Polymer Clay Daily

Tips and Tricks

Polymer germs

Ortiz de la Torre on PCDaily

Madrid’s Silvia Ortiz de la Torre has Germs. That’s what’s she’s calling this series of post earrings (or at least that’s how Google translates it).

They’re pillow shaped and covered with striped veneers. The corduroy texture comes from the fine threads on a bolt rolled across the unbaked surface. That’s an easy addition to pop into your toolbox.

Ortiz de la Torre on PCDaily

Look closely and you’ll see subtle blends in Silvia’s bright stripes. As a wearer of post earrings, I appreciate her attention to small interesting shapes. See more of Silvia on Facebook, Flickr, Pinterest and Etsy.

Rejuvenated scrap

Barenholtz on PCDaily

Angela Barenholtz brings us another scrap trick in her newest woven fabric tutorial. If you’re a textile lover who has some patience with geometry and a pile of clay that needs rejuvenating, you may have found your answer.

The strips of pattern can be joined to make flat veneers as on the Hamsa below (it’s a symbol of protection). Or the thinner individual strips can be joined end to end and wrapped around base beads as shown at the left.

This technique may reduce your guilt about that abandoned project or those long ignored canes. Angela is a whiz at replicating the look of fabric and her tweed tutorial is still one of my very favorites.

Barenholtz on PCDaily

Her series of cuts and stacks can be confusing. I know because I don’t follow instructions particularly well myself. But if you follow the pictures you’ll soon catch the logic and start cutting and stacking every scrap in sight. (That’s what I’ve been doing for days.)

Angela’s from Israel and it can take a few hours for her to send you the download link. See more of her samples on Flickr and in her Etsy shop.

Retro extrusions

Tinapple on PCDaily

 

Today we announce the launch the anticipated Volume II – RETRO that so many of you have been waiting for! We are over the moon about this collection of Cynthia Tinapple’s newest extruder disk set which contains 8 fun and fashionable patterns. Cynthia doesn’t like to brag about herself so KazuriWest has taken over the controls today.

Check out the photo above of some of the amazing designs you can make and watch this quick video (below) of the disks in action. We here at kazuriwest.com are excited to launch Volume II – RETRO.

Cynthia is an international award-winning designer, educator, author of the book Polymer Clay Global Perspectives and producer of this renowned and insightful blog. As many of you know, she is quite a talented and amazing artist and loads of fun to work with.

Cynthia originally produced Volume I of her polymer clay extruder disks to meet the need for more clay pattern options and it flew off the shelves with customers all over the world clamoring for more. We cannot believe how popular extruders are becoming. Her designer’s eye has found fashionable icons and translated them into extrudable patterns that you can easily integrate into your work. Order yours here.

Folded, silkscreened, crackled polymer

breil_crackle

Since you’re revved up for tool shopping, here are a couple more juicy tidbits.

Helen Breil and Tonja Lenderman teamed up to create a new line of retro-looking silkscreens. (They go nicely with my retro extruder disks that are now available online!)

If you’ve never silkscreened on polymer, you’ll want to watch Helen’s free video tutorial that quickly shows you how. She’s been experimenting with using Tim Holtz crackle medium along with silkscreens to produce aged and crackled patterns as on this black folded bead (with red feathers)! Click on the image for a better look.

Helen used Picket Fence crackle paint over black clay using her Cosmic Spider Webs design. See more of her silkscreened samples on Pinterest. Helen’s books and stamps are available from KazuriWest.com. Catch up with Tonja on her blog and Facebook.

Lusting for tools

Cable on PCDaily

New tools offer the promise of exciting discoveries, new creations. When we’re cooped up and restless we start thinking, “What if ?”

Melissa Cable thought What if? and popped a band embellished with snap bezels and polymer into the oven to see if the leather would survive. It did and Create Recklessly was born.

If you’re itching for something that will help you take your work up a notch, come on over to Craftcast this evening (7:00 pm EST) for the free I Love Tools online party.

Discounts, giveaways and virtual appetizers! Reserve your seat or listen in later. Here’s what’s on the agenda (including my newest disks):

  • Art Clay World stamps with Jackie Truty
  • Potter Tools USA with Melissa Muir
  • Jool Tools with Anie Piliguian
  • Perfect Match Doming ™ with Janet Alexander
  • The D.R.E.A.M. Machine with Wilma Yost
  • Dover copyright free designs with Barbara Becker Simon
  • Create Recklessly leather tools with Melissa Cable
  • Polymer extruder disks (new set #2) with Cynthia Tinapple
  • The BIG shears with Robert Dancik

Same, same but different

Lehocky on PCDaily

Ron Lehocky took my folded inchie suggestion and ran with it! This is his Ronnie Gane applied to thin 1-inch squares that have been folded into beads. The necklace has lively movement that looks like kerchiefs fluttering in the wind. Isn’t it fun to chase a design from Margit Bohmer to Ford and Forlano to Lehocky in one week? Same, same but very different.

Lehocky on PCDaily

Here’s Ron’s mokume gane method applied to rolled beads. The high contrast makes the beads pop. He’ll be teaching his technique this morning.

Tool freaks

What’s the first thing we do at a conference? Shop!

There are some terrific new gizmos and gadgets. I cover this side of events more thoroughly in StudioMojo on the weekends.

Next Wednesday tune in for a free ToolTime presentation over at Craftcast. I’ll show off my new set of extruder disks there plus you’ll find plenty of other tool temptations. Reserve your seat.

Polymer tubes

Ford/Forlano at PCDaily

Designs seem to show up in bunches, don’t they? Here’s Ford/Forlano’s most recent variation of an angular piece that shares a shape with Margit Bohmer’s stamped and painted folded squares that we looked at on Monday.

Dave models the big black necklace version of the theme that they’ll be selling at ACC Baltimore this weekend.

Forlano on PCDaily

Dave and Steve make their design from round tubes cut at an angle that allows the beads to bump and bunch. The surface treatment on the red, white and blue polymer is tantalizing and almost looks metallic.

The edge of each bead reveals solid color below the thin surface veneer. The clasp is cut at the same angle and repeats the theme. You can read about their latest shows on Facebook.

Inchie beads

Bohmer on PCDaily

Germany’s Margit Bohmer decorates a small square of polymer then bends back two corners so that they touch to form a bead. The resulting beads fit together snuggly and join visually into a single shape.

Maybe we should try this with the inchies we trade and collect at events!

Snowbound/Beachbound

For those of you who are snowbound, I invite you to warm yourselves by following the polymer-bikini clad models on Italian runways and streets.

Chiara Duecentogrammi cooks up bright polymer pieces that have high fashion appeal. Here’s one show. You’ll want to check in with Chiara to see where she goes next.

Heart sampler

This sampling of hearts from your friends and online buddies was assembled for you PCD readers as a valentine.

You’ll also see Ron Lehocky’s collection of favorite hearts made in his project’s nearly 10-year history. His total has reached 29,600. Now that’s true love! You can purchase hearts and help the KidsCenter by emailing Ron or contacting him on Facebook.

In case you missed his how-to video, watch here as Ron and his hands tell the story.

A caption is incorrect! The third pair of earrings are Louise Smith’s (Swanwalk), not StaciLouise. Got my Smiths mixed.

Celtic cutout bowl

Bonham on PCDaily

Vermont’s Mags Bonham has some techno tricks up her sleeve that she’ll be teaching on Friday evening at the Cabin Fever confab in Maryland. The polymer layers for this 4″ green bowl were drawn on her computer and cut with her Silhouette machine.

Here she builds up contrasting layers to boost the thin clay’s strength. The bowl has a Celtic look perfect for St. Patricks Day.

Bonham on PCDaily

Mags started running polymer through her cutter in order to make the hops charms that she creates for her beer gear. She sells beer-themed items on Etsy and on the artisan beer circuit.

Mags expanded her repertoire to flowers and has taught a Silhouette/polymer how-to lesson on Craftcast. Now she’s adding bowls. What next? Read more on her Facebook page, on Flickr and on Pinterest.