of course, use polymer and bake it. It adds a wonderfully realistic quality to the petals. Here is the full visual tutorial.

Are there other items you tend to texture with hand tools that you could create a basic texture form to press or stamp with instead? It’d be worth a try if you think of something.

All I know about the creator of this tutorial is that he or she is going by Lufy, or did, on Livemaster.ru, but the Livemaster link for Lufy is not working, and this tutorial is spread all over on various sites without credit. Maybe we can correct that? Does anyone know who the craft artist is? Let me know if you d,o and I’ll dig up more about this clever clayer.

Note added on Oct 14th: Thanks Natalja for solving the mystery!  It is not Lufy, but -Luly and the artist’s name is Julia Kotselova. Here is the link to her Livemaster 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.

14-P3 Fall-Play cover Full sm  Blog2 -2014-02Feb-3   polymer clay butterfly ornament sm   TPA Blog Newsletter Ad  ShadesofClay 1014 v2  tpabl-10-9072014

Read More

Masses of Flowers

August 12, 2014
Posted in

Áðàñëåò øèðîêèé ñ öâåòàìè èç ïîëèìåðíîé ãëèíû ðîçîâûéIn all of the comments and emails that I received regarding yesterday’s post, it seems as if we find nature’s masses of similar items most alluring.

Flowers are, of course, an obvious example. Nature packs them in bunches on bushes, in small explosions of colors in meadows and amassed across the canopy of trees in the spring.

So, I went looking for a polymer example, and there are plenty of them, but I particularly like this bracelet due to the likeness of the flowers in shape and size, with just a little change in color. I think this is more nature’s type of design versus the lovely, but very varied designs of the more ornate floral pieces we have seen so much of the last few years.

This was created by a Russian artist who lists her name as Valeria-Maslova in her Livemaster shop. She has a lot of lovely items in her shop, which include more masses of flowers, circles and colonies of shapes that will intrigue you. I am off to keep working on polishing up the next issue, and as you all suggest, I will head off in search of more of these designs to share with you.

 

 

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.

14-P2 CoverFnl-blog   Blog2 -2014-02Feb-1   marble cane ad

Read More
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