Light touch polymer

Iris Mishly cuts layered and collaged veneers into pendants on PolymerClayDaily.com

These pendants-in-process from Israel’s Iris Mishly are created with cutouts made from veneers layered with stenciled designs that are chalked then inked and finally coated with resin. The resin hasn’t yet been added in this photo.

Especially when the weather is warm and the clay is sticky, these light-touch techniques give you summertime options. See Iris’ stencils on Etsy.

How do you keep yourself working in good weather and bad? In tomorrow’s StudioMojo we’ll be talking to Anita Long (Nee.Nee.Ree) about what her persistence through a 100-day challenge taught her. Join us!

Heartfelt collaboration

We are closing in on the big day for hearts so I went on the hunt for some new looks which led me to Ireland and back to Oxford, England as two artists collaborated.

In Northern Ireland Helena Benkoczka (AretobeadsJewellery) made the polymer beads that she stamped and colored with chalks. The colors bounce off the bright white touches. See her unusual color palette of chalked beads in her Etsy shop, Pinterest and Instagram.

It didn’t take long to discover how Sue Robinson (UtterlyLovelyStuff) in England had bought Helena’s beads and enhanced the hearts by surrounding them with glowing glass beads and wrapping them with wire. See more of her creations on Facebook.

It sometimes takes skills from an inspired collaborator to show off lovely beads in their best light. And it’s a relief to know that you don’t have to do everything yourself. Do what you do best!

One more polymer present

This sweet little free tutorial is a last minute Christmas gift from Czech Republic’s Dana Phamova (Fruitensse).

She shows you how to make puffy polymer animal brooches using white polymer, some simple textures, and pan pastels (or chalks). Dana pops up on Instagram, Flickr, Facebook and Pinterest too. What a lovely gift for holiday playtime!

Textured pastels

With pan pastels on polymer all the rage, Virginia’s Page McNall offers us a free and easy way of combining pastels and texture. Best of all, her method also uses scrap clay.

In a quick visual tutorial, she shares her way of making the rippled polymer veneers for her Sunset on the Water pendant.

Catch up with Page on Pinterest and Facebook.

Bold bowls

Polymer vessels are moving to the wild side thanks to artists like Massachusetts’ Kathryn Corbin.

This one has holes and textures and what looks like three or four layers with a rough exterior. The chopped edged interior is colored with pastels and who-knows-what and given a mysterious touch with some cryptic drawing.

There are more vessels on Facebook and an earlier post on PCDaily to give you more samples of Kathryn’s work.

How many of us have drawers of pens, powders and inks that we’re saving for just the right project? Maybe this is the week to pull them out and venture beyond our comfort zones.

Layers of complexity

Kathryn Corbin’s pieces in the sales gallery at EuroSynergy had usual touches – epoxy sculpted findings (for strength), tube beads with windows, heavily textured beads made of white polymer and colored only with pastels and crayons. Her pieces have a mysterious depth and complexity.

The tube beads are rolled (not extruded) to emphasize their handmade quality. The window in the larger diameter tube reveals another bead underneath (click to see the details on the blue beads below). Recently Kathryn added a gauzy nude portrait brooch (pastel again) that floats on a sharp geometric base.

It was great fun to pal around with Kathryn who’s from Massachusetts and speaks French. She’s not very flashy online. You have to prowl around in Facebook to discover her treasures.

Curled polymer

How can colorfully decorated curls on a cord make such a happy statement?

The patterns are splashed on with abandon and the colors meld into each other. It looks like Italy’s Cecilia Leonini treated both sides of the polymer and darkened the edges. Would you guess that she used pastels for the base colors? Go to Facebook, Flickr, and Etsy to take a closer look.

Let’s hope Cecilia makes you giggle and smile on a day when giggles and smiles are very much needed.