The Advantage of Cane Complexity
July 11, 2013
Inspirational Art
Because reducing canes makes the details of the original grouping of colors and shapes so small, you really can add in a lot of complexity with multiple regrouping and reductions. This characteristic of caning can be used to do some pretty cool things with scrap as well. You can put together all kinds of scrap canes and through some manipulation and reduction basically erase the scrap cane images so they become just part of a new image. And the old or unsuccessful canes can become part of something great again.
Feathers seem to be a favorite image to rework scrap canes into in this fashion. I really like this version found on Polymer Clay Central by Jean Sheppard. She doesn’t lose the color composition of the original canes here, just the shapes. The elongation of things like a strawberry and star become realistic looking components of a feather. Rather of amazing, really.
There are also many, many examples online of clayers doing the same basic thing, but with kaleidoscope canes. The mix of colors and shapes in the scrap canes just add complexity to the these reworked canes, sometimes making them even more intriguing than if they were started with more uniform and planned colors and lines. Its just another way to reuse that scrap that keeps piling up, not to mention being a lot of low key fun that can result in great canes!
Revealing in the Round
June 26, 2013
Inspirational Art
Much of our layering and exposing of those layers in polymer happens on a flat surface which can then be applied to any number of forms. But take that usual work surface and put it in the round, and a you can get quite beautiful results that way too.
For you scrap clay technique connoisseurs, we have another one here for you! These beads were made by Belinda (Birnco on Flickr). There were created from extruded canes (which are a great way to use up scrap), coiled around a base core of raw clay with bits sliced off the coiled surface using a wavy blade.
I know these beads are a little dark but I do like the variety shown using this exposed coil approach. Belinda has a number of examples of these on her Flickr page, so you can jump over there and see the brighter varieties and other variations on this.
You can of course use tube, ovals, lentils or any other shape and then go at it with a straight or wavy blade to see what might be revealed. The thing is, the small round form allows for revealing layers in bits and pieces without the reshaping of the layers the way you do in mokume to get variation on what is exposed. I just thought some of you out there might like to explore a little revealing in the round. It has intriguing possibilities.
Decorative Polymer Bails
May 30, 2013
Technique tutorials, Tips and Tricks
If there is any pre-made finding that polymer versions replace as well as, if not better, I think it would be the bail. Of course, many of us integrate polymer bails into our pendants and focal beads almost without thinking. But you can also create a stock of decorative polymer bails that can be used in combination with jump rings, or embedded in the clay as needed.
My most basic polymer bail stock had always been extruded hollow tubes in scrap clay. I would make them fairly thin-walled and bake them so I had sturdy base tubes to cover in my choice of raw clay, which I could then press onto newly created pendant pieces. Easy, quick, and made to match the pieces.
However, I have to say I was very intrigued when I found these polymer and wire combination bails created by Марина Горячих (translates as Marina Hot which may or may not be the best English translation).
Of course, I have a thing for the filigree work, but most any kind of decorative clay work would make for some interesting bails. She goes through the steps for making these bails on her LiveJournal page here – just replace or adjust the decorative filigree with your type of work. Definitely worth trying out!
Lentils, Snakes and Extrusions
March 28, 2013
Inspirational Art, Tips and Tricks
Lentils, snakes of clay and extrusions are more than a little common in polymer but how often are they brought together?
I do enjoy discovering new ways to use scrap clay. Below is another option for making something beautiful from leftovers. These wonderful colors–and a new take on the possible definition of a ‘swirl’ lentil–are from Russia’s Tatiana Begacheva. I can’t say for certain that she used scrap (the Google translation makes her sound like an ethereal poet–which she very well may be–but it didn’t help explain her process.) Nonetheless, it is a fantastic idea for scrap and a jumping-off point for using scrap-extruded snakes.
I do wonder what would happen if you actually applied the swirled lentil process to these wrapped beads. As soon as I have time to spend in the studio, I think I’ll try it. If anyone tries it out before me, do send photos or share with us on our Facebook page.
Gold Dots on Scrap
February 16, 2013
Inspirational Art
A note on how to make a scrap clay piece go from ‘okay’ to awesome … drop in some dots and a dash of shiny!
Rita Dumais Sim took a simple scrap snake rolled into a bangle and using nothing more than impressed dots back filled with gold acrylic paints, adds a layer of complexity to what could have been a pretty basic piece.
It doesn’t always take much to add that extra “oomph” to a piece. Try simple texturing, a little extra color, an bit of accent before pushing for what could end up being overkill. Sometimes simple solutions are best.
Stocking up on Texture
January 8, 2013
Tips and Tricks
There’s nothing quite so energizing in the studio as new materials or tools. But after the holidays, sometimes the budget is a little slim. Don’t let that stop you, though.
You can always make a new set of texture stamps or plates from scrap clay. Simple, easy to do, and inexpensive, you can pull texture from anything around you or ‘doodle’ on a sheet of clay. Here is a sheet by Cynthia Gordillo that employs the doodling approach with wonderful results. This kind of design might take a little time, but what wonderful texture sheets you’d end up with.
Cynthia documented her texture sheet creation on her blog here so you can see the tools she used to make these marks. But you needn’t stop there. You can do a couple other things with these sheets besides creating the initial texture.
You can get two plates for your efforts by making a negative of it–prep your new baked texture sheet with your favorite release (I am big on ArmorAll for this kind of thing) and press a thick sheet of clay carefully and thoroughly onto it. Pull it off and bake and you have sheet #2. You can also take that same negative sheet of clay and cut circles, squares, or odd shapes to include the most intriguing parts of the design so you have smaller stamps to work with. To eliminate some of the roundedness of the texture’s raised surface, you can sand the positive or negative sheet on a full piece of sandpaper laid flat on a table. If you sand with coarse sandpaper you’ll have a contrasting matte or slightly textured surface.
Because reducing canes makes the details of the original grouping of colors and shapes so small, you really can add in a lot of complexity with multiple regrouping and reductions. This characteristic of caning can be used to do some pretty cool things with scrap as well. You can put together all kinds of scrap canes and through some manipulation and reduction basically erase the scrap cane images so they become just part of a new image. And the old or unsuccessful canes can become part of something great again.
Feathers seem to be a favorite image to rework scrap canes into in this fashion. I really like this version found on Polymer Clay Central by Jean Sheppard. She doesn’t lose the color composition of the original canes here, just the shapes. The elongation of things like a strawberry and star become realistic looking components of a feather. Rather of amazing, really.
There are also many, many examples online of clayers doing the same basic thing, but with kaleidoscope canes. The mix of colors and shapes in the scrap canes just add complexity to the these reworked canes, sometimes making them even more intriguing than if they were started with more uniform and planned colors and lines. Its just another way to reuse that scrap that keeps piling up, not to mention being a lot of low key fun that can result in great canes!
Read More
Much of our layering and exposing of those layers in polymer happens on a flat surface which can then be applied to any number of forms. But take that usual work surface and put it in the round, and a you can get quite beautiful results that way too.
For you scrap clay technique connoisseurs, we have another one here for you! These beads were made by Belinda (Birnco on Flickr). There were created from extruded canes (which are a great way to use up scrap), coiled around a base core of raw clay with bits sliced off the coiled surface using a wavy blade.
I know these beads are a little dark but I do like the variety shown using this exposed coil approach. Belinda has a number of examples of these on her Flickr page, so you can jump over there and see the brighter varieties and other variations on this.
You can of course use tube, ovals, lentils or any other shape and then go at it with a straight or wavy blade to see what might be revealed. The thing is, the small round form allows for revealing layers in bits and pieces without the reshaping of the layers the way you do in mokume to get variation on what is exposed. I just thought some of you out there might like to explore a little revealing in the round. It has intriguing possibilities.
If there is any pre-made finding that polymer versions replace as well as, if not better, I think it would be the bail. Of course, many of us integrate polymer bails into our pendants and focal beads almost without thinking. But you can also create a stock of decorative polymer bails that can be used in combination with jump rings, or embedded in the clay as needed.
My most basic polymer bail stock had always been extruded hollow tubes in scrap clay. I would make them fairly thin-walled and bake them so I had sturdy base tubes to cover in my choice of raw clay, which I could then press onto newly created pendant pieces. Easy, quick, and made to match the pieces.
However, I have to say I was very intrigued when I found these polymer and wire combination bails created by Марина Горячих (translates as Marina Hot which may or may not be the best English translation).
Of course, I have a thing for the filigree work, but most any kind of decorative clay work would make for some interesting bails. She goes through the steps for making these bails on her LiveJournal page here – just replace or adjust the decorative filigree with your type of work. Definitely worth trying out!
Read MoreLentils, snakes of clay and extrusions are more than a little common in polymer but how often are they brought together?
I do enjoy discovering new ways to use scrap clay. Below is another option for making something beautiful from leftovers. These wonderful colors–and a new take on the possible definition of a ‘swirl’ lentil–are from Russia’s Tatiana Begacheva. I can’t say for certain that she used scrap (the Google translation makes her sound like an ethereal poet–which she very well may be–but it didn’t help explain her process.) Nonetheless, it is a fantastic idea for scrap and a jumping-off point for using scrap-extruded snakes.
I do wonder what would happen if you actually applied the swirled lentil process to these wrapped beads. As soon as I have time to spend in the studio, I think I’ll try it. If anyone tries it out before me, do send photos or share with us on our Facebook page.
Read MoreA note on how to make a scrap clay piece go from ‘okay’ to awesome … drop in some dots and a dash of shiny!
Rita Dumais Sim took a simple scrap snake rolled into a bangle and using nothing more than impressed dots back filled with gold acrylic paints, adds a layer of complexity to what could have been a pretty basic piece.
It doesn’t always take much to add that extra “oomph” to a piece. Try simple texturing, a little extra color, an bit of accent before pushing for what could end up being overkill. Sometimes simple solutions are best.
Read MoreThere’s nothing quite so energizing in the studio as new materials or tools. But after the holidays, sometimes the budget is a little slim. Don’t let that stop you, though.
You can always make a new set of texture stamps or plates from scrap clay. Simple, easy to do, and inexpensive, you can pull texture from anything around you or ‘doodle’ on a sheet of clay. Here is a sheet by Cynthia Gordillo that employs the doodling approach with wonderful results. This kind of design might take a little time, but what wonderful texture sheets you’d end up with.
Cynthia documented her texture sheet creation on her blog here so you can see the tools she used to make these marks. But you needn’t stop there. You can do a couple other things with these sheets besides creating the initial texture.
You can get two plates for your efforts by making a negative of it–prep your new baked texture sheet with your favorite release (I am big on ArmorAll for this kind of thing) and press a thick sheet of clay carefully and thoroughly onto it. Pull it off and bake and you have sheet #2. You can also take that same negative sheet of clay and cut circles, squares, or odd shapes to include the most intriguing parts of the design so you have smaller stamps to work with. To eliminate some of the roundedness of the texture’s raised surface, you can sand the positive or negative sheet on a full piece of sandpaper laid flat on a table. If you sand with coarse sandpaper you’ll have a contrasting matte or slightly textured surface.
Read More
