As soon as I hit 'publish post' on that last post, and ever since, I've been second guessing myself. Can I really put all of polymer clay into three categories?
I can, partly because these are my own made-up categories, but also because I have a (slight) explanation.
What to me is the absolute coolest thing about polymer clay is all the colors! Between the different manufacturers having slightly different takes on their pallets, and the fact that you can mix any color together with any other color to make a new color, like with paint, the color choices are unlimited!
And using the color of the clay to be the color of what you are making is the basis of both sculpture and millefeori, everything else you are more using the clay as clay, and the color plays a great role. Maybe the third category should be 'everything else'.
I have often called polymer clay 'color clay' (especially back when no one knew what poly clay was), and this separation is kinda the difference between if you are emphasizing COLOR clay or color CLAY. Symbiotic both ways.
3/28/08
3/25/08
Poly Clay: Where to Start??
I received a wonderful comment to my last post from The Sick Chick, "I've just bought some poly clay and a bead roller to try making some little round things for the first time. Any tips for the absolute novice? I've worked with real clay before but never polymer and I'm hoping it will hit several of my clay itches that I haven't been able to scratch due to lack of kiln..."
And since I'm kinda feeling like I'm starting all over again, this is a great opportunity to address this question, for myself too. I will start a series of posts to this end.
The first tip I would say, is to look around for inspiration. Yeah, that's a lame tip, there are always tons of great sites to look at for inspiration, whatever the media. But in the case of poly clay, part of the inspiration is figuring out what you want to do with it. There are sooooo many things you can do with it, you could get bogged down if you're not sure which way you want to go.
From my perspective, there are three basic ways you can work with the clay, and millions of subsets of ideas. Let's start there.
These, again, are just my categories, and they cross over, and work together, but to me, these are the three basic methods. And if one interests you more than the others, emphasize that one, or work in it exclusively. Each method is a complete art form in itself.
Of course, just starting out, you may want to try a little bit of everything, and to that I would recommend a comprehensive book like The New Clay. This book first came out the same year my younger son was born* and I purchased my copy that same year. I went through most of the techniques as the book showed them, practicing techniques just for the sake of practicing. This book has history of the clay up to that point, and the history of the techniques it presents, and is one of my all-time favorite books.
I'll delve into each of these categories, and share some of the projects I made from the book, in the next few weeks, with links to inspiration. Now, since this is the week the kids are gone, I'm going to get all my clay stuff out all over the kitchen table!! Yay!
*He just turned 15 on Easter, so a couple interesting facts: you probably know that when Easter falls is determined by the cycle of the sun and the moon, Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox, and March 23 is the absolute earliest it could be, April 25 being the latest. Easter hasn't been on this early date since 1913, and won't be again until 2160.
/trivia lesson
And since I'm kinda feeling like I'm starting all over again, this is a great opportunity to address this question, for myself too. I will start a series of posts to this end.
The first tip I would say, is to look around for inspiration. Yeah, that's a lame tip, there are always tons of great sites to look at for inspiration, whatever the media. But in the case of poly clay, part of the inspiration is figuring out what you want to do with it. There are sooooo many things you can do with it, you could get bogged down if you're not sure which way you want to go.
From my perspective, there are three basic ways you can work with the clay, and millions of subsets of ideas. Let's start there.
- Sculpture: using the poly clay like any other clay, using your hands or tools (including push molds) to make the clay look like what you want it to
- Millefiori: like millefiori in glass making, putting tubes of color into a log, slicing the log to show the design in each slice, think cookie dough with a design in it
- Changing the Clay: adding things into the clay, to make it look like stone, or wood, or just not look like clay, &/or subtracting layers from the clay, with metalworking mokume-gane techniques, I would also put into this category any/all new techniques that people are constantly creating, or looking to other mediums to borrow from
These, again, are just my categories, and they cross over, and work together, but to me, these are the three basic methods. And if one interests you more than the others, emphasize that one, or work in it exclusively. Each method is a complete art form in itself.
Of course, just starting out, you may want to try a little bit of everything, and to that I would recommend a comprehensive book like The New Clay. This book first came out the same year my younger son was born* and I purchased my copy that same year. I went through most of the techniques as the book showed them, practicing techniques just for the sake of practicing. This book has history of the clay up to that point, and the history of the techniques it presents, and is one of my all-time favorite books.
I'll delve into each of these categories, and share some of the projects I made from the book, in the next few weeks, with links to inspiration. Now, since this is the week the kids are gone, I'm going to get all my clay stuff out all over the kitchen table!! Yay!
*He just turned 15 on Easter, so a couple interesting facts: you probably know that when Easter falls is determined by the cycle of the sun and the moon, Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox, and March 23 is the absolute earliest it could be, April 25 being the latest. Easter hasn't been on this early date since 1913, and won't be again until 2160.
/trivia lesson
3/21/08
Poly Clay
Here's a bunch of beads and things I made with polymer clay several years ago. These are examples of different techniques I tried, some from books, some my own designs, some pretty good, some not successful at all, but that's what practicing is about.
Next week, kids gone for Spring Break, I will be delving a bit into the old poly clay stuff. Funny, I worked so much at it for so long, and now haven't for so long. I have to figure out where I was, go back and pick it up, and see where to move on to.
Part of my process, I'm realizing, I becoming ok with the time lapse. There were many reasons this, my favorite art form took a back seat, some reasons I will have to work through. So I guess the poly clay is a bit of therapy for me as well.
Art Therapy 101.
Next week, kids gone for Spring Break, I will be delving a bit into the old poly clay stuff. Funny, I worked so much at it for so long, and now haven't for so long. I have to figure out where I was, go back and pick it up, and see where to move on to.
Part of my process, I'm realizing, I becoming ok with the time lapse. There were many reasons this, my favorite art form took a back seat, some reasons I will have to work through. So I guess the poly clay is a bit of therapy for me as well.
Art Therapy 101.
3/19/08
Me & My OCD
I really like to make plans, to have schedules. Sure, I can be spontaneous, but I like to be spontaneous within the boundaries of a schedule. OK, yeah, I know I'm insane.
To me it's more like Einstein always wearing the same outfit, he (supposedly) had a bunch of the same pairs of pants, the same shirts, etc, so he wouldn't have to make decisions that would take time away from his other interests. If I have my menus planned out, and then the shopping list, it saves me time at the grocery store and in the kitchen. I lay out my clothes the night before, partly so I don't wake up the night-working BFF, but also so I don't have to think about it in the morning. (And yes, I am starting to limit my clothing purchases to be a bit more Einstein-like)
So where am I going with all this? Well, at one point when the kids were younger, I had specific plans for each evening, art night, chore night, writing, game night. It was easier for me to get things organized, and they got into the routines some too. It was fairly easy when they were younger, elementary school, when their day ended long enough before 9:00, that I could actually sit down and watch a 9:00 show.
Of course, they grow, and we all change, and they have a lot more say in how to spend their evenings. But I still kinda like to have a plan. Just for me.
Art night with the kids was always Wednesday, and after they went to bed, I'd continue with my own projects. Now, with no studio space, I really feel like I have to plan the time, I can't just drop into a studio (or table) whenever I want. My planis was to reinvent Wednesday night as Art Night (and report here to keep me honest), but as I'm getting ready for bed, I realize that various errands, phone calls, and television distracted me tonight. BFF says just plan to do two hours before the end of the week, I will try that this week. And I will report here. But I really want to have a specific day where I always set aside the time.
Am I just crazy?
To me it's more like Einstein always wearing the same outfit, he (supposedly) had a bunch of the same pairs of pants, the same shirts, etc, so he wouldn't have to make decisions that would take time away from his other interests. If I have my menus planned out, and then the shopping list, it saves me time at the grocery store and in the kitchen. I lay out my clothes the night before, partly so I don't wake up the night-working BFF, but also so I don't have to think about it in the morning. (And yes, I am starting to limit my clothing purchases to be a bit more Einstein-like)
So where am I going with all this? Well, at one point when the kids were younger, I had specific plans for each evening, art night, chore night, writing, game night. It was easier for me to get things organized, and they got into the routines some too. It was fairly easy when they were younger, elementary school, when their day ended long enough before 9:00, that I could actually sit down and watch a 9:00 show.
Of course, they grow, and we all change, and they have a lot more say in how to spend their evenings. But I still kinda like to have a plan. Just for me.
Art night with the kids was always Wednesday, and after they went to bed, I'd continue with my own projects. Now, with no studio space, I really feel like I have to plan the time, I can't just drop into a studio (or table) whenever I want. My plan
Am I just crazy?
3/17/08
Happy Birthday Grandma!
My Dear Grandmother has her birthday on St. Patrick's Day, which has always been kinda fun for her. Because of her holiday birthday, she has collected various shamrock paraphernalia over the years.
I made her a lucky four-leaf clover pin with felt and bead embroidery this year. I took it to her the first week in March, so she could wear it all month. Which she has.
I made her a lucky four-leaf clover pin with felt and bead embroidery this year. I took it to her the first week in March, so she could wear it all month. Which she has.
3/9/08
Ravel, Ravel, Ravel
I'm sure that most everyone interested in knitting, crocheting, looming, felting, &/or spinning already knows about Ravelry, but I just have to add my plug, here too!
I signed up for an invitation a couple months ago, after hearing about it on a few of the creative podcasts I listen to, and got my invitation in January. Now, to be honest, I like to sign up for everything that remotely interests me, so I can get my username before anyone else gets it. I guess that's kinda geeky of me, but it still annoys me that on any/all Yahoo! application, I have to use my amended username, because someone else got mine! So I promptly went to sign up as soon as I got the invite, but I didn't really check it out much.
I finally took an actual look around a couple weeks ago, since I'd been actively hookin' for a little bit. And I am sooo hooked! The layout is awesome, there are tons of groups, it's easy to navigate, connects easily to other web things, like flickr and blogger, and is a super community. I encourage everyone to go check it out, you might find the perfect group (or twenty) for you.
And I had my first opportunity to tell someone about Ravelry in public, too. I bumped into my friend, Z, handing out pie samples yesterday, and she commented on my hat, and turns out, she's a no pattern crocheter, too! So I had to tell her about Ravelry, of course. Come join us.
BTW, on Ravelry, and most anywhere else ;p I am "seeshells".
I signed up for an invitation a couple months ago, after hearing about it on a few of the creative podcasts I listen to, and got my invitation in January. Now, to be honest, I like to sign up for everything that remotely interests me, so I can get my username before anyone else gets it. I guess that's kinda geeky of me, but it still annoys me that on any/all Yahoo! application, I have to use my amended username, because someone else got mine! So I promptly went to sign up as soon as I got the invite, but I didn't really check it out much.
I finally took an actual look around a couple weeks ago, since I'd been actively hookin' for a little bit. And I am sooo hooked! The layout is awesome, there are tons of groups, it's easy to navigate, connects easily to other web things, like flickr and blogger, and is a super community. I encourage everyone to go check it out, you might find the perfect group (or twenty) for you.
And I had my first opportunity to tell someone about Ravelry in public, too. I bumped into my friend, Z, handing out pie samples yesterday, and she commented on my hat, and turns out, she's a no pattern crocheter, too! So I had to tell her about Ravelry, of course. Come join us.
BTW, on Ravelry, and most anywhere else ;p I am "seeshells".
3/7/08
Blast from the Past
Here's an old project I had never fully shared. A few years ago, I wanted to try to make a duct tape hat, and to start it, I decided that putting a strip of tape sticky side out, around my head would be a good base. Even sticky side out, it was getting stuck in my hair a bit, and then I remembered a recent gift my kids had gotten, this alien head lamp. (the word ALIEN is cut out, backwards, in the back of the lamp, so when you turn it on, the word shines on the wall)
Turns out, the alien and I have the same sized head. Whoda thunkit?
So I was able to use the lamp to create the hat, and display the hat. This is the hat I'm wearing in my avatar photo. It's a bit too hot to wear all the time! But I wore it to work once, on hat day, when I worked at an adolescent hospital, and it was a huge hit!
On the last couple episodes of Lime & Violet, they talked about ordering a display foot to photograph socks, that reminded me about this lamp. I may have to start taking hat photos on my friend here.
Turns out, the alien and I have the same sized head. Whoda thunkit?
So I was able to use the lamp to create the hat, and display the hat. This is the hat I'm wearing in my avatar photo. It's a bit too hot to wear all the time! But I wore it to work once, on hat day, when I worked at an adolescent hospital, and it was a huge hit!
On the last couple episodes of Lime & Violet, they talked about ordering a display foot to photograph socks, that reminded me about this lamp. I may have to start taking hat photos on my friend here.
3/5/08
Fibonacci Date
So I actually enjoy math. (I guess that's good considering that my secret identity is an accountant) I'm not huge on all the advanced stuff, but I love all the cool tricks, and how there is math in everything.
I especially love the Fibonacci series, which appears so often in nature, and in art.
Today's date is actually all part of the series, 3-5-8, how cool is that??
I especially love the Fibonacci series, which appears so often in nature, and in art.
Today's date is actually all part of the series, 3-5-8, how cool is that??
3/2/08
No LYS Luck
I didn't manage to make it to the LYS before it closed yesterday. Waaa. I had a sneaking suspicion that it closed strangely early, like 4:00, the whole little mall-thing that it is in closes early. I was right, unfortunately, and after picking up Rawk Star from doing tech for the play, I got to the window of the LYS about 10 minutes too late. There were people still inside, but the door was closed, and I wouldn't be a quick purchaser, not having any clue what to look for, so that will be my project for next Saturday.
I did hit the Hobby Lobby though, and had some fun there. I touched lots of yarns, looked at lots of different hooks. I discovered that some completely non-natural fibers do feel a lot like cotton, I've already found a preference for the cotton feel, and I noticed on the hooks, that some just looked stupid. There were some big chunky plastic hooks that looked like they would catch on every stitch. The glass ones were intriguing, though, that may be something to put on a wish list at some point.
Since I missed out on the LYS, I had decided to just get some more Sugan'n Cream cotton to practice more dishcloths. There was also a sale on some Yarn Bee yarns, and I couldn't resist a $4 discount, and got two matching skeins that I have no idea what I will do with. Uh, oh, The Stash has started!
I also got some kato polyclay, because even though I'm completely obsessed with the new hooking hobby, my art goal is to work with poly clay again. I've never tried the kato brand, so I wanted to try it out.
More on clay another time, I need to upload photos!!
I did hit the Hobby Lobby though, and had some fun there. I touched lots of yarns, looked at lots of different hooks. I discovered that some completely non-natural fibers do feel a lot like cotton, I've already found a preference for the cotton feel, and I noticed on the hooks, that some just looked stupid. There were some big chunky plastic hooks that looked like they would catch on every stitch. The glass ones were intriguing, though, that may be something to put on a wish list at some point.
Since I missed out on the LYS, I had decided to just get some more Sugan'n Cream cotton to practice more dishcloths. There was also a sale on some Yarn Bee yarns, and I couldn't resist a $4 discount, and got two matching skeins that I have no idea what I will do with. Uh, oh, The Stash has started!
I also got some kato polyclay, because even though I'm completely obsessed with the new hooking hobby, my art goal is to work with poly clay again. I've never tried the kato brand, so I wanted to try it out.
More on clay another time, I need to upload photos!!
3/1/08
I'm Off!
The BFF's (that's Boy Friend Forever) son has spring break this week, and is visiting, Yay. But, if you're keeping score at home, that makes my house 4 to 1 on the gender ratio, so I think I need a little girly time to balance out all that testosterone! So while BFF and son are out now picking up more video games, I'm goign to go check out the LYS for the first time as a crocheter (I've been in there a few times in the past, as they used to carry delica beads, but I really didn't look at the yarn).
I warned the BFF that now that I'm a hooker, I'm gonna have to actually start spending a little money on yarn. He fake gasped. I'm sure I will spend less on yarn than he does on comics, so s'all good.
I warned the BFF that now that I'm a hooker, I'm gonna have to actually start spending a little money on yarn. He fake gasped. I'm sure I will spend less on yarn than he does on comics, so s'all good.
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