Polymer Clay Daily

Tips and Tricks

Back from Santa Fe
Light, dark and middle tone Skinny Skinners from Lindly’s palette.

A few polymer friends spent a week in Santa Fe being guinea pigs for color theorists Lindly Haunani and Maggie Maggio. Be prepared to learn heaps in their upcoming workshops.

We began with collages of our favorite colors and vaulted into color mixing, limiting ourselves to just three colors plus black and white. We then careened through value and contrast and hue and composition. We "skinny skinnered", created color relationships and considered simultaneity. All of this we did in a lovely Santa Fe setting.

It may take me a while to process and pass it on to you in bits and pieces. Check back tomorrow.

Library of Tips

Usually the Carol Duval show aims at the polymer clay beginner and hence the tips are too elementary to be interesting. Sometimes you find something simple and elegant, however. Browse through the list of "how-to’s" in the HGTV library. Their online tips are usually well photographed and documented (click on the tip photos for larger versions).

Donna Kato’s tips are far and away the best. Donna relies on her hands and her design skill rather than gadgets. And Donna’s genius comes from her ability to synthesize a technique, boil it down to its simplest steps. Here are some of my favorites.

Tip 1 | Tip 2 | Tip 3 (you’ll never find a simpler ikat technique).

Donna has a new segment coming up November 4.

Future Me

Since I’m completely grown and my parents are gone, there’s no one to nag me, coax me and support me except myself. Oh yes, I have a husband and children but those are different sorts of relationships.

Sometimes I need someone who understands me on a really basic level, who is in tune with my creative urges and artistic temperament. Who knows better what I need than me?

Hence I was glad to stumble upon this "Future Me" link which allows me to send emails to my future self. "Remember, you said you wanted to have this done by today," is a great way to keep myself on track. Today I can send the email to myself and it will be delivered when I need that prodding in another month.

There are other "to do" lists and reminder programs but none quite as clever (and free) as this. Take a look. (The heart is by Karyn Kozak.)

Faux Drusy
Marie’s faux drusy
Natural drusy

Marie Segal started it at Shrinemont this year. She credits/blames Judith Skinner for starting the faux drusy craze.

Druse refers to a rock surface covered with tiny crystals such as are found inside geodes. Drusy has become popular in the gem world of late.

Drusy materials slowly appeared in the work of noted gem carvers and jewelry designers and, as a result, gained space in gem and jewelry publications.

Marie’s necklace pictured here is made by extruding cord and then making lanyards…like in girl scouts. The end pieces were made separately and baked and then glittered. The lanyard is then attached to the end pieces. The clasp in the center of the flowers is made from 20 gauge wire. Marie recommends glitter from Art Glitter.

Kato Explanation

In my stash of photos I found this one of a necklace by Donna Kato. It reminded me of Sue Smith’s earring holders I found on the New Zealand site yesterday.

Donna has developed a quick way of making these ikat-like canes. Her simplified version has very good pictures and clear instructions on the HGTV site. (The HGTV link no longer works. Try here.) Naturally there are many ways to achieve this effect but Donna’s is the easiest I’ve found.

Read the instructions carefully. It took my brain several readings before the concept registered. By putting a thin contrasting layer between the layers of Skinner blend (this isn’t shown in the tutorial), you’d achieve the striped cane effect.

Tantalizing Tools

I try to add sparingly to my toolbox but sometimes I just can’t resist. If you’re trying to cut down on your purchases, don’t take a look at the supplies at Ten Seconds Studio. There are some sweet texturing tools. My favorite is the roller pictured above. It’s great for small spaces. You may find the texture wheels useful too. There’s a list of suppliers on their web site.

Debbie Jackson (debbijack@columbus.rr.com) carries the tools as well as the blue texturing tool pictured below. This gem, designed for traditional ceramics, is perfect for roughing up hard-to-reach surfaces. I used it on my new picture beads bracelet to achieve leather-like feel. Contact Debbie for more info.

Ranger Inks

These inks were all the rage at the last conference I went to. I should have paid more attention but I try very hard not to get thrown off course by the lastest sparkle and flash. The word is that Hobby Lobby carries these Ranger Inks.

I can’t tell you much about these Adirondack Alcohol Inks other than that they gave the clay a watercolor/metallic effect that was quite pleasant. You should have seen the user’s hands though…completely and permanently dyed. Rubber gloves are highly recommended.

Here’s a bead made by Donna Kato using the inks.