The Sealant Debate
June 21, 2012
Supplies & other fun stuff, Tips and Tricks
To seal or not to seal? Isn’t that too often the question? We want our work to be durable and keep our surface treatment protected but the addition of a clear glaze or finish can alter the look.
Well, there is no easy answer to this but if you want to read up on what options you have, what works best for what kind of work and recommended techniques, take a look at this detailed post over at 2 Good Claymates’ blog.
Do you have any good tips regarding sealants and how and when to apply them?
Grant’s Curiosity
June 20, 2012
Inspirational Art, Supplies & other fun stuff
A heavily influential artist in my studio, Grant Diffendaffer’s book Polymer Clay Beads: Techniques, Projects Inspiration is full of beautiful visual texture and large bold pieces. He approaches the creations of his pieces from a curiosity about the effects of mica shift and the possibilities that different forms offer to show it off.
On his Flickr page Grant says this necklace is one of his favorite pieces featuring his early work with his ghost image technique. The colors are just delicious (how else can this be described?) It’s also a great example of imagery repetition (the bubbles) without symmetry or consistency. The visual design is held together by the color and texture alone.
His book was re-released last year so you can find more of Grant’s work not only on his Flickr page and in his book but in Lark’s 400 Polymer Clay Designs, where his beautiful containers and more jewelry are featured.
Getting your Fill of Filigree
June 19, 2012
Supplies & other fun stuff, Technique tutorials
As some of you know, I’m quite the fan of filigree. Creating filigree work with polymer can take some patience but it’s so rewarding and even a little Zen when you get going on it.
Here is a wonderful tutorial using flat ropes of polymer to create traditional metal look bands of simple and braided filigree. http://polymerclayfimo.livejournal.com/1068524.html#cutid1
For many of us, translation to English will be needed.
But if you don’t want to get into all that but do love the filigree look, I found this wonderful site with just tons of beautiful filigree pieces you can use to incorporate into your pieces: http://www.ornamentea.com/filigree.htm
Carol Simmons on the Beauty of Bargello
June 18, 2012
Inspirational Art
In the last issue of The Polymer Arts, I used Bargello as a method to show how you can turn any scrap clay into a successful project with just about any technique.
Carol Simmons also fell back to the Bargello technique when looking for something to do with extra Skinner Blends.
In her blog post from 5/4/12 she writes:
“I returned to working with Bargello designs when I started casting about for things I could do with Skinner Blends I already had on hand. This time, after I stacked my blends I sliced the stack into very thin sheets and then into narrow strips. (Yes, I used my slicer.) I arranged these strips like fabric to create flat Bargello patterned veneers to put on pre-formed pendant blanks.”
Her inspiration actually came from Laura Liska, whose wonderfully executed beads are actually spaced Bargello.
Check out Carol’s blog post for the full story. http://carolsimmonsdesigns.com/blog/
The Creative Process Dissected & Meet TPA’s Newest Talent
June 17, 2012
The Polymer Arts magazine news
I think I might make Sunday’s the funnies day. Laughter is so sorely needed every day of our lives, especially when you work so hard all week and along with being an artist you have family, friend’s, that ‘other’ job, and the other dreams you are working towards in your life. And Sundays should be down time, right?
This came from the newest addition to the TPA staff, Deanna Duncan Allen. She will be helping me with blog posting, editing, subscription records, newsletters as well as being a contributor to the magazine. She did some editing and wrote the artist gallery bios in our Summer 2012 issue and has happily agreed to take on more. She is an accomplished metal clay and glass bead artist as well as a photographer. Look for her additions to the magazine in our upcoming Fall 2012 issue.
In the meantime … just how true is this!
Moving On: Polka Dot Creations’ Closing
June 16, 2012
Polymer community news
For those of you who haven’t heard the sad news, our polymer friend and TPA retailer Lisa Clarke over at Polka Dot Creations is shifting gears and closing shop. She has been supporting and providing our community with great products, materials, books, and other media for eleven years. It is never a bad thing to recognize when it is time to move on but it’s hard to lose such a considerate and involved retailer.
You can support Lisa and help her on her way, along with getting some great deals by heading over to her shop where she is having her “Going out of Business” sale.
Here is Lisa’s note to the community from her website:
Polka Dot Creations will be closing up shop at the end of June!
Serving the polymer clay community for the last eleven years has been my pleasure, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support during that time. For more of my thoughts on this decision please see my blog post.
I hope you’ll keep in touch! I will be hanging out in my Polka Dot Cottage this summer☺
Thank you! –Lisa Clarke
Thank you for everything, Lisa! We wish you all the best as you journey on!
Other Sources of Inspiration: Paper Sculpture
June 15, 2012
Inspirational Art
Paper sculpturist Jen Stark‘s plays with colored paper in a way that I’ve never seen. When I found her site, I just got lost there for a while.
I think the shapes and colors will speak to a lot of polymer artists. She builds or uncovers colors and layers, rearranging and shaping forms in a way that brings to mind work by polymer artists like Jana Roberts Benzon and Ford & Forlano.
This piece called “Divinity” really drew me in. The way Jen uncovers the layers as if the edge of the shape was being eaten is fascinating. Although the gnawed away look should feel subtractive, this actually feels like the essence of the piece is being unveiled, maybe even blossoming as the color becomes stronger and more vibrant towards the middle.
Makes you want to “dig into” your next layered block doesn’t it?
Where All Can Your Polymer Go?
June 14, 2012
Inspirational Art
Is there anything you can’t embellish with polymer? The possibilities do seem limitless. I have seen every thing from cars to laptops to sunglasses and stairs accented (or covered) with polymer art. Some of these are quite elaborate mixed media affairs but it needn’t be very involved. If you haven’t tried covering something unconventional with polymer, perhaps this chair will give you some motivation to try it out.
This chair by Christy Dickerson is covered with tiles that were formed and baked and then glued to the cross rails and seat supports. This chair went from ordinary to simply eye-catching using a straight-forward process that anyone with the patience to make all the tiles could have tremendous success with.
The Magical Mosaic Chair was found on Helen’s Clay Art blog where you can see it from several different angles .
So, where can your polymer go to add a little beauty and interest in to world?
Nature Inspiring the Contemporary
June 13, 2012
Inspirational Art
I’m a bit focused on nature and the organic right now. ‘Tis the season here in Colorado where we all end up heading to the mountains to commune with nature and get out of the heat that is starting to come on.
I think that is why I am being drawn to pieces like this pod necklace by Ma-Belette (works under Mabcrea Art) If you look at the individual elements here, there is little in the way of straight organic translations rather it is all suggested through form, texture, and line. The pod shapes, of course, hark back to tree seed pods. The stippled black clay reminds one of lava rock. The wavy edges of the skinner blends replicates the natural formation of foliage around other elements of the plant it grows from. All this in a simple contemporary composition of repeating and mirrored shapes, colors and lines.
I will be on the hunt for interesting forms, textures, colors and combinations while out this weekend. (Don’t worry … I have someone keeping up the blog posts for me.) I’ll post any really wonderful finds on here next week.
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If you read the “Polymer Resurrection Workshop” article in the last issue of The Polymer Arts, you saw how easy it is to make successful mokume gane from scrap. I’ve been hearing from a lot of people who have been taking this scrap approach so when I ran across this tutorial by Elizabeth Campbell,, I thought I really ought to share. Here’s a resulting piece from the technique:
This is a a fun variation on the mokume gane challenge that does not require sorting the clay at all. You just use your “mud pile.” It’s perfect for leftover canes pieces and the little bits of clay you have at the bottom of your scrap bin.
If you are getting into the Bargello technique from that same article, Elizabeth has a quick overview on creating a Skinner blend Bargello sheet as well.
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A couple weeks ago, Cynthia posted a piece on Polymer Clay Daily about faux soutache done in polymer clay by Olimpia Corvino.I had just been perusing an actually soutache artist’s site a couple days before but couldn’t find it at the time. Well, it was an Etsy store and here is the piece that drew me in and had me investigating.
This piece by Miriam Shimon is titled “Once Upon a Time” and is a Bead Dreams 2012 Finalist piece. Obviously! Well, I didn’t see the rest of the competition but this just blew me away. If you are unfamiliar with soutache, it is simply a narrow and flat decorative type of trim used with drapery or clothing, usually to hide a seam. Not dissimilar from flattened ropes of polymer (hint, hint!) As demonstrated by Olimpia, there are such possibilities in terms of borrowing form, flow, and detail, for a polymer artist to borrow from this bead and fiber art form.
And, besides, it’s just so darn pretty to look at.
Read MoreCoffee in the morning is such an entrenched tradition in America and elsewhere that even those of us who can’t drink caffeine anymore will still get up and make a pot of decaf for some psychological pick-me-up.
Now, what if you have that coffee (caffeinated or not) in a cup like this …
Eleni Tsaliki has a thing for bring colors and fun imagery. Using Angeli Del Rosario’s suggestions for renewing old items from the “Polymer to the Rescue” article in our present issue of The Polymer Arts magazine, you could help save the earth and brighten your morning by repairing old mugs with cheery polymer additions.
Eleni has a whole series of pick me up mugs on her Flickr page along with other things to brighten up your Thursday.
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I thought I knew all the really amazing polymer clay doll artists but as usual, there are more! Eneida Rosa makes the most amazing sculptures – not just because of their realism and her obvious skill with the material – but because these are real women with the small ‘imperfections’ that certain industries would like us to think don’t exist.
This piece, “Alisha,” has to be my favorite. This woman is no waif. She has healthy curves and all the things that make a woman truly sexy (so says a survey of my male friends). She’s still looking to be in better shape than me (I so need to cut down on eating out!) but how wonderfully refreshing to see a not-so-flat belly and a little unevenness across the thigh.
There is now a backlash in the fashion industry against those emaciated looks and unhealthy demands made on fashion models that too many woman try to compete with. We should keep this in mind in our artwork as well.
Although one of the advantages – as well as a draw for making art – is creating whatever we think beauty is, even when it’s unrealistic. How much more helpful can we be to society and the female self-image if we portray the beautiful women of polymer sculpture as gorgeous emulations of real, healthy-looking women that we could realistically all aspire to be?
So hat’s off to Eneida for her wonderful and realistic work.
Read MoreMaybe it’s the heat but the river-like element in these earrings by Karen Park draws me in.
The graduated blues and earth tones bring up images of a river bank and the scattered gold on brown looks like the eddies where one might go gold panning.
Wouldn’t you like to be in a place like this right now?
I thought today – as a heat wave continues to cross much of the country – that something refreshing like this would be a welcome image for all you readers.
Read MoreStarting July 1, Voila.eu.com will be running an eight-month course on “How to Become a Better Artist.” There’s a short post about it on their homepage:
How To Become a Better Artist: An 8-month journey
If you are asking yourself these questions:
- Are my ideas good enough to spend more time on them?
- Why are some pieces “wow” and others “blah”?
- How is my work perceived?
Then this course will help you:
- Identify worthwhile ideas and mature them,
- Ensure that you effectively capture your good ideas,
- Understand how to learn from and accept criticism.
Starting July 1, 2012, the course will build on the wealth of experience and images from the last two years of Polymeristas of the Month competitions.
The course is free and available to all. Only members will have access to the archives.
Sign up on www.voila.eu.com to become a member and join in on this great opportunity! You can read more on Voila in the Summer Issue of The Polymer Arts magazine.
Read MoreYou have probably seen Sandra McCaw’s work, if not on the internet somewhere, then in a polymer clay book or two. Sandra does amazing cane work and applies her canes to beautifully constructed jewelry usually combined with precious metals. This brooch is a great example of her use of line and color.
In her own words:
“My inspiration derives from a fascination with the interplay of color, line and form. In working with polymer clay, I am able to create complex patterns where lines seem to lose their distinction and blend, and where colors bloom and merge. Polymer clay, with its richness of color and flexibility, allows me to create the intricate patterns that I love.”
‘Nuf said.
Hope you all had a beautiful weekend.
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As craft artists, we are more commonly drawn to three-dimensional arts and crafts because the construction and formation of a piece is something we know so well ourselves. But inspiration can be found in many of the two-dimensional arts as well.
This painting by Laura Zollar has a wealth of color and visual impact that could be easily translated into polymer illustration.
I would love to walk into a room and see something like this on a wall but built up with sculptural polymer which would then give it the added dimension of change … the shifting of shadows as light changes in the room and the alteration of view as you move around it.
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Adding a bit of sparkle and shine can be just what’s needed to enliven a piece. But in most cases, use of the bling-y stuff is best done in small doses, using crystals and bright gems as accents to catch the light and a potential viewer’s eye. But for every rule there is an exception and here is a case where the nearly over the top use of crystals is actually quite appealing.
I thought this was polymer at first – and this certainly could be done with polymer – but it is actually a colored epoxy called Gemoglue, which is sold in Europe.
The crystals are embedded into balls of this sculptable epoxy with gems that reflect the color of the mixed epoxy. The restrained use of color keeps this from becoming garish. The randomness of the placement and the varied size keeps it from becoming predictable.
This piece was found on Gemoglue’s Flickr page which is full of sparkle and shine but all very tastefully done. We’ll be exploring the use of “Shimmer and Shine” in the Winter issue of The Polymer Arts towards the end of the year.
Want to try some colored epoxy but aren’t in Europe? Try Apoxie Sculpt’s colored resin clays.
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