Free tutorials from your friends
Here’s the second batch of links to my favorite free tutorials in case you have a hankering to play during the holiday. These are gifts from your fellow artists.
The decorations are from Chris Kapono.
Happy Holiday!
Holiday treats – Free polymer tutorials
These links lead you to some of my favorite free online tutorials. They’re quick and fun and perfect for those with short attention spans and few minutes to play.
Think of them as stocking stuffers from your fellow artists. There’s a second batch coming tomorrow.
- Marie Segal’s Word Stamps from Alphabet Soup Noodles
- Kim Korringa’s Fish Cane
- Sandra’s round paperclip tutorial for beginners
- Dahlia Cane from Ponsawan
- Simple Heart from Diane Villano
The decorations are from Chris Kapono!
Plaid polymer
These festive plaid-patterned polymer beads are from Finland’s Raija Korpela (signeera). The colored checks are a lovely spin on Maggie Maggio’s colorwashed technique. Scroll down here in the comments for Raija’s explanation of her variation.
Raija credits Maggie and Lindly’s book as her inspiration. See more variations on her Flickr page.
Santa’s dark side in polymer
Polymer illustrator Jessica Fortner interpreted the sinister side of Santa for a recent Toronto Krampusnacht art show.
For those unfamiliar with European legend, the Krampus is a mythical being thought to the antithesis of Santa Claus. He travels from house to house dispensing wicked, cruel punishment to children who have been naughty. Krampusnacht, or Night of Krampus, is a celebration held on the eve of Santa Claus’ arrival. Adults dress in wild, devilish costumes to scare the children into being good.
Naughty, nosey polymer artists like me delight in Jessica’s work-in-progress photos of her scarey holiday piece and enjoy this article about her.
Tube debut
After a year of experimenting with hollow polymer tubes, Ford/Forlano are debuting their latest creations with more here.
Steve says, “For months, I’ve been playing with the form, and emailing pics to David in Santa Fe for his reaction. Mostly, we agreed that there was an interesting, if creepy, wormy quality to the early incarnations that we finally overcame with more practice and experimentation.”
Those of us who have followed this duo for a few years may detect a return to the cartoon quality of their early works. The inside out color adds a dash of intrigue.
Toops and one more Niche
This hinged bangle bracelet is a collaboration between polymer artist Cynthia Toops and jeweler Chuck Domitrovich. The photo shows the bracelet open and lying flat. See more views here. Cynthia’s site features some new works that may rock your Monday world.
The closeups of Cynthia’s polymer micromosaic and Chuck’s description of the intense process makes you appreciate the work’s beauty even more. The piece will appear in an upcoming museum show.
One more Niche
This polymer clock from Ann Kruglak was omitted from our coverage of 2011 Niche awards. It’s a finalist in the Home Furnishings/Clocks category. Thanks to the eagle eye of Marcia Morton for the catch.
More Niche names
The official list of 2011 Niche Awards finalists has been posted. PCDaily pieced together our own list here, here and here in November. Pictures of the finalists have been added to the Niche site though it takes persistence to see them all.
We missed Jeff Dever’s entry (center) in our earlier announcement. He’s a finalist in the Sculpture to Wear category. Pictures of Judy Summers’ sculpture (left) and Wiwat Kamolpornwijit’s works (right) weren’t available when we broke the news.
Thanks to Elise Winters who directed us to the Niche site and noted that polymer clay artists were named in three of the five spots in the Fashion Jewelry category.
Have a winning weekend. I’m back home on Monday.
Arendt’s sculptural diversion
This polymer sculpture from Berlin’s Angelika Arendt fits with my Arizona surroundings today.
We’ve been steeped in holiday themes and buried in beads lately. Angelika’s sculptures provide a freeform diversion that may give you a new outlook for 2011.
If you’re looking for reading material, let me direct you to recent meaty posts by Lindly Haunani, Tory Hughes and Christi Friesen while I continue in babysitting mode.
Chalk magic
Israeli polymer artist Tania Poldoleanu has a way with chalks and acrylics. The soft washes of color paired with graphic patterns give her beads an ancient-meets-modern look. Her Flickr pages give you the most comprehensive look at her work.
Thanks to Lindly Haunani for the link. She’s posted some particularly colorful info lately.
My excuse
This vacation picture shows why I’ve backed away from the computer this week. Talk amongst yourselves.
You’d better watch out…
Look carefully and you’ll see molars sprinkled among the holiday candies on Wendy Malinow’s sparkly Too Much Candy polymer bracelet.
Look even more closely and you’ll note that the teeth have fillings in them. It’s Wendy’s wink and caution for this season of sweets.
Wendy adds her own brand of woodland spirit to the winter season on her Etsy site.