Alien agate

Sherstin Schwartz sees something alien in her layers of polymer on PolymerClayDaily.com

Minnesota’s Sherstin Schwartz (lifeofapaintbrush) notes that some viewers may recognize her latest creation as very Fordite-like. That’s what they named the paint slag chipped from the paint booth walls of various automotive plants in the 40’s.

Sherstin prefers to think of her undulating and swirling polymer layers as alien agate.

She’ll probably turn them into flowers (that’s what she does) but you may see undulating layers of stone or picture the residue from a paint booth in Detroit. Enjoy them in their natural state.

FRIDAY FOLLOW: indigo.sands

Krymsyn (indigo.sands) reveals the glow of her imitative amber on PolymerClayDaily.com

North Carolina’s Krymsyn (Indigo.Sands) uses the hashtag “claytocope” because she picked up polymer to help her through the pandemic.

It’s worked! She has more followers than I thought possible and her business is thriving.

Yes, she’s trendy and savvy but better than that, she’s curious and has an itch for imitative techniques like her latest faux amber. Here her hoop’s rich color is revealed by her phone flashlight. Worth following along, right?

The holy grail of faux

Do you have a thing for opals? Me too. The flash of color, the mystery. In college, as I gestured enthusiastically my hand brushed against a stucco wall and my opal Christmas ring shattered. That got me started.

Melbourne’s Leanne Fergeus (leannefergeusart) has explored the alchemy of polymer opals. She’s still experimenting and she’s mighty close.

Marled polymer

Liga Valge makes polymer marled wool on PolymerClayDaily.com

We were almost fooled into thinking the November chill wouldn’t come but, Hello!

These imitation-knit earrings by Ireland’s Liga Valge look warm and fuzzy propped up against a handmade sweater.

Twist together scraps of polymer grays, browns, and whites into barber pole spaghetti strands of what looks like marled wool and you’re ready to knit.

Here’s a Pinterest page of patterns.

Write it down

Marcia Palmer brings style to the office on PolymerClayDaily.com

Atlanta’s Marcia Palmer makes pen sets that fly out of her Etsy shop. Having a matching base for each pen means that they stand a better chance of staying put on the desk.

Marcia textures and carves the imitative bone polymer and highlights it with paint.

Be aware that not all pen bodies covered with polymer can withstand the heat of the oven. Some melt into puddles of plastic (first-hand experience). Best to test an uncovered one first. Oh, and don’t put the ink cartridge in the oven. Big mess.

Marcia’s got a knack for bringing big style to the office.

Screaming cookies

Anakay's biscuits scream on PolymerClayDaily.com

In the hands of France’s Anakay (anakay_fimo) during this spooky season, popular BN cookies take on a more sinister tone. Her polymer versions turn into earrings on her Instagram.

It’s Friday so we’ll slip into the weekend with some spooky sweets. Even the cookies are screaming these days.

In this Saturday’s StudioMojo we’ll bring the screaming down a notch. No hustles, no pushing. You probably have your own little inkling of something new you want to try. Come see the bright ideas you may have missed.

Derwin Murphy makes his mark

Derwin Murphy plunges his blades into books on PolymerClayDaily.com

Derwin Murphy began experimenting with polymer clay in 2016. Growing up in a household that engaged in science fiction, gaming, fantasy, anthropology, and folklore, Derwin uses these as the inspiration for his polymer work.

His attraction and interest in fantasy, folklore, and anthropology stand out in his bookmark designs. You can see clearly his skillful manipulation of polymer to mimic metal in his stunning rendition of his mythical Bookblade bookmarks.

Under his business name Kindred Whispers, meaning related stories, in addi

tion to his bookmark series Derwin also designs jewelry, portable/wearable art for tabletop gamers, sci-fi fans, LARPers, and cosplayers. In his own words, “Cultural designs are treated with respectful admiration and appreciation.”

Posted by: Kathleen DeQuence Anderson

Flower diversion

Chicago’s Ann Duncan Hlavach brings us an end-of-the-summer flower. She tucks them in her outrageous garden among their more perishable, less flamboyant cousins.

If you need a pleasant diversion (and who doesn’t), take a stroll along Ann’s garden path.

Blurring the lines with enamels

Nikolina Otrzan replicates enamel's blurry lines on PolymerClayDaily.com

Polymer artists have long tried to replicate the soft blurry edges that are the hallmark of copper enameled pieces.

Low fire (cold) enamel powders were rumored to be the answer but my vials of powders went to the back of a bottom drawer several years ago after some messy attempts.

Croatia’s Nikolina Otrzan makes me want to dig out my powders and give it another go. Her tutorial shows me where I went wrong. She uses liquid polymer, layers and other tricks to keep the powders under control.

Nikolina has lots more patience than I do. She loads up her instructions with photos and steps. I pare them down for my experiments to see how they fit my style.

Imitative enamels may be the next big thing. If this rings your chimes, now’s the time to explore.

Clusters of green

Liga Valge gathers chips of polymer for a fashion ring on PolymerClayDaily.com

Ireland’s Liga Valge (ValgStudio) resisted selling this ring of clustered green chunks. With its inclusions and patterns, it looks geological but it’s made of faceted polymer bits.

She gathers the chips together into a compelling fashion statement in time for St. Patrick’s Day.

See Liga here on Facebook.

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