Australia’s Belinda Broughton has gone too far. Paint, powders, inks, crackle. You name it, she wants to try it on polymer.
The farther she goes, the more crazy, juicy, color-soaked patterns Belinda brings to life. Here she has a Thelma and Louise moment and drives off the cliff. It’s a joyous moment and she’s got the earrings to prove it.
Surface design is not for the timid. It’s going to be that kind of week. Hang on.
First, let me say that Chicago’s Marina Rios (FancifulDevices) is not a child. Or a chipmunk. She sped up the video to give us super fast look.
Marina gets messy and there’s not a liquid or powder that she won’t try in pursuit of the grungy, primitive, gypsy look that she loves to give her polymer. In this one minute session she pulls out paint, alcohol inks, crackle, eye shadow, and more in pursuit of just the right vibe.
We benefit from her experimenting without having to stain our fingers or clean up after her. Thanks, Marina.
Massachusetts’ Liz Stephano (Lizardlooks) layers Egyptian imagery and crackled surfaces on these contemporary shapes.
My head started rummaging through my closet, picturing them with winter jackets.
You probably want to know how she made them but I have no idea. Silkscreen? Transfer? Enjoy the mystery and the rich ancient imagery in fabric-like tones.
Liz moved from the west coast to Cape Cod to get back in touch with color.
Michigan’s Sherri Thompson (lunamerakistudio) takes crackle seriously.
She refers to her chunky look as “newspaper crackle.” It’s a great look for this black and white oval pendant.
I had no idea what a rabbit hole crackle techniques have become. Is it because we’re feeling fractured that we’re so attracted to this barely-glued-together look? Whether you like fine crazing or chunky crackling, you can find the effect of your choice here.
Don’t you love the mysteries you encounter as you deconstruct a polymer piece like this one from Michigan’s Christi Uliczny (cabinefeverclay)?
“Which came first?” we ask ourselves. Interestingly light colored polymer textured ovals with baked in metal eyes were first. Then what? Color? When did the crackle go on? And then more layers of colors?
It’s dizzying to walk it backward when there are so many layers interacting with each other. You need skill and serendipity to create faux ceramics like Christi’s. She offers more clues to her favorite tools on her Instagram.
This hollow 5″ tall raku-looking vessel is completely polymer. This is one of my new organic forms that don’t need glass or metal or even paper to hold a shape.
I didn’t quite like the pan pastel colors that I applied before baking so I kept adding surface treatments.
Crackle medium added a tactile surface and oil paint gave it an aged finish. A dash of gilders paste made this lumpy, organic shape glow.
You will laugh at the form that this pot was built on. Let’s just say that you shouldn’t throw your pantyhose away just yet. More pictures on this weekend’s StudioMojo.
We’re thinking of PCD readers affected by Hurricane Harvey, hoping that you’re safe.
It’s no secret that crackle has crept into polymer art. There was fine and faux, painted and pulled. All kinds of variations. And now maximum crackle from Serbia’s Ursa Polak appears.
If you’re a crackle fan, you probably love it all. Ursa’s version glints with gold and has a distressed relic feel about it. You’ll have to guess how she did it. Look her up on Flickr and her blog.
How cracked up are you feeling?
Switzerland’s Justyne Schwery continues our circle theme. Her disks are painted, crackled and distressed for a wintery, worn effect with dashes of collaged colors. The graceful domes connect and overlap each other.
Justyne gravitates to subtle, muted palettes that you can sample on Flickr and Facebook. Her colors are calm and soothing, meant to coordinate with denim and comfy sweaters. They’re perfect for the chill of the coming weekend.
Has your palette been affected by the season?
Pennsylvania’s Staci Louise Smith created these latest crackled, rustic beads in a big hurry when she was asked to prepare an online course for CraftArtEdu.
Rather than carefully consider all that might be required, Staci said yes and jumped in. The result is gold…in a rush. Gold Rush!
She talks about her leap-before-you-look experience on the LoveMyArtJewelry blog. You can sample her class at CraftArtEdu. You’ll also find her on Facebook, Pinterest and her own site.
Staci has taught several popular classes on organic beads built on white clay. She takes the color and bling up a notch on this iteration and adds another variation to the crackle craze.
Jeanette Kandray has been working in polymer for over 15 years. She’s been a go-to person for the Columbus, Ohio guild and we’re sad to see her go.
But even as she prepared to move to Pittsburgh, PA to be near family, the guild benefitted. She destashed her studio and showered guild members with supplies. Tonight the guild will say farewell.
In recent years Jeanette found her voice, developing the Shadow Cane (shown at right) and refining her own crackle technique (above) that you can read about in her free tutorial on the Sculpey site.
Our art usually reflects our life. Surrounded by packing boxes, Jeanette began making polymer drawers and boxes to match her beads and pendants. Now she’s looking forward to making bigger boxes and venturing away from jewelry. Here she is on Flickr, Pinterest and Etsy. Thanks, Jeanette!
Sign up now for the sixth edition of I Love Tools on Craftcast next Wednesday (September 17) at 7:30 PM. This free webinar includes me and five other instructors talking about our latest cool tools – new from manufacturers or rediscovered from your kitchen. (You’ll be surprised at what you can do with a coffee grinder!)
Prizes, coupons and an evening of fun. Can’t make it at that time? Register to receive a recap and notes from the session.
