Australia’s Belinda Broughton (polymerbelinda) could have stopped right here. She applied pan pastels to a sheet of polymer. Then she scratched through the top layer of jagged triangles (technically sgraffito) to make an even more dynamic design.
Pop that baby in the oven and hang it on the wall!
I saw a painting but Belinda had earrings in mind. Either way, it was fun to watch and may make you reconsider pastel possibilities.
Not-quite-finished box elder bowl composed at a recent get-together.
It helps to sit next to color expert Lindly Haunani and have friends like Julie Eakes lend a hand in positioning the inlay. “Teamwork is dream work” as Julie says in the video.
The clay is only 1/16″ thick and I fire it with a heat gun. Details to follow.
Experimented with the new Premo teal in my palette. Me like!
Have you got a “thing” for dots? Join the crowd. Slovenia’s Petra Volavšek (oceana_jewelry) is one of us!
She gathers her dots into many configurations, making them collide in an unending array of patterns. Monochrome or multicolored dots in a variety of sizes cluster to form jewelry with soothing patterns that look like they may have escaped from a chemistry lab. Let’s see where she takes her experiments next.
Seattle’s Leah Lester (LittleLazies) started as a full-time cake decorator in a small Bakery in Virginia. She sculpted with edible sugar paste and fondant until she discovered polymer in 2010. Read her story in this Discover Geek interview.
Her mix of monsters, cuteness and high voltage colors is a huge hit and perfect for Cinco de Mayo.
Did you draw tulips like this as a kid? Me too. Which may be why Seattle’s Anne (from Baublehaus_) is so absolutely right today.
Slotted shapes of leaves and flowers are slipped together to bring simple tulip blooms and leaves to life in polymer. What could be better?
These earrings from France’s Helene Jeanclaude whisk you into the weekend. What makes them so soft and soothing?
Seems Helene dusted her polymer with pastels for that soft suede effect. She credits a new tutorial from Debbie Crothers (they’re free) for giving her inspiration.
Need more juicy inspiration for your weekend? Head on over to StudioMojo for a Saturday morning jolt to your system. Loads of ideas and eye candy. Try it out and see what you’ve been missing.
Arizona’s Meg Newbert (polymerclayworkshop) thinks canes. She likes nothing better than to take designs that look impossibly complex and make them doable for both beginners and experienced caners. She’s done this every month for years!
It’s like mental gymnastics for those who’ve been at this a while. Lots of us may not make the cane she suggests but following along still gives us a thrill. Did I mention that at $5/month, she’s the best deal around for those who never tire of the thrill of slicing into a snake of clay for the big reveal?
What do you suppose Meg’s stash of canes looks like by now?
New products are coming off the production line, clay is climbing back on the shelves and shows are starting up. It’s a crazy world but in some corners, we’re trying to stay sane and creative. See what’s blooming this spring in Saturday’s StudioMojo.
Dallas’ Lisa (makesmalltalk) has been draping, wrinkling, and wrapping polymer for some time. As the Olympics have us saying this week, “She nailed it,” with this translucent striped vessel. Lisa had been creating big earrings but now she’s gone even bigger.
Can’t you see it filled with brushes or tools? Or hanging with a light inside? The container has a tactile, fabric quality that’s exuberant and fun.
Lisa sells her new collections every Friday evening.
If you want more examples of polymer artists who are veering off course into new territory, join us at StudioMojo each Saturday morning where we suss out fresh ideas, emerging trends, and other artists who are nailing it!.
Wiwat Kamolpornwijit started his show season with a twist in Florida last weekend. Dots are a hot item and Wiwat gives his a twist that plays with geometry.
He backs dotted veneers with silver clay that he cuts into circles. Sliced across the middle, half the circle heads east and the other flips west as they are mounted on round silver links.
Sometimes we like the unexpected.
Make three small curvy blends (white to orangy pink, orangy pink to darker pink, pink to nearly purple) then wrap them in thin black and pinch them so they bend around each other. There’s something special about these conjoined hearts from Lindsey of VividClay.
If you’ve seen Lindsey’s paradox cane tutorial on YouTube you know that she has a knack for manipulating blends in eye-catching ways. These hearts entwine in similar mesmerizing ways.
