“Slow” Snail Will Do…

Thank you to all of you that  have sent images of their latest color inspired polymer clay work- it has been exciting to preview the images that have been submitted so far.  

In the past couple of hours I have received numerous inquiries about the call for entries for our (Maggie Maggio and Lindly Haunani) upcoming book Color Inspirations for Polymer Clay Artists. The posted deadline for submissions is November 1st,2007. I am leaving for a week of teaching color workshops and have put my mail on hold. I will send out emails confirming receipt of entries within the next few weeks. So, if your photographer didn’t pan out, you just heard about this opportunity, your computer crashed, you are having trouble learning how to re-size files and/or make disc copies…

Relax - send your images  for consideration as soon as you can- SLOW, CHEAPEST MAIL SERVICE- instead of an expensive expedited mail service (donate the difference to your favorite charity or enjoy a moment at a local coffee house).

Know When To Fold ‘em…

Overheard at a recent polymer clay event as a piece exited the oven…

” Geez, I guess if I could use three different grits of sandpaper to smooth the right hand edge. And I think I could sand down the edge of the transparent a bit more, so the image underneath shows up better and then recoat  with liquid polymer clay. I also think I may have some of the orange clay left over and could carve out a channel and back-fill the large air-bubble in the center…and then maybe if I added an outline to the center piece it would stand out more…”

OR - make another one, in less time it would take to make the repairs, based on the experiences learned in making the first one.

Know When to Hold ‘em…

Do you begin preheating your oven before you even finished your polymer clay sculpture,  set of beads or series of brooches? Granted sometimes you need a piece “yesterday’. But, if you have the time, don’t rush to bake your creations.

One of the most useful pieces of advice that I gleaned from “Using Fimo”  (David Edwards -self published 1988) is to wait before baking. Set your pieces aside, wait a couple of hours or overnight and then examine the pieces with fresh eyes.

• Are there any glaring fingerprints , air bubbles, nicks or dings in your piece?
• Is there anything you could add or delete that would make you piece more interesting?
• Carefully examine any bead holes, pin back attachments and all sides of your piece-do you need to make repairs?

Arrowmont in the Spring

On line registration is now open for the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts spring session. I will be teaching a week long workshop = Textile Inspirations in Polymer Clay, April 6-12Th, 2008.

 

 

Slice ‘em Thick

There are times when you will not want to make your cane slices ultra thin…

• As a decorative element that adds dimension to your composition
• When cutting beads from cane slices
• and when you are making buttons

In these cases you will need to alter your cutting strategy

• Using a bead marking tool or a ruler mark the top off your cane with a blade to indicate the thickness you want
• STAND UP this will engage your binocular vision and allow you to see “down” the cane to cut straight
• Using the forward drawing motion cut into your cane @ 1/4″
• Switch to two hands on the blade and continue slicing will pulling outwards on both sides of the blade

As with making slices thin, practice on a “blank” piece of clay first.

Slice “em Thin

I am often asked how do you make your cane slices so thin? Cutting thicker even slices is often harder (see slices in photo). There are four factors to keep in mind when attempting to cut ultra-thin slices from polymer clay canes and one guiding principle.

• REST allowing your canes to rest overnight or for a couple of days after reduction will make them easier to handle
• SURFACE have something underneath the cane that you are willing to cut into, perhaps a piece of paper, if you are struggling not to mar your cutting mat there is a tendency to pull up before the cut is completed
• HANDLE if your cane is short or irregularly shaped, make a handle out of scrap clay and hold onto to that rather than heating up or distorting your cane
• ANGLE make sure you are cutting at a comfortable angle- I like to hold both the blade and the clay at a 45 degree angle on my work-surface- this way I can see the cut with both eyes and can keep my wrist straight and relaxed

The guiding principle = PRACTICE

Keep ‘em Sharp

To me one of life’s little luxuries- right up there with a hot bubble bath or a one hour massage is a totally sharp tissue blade. Just how long your blade stays really sharp will depend on a few things

• don’t cut directly onto a glass or marble work-surface, use a slip sheet of bond paper, index card or deli-wrap instead
• when trimming clay against metal = bead mandrels or metal rulers use a utility knife instead
• store your blade when not in use in a plastic box sleeve or a polymer clay blade case
• try to avoid dropping it onto hard surfaces, as a burr at the end of the blade makes for “dull” cutting
• the acidity in some people’s natural skin oils can cause the blade to tarnish and drag

If your blade becomes dull, burred or tarnished you can…

Chinese Lantern Flowers

I always loved these flowers, they remind me of exquisite hand dyed paper…I just happened to lay a sprig on my desk next to this Rainbow Skinner blend.The blend is  Premo

• Red Brilliant
• Zinc Yellow
• Cobalt Blue

It will be interesting to see if the flowers retain their brilliant colors as they dry.

Custom Curves…

One of the most fabulous things about a tissue blade is that they can be curved when cutting to make lovely shapes. If you have a need in your work to replicate the same curve over and over OR a need to cut some really tight curves the blade can be customized. The blade pictured here was heated with a butane torch until red hot, bent and then allowed to cool.

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Ripple Blade

Marie Segal introduced me to this specialized blade designed to cut vegetables, while she was demonstrating how to make “wavy-gravy” mokume by cutting lengthwise down a jelly roll cane. It was definitely one of those WOW! moments in polymer clay history. Always an innovator and pioneer , Marie’s version of abalone shell. (as pictured here) is one of the most spectacular uses of this blade.

Most often I use the blade to cut rick -rack for onlay work. But, if you have a cane that you are not exactly thrilled with…cut across the grain and prepare to be amazed.