Polymer Clay Daily

Maori polymer

New Zealand’s Marisa McLuckie sent in the link to her Piko Art Aotearoa. Polymer’s a perfect medium for recreating the koru, one of her country’s national icons and an integral symbol in Maori carving and tattoos.

Marisa’s strong unfurling frond designs are turned into unusual pendants, dreadlock beads, and hairpins that symbolize life, growth and strength. Enjoy this new work on her site.

Pasta machines worldwide

You can help standardize measurements across borders and brands of pasta machines by measuring how thick or thin your clay comes out and then filling out a quick survey. Adding your answers can help set a standard that works worldwide. The numbers will be tallied next week. It’s easy! Add your results. Thanks!

Ugly molds for beautiful pendants

Pennsylvania outdoor girl Lynn Lunger (UnaOdd) offers the processes she’s developed for making the deep molds that form her signature Rustic Nature Polymer Pendants.

Her free tutorial shows you the tools you’ll need to make what she calls her ugly molds. It details every step with photographs.

Spring blossoms and budding plants take on new life. See where she finds inspiration and examine more of her finished work on her Flickr page.

You may prefer to bypass mold-making and shop for one of the pendants on her Etsy site. Either way we owe Lynn a big thank you for her generosity in sharing her tips and tricks with us. Nice to start the week with a cool freebie.

Love beads in polymer

Wendy Malinow’s Etsy site is already stocked with hearts for the coming season. Romantic, gruesome, wooden, beating, funny, anatomical…her polymer valentines run the gamut.

These entwined faux birch branches form a lovely pendant perfect for anyone with an outdoorsy, Portland sensibility. (Are you watching Portlandia?) Her bleeding thorn heart might appeal to more prickly sweethearts.

Wendy grew up in a household knee-deep in art projects. You won’t be surprised that one of her earliest art encounters was with “love beads” and she continues to share her fascination.

Enlivened lockets

While the idea of covering lockets with polymer has been around for a while, Sydney, Australia’s Rocky Antonio turns the idea on its head!

The necks on Rocky’s charming Matryoshka dolls are made from lockets turned sideways. Jumprings baked into their heads allow them to be suspended from chains as pendants or charms. Study more pictures here and start your engines this week with a updated, upcycled twist on an old idea.

Turkish polymer for fall

This polymer necklace from Istanbul’s Nihal Erpeden reminds us to enjoy the last bit of the fall season this weekend. The Turkish to English translation is pretty rough but the visuals tell you what you need to know.

Look closely to see how she integrates the copper wire for the bail into the veins of the polymer maple leaf which hangs from a braided leather cord.

Broadcast Craftcast

Alison reveals a bit more about my online class in her weekly video news. This is the debut of some new treats and I’m psyched. Go take a look and have a delightful fall weekend.

Oversize polymer

This oversized wrapped bead pendant from Germany’s Veronique Hoffman really caught my eye. Its huge hole, subtle metallic coloring and straightforward construction add up to an appealing nonchalance. Nothing you’d expect and everything you need.

Errata

Speaking of nonchalance, I casually listed a link wrong yesterday. My bad. Please follow this link to the Samunnat project website.

Deceiving deco polymer

Polymer clay bezels have moved up a notch in sophistication lately. New metallic clays, gilders pastes and other surface treatments combined with convincing faux aging techniques make it difficult to tell what’s metal and what’s not.

The bronze beads and bezels on Elsie Smith’s site (Sweet2spicy) and in her Zibbet gallery have an art deco feel to them. You’ll want to look twice to make sure that they’re polymer. Mary Ann Loveless sent in the link.

Go-with-the-flow polymer

The UK’s Cate van Alphen created this polymer Baroque Water pendant for The Four Elements Deviant Art Contest. Pearlex powder provides shimmer on the watery bezel and bail. The theme continues around the pendant back. Her second entry is shown here.

Cate writes with charming candor about one meandering experiment saying, “I find myself rather indifferent to the result. I did not have a particular plan when I was making it, so I am spared disappointment, but I also don’t have anything to judge it against to determine if it is a success. And now I wish I could remember how I did it.”

She’s headed in interesting directions and her wishpots and polymer covered headpins offer glimpses of unusual designs ahead.