Diamond Rivers
December 26, 2016
Inspirational Art
Now that we have gotten through the heaviest of the holiday season and family members will be packing up and heading back home, its time to think of the coming year. And about New Year’s Eve! This is the time for celebrating with friends and wrapping up the year in style. It’s also the one time of year where everyone can find an event to go all blinged out to.
Even polymer, plastic based as it is, can be crafted with some serious sparkle and sophisticated bling. These rivers of crystals through frosty river rock like beads come in a full shimmer set of necklace earring and a ring. The soft round shapes keeps it from being an overly serious set of adornment but the generous sparkle will bring even a jeans and sweater outfit up several notches.
The set was created by Blanka Procházková, an artisan whose work has the marks of influence from a range of polymer artists, this set included, many of whom she has taken classes with. Her approach and designs have a slightly different angle on what others have done, showing her exploration although not her particular voice, not yet. There are definite hints though and she’d be one to keep an eye on. You can do so by jumping over to her Flickr photostream or her website.
_________________________________________
Like this blog? Lend your support with a purchase of The Polymer Arts magazine and visit our partners.
_________________________________________
A Little Bit of Cute
November 28, 2016
Inspirational Art
After a really long and exceedingly full week, just brimming with ups and downs, I am quite in the mood for a fun and light-hearted week. How does that sound?
Cutesy craft does not get a nod to its artistry quite the way that contemporary craft usually does. But that doesn’t mean there is any less talent, skill and self-expression in it. It’s just less serious. Which is great! Life is rough enough as it is. Let’s admire work that makes us smile. Like these meticulously detailed and unquestionably adorable animal rings from our Japanese colleague Jiro Miura who sells under the moniker Count Blue. These adorable rings are a fantastic idea. Now you can take your prized polymer cuties out and about with you instead of just keeping them to yourself on a shelf at home.
Jiro does create sculptures that would just sit on a shelf but he also creates tiny earrings of his creatures. Small in size is the most common feature along with being very detailed. You can find more of his work on this translated-to-English link to his Count Blue website.
Inspirational Challenge of the Day: Create something cute, playful, or at least not serious today but use your usual techniques. Let your child side out and enjoy creating joyful things with familiar processes.
_________________________________________
Like this blog? Lend your support with a purchase of The Polymer Arts magazine and visit our partners.
_________________________________________
Outside Inspiration: Rings and Resin
August 5, 2016
Inspirational Art
If you are one of those clayers that, like myself, sees something cool in another material and immediately asks yourself, “How can I create that in polymer?” then the rings from this group will really get your gears going. This ring is made from wood and resin. But why not polymer and resin?
Why not, indeed. The mysterious landscape and that rising gold cloud within just snares the imagination. The group, My Secret Wood, is a team of artists that create hundreds of these one of kind rings using different woods, varying inclusions and a range of tints in their resin. I imagine these are done with molds and some very refined resin skills to eliminate large bubbles but I could see this kind of thing being very do-able with polymer as the ring base. Not that I think one should just up and copy this form. Obviously not. And besides, polymer acts so differently than wood that the outcome would be a world away from this. But a resin cap would help protect surface effects and fragile forms that otherwise would be risky to have on the surface of a ring.
Do take some time today to wander through their gallery of available rings. It is sure to get your imagination going if not tempt you to buy your own.
Inspirational Challenge of the Day: Design or create an object of your choice in a way that shows an inner world. That could mean any number of things to you so don’t try to be literal but let the idea roll around in your mind and see what “inner world” means to you and see how you can transform that concept into a work of art.
_________________________________________
Like this blog? Lend your support with a purchase of The Polymer Arts magazine and visit our partners:
_________________________________________
A Ring to Start With
August 3, 2016
Inspirational Art
Have you ever made a polymer ring? It’s not one of the more common polymer jewelry forms but it sure is fun and they are becoming more and more popular. They can be a bit intimidating since they need to be durable and they need to be sized. When creating ones to sell, you have to either make a wide range of sizes or you have to stick with just a selection of the most popular and then maybe offer custom-made ones. In any case, rings can be a touch tricky but I think once you’ve made one, they are kind of addictive.
So to start your addiction, you might want to try out this simple but elegantly styled ring using the online tutorial on the Craftliners blog. These simple but pretty little rings get their style from the special effects clay in the Glamour and Nature line of clays from Cernit. You can get granite and other faux effects by mixing your own clay with inclusions or just start with solid colors.
The Craftliner blog is posted in support of the online wholesale hobby and craft suppliers Craftlines. Although the shop is wholesale, the blog is for everyone and has a lot of great little gems in a variety of mediums. You can check out what they have to offer from the blog home page.
For more specific polymer ring ideas and how to make them, take a look at your copy of the Winter 2012 of The Polymer Arts or get your copy here.
Inspirational Challenge of the Day: Make a simple wrapped ring. Give yourself all of 30 minutes to condition, roll, cut, and form the ring. The time limit will keep you from over thinking it. Just make one and don’t worry about the outcome, just enjoy the experience. Then once you have that one under your belt, let your imagination run wild and make more!
_________________________________________
Like this blog? Lend your support with a purchase of The Polymer Arts magazine and visit our partners:
_________________________________________
A Ring’s Landscape
April 12, 2014
Inspirational Art
Here is a bit of both wild and Spring to celebrate the changing landscape up here in the northern hemisphere. Isabelle Chatelain favors sparkling color associations and uncommon mountings as you can see in this wild but fun, Spring inspired ring. There is so much life and vitality in her expressive, modern jewelry designs. Her mix of colors and textures dance and flirt through the compositions. Such fun!
Take a look-see at more of Isabelle’s work on her Flickr page (called “By IC”), read some of her thoughts on her blog, check out her boutique in A Little Market (known as “Ze-cat-is-back”), or take one of her classes through CraftArtEdu.
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.
A Ring-a-Day Designs
April 10, 2014
Inspirational Art
There is definitely something to be said for being forced to come up with a piece in a limited amount of time. You can’t spend too much time deliberating and you tend to kick your inner critique to the curb because you just don’t have time to care that much. Also, the simple rule … “Practice, practice, practice,” is one of the best adages to live by when trying to perfect a skill or even develop your own style. Challenges like “Ring-a-Day” or any ‘design on a regular schedule’ challenge will get you into constant practice as well as force you to leave that nagging and often debilitating inner critic behind.
The discipline and constant need to create something on a deadline in the “Ring-a-Day” challenges has led to some really creative designs in a variety of mediums but I think the outcome in polymer is just fascinating. Most of the people I’ve seen do the daily rings or a ring a week challenges in recent years end up going way outside the breadth of design and form commonly seen in polymer. As with most of the rings we’ve seen this week, this ring by Ponsawan Sila pushes the boundary of the space we are used to seeing rings confined in. She did a ring challenge in 2010 with a large majority being simply a compilation of more common polymer elements but if you look through what she posted on Flickr at that time, you can see where she just let go and really pushed both the idea of a ring and what polymer rings might be.
To see Ponsawan’s variety in her ring challenge go to her Flickr pages a few years back. Go take a look at her most recent work on Flickr as well. Just eat first or when you get to the food photos you’re going to get seriously distracted! She also shares her work and her thoughts on her blog and in 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.
Spanning Spinning Rings
April 9, 2014
Inspirational Art
Another design idea based on spanning the distance across the fingers along with including kinetic design in a ring can be found in one of Donna Kato’s first spinner rings. These rings have an element that will actually twirl when you spin them. In this one it’s obviously the central red bead but the striped lines and wavy edge of the larger element already gives you a sense of movement. Plus this element wraps over both fingers to either side of the finger wearing it which would stabilize the large piece as well as make it really hard to miss!
The engineering of new designs is one of Donna’s favorite aspects of jewelry making. But of course, Donna is one of those people just brimming with ideas not just for designs but for products, classes and business as well. Besides her line of Kato products, she is also the founder and one of the more prolific instructors at Craft Art Edu. Her spinner ring designs have evolved since the appearance of this one here several years ago and now you can take advantage of her experimentation and perfecting of the design in her spinner ring class. Lucky 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.
Folded Flower Rings
April 6, 2014
Inspirational Art
As we finish up our week of folded polymer inspirations, I thought this simple fold and repetition technique might inspire a few of you to jump into the studio to give folding a try. Izabela Nowak‘s uses her “folded up technique” to make rings, necklaces, and earrings. This technique was inspired by her love of Origami art, resulting in dynamic three-dimensional pieces. The three thin layers of polymer colors give it a bit of visual texture as well.
You can see more of her work on her Facebook page including unique beads that she made inspired by Origami Art – Kusudama – Fleurogami. If you check out her Flickr pages, you will see more examples of this Origami style along with her Techtonic and Spiral Up 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.
Lessons in Back-filling
February 27, 2013
Technique tutorials
Even if you are not into making rings, you will want to take a look through this series of tutorials by Bobrotermit (on Livejournal). His planning, carving, and especially his back-fill methods could lead you to do some experimenting with other forms if not with rings.
This ring was formed, carved and back-filled. All the designs are back-fill color, no painting or caning.
He also treats us to tutorials for two other rings, one primaily carved, the other primarily back-filled. Take a moment to look through his tutorials. They are full of great ideas that can be applied to your favorite form.
Now that we have gotten through the heaviest of the holiday season and family members will be packing up and heading back home, its time to think of the coming year. And about New Year’s Eve! This is the time for celebrating with friends and wrapping up the year in style. It’s also the one time of year where everyone can find an event to go all blinged out to.
Even polymer, plastic based as it is, can be crafted with some serious sparkle and sophisticated bling. These rivers of crystals through frosty river rock like beads come in a full shimmer set of necklace earring and a ring. The soft round shapes keeps it from being an overly serious set of adornment but the generous sparkle will bring even a jeans and sweater outfit up several notches.
The set was created by Blanka Procházková, an artisan whose work has the marks of influence from a range of polymer artists, this set included, many of whom she has taken classes with. Her approach and designs have a slightly different angle on what others have done, showing her exploration although not her particular voice, not yet. There are definite hints though and she’d be one to keep an eye on. You can do so by jumping over to her Flickr photostream or her website.
_________________________________________
Like this blog? Lend your support with a purchase of The Polymer Arts magazine and visit our partners.
_________________________________________
Read MoreAfter a really long and exceedingly full week, just brimming with ups and downs, I am quite in the mood for a fun and light-hearted week. How does that sound?
Cutesy craft does not get a nod to its artistry quite the way that contemporary craft usually does. But that doesn’t mean there is any less talent, skill and self-expression in it. It’s just less serious. Which is great! Life is rough enough as it is. Let’s admire work that makes us smile. Like these meticulously detailed and unquestionably adorable animal rings from our Japanese colleague Jiro Miura who sells under the moniker Count Blue. These adorable rings are a fantastic idea. Now you can take your prized polymer cuties out and about with you instead of just keeping them to yourself on a shelf at home.
Jiro does create sculptures that would just sit on a shelf but he also creates tiny earrings of his creatures. Small in size is the most common feature along with being very detailed. You can find more of his work on this translated-to-English link to his Count Blue website.
Inspirational Challenge of the Day: Create something cute, playful, or at least not serious today but use your usual techniques. Let your child side out and enjoy creating joyful things with familiar processes.
_________________________________________
Like this blog? Lend your support with a purchase of The Polymer Arts magazine and visit our partners.
_________________________________________
Read More
If you are one of those clayers that, like myself, sees something cool in another material and immediately asks yourself, “How can I create that in polymer?” then the rings from this group will really get your gears going. This ring is made from wood and resin. But why not polymer and resin?
Why not, indeed. The mysterious landscape and that rising gold cloud within just snares the imagination. The group, My Secret Wood, is a team of artists that create hundreds of these one of kind rings using different woods, varying inclusions and a range of tints in their resin. I imagine these are done with molds and some very refined resin skills to eliminate large bubbles but I could see this kind of thing being very do-able with polymer as the ring base. Not that I think one should just up and copy this form. Obviously not. And besides, polymer acts so differently than wood that the outcome would be a world away from this. But a resin cap would help protect surface effects and fragile forms that otherwise would be risky to have on the surface of a ring.
Do take some time today to wander through their gallery of available rings. It is sure to get your imagination going if not tempt you to buy your own.
Inspirational Challenge of the Day: Design or create an object of your choice in a way that shows an inner world. That could mean any number of things to you so don’t try to be literal but let the idea roll around in your mind and see what “inner world” means to you and see how you can transform that concept into a work of art.
_________________________________________
Like this blog? Lend your support with a purchase of The Polymer Arts magazine and visit our partners:
_________________________________________
Read MoreHave you ever made a polymer ring? It’s not one of the more common polymer jewelry forms but it sure is fun and they are becoming more and more popular. They can be a bit intimidating since they need to be durable and they need to be sized. When creating ones to sell, you have to either make a wide range of sizes or you have to stick with just a selection of the most popular and then maybe offer custom-made ones. In any case, rings can be a touch tricky but I think once you’ve made one, they are kind of addictive.
So to start your addiction, you might want to try out this simple but elegantly styled ring using the online tutorial on the Craftliners blog. These simple but pretty little rings get their style from the special effects clay in the Glamour and Nature line of clays from Cernit. You can get granite and other faux effects by mixing your own clay with inclusions or just start with solid colors.
The Craftliner blog is posted in support of the online wholesale hobby and craft suppliers Craftlines. Although the shop is wholesale, the blog is for everyone and has a lot of great little gems in a variety of mediums. You can check out what they have to offer from the blog home page.
For more specific polymer ring ideas and how to make them, take a look at your copy of the Winter 2012 of The Polymer Arts or get your copy here.
Inspirational Challenge of the Day: Make a simple wrapped ring. Give yourself all of 30 minutes to condition, roll, cut, and form the ring. The time limit will keep you from over thinking it. Just make one and don’t worry about the outcome, just enjoy the experience. Then once you have that one under your belt, let your imagination run wild and make more!
_________________________________________
Like this blog? Lend your support with a purchase of The Polymer Arts magazine and visit our partners:
_________________________________________
Read MoreHere is a bit of both wild and Spring to celebrate the changing landscape up here in the northern hemisphere. Isabelle Chatelain favors sparkling color associations and uncommon mountings as you can see in this wild but fun, Spring inspired ring. There is so much life and vitality in her expressive, modern jewelry designs. Her mix of colors and textures dance and flirt through the compositions. Such fun!
Take a look-see at more of Isabelle’s work on her Flickr page (called “By IC”), read some of her thoughts on her blog, check out her boutique in A Little Market (known as “Ze-cat-is-back”), or take one of her classes through CraftArtEdu.
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.
There is definitely something to be said for being forced to come up with a piece in a limited amount of time. You can’t spend too much time deliberating and you tend to kick your inner critique to the curb because you just don’t have time to care that much. Also, the simple rule … “Practice, practice, practice,” is one of the best adages to live by when trying to perfect a skill or even develop your own style. Challenges like “Ring-a-Day” or any ‘design on a regular schedule’ challenge will get you into constant practice as well as force you to leave that nagging and often debilitating inner critic behind.
The discipline and constant need to create something on a deadline in the “Ring-a-Day” challenges has led to some really creative designs in a variety of mediums but I think the outcome in polymer is just fascinating. Most of the people I’ve seen do the daily rings or a ring a week challenges in recent years end up going way outside the breadth of design and form commonly seen in polymer. As with most of the rings we’ve seen this week, this ring by Ponsawan Sila pushes the boundary of the space we are used to seeing rings confined in. She did a ring challenge in 2010 with a large majority being simply a compilation of more common polymer elements but if you look through what she posted on Flickr at that time, you can see where she just let go and really pushed both the idea of a ring and what polymer rings might be.
To see Ponsawan’s variety in her ring challenge go to her Flickr pages a few years back. Go take a look at her most recent work on Flickr as well. Just eat first or when you get to the food photos you’re going to get seriously distracted! She also shares her work and her thoughts on her blog and in 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.
Another design idea based on spanning the distance across the fingers along with including kinetic design in a ring can be found in one of Donna Kato’s first spinner rings. These rings have an element that will actually twirl when you spin them. In this one it’s obviously the central red bead but the striped lines and wavy edge of the larger element already gives you a sense of movement. Plus this element wraps over both fingers to either side of the finger wearing it which would stabilize the large piece as well as make it really hard to miss!
The engineering of new designs is one of Donna’s favorite aspects of jewelry making. But of course, Donna is one of those people just brimming with ideas not just for designs but for products, classes and business as well. Besides her line of Kato products, she is also the founder and one of the more prolific instructors at Craft Art Edu. Her spinner ring designs have evolved since the appearance of this one here several years ago and now you can take advantage of her experimentation and perfecting of the design in her spinner ring class. Lucky 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.
As we finish up our week of folded polymer inspirations, I thought this simple fold and repetition technique might inspire a few of you to jump into the studio to give folding a try. Izabela Nowak‘s uses her “folded up technique” to make rings, necklaces, and earrings. This technique was inspired by her love of Origami art, resulting in dynamic three-dimensional pieces. The three thin layers of polymer colors give it a bit of visual texture as well.
You can see more of her work on her Facebook page including unique beads that she made inspired by Origami Art – Kusudama – Fleurogami. If you check out her Flickr pages, you will see more examples of this Origami style along with her Techtonic and Spiral Up 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.
Even if you are not into making rings, you will want to take a look through this series of tutorials by Bobrotermit (on Livejournal). His planning, carving, and especially his back-fill methods could lead you to do some experimenting with other forms if not with rings.
This ring was formed, carved and back-filled. All the designs are back-fill color, no painting or caning.
He also treats us to tutorials for two other rings, one primaily carved, the other primarily back-filled. Take a moment to look through his tutorials. They are full of great ideas that can be applied to your favorite form.
Read More
