UFOs: Poly Clay Canes

We all have UFOs, UnFinished Objects, projects half finished laying around. (Well, I'm presuming we all do, maybe some of you are more disciplined than I) Sometimes we lose interest in what we're working on, or other times, something more urgent needs to be finished. Usually, I don't mind having UFOs, as long as I can figure out what I was doing when I pick it back up again. (yea, that's happened, I've found something half finished that I had no idea what it was supposed to be. now, I'm leaving myself notes.) A UFO can be a nice surprise sometimes, finding something that only needs a bit of work to be finished and beautiful!
But a UFO that is made with polymer clay can be a different story.
This photo shows five canes that I worked on at different times. Left to right: a wing with translucent bits, the few that I did slice up and bake looked great, but this old cane looks cracked now; a colorful geometric cane that I have never even cut into; a huge pink and orange cane, inspired by/made for a doll collection that I don't collect anymore, also never been cut; a sun cane, the pieces were intended to be surrounded by beaded sun rays, but I didn't ever figure out the best way to make the rays, only a few slices taken out; and a Christmas colored cane, this one is the most used of these five, it has made a few barrettes.
I've seen artists make huge canes, that they couldn't use all at once, and of course, canes are for sale as canes. But I'm not sure how people get them/keep them soft enough to use again. I feel like I'm looking at a trash heap, a beautiful trash heap, but still not really usable. Well, I won't throw them away, hoping I'll figure out the best way to reuse them!!

Needles!!

I put a thin magnet in the bottom, to hold the needles in place. The magnet probably came off the back of a free calendar or advertisement, meant to be stuck to your fridge. There was a bit of adhesive left, but since I was putting it into a metal tin, it didn't matter if it stuck through adhesive or magnatism. ;p
The magnet holds the needles in place and you can arrange them by height or use and they will stay how you arranged them.
One tip I learned: I put the opening of the sliding tin so that the eyes of the needles are at the top, easier to get them out, not so many pointy sharpnesses when I reach in.

Idea...

I collect tins, especially candy/mint tins and lunch box tins, and I don't just collect them, I use them. Most of my tins have supplies or a project inside. This tiny tin was full of tiny mints in a con package a while back. I anticipated some great project would come out of this.

 

I covered the top (and bottom, but that didn't stick) with polymer clay to cover the advertising and to make it my own. This poly clay is the cane I made back in November, smooshed together and run through the pasta machine.
So what would I put in something so small??
Now I realize that I should have put something in the pictures for reference. Again, silly me.
It's about two inches long, and about one inch wide, and just under 1/2 inch tall, by my guessing without it close to me at this moment.
So with those measurements, what project or supply could I possibly put into this tiny tin??

Finally Fotos (or Phinally Photos?)

Yes, I have been becoming more creative this fall.
Habits changing.
On my breaks at work, I've been working with felt more. Pins, barrettes, puppets, sculptures, and sleep masks. Lots of sleep masks. I have some fun designs already in progress, and even more still in my head, and I am working toward stockpiling a bunch for my (future) etsy store.
The two shown were both finished a couple weeks ago for gifts.
In my not-on-my-breaks-at-work art/craft time, I have started the habit of Studio Time on Friday evenings. Last night was the fifth week in a row I sat down for at least 1 & 1/2 hours to work on poly clay. Organizing my art supply closet a while back was the best thing to get my Studio Time going. I have a dedicated shelf area for all my poly clay paraphernalia and the three totes and one milk crate fit perfectly into the area. So on Friday evening, I can pull everything out, and subsequently clean it all back up, very very easily. Making it easy is important for me since I don't have a 'craft room' right now.
I had already bought the blues for a specific idea, so that was what I've been working on. I just mixed a few different shades of blues and whites, and decided to just go with a polka dot pattern. I love caning with poly clay, but since it's been a while since I've been seriously working with it, I decided to kinda start slow, re-learn some of the basics. The evening that all I did was condition the clay and mix maybe one color was so therapeutic!
Shown are several slices of the long cane I ended up with, before they got more manipulated into something else. I have three finished things so far, and lots more of the cane to use.
And my epiphany of late: I love working with felt for the same reason I love working with poly clay: COLOR!

Butt in Chair

I got my hands into some clay last night, for the first time in I don't even want to think how long. Of the myriad issues/excuses that have kept me from my clay, one has been space, and that has been a big one. Over the last few months, I have been working on the remedy, or at least band-aid, and have completely re-organized the cupboards by the kitchen table that were never really used for kitchen things anyway. The theory behind the clean up was to make it easy to get out the clay even for short periods of time. Because, time, as we all know, is the other major culprit to not getting to the creative things. So if these cupboards are well enough organized, I should be able to grab everything out and work even for 1/2 hour, and easily put things back. Last night, I finally tested that theory.
There was a new episode of CSI on, and I had the various things I 'needed' to get done, done. So I decided to commit the hour the show was on to the clay. It stretched to about an hour and a half, all told, but it was still very easy to pull out and put away. One tub for the current work. I wouldn't really need to get out any others when I'm very pressed for time.
And it felt soooooo good to get into the clay, there aren't enough O's in the world to convey. Even though the new brand I bought ended up being a bit stinky. Whew! But doing it nonetheless. I do think the "Creativity Today" helped kick me in the butt, when I had to, so many days, write the same "crocheted on breaks at work" crap.
I've had a few ideas of clay pieces to work on, but they are still in the idea phase. What I started on is an idea I had a couple months ago, and had actually bought a couple packs of fresh clay in the colors I needed, and some small barrette backs. I guess this is the organization of ideas, the newer ideas need to ferment inside the brain a bit more before buying or arranging supplies, the idea that is fully fermented can come out my fingers now. I like that.

Poly Clay: Sculpture - Making Push Molds

Funny, I'm really enjoying these posts on polymer clay, sharing 'all my knowledge' (with tongue firmly planted in cheek saying that), and doing research to find more info. But it seems that every time I hit post, I start thinking of more stuff. Either second guessing myself that I completely left something out, or usually, just more, more, more! stuff I can add.
On that note:
A little more on making your own push molds.
Making a mold from more poly clay, is very easy, and you don't have to purchase anything extra, but it won't be nearly as flexible as the silicone kind. You will definitely need to put some sort of talc or powder in the mold because the clay will want to stick to itself. The firm clays hold the shape well, but you could even leave the object you are making the mold from in the clay when you bake the poly clay mold IF it will withstand the oven temperature.
Using the silicone two-part medium to make a mold will make your mold much more flexible, but there is a tricky time frame involved. You mix the two substances together, and within a few minutes (I think it depends on the brand, but about 10) it will start to harden, so you have to be on top of things when you get ready to mix.
Either way you do it, you can make a mold from anything, ANYTHING. Buttons, pendants, silverware patterns, leaves, toys, stuff from gum ball machines, game pieces, sticks, other crafts, cloth, anything you find laying around.
Again, if you make a mold from something that was originally designed by someone else, there is the tricky matter of can you sell it as your own.

Poly Clay: Sculpture - Push Molds & Rubber Stamps

Categorizing all the different ways to use poly clay, I had thought to put push molds and rubber stamping the clay into the 'everything else' category, but in my research on sculpture, I decided they could kinda go in this category as well.
A push mold is a mold that has been made from a sculpted object, usually in a bas relief. Poly clay (or other mold-able material) is put into the mold to take the shape of what was molded. After molding, the resulting piece can be used in numerous ways, the face of a doll, on a pin or pendant, as one part of a larger piece, or just the molded piece itself.
We can buy molds, from simple molds, to incredibly intricate molds, to even a whole fairy mold. Or we can make our own molds, usually with a silicone molding material, or even with more poly clay.
There are many FAQ's and tutorials available on the interwebs that can get you started. Push molds can be a great way to make a sculptured piece, especially for a beginner or someone who doesn't care for sculpting by hand.
Rubber stamping on clay makes patterns or textures on the clay, which is a simple way to make intricate looking medallions or other jewelry. There are many places to get rubber stamps, some are more specific to texturing clay, but any and all rubber stamps work. And again, we can make the stamps ourselves, from carving (here's a couple tutorials: One and Two) or having your own art work made into a stamp. When looking for or making stamps, remember to think a little differently than if you wanted the stamps for stamping on paper, the stamping surface will push into the clay, so remember to use that to your advantage.
Both of these methods create a wonderful textured and 3D effect, and have many possibilities, the only drawback that I see, is that if you use a purchased push mold or rubbger stamp, it is not your own handiwork. That's perfectly fine, and a good choice for a lot of people, but if you are wanting to sell what you are making, you'll need to look into the legality of selling something made with someone else's molds or stamps. I learned that there are Angel Companies out there who allow you to use their push molds and/or rubber stamps to make things you are going to sell, so that could be a good option.
I have always wondered how other techniques, especially millefiori and mokume-gane would work put into a push mold or rubber stamped. I haven't seen others doing it, so I may have to try that myself!

Poly Clay: Sculpture

I would say sculpture is sculpture, no matter the medium, and there are two basic ways (or, of course, a combination of the two) to achieve the sculpted form: taking away from, and adding to.
Sculpture by taking away from, or carving, can be boiled down to a joke (or artistic legend) that I've heard once or a million times. To carve a sculpture of a horse (or whatever), take your stone (or wood, or polymer clay chunk, or soap, or concrete, or candle wax), and carve away all the parts that do not look like a horse. ;p Wish it were all just that simple.
Sculpture by adding to is building that horse with lots of smaller pieces. Again, because the coolness of this medium is the color IN the clay, sculpture by adding to is most popular.
I haven't actually seen a lot of carving of poly clay, not at least in a traditional 3D sculpture, but more in carving stamps, and
other flatter pieces.
Using the color in the clay, building up a sculpture can be extremely beautiful. Artists can use different colors for every different detail, however tiny, or use fleshy colors to make gorgeous figures.
One of my greatest inspirations in this category, happens to also be my first cousin. Alicia has made some of the most fantastic dolls, several in the theme of her favorite musical, Phantom of the Opera. I also really love her almost unsettlingly beautiful Bird Doll, which was, I believe the predecessor to her line of Parrot Jewelry.
After all that inspiration, if you need any more of a push to get your fingers into the clay, here is a great Puppy Tutorial and a Mummy Video Tutorial.

Poly Clay: More Thinking

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.

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.

• 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

Poly Clay

Poly Clay
Originally uploaded by seeshells.

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.

Currently

As I mentioned I was particularly inspired by a particular podcast last week. On one of he podcasts I always listen to, Craft Cast I noticed that host Alison Lee was going to interview Kathleen Dustin.
OMG! I thought, KATHLEEN DUSTIN!! Let me mention that in a previous part of my life, the label of choice I allowed myself to be pinned to was not "Crafter", and not just "Artist", but "Polymer Clay Artist". Kathleen was one of the first well-known poly clay artists, and is still doing ground-breaking work.
The interview was wonderful. Alison is so inspiring as an interviewer and artist herself, I really love all her interviews. I know I gush about creative podcasts, but really, if you want to be inspired, listen!
I don't know how, why, or when I stopped thinking of myself as a "Polymer Clay Artist", I think it was just RL (real life) getting in the way. But this podcast flipped a switch in my brain.
Kathleen was explaining the draw of poly clay to Alison, and she said (and this is a HUGE paraphrase on my part) "...polymer clay is the only medium where there is no tool between your fingers and the color, you get to touch it directly..."
Yeah.
I forgot about that part. I want to play with my clay again. So last night, I brought up the big plastic tub with all my clay supplies.
The next two years are clay.

Awesome Clay Artist

I tried to post the YouTube videos, but for some reason they didn't show up. Here's the link to his page with the videos. This guy is using poly clay differently than I've ever seen.
He makes figures, but they're not rigid, he makes each body part seperate, and hollow, and strings them together with elastic, so they can move. I want to try that!