Spring crop of tutorials

Spring is the season for growing and there’s a promising crop of polymer tutorials popping up. Here are three that could broaden your options and save you lots of trial and error time.

Finishes are all the rage – ceramic, enamel, raku, crackle, batik. No new equipment is required, just pull out the inks, powders and tools that you probably already have on hand. These surface treatments could give your designs added oomph.

The tutorials’ authors are not the first to try these processes but each teacher has each come up with new twists and clever tricks that may make the information helpful for you. All are delivered electronically and some have videos. While they each offer projects that you can follow, applying these finishes to your own signature work is what will make the information valuable.

Hilla Bushari and Iris Mishly – Israel – Ceramic, stoneware, enamel finishes
Pavla Cepelikova – Czech Republic – Batik looks
Nikolina Otrzan – Croatia – Drawing on polymer, ceramic finishes

Test samples from one student caught my eye and have me itching to play in the studio. Come back tomorrow to see. If you’ve found other interesting tutorials, let me know. The ones that I like to feature on PCD are those that offer new and/or easier ways to work with polymer.

Start with a tute

Will a little tutorial help jumpstart your week?

Maria Petkova has been refining what she calls her Painted with Mokume Gane technique. The painted look of this Violets on My Window Sill pendant shows the appealing backfilling technique that simulates hand drawing on polymer. She shows an entire gallery of examples on her website.

Here’s her latest free step-by-step tutorial that shows the process quite clearly. Her earlier tutorial was intruiging but harder to follow.

In these In the Jungle earrings Maria takes the technique to a higher level of refinement. She pushed herself to create them as she was completing her How To Become A Better Artist course with Christine Dumont on Voila.

Baby polymer

California photographer Aurora Rosselli (Eclisse Creazioni) makes the sweetest small portrait tiles that she turns into charms, pendants and magnets by adding silver findings, pearls and crystals. While she skirts the issue of exactly what material the tiles are made of, my eye says polymer.

In her Etsy shop she offers to transfer client’s photos to the clay and make them into wearable mementos. Kids art makes a companion charm to go with the photos. Of course, as a professional photographer, Aurora brings a great eye to her designs.

Just in time for Mother’s Day (May 12) this may make you pull out your transfer materials and give it a try. Or hop on over to her Etsy store to shop and see more on her Flickr site.

Springtime in polymer

Baltimore painter Jennifer Wilfong paints on canvas and wood and polymer. She moves between large-scale canvases and small-scale jewelry with ease.

Jennifer limits her polymer palette to black and white, challenging herself to expand her designs and explore form, texture and shape.

She also recycles vintage frames and watch cases like the one shown here. A delicately carved polymer flower reminds the wearer that it’s springtime.

You can read more about Jennifer in this Niche magazine article, on her Etsy site and on her YummyAndCompany site.

More Meisha

It’s rare that I have to jump up on my soapbox these days. But California’s Meisha Barbee still doesn’t have much of a web presence other than PCD! How can that be? (Sigh) She has a little spot on Facebook.

She’s won a Niche award! She does a big wholesale business. Her refined, color-perfect work makes us feel good in an updated-retro sort of way. Wouldn’t you like to see more? She wants to start teaching so she’ll surely have to have a site soon.

I’ll be hounding Meisha for the next couple of days at Synergy and you can join me by leaving a comment. More Meisha! More Synergy on Monday after I’ve had time to sift and sort photos and process all the great ideas floating here.

Showing simple shapes

Can’t make it to the American Craft Council Show in Baltimore? Then prowl online to see what’s new. Kathleen Dustin showed one of her new necklaces on Facebook to tempt us. Strong shapes and simple design make a big impact.

Mary Filapek and Lou Ann Townsend make the most of color and simple shapes too. Googling around I found some of their most recent work that centers on circles floating on a solid color captured in silver bezels. Check here too.

There’s a surprising amount of polymer at the show but these busy artists aren’t very good at updating their web sites. You’re more likely to find their newest works on the photo sites.

Send your valentine

Thank you for your continuing donations to Samunnat. The ladies are dreaming of ceiling fans, reliable electricity and a flush toilet. We take so much for granted, don’t we? You can donate here or visit their newest bead sale site.

Harlequin heart

Spain’s Pilar Rodriguez Dominguez (Amatista) ends our week with a bright polymer love token, part of her Harlequin collection that’s colored with acrylic inks. You can study her work best on Flickr.

If a caned heart is more your type of valentine, hop on over to Boston Baked Beads to see Lisa Mackin’s scalloped edged beauty that’s waiting to be reduced. Have a lovely weekend.

Go-for-it polymer

Interior designer Nao from Brussels focuses her designer’s eye on polymer with this That’s not the shape of my heart pendant with freshwater pearl and gold chain.

She upcycles and recycles, mixing and matching her materials with flair and style.

Free from what can be the complications of tools and techniques, Nao starts from a designer’s perspective.

See more in her Etsy shop. Genevieve Williamson sent the link along (and she shows a neat earring trick here).

Reminder

Online party tomorrow night at 8:00 ET. BYOpolymer!

Striped trend


Diane Keeble	Margit Bohmer	Lynda Moseley

Diane Keeble has been playing with Lynda Moseley’s Controlled Marbling tutorial. So has Margit Bohmer. Then I spotted a few others. Do you smell a Monday trend?

Polymer artists will stampede whenever someone shows them how to make good use of the pile of ugly scrap they’ve accumulated. And Lynda’s write up mentions that her blending method includes using Pardo translucent (another trend, right). Keep your eye on these soothing stripes.

Wood and polymer

Da Muse shows Tatjana Raum’s wood and polymer sculptures in her Saturday post. Don’t miss it.

Winter wonders

Yesterday’s post about translucent caused concern about where to purchase Pardo translucent polymer. When Ponsawan mentioned that she gets hers from Creative Journey Studios in Georgia, I called to make sure they have a supply. They do and you can call 404-314-5767 for details.

That call led me to this dazzling picture of Daniel Torres’ hollow polymer pendants. He and Natalia Garcia de Leaniz will be teaching a class on March 10 and 11 (right before Synergy) at Creative Journey Studios. There are a few spots left. Plus a bus trip from Synergy and other festivities are scheduled.

In the mood for a class to beat the winter doldrums? Be sure to check out this year’s Cabin Fever, beginning February 15 in Laurel, Maryland. I’ll be there teaching along with a great cast of characters.

Freebie

Be sure to tune in to the free Craftcast webinar on Wednesday, January 30. The gang from the Polymer Clay Master Class book will be there with lots of tips and giveaways. It’s a party, it’s free and you’re sure to pick up a trick or two.

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