Painted Parts
February 23, 2018
Inspirational Art
Today, I would like to bring up the subject of painting polymer. Although the attitude is changing, there is still some unwritten rule out there that you really shouldn’t have to paint polymer because all the colors and possible inclusions to create variations in color and texture are already in, or can be added, to the clay. But like any material, the way polymer presents color and inclusions is quite a bit different from the way other materials will do it. And sometimes it’s a lot harder to accomplish. This is art, not some kind of skill challenge, at least not for a lot of us. I am all for challenging our skills and seeing how far we can push the clay but sometimes, you just want to have at it with some form of pigment that you can spontaneously and freely brush, dab, draw or drop onto the clay.
Take these beauties, for instance. It looks like, from the edge of the treated clay sheet in the back, that Leanne Fergeus did a bit of splashing about, in a rather linear manner, with maybe some alcohol inks on a sheet of pale colored clay. Then she dashed either metallic inks (I got myself a selection of these from Poly Clay Play but have yet to play with them!) or metallic acrylics. And the effect is just stunning. Very painterly, kind of sunset-like but mostly it’s just a great energized and confident-feeling color palette and texture. And you could not achieve this kind of look with clay alone. The clay allows for shaping the painted surface and so is integral, just not its inherent color.
Leanne is partial to alcohol inks and does lovely loose work with them on, primarily, simply shaped pendants. You can see more of her work on Instagram and on her website.
Pastels and Polymer
November 6, 2012
Inspirational Art, Technique tutorials
One of the coolest things about polymer is that you can use virtually any art material with it in some fashion. On some trips to art and craft stores, I will wander every aisle and think of ways to use what I find.
So it really is no surprise to see someone using pastels on polymer. In a way it’s just a matte version of mica powders but unlike the standard matte powder option I have in my studio–cosmetic grade iron oxides–pastels come in dozens of colors. Hélène Jeanclaude shows just how to prepare and use pastels on her blog here in order to make items like this beautiful rust and patina look necklace.
Another cool thing about pastels is that they are not created equal … the pigment saturation from one brand to the next can be drastically different but that just means you have more options. If you want lighter more diffused color, the inexpensive kid’s sets should work just fine. The more expensive pastels sold by the stick at fine art supply stores can be so wonderfully saturated that the colors just glow. And there is everything in between. Just more color to play with!
Today, I would like to bring up the subject of painting polymer. Although the attitude is changing, there is still some unwritten rule out there that you really shouldn’t have to paint polymer because all the colors and possible inclusions to create variations in color and texture are already in, or can be added, to the clay. But like any material, the way polymer presents color and inclusions is quite a bit different from the way other materials will do it. And sometimes it’s a lot harder to accomplish. This is art, not some kind of skill challenge, at least not for a lot of us. I am all for challenging our skills and seeing how far we can push the clay but sometimes, you just want to have at it with some form of pigment that you can spontaneously and freely brush, dab, draw or drop onto the clay.
Take these beauties, for instance. It looks like, from the edge of the treated clay sheet in the back, that Leanne Fergeus did a bit of splashing about, in a rather linear manner, with maybe some alcohol inks on a sheet of pale colored clay. Then she dashed either metallic inks (I got myself a selection of these from Poly Clay Play but have yet to play with them!) or metallic acrylics. And the effect is just stunning. Very painterly, kind of sunset-like but mostly it’s just a great energized and confident-feeling color palette and texture. And you could not achieve this kind of look with clay alone. The clay allows for shaping the painted surface and so is integral, just not its inherent color.
Leanne is partial to alcohol inks and does lovely loose work with them on, primarily, simply shaped pendants. You can see more of her work on Instagram and on her website.
Read MoreOne of the coolest things about polymer is that you can use virtually any art material with it in some fashion. On some trips to art and craft stores, I will wander every aisle and think of ways to use what I find.
So it really is no surprise to see someone using pastels on polymer. In a way it’s just a matte version of mica powders but unlike the standard matte powder option I have in my studio–cosmetic grade iron oxides–pastels come in dozens of colors. Hélène Jeanclaude shows just how to prepare and use pastels on her blog here in order to make items like this beautiful rust and patina look necklace.
Another cool thing about pastels is that they are not created equal … the pigment saturation from one brand to the next can be drastically different but that just means you have more options. If you want lighter more diffused color, the inexpensive kid’s sets should work just fine. The more expensive pastels sold by the stick at fine art supply stores can be so wonderfully saturated that the colors just glow. And there is everything in between. Just more color to play with!
Read More