Small polymer pleasures

Little things count at this time of year. I’m trying to finish my chores so that I can try something from my stash of miniature holiday polymer clay designs. Maybe you have time to play.

The teensy gingerbread house is from Israel’s Shay Aaron. The stocking earrings are from Croatia’s SandrArt. Both tree designs look jolly. The stacking ones are from Australia’s Amanda Hunt. The other one is California’s Kim Korringa’s. Little things sometimes bring big pleasure.

Sahl’s winter wonderland polymer

When Sharon Sahl unveils her polymer clay gingerbread houses, I know the holiday season has begun. Sharon’s attention to detail is phenomenal and her knowledge of Christmas cookies and candies is comprehensive. Every butter cookie and ribbon candy is mouthwateringly accurate and the scenes are magical (so much so that I keep mine on display all year long).

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The houses are decorated with candy and cookies and icing, requiring multiple bakes before the bases are started. Finishing the bases with paths, fences, trees, gingerbread men, snowmen, candy gardens and perhaps a pond or stream is the last step,” she says.

Sharon’s only made ten of these beauties this year. Please buy them quickly so that I can stop obsessing. She’s been making ornaments and sculptures since the 1970s, first in bread dough and in polymer since 1983. Her long-time collectors are happy she’s moved back to Ohio.

Enjoy her winter wonderlands and have a wonderful weekend.

Playful experts – Bohmer and Aaron

Taking a playful approach in the studio has drawn me to others’ playful polymer clay works.

For instance, this loop necklace from Germany’s Margit Böhmer is colorful and carefree with a few bead surprises tucked in the centers. Or you could interpret this as a primitive piece made from rainbow steak bones. Either way, it’s unselfconscious and fun. A browse through Margit’s Flickr site reveals more of her adventurous and capricious spirit.

Israel’s Shay Aaron posted a tiny tutorial of his miniature fish cane. You’ve got to be a bit of a kid to make tiny fish. His sandwich earrings, pizza charms and totally believable small foods are big fun.

Note: In response to your requests, I added a couple of “after” pictures to Friday’s post.

June is polymer topper time

It’s June, the month for weddings and polymer clay cake toppers. Australian born Mary Tempesta (MaryMade.it) lives in Italy and has a particular flair for capturing personalities in her cake toppers.

Though the faces and shapes of her creations are simple, she builds character definition through distinctive clothing, hair (the hairstyles are particularly fun) and setting.

You’ll see loads of her finished works on her site along with jewelry, animals, and keepsakes. A browse through her site will put you in a happy June mood.

Tajvidi’s minis and a freebee

Toronto polymer clay artist AfsanehTajvidi (JooJoo) makes such charming miniature sculptures that I could hardly believe my eyes. Can cute be that perfectly done? I ordered some from her Etsy site and can report that the answer is yes.

The mini-sculptures that you see best on her Flickr site are as flawless and charming as they appear. In an interview she reveals that she draws the sculpture first and is satisfied only when the clay character matches the drawing.

You might guess that she’s also an illustrator/painter/computer artist. She and her sister have a website for their digital works which offers a great free treat – computer icons and wallpaper for jewelry afficianados like us! I am delighted with the turquoise earrings that dangle on my “polymer” desktop folder. Look here under “goodies” for a fun freebee to start your week!

Kewy’s clay babies

Greek artist Tina Kewy starts our week with a basket of fresh spring possibilities. She has been making polymer clay babies since 1999 and her expertise shows.

Tina has sculpted more than 1000 dolls of all sizes including realistic premature babies for hospital use. Her attention to accurate anatomy is remarkable and you can see it all in her self-published book about sculpting which features her recent work. See my previous posts about little polymer clay sprouts here.

Polymer clay flying flowers

Tennessee’s Julia Michelle (aka GodsFlyingFlowers) makes full-detail polymer clay butterflies with a wingspan of 1/16″ to 1/4″. She prides herself on the authenticity of the small creatures for which she has a passion.

“I’ve been told often that pictures don’t do justice to how tiny and intricate the butterflies look when actually seen in person,” she says. I had to flip through her Etsy gallery several times before the size would register in my head.

Thanks to Susan Lomuto (DailyArtMuse) for sending us this tiny treasure.

Ashdown’s ham cane

South African miniaturist Karin Ashdown makes a mean little sliced ham from a polymer clay cane. And I can’t for the life of me think how she makes sliced bread look so real. Look through her sites and her Flickr page for more mini-yummies.

Perhaps Karin’s cleverest idea was to plunge items into a roll of toilet paper to hold them while they dry. This would be great for beads on needles…and so handy. Forida’s Michele Holley sent the link along.

Fashionable, industrial polymer clay

Melanie West is waking up from her long winter’s nap with a new polymer clay BioBangle and a line of polymer filled brass bangles for her Etsy shop.

In Fashion

In Elizabeth Yarborough’s “Collection Two,” platters of polymer clay miniature sweets and savories are perched on silver rings.

She finds unexpected beauty in traditionally unwearable objects. Her collections are handcrafted in NYC and carried by Bergdorf Goodman and other fine stores around the world. The link is from Susan Lomuto.

Industrial strength

Have you been watching Wes Warren gear up to make 4,000 beads from his soccer ball cane? His methods, which include the use of an industrial clay sheeter, bungie cords for reduction, and very precise mathematics, make for flawless canes.

Creagers’ extra heads, new blog

A spare head might come in handy this Monday, don’t you think?

Jodi and Richard Creager have a pile of extra polymer clay ones on the shelves of their studio. Jodi says in her new blog that the heads also come in handy as Christmas ornaments.

The Creagers have been in the polymer clay fine art doll and miniatures business for 30 years. Their web site is a testament to their mastery of the art form.

They’ve also added four free sculpting tutorials on their YouTube page. The intriguing tutorials are small segments taken from their sculpting DVD series.

via CreatingDollhouseMiniatures

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