Polymer Clay Daily

Canadian guild

Speaking of guild sites, you should probably take a look at the Southern Ontario Guild's site too. There's some very good work in the gallery – like these spiral topped containers from Margi Laurin. (The guild's server is a bit sluggish so try again later if it kicks you off. The links below work fine.)

And you're a link away from another treasure of that guild. Member Helen Breil's texture plates are now available from Canadian supplier, Shades of Clay.

Helen's first shipment of these quirky and touchable textures sold out quickly. She's bulked up her inventory so that you can confidently order them.

For the DIYers, note that at the bottom of the texture sheet page Helen offers an 8-page "Creating Your Own Texture Sheets" booklet.

Loco

Whenever I'm stuck in the design doldrums, I head for France (well French web sites) to give myself a whole new look.

I'm not sure who's behind "Benita Loco" but the site is chock full of strange and interesting polymer clay creations. The technique is usually rough but the sensibility is self-assured and chic. And the necks of the models are always young and lovely.

If you tire of the polymer section, you'll find colorful treats in the rest of the site too.

Magnetism

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stay focused on polymer in my web surfing last weekend. I ended up ordering books and CDs and this wonderful ring (actually, two are pictured here) from Dynomighty.com. Magnetic jewelry has always intrigued me and a magnetic ring offered too many possibilities to resist.

I'm hoping I can cover this baby with polymer clay. Think it's possible? My favorite magnet user is Cathy Johnston who closes her perfect miniature books/pins and purses (scroll down her class page to see this wonderful design) with magnetic clasps.

Look to the right on the home page. I've added a select list of recommended blogs in the right hand column. I'll keep the list short so as not to overwhelm you. These blogs are quite special. Happy Monday.

Textures

Helen Breil has posted photos of some great new work. Her technique will be featured in the fall issue of Step-by-Step Beads.

Textures are her latest focus and she’s designed some new pattern sheets that will be available later this year through Shades of Clay.

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O’Keeffe Pin


In the Guild.com site I found only one piece of polymer, this "O’Keeffe Pin" by Ford and Forlano. These two artists, the text says, "…primarily make one-of-a-kind jewelry, passing pieces back and forth between themselves at different stages in the creative process. With the introduction of precious materials such as sterling silver, gold, and pearls, their work is as bold and expressive as ever. Part of their goal is to transform an inorganic, man-made material into something that looks as if it was found on the beach, or growing in the woods."

Micro mosaics

I wandered into Kate McKinnon’s site, intrigued by the ring mounts she offers. Kate works primarily in metal and glass but I detected a polymer sensibility. I kept sleuthing and stumbled onto her journal where I came across two Cynthia Toops’ pieces…aha! My sense was right. The top one she called "Moss" and the bottom one, "Conversation".

I’m only disappointed that I don’t know the exact size of these pieces. I’ve seen Toops’ work in several galleries and the incredible detail of her micro-mosaics doesn’t come across as well in photos. Still they’re fun to look at and Kate’s site is fun to browse.

Web Presence

It would be great if there were more polymer clay artists’ web sites on the net. I can list a number of fine artists who are techno-adverse and shy away from the complexity and expense of maintaining a web presence.

Artspan.com seems to offer a simple, well-designed, inexpensive package. One of the local guild members recently signed up and I stumbled on it through her.

In real life I’m a webmaster so I hesitate to take work away from your local web designer. But if you want a painless and inexpensive way to get in the game, this might be just the ticket.

Crystals

I’m always browsing for designs and ideas. Check out the jewelry in the Ona catalog. It looks an awfully lot like rhinestones in polymer. Nice merging of crystals and mosaics. The description reads "…hand-molded from a patented clay and incrusted with swarovski crystals."

The Ona catalog has inspiring designs in other categories as well. It’s fun to mouse through.

Lorie Follett gets her fabulous rhinestones from rhinestoneguy.com. She says the selection is great and the prices are good. She recommends ordering the sample card to get ideas for sizes and colors.

Faux Drusy
Marie’s faux drusy
Natural drusy

Marie Segal started it at Shrinemont this year. She credits/blames Judith Skinner for starting the faux drusy craze.

Druse refers to a rock surface covered with tiny crystals such as are found inside geodes. Drusy has become popular in the gem world of late.

Drusy materials slowly appeared in the work of noted gem carvers and jewelry designers and, as a result, gained space in gem and jewelry publications.

Marie’s necklace pictured here is made by extruding cord and then making lanyards…like in girl scouts. The end pieces were made separately and baked and then glittered. The lanyard is then attached to the end pieces. The clasp in the center of the flowers is made from 20 gauge wire. Marie recommends glitter from Art Glitter.

Tantalizing Tools

I try to add sparingly to my toolbox but sometimes I just can’t resist. If you’re trying to cut down on your purchases, don’t take a look at the supplies at Ten Seconds Studio. There are some sweet texturing tools. My favorite is the roller pictured above. It’s great for small spaces. You may find the texture wheels useful too. There’s a list of suppliers on their web site.

Debbie Jackson (debbijack@columbus.rr.com) carries the tools as well as the blue texturing tool pictured below. This gem, designed for traditional ceramics, is perfect for roughing up hard-to-reach surfaces. I used it on my new picture beads bracelet to achieve leather-like feel. Contact Debbie for more info.