Stretching the Pod Form

October 15, 2013

Yesterday’s pods were primarily of the plumper variety, so today I thought we’d look at a beautiful example of a thinner, longer version.

I find these caned and charred looking beads by Keryn Wells to have a rich, almost tribal feel to them. I enjoy how the patterning is worked fluidly into the black spaces, aided by the way the shapes in the cane mimic the form of the elongated pods themselves.

eaa16ebf7c7341e65b5b48baef9d26b3

Although I get more of a sense of wood from the coloring and treatment, it is one good example of a fairly familiar pod shape, at least here in the US–that of the string bean. I don’t think many of us think of beans as pods but, of course, that is exactly what they are. And they can have such a lovely, graceful shape and line to them. Yes, I have been quite often inspired by my dinner plate. Sometimes I get lost in my Brussels sprouts or become almost too enamored of my kiwi slices to eat them. (I said almost!) Food is certainly great inspiration.

 

pg collage 13-P3 Fall 2013

Let Them Make Cake

May 18, 2013

I was really debating what f aux art form to chat about today. I wanted to share a polymer art form that can teach polymer artists of all types something. Then I knew, yes–a form that probably doesn’t end up in the spotlight quite as often as it probably be should in the polymer art world … miniatures.

If you’ve not tried your hand at miniatures in polymer, you really should. First of all, it’s so much fun and anyone, any age and from any walk of life can appreciate a well done miniature. But as an artist, you learn so much about the material in the process of trying to emulate a variety of textures and colors, especially in food. From glossy sauces to fluffy cakes to the matte sheen of pastries to juicy meats … you need to get a handle on a lot of surface textures. And color! It takes skill to find the right colors to give miniatures the realism you are after. You will learn a lot about mixing clay including what colors are strong and only need a pinch, what are weak and need a boost or translucent clay to keep saturation and how to avoid muddy colors. The skills learned creating miniatures will improve your abilities with other techniques.

My favorite miniatures are cakes. Cake art is, itself, just incredible. So take the art of cake making and now make it teeny tiny. How cool! That is the other skill you learn–manipulating polymer on a very small scale. The material can be tricky when you get down to miniature sizes. But once you get it down, you can use the miniature decorative skills to accent other work. Can’t you just see the scroll work or roses on this French wedding cake on a pair of earrings, a bracelet or circling the border of a pendant?

24et3cx

 

This cake is by Rachel D. of Rachel’s Little Things. She does incredible tiny food, especially cakes. Click her link to see some more amazing miniature work.

If you want to investigate polymer miniatures more, you can just Google it (try using Google images first) but if you want to try your hand with the foods, I highly recommend the book Miniature Food Masterclass. So much fun awaits you!

Teeny Tiny and Tasty

September 22, 2012

Maybe it was the birthday gathering I am going to tonight and the mention of birthday cake but I’ve had pastries and sweets on mind. Better on my mind than on my hips but I think that is what drove me to seek out some calorie free versions online.

What did I find? Some very teeny, tiny and very tasty looking minatures by Amber Dawn. This yummy looking berry tart is sitting on the tip of her pinkie finger!

She has pages of these delicious looking pastries, cookies that are literally the size of snowflakes, and all kinds of tiny food stuffs that just make me wonder at her patience (and if her neck doesn’t hurt from all that tiny close-up work!) Take a look at her Flickr photostream for more calorie free goodies. I’m going to go get ready for the birthday celebration and aim to eat a portion of cake only this small! Yeah, right …

Stretching the Pod Form

October 15, 2013
Posted in

Yesterday’s pods were primarily of the plumper variety, so today I thought we’d look at a beautiful example of a thinner, longer version.

I find these caned and charred looking beads by Keryn Wells to have a rich, almost tribal feel to them. I enjoy how the patterning is worked fluidly into the black spaces, aided by the way the shapes in the cane mimic the form of the elongated pods themselves.

eaa16ebf7c7341e65b5b48baef9d26b3

Although I get more of a sense of wood from the coloring and treatment, it is one good example of a fairly familiar pod shape, at least here in the US–that of the string bean. I don’t think many of us think of beans as pods but, of course, that is exactly what they are. And they can have such a lovely, graceful shape and line to them. Yes, I have been quite often inspired by my dinner plate. Sometimes I get lost in my Brussels sprouts or become almost too enamored of my kiwi slices to eat them. (I said almost!) Food is certainly great inspiration.

 

pg collage 13-P3 Fall 2013

Read More

Let Them Make Cake

May 18, 2013
Posted in

I was really debating what f aux art form to chat about today. I wanted to share a polymer art form that can teach polymer artists of all types something. Then I knew, yes–a form that probably doesn’t end up in the spotlight quite as often as it probably be should in the polymer art world … miniatures.

If you’ve not tried your hand at miniatures in polymer, you really should. First of all, it’s so much fun and anyone, any age and from any walk of life can appreciate a well done miniature. But as an artist, you learn so much about the material in the process of trying to emulate a variety of textures and colors, especially in food. From glossy sauces to fluffy cakes to the matte sheen of pastries to juicy meats … you need to get a handle on a lot of surface textures. And color! It takes skill to find the right colors to give miniatures the realism you are after. You will learn a lot about mixing clay including what colors are strong and only need a pinch, what are weak and need a boost or translucent clay to keep saturation and how to avoid muddy colors. The skills learned creating miniatures will improve your abilities with other techniques.

My favorite miniatures are cakes. Cake art is, itself, just incredible. So take the art of cake making and now make it teeny tiny. How cool! That is the other skill you learn–manipulating polymer on a very small scale. The material can be tricky when you get down to miniature sizes. But once you get it down, you can use the miniature decorative skills to accent other work. Can’t you just see the scroll work or roses on this French wedding cake on a pair of earrings, a bracelet or circling the border of a pendant?

24et3cx

 

This cake is by Rachel D. of Rachel’s Little Things. She does incredible tiny food, especially cakes. Click her link to see some more amazing miniature work.

If you want to investigate polymer miniatures more, you can just Google it (try using Google images first) but if you want to try your hand with the foods, I highly recommend the book Miniature Food Masterclass. So much fun awaits you!

Read More

Teeny Tiny and Tasty

September 22, 2012
Posted in

Maybe it was the birthday gathering I am going to tonight and the mention of birthday cake but I’ve had pastries and sweets on mind. Better on my mind than on my hips but I think that is what drove me to seek out some calorie free versions online.

What did I find? Some very teeny, tiny and very tasty looking minatures by Amber Dawn. This yummy looking berry tart is sitting on the tip of her pinkie finger!

She has pages of these delicious looking pastries, cookies that are literally the size of snowflakes, and all kinds of tiny food stuffs that just make me wonder at her patience (and if her neck doesn’t hurt from all that tiny close-up work!) Take a look at her Flickr photostream for more calorie free goodies. I’m going to go get ready for the birthday celebration and aim to eat a portion of cake only this small! Yeah, right …

Read More
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