With inspiration from Christie Friesen, again, and finding a cool drawing of a fish that I liked, I designed this little guy! He isn’t very colorful, just two toned, but effective, I think. Next I will go more colorful ala CF style! I call him Smiley!! He has a peaceful little turned up mouth. Goin’ with the flow of life! Merrily in the stream.
I think this is utter genius! A fellow ‘clayer’ has figured out a way to make canes (ex. flowers) without using translucent in between the petals. The video is a bit longer than need be, but worth watching.
Did YOU know that Play-Doh is water soluable? I guess that is why kids are allowed to play with it, yeah?? and it’s probably edible too, but don’t want to try that!
The video is at the bottom of the page: Easy Cane reduction using Play-Doh
Lisa Pavelca sutton slice on tin lid
There is an example of a Sutton Slice used on top of a tin.
But Look here at this example. Makes me want to go out and buy some deep stamps http://julieeakes.blogspot.com/2009/04/sutton-slice.html
Here is a link to the lesson from Lisa Pavelka . http://www.hgtv.com/crafting/polymer-clay-business-card-holder/index.html
Here is where to order her deep stamps http://www.lisapavelka.com/Texture-Stamps.asp
As inspired by Christie Friesen and her book on birds etc. This is my first finished feather… well not my FIRST feather. As I was in the middle of listening rather than paying attention to what I was doing…. I originally started making the lines on the feather STRAIGHT across… not diagonal. It started looking odd, so I finally stopped and looked again at the directions!! THEN I balled up the clay and started over. I am very happy with this as a first attempt. I’ve had a lot of compliments. I used a couple goldtone powders on it before baking…to give it a metal look. It is hung from a pin/bail on a golden tone round choker.
The one thing I was not able to do (as described in the directions) was to make the center ’spine’ the way Christie did, with just a tool. So instead, I (and all of us attending) decided to make a ’snake’ of clay with a thin end and a thick end, adding it before we baked….. Hopefully, I can find a proper ‘tool’ to try it with soon! The next pic is the second feather I made, along with some tiny earring feathers. Here is a link to Christie Friesen’s site. Well worth looking around. http://www.cforiginals.net/
feather-polymer-clay
In honor of the new year and all things celestial, I have created a Moon and Sun pin set. Using my new molds that my DH bought me for Christmas, I made these two pins. The molds are Maureen Carlsons, made for AMACO. I read somewhere, or saw her on the Carol Duval showing how to change the faces to be different, so they have different personalities. You can play with the eyes, noses and mouths to give varying effects.
I curved the moon ends more to suit my taste and added a hole at the top so I cold hang a star. There are stars that come with the Moon mold set, and before I baked one, I put a hole in it to accommodate the chain links.
Also, prior to baking I put color on the raw clay with Pearlex Powders. I used a little water to make a paste of the powder for the Sun’s eye shadow, and her cheeks. The pictures don’t show the depth of color, but I think they give the face life. After baking I put on two thin coats of verathane floor wax to keep the powders from rubbing off. I have not yet done this on the Moon.
I know it won’t show up in the picture, I put a little face on the back of the flat glass marble (using glass paint) before adding the usual silver paint which gives the marble a mirror like effect. You can only see the face in the head of the angel if you look close and turn it slightly.
I used a gold mixture of clay for the whole thing, but before baking I brushed on Gold Pearl Ex powder to the hair, and Micro Pearl on the rest, making it look silver/white.
After the first baking I will put a back and hanging mechanism at the top…then it will bake again. After I was done, I put a gold ribbon at the top to hang it with.
I ran accross this picture from a few years ago and wanted to add it to my blog as a reminder. It was a fairly easy one. Extrude a snake of green clay. Roll a small brown clay base and put it at the bottom then start laying out the snake in a tree shape. I cut a small star from yellow clay and put it at the top, and added little balls of color around into the holes for decoration. I am sure you can think of more ways to decorate it. This would also make a cute pin. I added a little wire hanger to the back before it was baked…with, I think, another gold star. I remember putting gold ‘rub-n-buff’ on the high spots after it was baked.
The little candy canes are just white and red snakes rolled together and make very thin. then cut and turned onto a baking tile. I just hung them onto a miniature Christmas tree without adding holders, they go right over the branches.
I got an inspiration last night and turned out this pin. Finished it today, putting a back on it and even got to wear it to a meeting. I think the finish looks better in person, as I brushed on Pearlex Powders before baking, and it leaves a nice sheen to the leaves. As far finding inspiration ?…, just pick up any magazine with Christmas stuff and something will come to you, I am sure! Again I used my favorite – flat marbles with silver rub n buff on the back. Let it dry, then place on a sheet of clay, …then I cut out the three leaves and placed them where I thought they looked good. Also, I tried making some smaller than usual snakes with my extruder and wrapping them around the leaves….?? see the one in the center? for a little suprise…. Hope you like it.
I just found a great tutorial from Nancy Lotzer on balanese filagree, the bowl idea is really cool! Can’t wait to try my hand at this. The way she used the garlic press is very inventive! Her kaleidescope canes are beautiful. [Link]
Although time consuming, it is easy…another example of balanese filagree as inspired by Donna Kato. On a circle cut out, I started making coils with an extruder and cutting little bits and rolling them for the balls then slowly the design emerged. I believe I used some liquid clay to adhear the elements, and probably baked this 3 times before it was finished. It is about 2 inches wide, and the pin back is embedded into clay and baked on the back.
