The The Genesis Issue!

Transcription

The
The Magazine for
Professional and Aspiring Polymer Clay Artists
Fall 2011
Learn
Controlled
Cracking
Practice
Choosing Color
by Contrast
Consider
Transitioning
Into Wholesale
Play with
Emulating Metalwork
Fueled by Passion
The History of Polymer Clay
by Barbara McGuire
DIGITAL COPY--Not for distribution or resale.
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if you would like to purchase an issue or a subscription.
The
Genesis Issue!
Meet your Editor; Learn about
Inspiration Challenges, Video Workshops & how to submit ideas to us.
www.thepolymerarts.com
1
Contents
Departments
||
Editor’s Corner --6
Reader’s Round Robin --8
Features
10-- Feature: Fueled by Passion
by Barbara
McGuire
15-- Controlled Cracking
18-- Emulating Metalwork
20-- Choosing Color by Contrast
23-- Artist Profile:
Gwen Pina of G.P. Originals
27-- What’s in a Dream?
Ember Shards Pendant
by Sage Bray
Review of the D.R.E.A.M. machine
29-- Sculptural Necessities-Colour & Clay Shapers
31-- Transitioning Into Wholesale
35-- Creating a Marketing Muse
--Kristin Glenn & Sage Bray
36-- Mentor’s Gallery
You Jest
--Christine
K. Harris
by Gwen Pina
38-- Mentor’s Gallery
--Janet Pitcher
40-- Emerging Artist Gallery
--Jill Kollmann
--Els Van Haasen
Purple Blossom
by Els Van Haasen
--Erin Metcalf
The Inspiration Challenge --47
Video Workshop --47
Contributor’s Guide --48
Resources --49
Muse’s Corner--50
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The Polymer Arts Fall 2011
Fall 2011 Volume 1 Issue 1
________________________
Sage Bray Publisher Director/Editor in Chief
Scott Palmer Advertising Coordinator/Editorial Assistant
CJ Kosovich Staff Photographer/ Technical Consultant
Ciara Bennett Administrative Assistant
Jeremy Young Proofreader/ Editorial Assistant
Angela Anderson Resource Coordinator
Alyx Webb PR & Networking Consultant
Daelin Lunaeri/Gryphon Solutions, Inc. Website/Graphics
________________________
The Legal and blah, blah, blah ...
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5
From the Editor’s Worktable
A Passion & Purpose
for The Polymer Arts
First things first ... I want to sincerely
thank all of you for supporting this project
and for being so patient with me. It’s been
my goal to make this an experience,
something truly unique, that would inspire, motivate, challenge and connect us as artists. It has taken longer than I
hoped to try and get it right but I hope you find the wait
worth it and help me continue to grow this magazine and
our community.
I would do this. I had always had it in the back of my mind,
but it wasn’t until a lengthy forum discussion with fellow artists in which they truly lamented the absence of a
higher grade periodical for our medium that I absolutely
knew this needed to be done.
About Sage, the Editor
Although I don’t consider myself an overly talented polymer artist (yet!), I do have a unique set of talents including 25 years of writing, graphics, layout, publishing, and
training/coaching experience. I’m also one of those weird
artistic types that also has a mind for business, having
started five fully independent companies, one of which I
sold while the others transformed and eventually became
Tenth Muse, the full spectrum creative services company
under which I now publish this, the first magazine for the
serious polymer clay artist.
I was 9 when I decided I wanted to be a writer. It wasn’t
until the age of 18 that a professor convinced me to pursue art. At 19, I started an art and literary magazine with a
friend and from that point on, art, writing and publishing
inundated my life. But it wasn’t until I was 39 that I found
my true obsession in polymer clay and rearranged my
life so that writing and making polymer art became my
fulltime career.
To start a magazine about the art medium that I adore
was so natural a choice; I can’t even recall when I decided
A Different Magazine Concept
Dragonscape Choker: One of my early pieces--faux enamel and my first foray into what
would become a fixation with tiny tendrils of clay.
6
There’s already been some fuss about some
of my choices but I am not one to do things
simply because that’s the way it’s always
been done. “No product tutorials! How
could you?” Yep, I am taking chances not
including those but from my experience,
product tutorials set you up for only minimal growth. Technique lessons force you to
make artistic choices about the end product
and with the Inspiration Challenges (see
pg. 47) and Video Workshops (see pg. 47),
you will have the motivation and support
to help expand and hone your skills more
quickly and with far greater depth than
through a project tutorial.
I’ve also omitted a Letters to the Editor section (yes, I’m still heartened by all the kind
words and am certainly not discouraging
them!) because the pats on the back we get
From the Editor’s Worktable
The Editor as Artist
I’d been making jewelry and assembling oddities as art
for most of my life with no particular direction until a
friend of mine practically forced this colored clay into my
hands. But that was all the forcing that was needed. I was
mesmerized by all its possibilities and soon it took up all
my free time. Four months later I enter work in my first
art show and a few weeks later was accepted into a huge
juried show in Atlanta where I sold everything I brought.
Talk about getting hooked!
Cover piece--Victorian Scroll Pendant: Recent work using an alcohol weathering technique, alcohol inks and filigree detailing.
here is not what you want to hear about. You want to hear
what other artists are thinking and doing, right? Art work
is a very isolated endeavor and the more community and
exchange we have, the more we can learn about each
other, affirming our own thoughts and experiences
and making our time in the studio more enjoyable be-
cause we know there are others out there going through
the same things.
The Work Yet to be Done
I am not at all deluded about the work still ahead for this
magazine to be what it needs to be. As much as I’d like
to believe I got it right the first time, I know there will be
plenty to improve, change, lose, add, etc. What I hope
though, is that you, the reader will see value
enough in what we have here that you will
write and let me know your thoughts or drop
in and post on Facebook, or discuss this in
your guilds, on your forums or in your chat
groups and those discussion will get back to
me so I can improve this and make it what you
need and want.
Eight months after my first clay play, I had quit my job,
continuing to work as a freelance writer as little as I had to
so I could dedicate my energy to learning polymer. A year
into it, though, I became very ill and didn’t work for nearly
a year. The worst part of it was finding out it was due to
chemical reactions to the plasticizers in the clay. Thankfully, this also coincided with the reformulation of polymer
clays, which removed the pthalates that had made me so
sick. Once the new stock was on the shelf, I was back at it,
gloved and masked and with a venilation system this time!
Ispirations for what I make comes primarily from textures.
The aged look of fabrics, leather, bark, bone, metals,
stone, ... anything that shows the passing of time, including the invasion of vegetation on buildings which is why
there’s all the tendrils! Whenever I see a texture, the first
thing that comes to mind is, how can I make that in polymer. It’s even a kind of joke in my family, a comment made
when they catch me staring at something--”You’re wondering if you can do that with polymer.” Yes, yes I am.
So, as you go through the magazine, consider
what you like, what you feel you could have
done without, what could be changed, and
what seems to be missing. And let me know.
We are creating this for you and we plan to
continually change and grow. Very much like
our favorite medium!
Thank you all again for your support, your
ideas, and your patience!
--Sage Bray
Publishing Director, Editor-in-Chief
Guardian Neck Corset: Everything is an art material and there are ways to add polymer to it all, even copper flashing and antique fabric.
7
Reader’s Round Robin
You
What would
like to see in a new
agazine for and about
M
Polymer Clay?
Reader’s Letters, Letters to the Editor, Reader’s Forum ...
these are the pages in many magazines where your letters
and comments get posted. I do read them myself because
I like to hear what other people think! But how about this-let’s pose a question, not about how the magazine is doing
(I’m thinking that’s what Facebook is for, where a real back
and forth discussion can happen--btw, join us there at ‘The
Polymer Arts’ page) but about what is important to you, the
reader’s, artists, enthusiasts, teachers, retailers, etc.
This issue, I’m posting the various comments I received
when I posed the question, “What would you like to see in a
new magazine for and about polymer clay?” on forums and
Facebook. This is actually where the seed of the concept that
is this magazine started!
Go to the end of this section to see what we’ll talk about
next and how to join the conversation (and maybe see your
name in print!)
©iStockphoto.com/messenjah
I want to see more quality. More about how serious of an art form it is.
Less how great of a hobby it is. Maybe issues based on themes that show
different artists working in the same vein, for example abstract and geometric jewelry, colorful vessels, whimsical sculpture, etc. etc. Can you tell
I’m excited? --Berit Hines, ClayCenter
I would like to see emphasis placed on workmanship, craftsmanship,
finishing, form and structure, mixed media (but not just a bunch of stuff
pressed into clay). I think there is room to go beyond the “neat tricks”
that can be done with clay. While the “tricks” we know and love are what
draws us to it, I think there is a place for going beyond “how to” step-bysteps. --Jill Kollmann, Jkay Jewelry, www.jkollmann.etsy.com
I would love to see a magazine that is a rich, beautiful, inspirational journal focusing on the best in the medium. We have all (well, at least I have)
had a surfeit of poor worksmanship and design in polymer. We really need
to honor those who continue to develop it as an art! It would serve as an
inspiration to so many! I look to the magazines that I purchase for just
that: inspiration. --Laurel Steven, http://laurelsteven.blogspot.com/
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Reader’s Round Robin
You know what I think of when I hear the proposed ideas for this magazine? S-t-r-e-t-c-h!! It all sounds like it’s going to shake me up a bit, make
me aware of the ways my work falls short, how I can improve, what I
should be looking for. And, I also think, “How soon will we start getting it?
--Cindy Matthews, Arrowdale Art Studio
This might be nice for a one time article. Advice on organizing your studio
space. Heaven knows I could use some advice in this area. --Christa
McKibben, Tippy Top Creations, www.tippytop.net
I’m afraid I’m in the minority of what I was hoping for. Although I welcome articles geared towards the professional, I also like projects and
techniques, as they fire up my thoughts, ideas, and enthusiasm.
--Sue Castle, www.chasinrainbows2.com
I hope to learn more about how polymer clay can be used in mixed media
projects. Like ideas how to combine polymer clay with resin, metal clay,
glass, wire, metal, photographs, etc. I’d also like to hear new ideas about
surface treatments. --Lori Mendenhall, www.lorimendenhall.com
I’ve been teaching pc for several years and sometimes my ideas are not
there. I look forward to new techniques & ideas. And I’m with Christa, my
studio is a disaster. Organizational ideas would be great. --Pam Miller,
Pam Miller Designs, www.pam-paints.com
Quality would be #1 on my list, both in terms of physical look/feel and
content. Seriousness would be #2 - not as in stodgy, but as in taking ourselves and medium seriously. A Gallery, that represents polymer trends in
a more timely manner than books. I would like some how-tos, but please
assume I know how to make a Skinner Blend and cure polymer. Show me
some new, radical, cutting-edge stuff. Short interviews with either “the
greats” or the up-and-coming as to their thought processes, inspirations,
etc. --Susan O’Neill, 11 Bold Street, http://11BOLDstreet.com
JOIN THE CONVERSATION!
Next issue’s theme is Education and Instruction so ...
Tell us about your greatest teacher, that one person that made you the artist, entreprenuer, or creative spirit
you are today.
Send your Reader’s Round Robin notes to [email protected], put Reader’s Round Robin in
the subject and be sure to include your full name and a website so we can see what that teacher inspried you
to do. (Pictures are also welcome but please do read the submission guidelines on pg. 48 concerning requirements for submitted photos.)
9
Fueled by Passion
The History of Polymer Clay-Where it started, how it evolved
& the people that made it happen
The history of polymer is not about
technology, or even invention. The
history of polymer is about people,
people with an expression, a
directive, and a vision ...
These people are from different walks of life, embrace different perspectives of creativity and art, and pursue different purposes and goals, but the passion has grabbed
on to each and every person with the same intensity and
fulfillment.
In response to a recent exhibit opening entitled “Polymer
from the Beginning”, a highly influential polymer artist
asked me, “How can Polymer, from the Beginning, not include me?” Well the fact is, it can’t. It includes everybody as
By
Barbara McGuire
Moving a warehouse of Fimo, Ralph
Schaup and son
Bryan, with marketing director Barbara
McGuire and office
manager, Sean in the
early 90s.
part of a total movement to recognize the medium as an
art. Whether it was by way of appreciation, execution, audience, support, distribution, or development, the movement
gained momentum. The history of polymer clay is about
each individual artistic contribution concerning quality of
work, expression and skill that enables polymer clay to be
accredited as an art form.
But how did it start? Well, by a quirk. Essentially it was an
accident waiting to happen or perhaps a need waiting to
be fulfilled. Polymer was originally a plastic modeling material developed by Kaethe
Kruse in the 1950’s intended for dolls. But
her daughter Sophie ‘Fifi’ found the modeling material was well suited for mosaics and
miniatures, and began marketing the clay
as ‘Fifi Mosaik’. Eberhard Faber in Germany
acquired the rights in 1966, redeveloped
the material and renamed it FIMO. The
modeling material was first sold as a toy,
and it was through this European exposure
that artists such as Tory Hughes and Pier
Voulkos were first acquainted with polymer.
As energies drift and settle, it is not surprising that more than one group stumbled
across the same idea at approximately the
same time. In the late 50’s American Zenith
Products Company, an industrial manufacturer, was developing a new material intended for insulating transformers but it
never really worked. Reportedly the owner’s
daughter was in the office playing around
with a lump of the material and sculpted an
Artists and manufacturers have each endeavored to share resources on the creation of
elephant.
The material was eventually prooptimum color. Illustrated here, the potential variations of polymer’s color is studied by
duced
and
sold as a white modeling meparticipants of a 1998 color swap led by Carol Simmons.
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Fueled by Passion
Pre-Skinner Blend
Brooches by Ford
& Forlano (City Zen
Cane) give an insight
to how color values
were utilized to create
dimensional effects.
Ford and Forlano were
pioneers of excellent
artistry utilizing the
crisp graphics attainable in polymer.*
dium called Original Sculpey. When Emanuel Solos gained
ownership of the company producing Original Sculpey, a
company now known as Polyform, his wife Pat took a keen
interest in the polymer clay. She was instrumental in pushing for the expanded development of the material into Super Scupley, Sculpey 3, Promat, and Premo.
Together they expanded development of the material into
Super Scupley, Sculpey 3, and Promat, and when their son
chuck took over in 1992, Premo was developed.
While these two name brands, Fimo and Sculpey would become the trademarks of polymer, they were not the only
formulations on the market. Indeed as time came to pass,
there were other polymers developed in other countries
that fed fuel to the fire, creating a global familiarity with
Polymer. These brands including Gemcolor, Cryalatherm,
Cernit (which is still available), Duk-it, Friendly Clay, LIMMO,
Formello, Modello and a host of polymers developed in
China never made the main stream marketing in America.
Although commercial distribution catered to children and
largely still does, artistic demand for a professional medium continued to grow so that eventually a number of new
clays were formulated with the medium’s artists in mind
including Kato PolyClay developed in the US in 2001 and
Pardo Jewelry Clay developed in Germany but a handful of
years ago.
However, it was the distribution efforts that made the
clay so accessible. Eberhard Faber, a German based pencil
company, already having a broad, centuries old market for
their pencils and erasers, were wise enough to recognize
that FIMO had serious craft applications. Faber brought
on Ralph Schaup to distribute the clay to America. Ralph,
originally from Germany, wanted to bring the product to
the US spurred by his wife’s love of the modeling material.
He drove up and down the California coast, with the clay
sometimes baking in his hot car as he peddled it to toy
stores. Ralph’s efforts became the distribution outlet, Accent Import which in turn became the main supplier of Marie and Howard Segal’s Clay Factory through which Marie
dispersed as much information as possible on the wonderful medium. Eberhard Faber made several ‘how to’ books
with suggestions for modeling and eventually produced
one that included fashion applications, with contributions
by Marie Segal, as a response to women in the craft market engaged in painting silk. It became quite the rage to
make little modeled scenes in pin casings for wearing on
scarves and jackets. Soon enough, artists began interacting
with companies to guide ‘how to’ polymer clay publications
away from toys and towards fashion.
Eventually, Faber decided that they needed additional distribution in the US craft market, not just the toy market.
It enlisted Dee’s Delights, a company in the Midwest that
focused on miniatures, to distribute the modeling material
to people making little foods and furniture for doll houses.
Dee’s Delights was savvy enough to recognize the distribution would go further if it were carried by a company like
Amaco who specialized in pottery supplies. Since FIMO was
a modeling material, Amaco saw it as a natural addition to
their product line and began the advertising necessary for
FIMO to become the brand name affiliated with polymer
clay. Maureen Carlson, a storyteller from the Renaissance
festivals, was enlisted by Amaco to represent what the
product could do in her wonderful figurines and delightful
sculpting. Maureen encouraged many artisans and craftsmen, including the doll audiences, to educate the public
and store owners about the use of polymer clay. Hence
dedicated polymer clay communities grew with this committed distribution in place.
However, the communities that grew out of the distribution
efforts were not the only polymer communities developing at the time. The community attributed with polymer’s
artistic accreditation began in Washington D.C., with several artists meeting through an art studio center called the
Torpedo factory. From there the clay literally moved across
the country because of an exposure to a variety of creative
people who recognized the dynamic potential of the me-
Internet ‘Swaps’ enabled artists to study and enjoy samples of theme
driven techniques. These samples over a period of time illustrates the
constant evolution an artist develops with increasing skills.
11
Fueled by Passion ...
dium. In the hands of a few expert artists, utilizing their
knowledge of artistic theory and existing mediums they
were able to apply known techniques to polymer, developing highly expressive and captivating work that would
continue to capture the imagination of other creatives exposed to it.
It was a risk, however, to choose the unestablished medium
of polymer as your art. Robert Shields, a jewelry designer
with prior fame as a mime, offered an upscale line of well
designed jewelry, including polymer, to galleries across the
country. Only half would even consider the line because
of its polymer components which were not being considered as a serious medium. It was the exceptional artistry
of an initial few brave souls that trampled the ‘toy’ stigma
and revealed to the world that polymer was a true art medium. The Gifted works of Kathleen Amt, Kathleen Dustin,
Lindly Haunani, Martha Breen, Jamey Allen, Ford and Forlano (Citizen Cane), Grove and Grove, Tory Hughes, Pier
Voulkos, Margaret Maggio, Dan Cormier, Margaret Regan,
Nan Roche, Gwen Gibson, Sarah Shriver, Donna Kato and
Cynthia Toops became a benchmark for skill and achievement. Patrons developed as a result of these artistic endeavors and then Robert Liu, editor and publisher of Ornament Magazine, gave polymer a face in the pages of his
publication in 1987 and has continued since to present and
support the artistic genius brought to fruition through this
medium.
The original Masters of the medium connected through
the National Guild and banded together to present polymer to the world by directly competing with modern fine
craft. Their professional presentation always aligned with
standards of serious and focused art. Elise Winters as cu-
A segment of the Carol Duvall show always featured a generous display
of samples with a technique ‘how to’ on polymer, as shown here with
host Carol and guest Barbara McGuire
rator of the Masters Invitational Polymer Clay, the Gallery
Facere in Seattle, WA which consistently featured cutting
edge work by Cynthia Toops and Ford and Forlano, and Arrowmont, the home of the first NPCG conference in 1997,
all orchestrated showings or events that irrefutably made
the statement that Polymer is Art. These shows, collections,
contests, and continuing awards kept polymer alive, growing, and moving into the spotlight.
Not only did the initial movement stand on the shoulders
of exceptional and dynamic art, it also included a vast willingness to share techniques and information. Those that
utilized their artistry to ‘discover’ polymer, shared what
they learned. They amazed creative audiences with applications of high artistic quality coupled with intriguing execution. Turning
points in the history of polymer such as
the discovery of the Skinner Blend (accredited to Judith Skinner), arose from
previous experiments and techniques.
Initially graduated color was achieved
by mixing in progressive values and
stacked to create dimension of light
and dark. Steven Forlano and David
Ford, who excelled in this technique,
had nearly achieved the blending effect with a technique of overlapping
color mimicking ikat (a Japanese textile
technique), but they never took it to
the full extreme of a complete blend.
Many artists, attempting gradation,
developed versions of the same basic
technique until Judith Skinner came
forth with her ingenious process. It was
through generous sharing of individuGroups emerged throughout the country as artists banded together, one such group is illustrated
als and communities that the foundain this postcard marketing piece for PALMS (Polymer Artists League for Marketing and Sales) 2002
12
Fueled by Passion
Dan Cormier’s
work embraces
perfection in
design and
craftsmanship,
a necessity for
enabling polymer as a true
art medium.*
Challenges in polymer include signing work, beautifully executed in
this pendant by Donna Kato, where the signature is an elegant component of the work itself. (see flower’s center)*
tion was laid for the discovery and advancement
of these techniques and practices.
Other, unexpected forces also came into play.
One of the most influential was the internet. The
internet was an immediate and readily accessible vehicle for distributing information. Artists
had a world wide place to post comments, ask
questions and gain information – even disagree!
It was through these discussions as well as trial
and error that the global community built an understanding of the art form’s needs and support
communities began to arise. The first polymer
guild was formed by Lindly Haunani, Kathleen
Dustin and Nan Roche and later developed into
the National Polymer Clay Guild which offered
a newsletter and web site to keep the communities supplied with polymer art related news.
Small groups began to chat and chats grew into
resources and interactive sites such as Polymer
Clay Central maintained by Leigh Ross. Interested artists participated in swaps, to experience
and study more ‘hands on’ examples. Nan Roche
took on the ambitious task of writing a comprehensive presentation on polymer titled ‘The
New Clay’ encouraging acceptance of the medium and explaining techniques in detail. With
thousands of people being educated through
her book, the polymer clay community became
a movement of ‘self taught’ artists. People
worked independently and then conferred with
others absorbing influences online as well as locally and guilds formed wherever someone of
dedication volunteered to manage a club.
From that point on, the education and instructional opportunities simply exploded. An unprecedented opportunity for polymer arose in
1994 when Carol Duvall recognized the fascinating craft and invited
company representatives and product innovators such as Donna
Kato, Lisa Pavelka, Barbara McGuire, Maureen Carlson, and Anne and
Karen Mitchell to teach techniques on polymer via cable TV. It was
an estimated 42 million viewers that watched each Carol Duvall show
with shows being taped on VHS and shared. Publications on polymer clay multiplied so that now there are over 150 published books,
countless magazine articles, dedicated periodicals, instructional videos, You Tube presentations, and hundreds, if not thousands, of internet tutorials and downloads. Sharing knowledge, discoveries and
inspiration expanded into blogs, forums, Flicker, Etsy, Facebook and
many other networking, sales, and interactive sites.
Polymer clay is where it is today because nobody ever quit trying.
But the history is still a work in progress. The contributions of those
that led the way, those in technical and logistical development, those
teaching and sharing techniques and applications, and the audiences
that simply loved to participate, were each a building block in the
progressive road polymer had traveled. There is certainly more to
come and you, as much as anyone else, can contribute to this. The
most important history is the one that you create and in this community you can find your focus and expression, your art, your passion,
and even the support you need to become part of the important
artistic history of one of the most fascinating mediums the art world
has ever seen.
* Work as presented in the study exhibit, ‘Polymer, From the Beginning’ on display at Woman
Creative Gallery, Ellen Prophater, Curator.
Barbara McGuire has been working in Polymer
Clay since the late 1980s. She has helped develop a
number of Polyform products, was a regular guest
on the Carol Duvall show, has written 10 books and,
most recently, founded the Woman Creative Art and
Jewlery Design Center in Buford, Georgia.
13
Blue Morning Expressions
Polymer Clay canes, beads and more
www.bluemorningexpressions.com
14
Material Issues
Controlled
Cracking
You may have heard this phrase before: “Rules are meant to be broken.” Take those sayings to heart with this technique because it’s quite
literal. Take the standard rule that a polymer clay piece must be fully
baked or it may crack or break. But if you know how to control the brittle aspect of partly baked clay, the results can give you an unmatched
texture with many, many possibilities.
The two primary reasons I developed this technique was in an effort
to add more texture and glimmer to the cracked foil technique and to
bring fractured patterning to other surface treatments.
You can start by treating your clay with any surface technique including mokume gane, mica shift, and foil leaf. You can also start with faux
stone, bone, or ceramic which can be used to add an aged look. However, I’m going to color the surface with inks and mica, an approach
that comes close to foil but offers more variety of color.
Materials
●●Clay--your color choice
●●Shape cutters, exacto and/or tissue
blade
●●Mica powders
●●Alcohol inks
●●Hot plate
●●Small hammer or nail punches
●●Roller
15
Material Issues--Controlled Cracking
1. First, lay out all your tools
and clay and turn on your
hot plate. Produce a finished
and well conditioned sheet
of clay. Roll it thin--I use 8 on
my DREAM machine, 6 on my
standard pasta machine. Lay
the clay on your favorite work
surface. If you want to apply
foil to the clay, this is the time
to do it.
2. Stamp or press texture
into your clay. This step is
optional but if you want some
control over the direction
of the cracking, then stamp
the clay with a texture that is
predominantly thin lines with
deep recesses. Here I have a
homemade polymer stamp
with thin, curling lines that
make a deep impression in the
clay.
4. Apply alcohol and inks.
Spray the sheet down with
straight alcohol ...
... then add random drops of
ink and let them flow into the
impressions.
5. Blend the inks by patting
the surface with a folded bit
of paper towel. The sheet will
need to dry for about an hour
before going onto the next
step.
3. Add surface colorations.
This is also optional if you are
looking for a simple surface or
have produced a faux material or mica shift sheet to start
with. Here I’m adding mica
powders to increase the sheen
and add color.
7. Flash bake your piece.
Place the cut out on a fully
heated hot plate for 30 seconds. Since hot plates can vary
greatly in heat output, you
may need to adjust this timing. Test scrap clay at 15, 30,
and 45 second intervals to see
which breaks the best.
8. Make a clay backing. Roll
a sheet of clay at least the
same thickness as the textured sheet. Go thicker if you
want wider cracks. Choose a
color that will contrast your
piece as this clay will appear
in the cracks. Lay the flash
baked piece on it and cut
out a backing to match the
shape or a tad larger--just not
smaller--and press the pieces
together.
9. Bend and score as
needed. To help direct cracking, bend and break the clay
at major lines in your texture.
You can also exacto lines to
score or cut through the clay.
10. Get cracking! How you
crack the clay depends on the
desired affect:
Random fractures: Roll
your piece through the pasta
machine using the largest
setting that will put any
pressure on the clay. This will
produce cracks more or less
parallel with the machines
rollers. Switch the machine to
the next thinnest setting and,
turning the clay 90 degrees,
run through the machine
again to add perpendicular
cracking. These two passes are
usually all that’s needed. This
approach works great with
untextured sheets, giving you
cracking patterns similar to
metal leaf crackling.
Point Breaking: This requires a small hammer or
nail punches. Small watch
hammers work particularly
well for this approach. A light
pounding at specific points on
your piece will cause a kind
of radiating fracture. This way
you can apply cracking evenly
over the whole piece or just
in one section. This was used
all over this marquise shaped
piece giving it an ancient look.
6. Cut out the approximate
end shape using a press cutter, kemper tools, or simply an
exacto.
Note: If you are having a hard time
cracking, you’ve probably baked it
too long. Try a shorter flash bake.
16
Material Issues--Controlled Cracking
11. Add details as desired.
At this point, you may want to
add additional details such as
mica powders or micro beads
that would need the underlaying raw clay to hold it.
12. Cut and bake.
At this point your original
shape has been distorted
and you will have to cut out
the shape. Be aware that the
cracked bits will rise up off
the base clay near the cutter
as the pressure of the cutter
presses it into the raw clay.
Tissue blade cuts are less likely
to do this as their thin edge
cuts through rather than just
breaks through. Just press
any bits that pop up back into
place after gently removing
the cutter. You will likely still
be looking at some sanding to
smooth the shape once baked.
Ember Shards Pendant
Application of the controlled cracking techniques
can be added to any flat or slightly curved surface.
Here are three examples using foil and point
breaking (above), faux stone and point breaking
(to the right) and foil and random fractures (below). --Technique, art, and photos by Sage Bray
Runic Limestone Tablet Pendant
13. Add a frame or bezel
and seal as needed.
Add a polymer frame or bezel
as desired. Seal the surface as
required for the surface treatment.
Ember Fall Necklace
17
Material Issues
Emulating Metalwork
Metal folding
Hammered,
chisel tip
Hammered,
ball peen
Granulation
Emulate:
To attempt to equal or surpass, esp. by imitation
Materials
Hammering, folding, and granulation techniques
which brings texture and a faceted shine to
metal can do the same for polymer clay as, like
metal, it can be worked in similar ways without
cracking or shattering.
●●Clay--your choice of color
Although these techniques are pretty simple,
this exercise is not about skill level as much as
focusing on how to translate techniques in other
materials into polymer. We have one of the most
versatile mediums, so why not look to other material techniques and see if they can be applied?
●●Small hammer or round ended stick/handmade
tool
18
●●Shape cutters, exacto, and/or tissue blade
●●Silicone baking sheet or parchment paper
●●Mica powders
●●Liquid polymer
Material Issues--Emulating Metalwork
1. Start with a well conditioned
sheet of clay. Cut a basic shape
from it.
a. The clay should be of a medium
to heavy thickness. If it’s too thin, the
hammer will too easily break through.
b. The shape you cut will be smaller
than the finished size. If you hammer the entire surface your cut piece
will probably be around 3/4 of the
finished size. So cut a size and shape
appropriate for the final piece you
envision.
b. Using different hammer heads or
alternate objects to poke the clay with
will cause different texture effects,
so play around with what you have.
Using the chisel head of my watchmaker’s hammer and angling the
hammering out towards the edge, I
get a very directional, almost feathery
effect. Using a round, flat head, I can
get ‘fingernail moons’ by tilting the
corner of the flathead to hit the clay.
3. Heighten the metal look with
mica powders.
2. Hammer lightly from the center
out.
a. If you want the traditional dimpled
look, use a small round hammer
head, like a mini ball peen or a rounded watch/jewelry hammer. If you have
no such hammer available you can
substitute any long thin item that has
a smooth rounded end--you can even
glue a bead to the end of a dowel.
Hammer at the clay straight down. Go
over the same area a few times for
the layered dimples most common in
hammered metal.
4. Fold to add dimension. This is
a bit more involved when working
with metal but here, it’s as simple as
a pinch.
5. Granulation is the process of soldering small grains of metal to a solid
backing. Again, we have it easy--roll
bits of clay into tiny balls and either
pre-bake so you can press them into
the clay or ‘glue’ in place with liquid
polymer.
Use your finger tips to spread mica
across the raised clay. You’ll get a
slightly aged look. I’m using PearlEx
Super Copper for a high sheen.
To add interest and push that antique
look, I’ve dabbed in some PearlEx
Mink (appears green on dark clay)
with a brush.
What you do with the piece from here
is up to you. I’ve gone ahead and
did more chisel head hammering on
silver clay then added a few of my
signature tendrils. I shine them all up
with mica powders, not always metal
colored ... but why just copy when
you can expand on the look?
Making it look just like metal seems
to me to only be purposeful if you
can, in addition, create looks that
would be difficult or impossible with
the material being copied.
Now your turn. What can you emulate
... “to equal or surpass?”
Technique and photos by Sage Bray
19
Material Issues
C
hoosing
Color by Contrast
The impact of controlled differences The element of color is a multifaceted
subject and can take years to truly master. Because of its complexity, those of
us who work regularly with color tend
to use intuition and trial & error to find
the color combinations that express our
intentions. And, honestly, we don’t always hit the mark but rather just push
forward with something that comes
close enough. Creating without an understanding of how colors work together is like missing half your tools. You can
make do but it could be a lot better.
Let’s just start with a slightly misleading term we use so
often when it comes to color--the constantly considered
‘color combination’. The problem with this term is that
making pleasing or poignantly expressive color choices is
not so much about how they combine but rather, how the
colors contrast or don’t. The idea of contrast is at the center
of what makes your color choices work. And to understand
contrast, you need a grasp of all the major characteristics
that make up a color
Color Characteristics
Most of us understand that colors on the opposite side of
the color wheel are contrasting colors. This contrast defines
one of the primary characteristics of color--its hue. The degree to which a color’s hue contrasts another is directly related to how close they are on the color wheel.
Take green for example. Red, being on the opposite side
of the wheel from green, contrasts highly with
it. Purple, being a third of the way around from
green has significant contrast with green but
not as much as red yet far more than blue,
which sits right next to green making blue a low
contrast color for green. And all the levels of
contrast to green offer beautiful and commonly used color choices--Christmas red and forest
green, primary green and royal purple, seafoam
green and sky blue. However, it would be uncommon to find a situation where we would
want to combine Christmas red and seafoam
green together—they just don’t feel right.
(Note: There’s no such thing as a wrong set of colors as any color
combination could be ‘good’ for the artist’s purpose.)
20
By Sage Bray
So obviously, there is more than just
the hue to consider when looking at
what works together. Much more. But
for now, you can concern yourself with
just the four primary aspects, the characteristics you need to be familiar with
in order to play well with your colors:
Hue--this is what the color is based on
from the basic color spectrum. A tomato
red and a burgundy are different colors
but they are a red hue as the spectrum
color red is predominant.
Value--how light or dark a color is. If you take a picture of
a piece of colorful scene and turn it into a black and white
photo (grayscale), what you are left with is just the color
value represented by white, black and grays.
Saturation--how pure and bright a color is. Think of it as
the difference between bright paint color at full strength-thus fully saturated--and paint watered down--low saturation. Lowering saturation levels would be like taking that
color photo and draining the color from it to get that black
and white--the value does not change, just less of the color
is present.
Temperature--the sense of warmth or coolness we get
from a color. Generally, it is accepted that the red-orangeyellow side of the color spectrum is considered warm--that
which reminds us of fire, the sun, and hot embers--while
the blue-purple-green side is considered cool, reminding
us of water, ice, and spring gardens.
And yes, all these characteristics can be contrasted but preferably not all at the same time.
Pleasing color choices arise from not having all
the characteristics contrast. For instance, take
that Christmas red and seafoam green. They
contrast in hue (opposite on the color wheel), value (the red
has a much darker value than the light green), saturation
(the red is highly saturated while the seafoam is subdued)
and the temperature (red is hot, green is cool).
Now compare royal purple and forest green.
They have a fair amount of hue contrast and
the purple is usually quite a bit darker in value
than the green. But they are both highly saturated colors and they are both cool. So they
Material Issues--Color by Contrast
match and contrast at the same time. This evenness between differences and similarities makes for an energizing
yet pleasant color set. It’s like having cool whipped cream
on hot cherry pie. Both are sweet but we enjoy the difference in texture and temperature--it gives our mouth all
kinds of things to explore without it all being so wholly different that we can’t find the underlying common comfort.
So now, if we move onto the seafoam green and sky blue
pairing, you get even less contrast. The difference in hue
is just one color step away on the color wheel, their values
are similarly light, they both boast a pale saturation and
they are both cool colors. Can you guess why this choice of
colors is used in pieces that are supposed to be calming?
When all the color characteristics are in low contrast, we
perceive it as harmonious.
Comparing Colors
So now, armed with this new (or maybe
just refreshed) knowledge, I bet you can
figure out why Christmas red and forest
green work. Here … try this little test. Pull
out a package of green clay and one of
red--the closest you have to the holiday
colors and grade them.
Is the contrast between these two colors low, medium or
high in:
Hue ______ Value ______ Saturation ______ Temp_______
Chances are you have at least two characteristics that are in
high contrast and at least one that is low. Hue is quite high
in contrast and they are not the same temperature. But
they are both highly saturated so they are similar there and
the value might be low to medium depending on the reds
and greens you choose but you already know, these two
colors are energizing together but they have just enough
low contrast in two characteristics to give you that comfortable fuzzy feeling that is part of the holiday season.
If you wanted a really exciting color set,
you could pick colors that have only one
no or low contrast characteristic. Take
Purple and Yellow for example. Let’s do
this quick exercise again. Pull out some
standard purple and primary yellow.
Is the contrast between these two colors low, medium or
high in:
Hue ______ Value ______ Saturation ______ Temp_______
So what did you get? Other than saturation, you should have high contrast listed
for all the other characteristics. All that
contrast really makes them pop when sitting next to each other. But let’s try this …
trade out one of the colors for a low saturation version. Say, remove the purple
and replace with a lavender. Does it work
well? Actually it does. Why is though,
when we’ve lost the common saturation
characteristic? It’s because it now has
common value levels. Now if you went
light on the yellow instead, you are getting a pairing that has neither energy or
nor any real pleasantness. Its just kind of
blah.
Thus far we have only discussed two color combinations.
Once you get into multiple color combinations things get
pretty tricky but a good measure of their ability to work all
together is to find one characteristic that is similar--in other
words one characteristic that does not hightly contrast between any of them.
So how is this knowledge useful in the studio? Well, if you
have a set of colors that aren’t working, analyze them. See
if you can determine if there is a least one no/low contrast
characteristic to hold things together. If the energy level is
too high, reduce the contrast in one or more characteristics. If it is too calm for your purposes, increase the contrast
somewhere--you have four areas to work with, not just that
old familiar hue aspect!
Now, if you’ve studied color at length, you may be saying
to yourself, “there is sooo much more to this”! And it’s true.
But if this is all new to you, then you’ve just acquired a set
of tools you didn’t have before. Don’t worry about those
other ominous terms like tint, shade, tone, juxtaposition,
luminosity etc. (Did that just make your stress meter go
off?) There’s time enough to acquire more tools later if you
are so inclined. But for now, if you think in terms of contrast, you’re half way there.
21
22
Artist Profile
Gwen Pina
of G.P. Originals
Making high volume look easy and artful
By Sage Bray; Photos/Permission by Gwen Pina
Gwen was the first polymer
artist we found at the ACRE
show but was the last artist
I got to interview. With such
a large array of artists (and
way too many pretties to get
me through the show with
any real speed) we decided
to save the interview because soon enough, we’d
both be back in the Denver
area where we both lived
and worked. And I for one,
wanted the opportunity to visit another polymer artist’s
studio, especially one that did work so very different from
me--sculptural, heavily whimsical and often southwestern,
and in quantity. However, I didn’t realize just how much
Gwen made until I walked into her basement studio.
I thought I had a lot of shelving, but while mine is filled
with a wild variety of art materials (and found objects
that sure look like they might be art materials someday)
Gwen’s are filled with cardboard produce trays and all of
those were filled with hundreds … no, probably thousands
... of polymer clay pieces. Some are finished, some are
waiting for assembly and other’s looked to be ready for
just their final touches. Yeah ... you don’t get to this point
overnight.
Necessity as the Mother Of Re-invention
Back in the mid-80s Gwen had a house cleaning service
and did little craft shows on side. But at the time she was
also trying to raise three small children on her and decided she needed to really start make a living. So she chose
to be a craft artist.
What? A single mother, raising three kids and her choice
was to try to make a living off of her art?
She laughed at my incredulous look but went on to explain why, in the end, it made the most sense for her.
“I was working and paying for day care and I couldn’t pay
day care anymore. I needed to stay home with the kids.”
Her start was not some huge venture though. “I literally
Variations on Gwen’s popular “Maidens”
started with just a shoebox of jewelry and this mall store
agreed to put my stuff in the store and try it and a week
later they called and said they sold it all and they needed
more. Then they started asking me ‘ Why aren’t you at the
shows at the mart?’ and I said ‘What shows?’”
That was in 1987. She didn’t pursue the idea of trade
shows because, as she explained to the store owner, she
didn’t want to go out to shows, she just wanted to sell
to stores and stay at home and work. Which she did. The
mall store owner continued to call every week needing
more inventory, then she told her friends who had stores
in different places around town and Gwen got accounts
with them as well. But finally, after considering what she’d
heard about the Denver Merchandise Mart, she took the
big leap.
“I went to the Merchandise Mart and asked what the deal
with these trade shows was and the booths and everything and the gift show manager talked me through it …
so I invested $600 in my first trade show and bought $200
worth of clay--which isn’t’ much now but it was my life
savings then!”
What do you mean “Gross’?
She started her line with mostly jewelry--earrings with flamingos, palm trees, bolo ties … fun stuff. “Then at my very
first show, people were coming into my little 10x10 booth
and saying, ‘Oh yeah! We want 7 of these, 10 of these …’”
Gwen starts to explain her amazement, eyes wide.
Happy with her first show, she continued to invest in them
and amass accounts but it took a while still to really catch
on. “Then Christmas ornaments started happening and
they weren’t ordering 12 or whatever, they’d say ‘I want a
gross’ and I was like ‘What? You think they’re gross?’ ‘No,
23
Artist Profile--Gwen Pina
we want 144.’ ‘Oh! Ok …’” she laughs as she recalls how
silly the conversations would get.
Silly or not, a few gaffs did not slow down her business.
Eventually she moved from jewelry to sculpture, a direction she always knew she wanted to go in.
“I could also see the SW market growing and that’s where
it started to go from a marketing thing to being personal
because I love Native American culture. It let me create
something I envision of the southwest--the colors, the
people. The Denver show and the Arizona show actually
got me into it because there were buyers there looking
for southwest stuff so I said, ok, I’ll make you some.”
The choice of a new direction is what brought her to the
attention of a very unexpected buyer. It was in the early
90s when the Smithsonian institution came by and commissioned Gwen to do over 500 pieces for a special exhibit
on Columbus and the New world.
“I did jewelry for them that had to do with Native American culture as well as their crops and what not. So now I
have work in the Smithsonian. I’m just all over the place.”
I thought getting work into the Smithsonian was impressive. Then I asked her how many accounts she had.
“Oh, over 600.”
After a silent pause where I wondered if I heard her correctly, I tried to clarify. “Active accounts?”
“Yeah, over 600 active accounts.”
I can’t say that I’ve begun to fathom that yet. When I
asked about her typical buyer, she said there isn’t one. “I
sell to every one from small mom and pop shops to big
catalogs. So it’s kind of a whole spectrum.”
And does she make every single item herself. Well, sort of.
Next best thing to cloning
“I’m really just a one person operation,” she
started to explain but conceded that she did
get help, sometimes from her grown children
but more regularly from outside contractors.
“I’ve had as many as 12 subcontractors but for
instance now, I only have four. It changes with
the economy. I have these women who are just
extremely talented at copying and that’s all they
do and it’s all they want to do. “
this and we’d buy it if it were
done this way …’ and if I get
that comment over and over
then I know I need to make
changes.’
As busy as she is, Gwen hasn’t
let her successful wholesale
line stop her from continuing
to experiment and even create
personally motivated work.
“I always experiment. I play
with wires, and copper and
metals … when I started doing
shows back east I really did
have to transform into more
my mixed media, funky, fun,
the further out there the better. And I like that too. As an
artist you are always evolving,
you can’t stay the same. “
“This is the fun stuff,” she says
pulling these wonderful found object dolls, where you
find something at a flea market and then you create
something around it. This is the kind of stuff that I’ve
always enjoyed doing.”
I just wondered how she found the energy.
The Art Of Doing Business
After a time, looking through all the fantastical dolls,
some ornate wands and few other fun experiments, we
got back to business and I asked her what she thought
was the magic formula for being so successful. She had a
lot to say on the subject.
“I’ve mentored a lot of people over the years that don’t
get, that hard part, the business part. You
have to deal with the good and the bad,
you have to be respectful and polite with
your customers and you just have to work
with them. I think that what’s been the
staying power of GP Originals. It’s like, ok,
you need that taken care of, I will take care
of it, what will make you happy, what will
resolve this? You have to be good at conflict resolution.”
Along with a lot of perseverance, foresight
and that “Why not?” attitude has added to
a very successful formula. Her final comment typified our whole conversation:
“It’s really worked out and I’ve been very
thankful because this is not an easy world
to be in.”
So, to help sell, does she use reps?
“I’ve had reps over the years but it just became
not worth it. I can represent myself and tell
them about my product so much better than
the rep and then they often misrepresent something. And I really need to be there, then I get
that feedback too. I get , ‘Ok, we’re really liking
24
“Vacation”
“Mind Reader”
Too true.
Advertise with us-●Print
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25
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26
www.polymerclayexpress.com
1-800-844-0138
New & Improved
What’s in a DREAM?
A hopeful look at the first conditioning and
sheeting machine made for Polymer Clay
According to Artway’s video on Polymer Clay Express’, D.R.E.A.M.
stands for Durable, Reliable, Efficient, Artway, Machine. Alright ...
But what is it we dream of? We don’t dream of spine tingling efficiency
or blissful reliability. We fantasize about the absence of color gremlins
on our translucents, of never having to juggle parts trying to clean a
pasta machine, and rollers that won’t go angling and producing uneven sheets. We dream of wide, uninterrupted expanses of mica shift,
broad sheets of cracked metal leaf and ample space for transitions on
multi-color Skinner blends.
Will this make all clay our dreams come true? Maybe not quite--at
$245 for the basic machine, it’s not inexpensive-- but the DREAM machine may be the closest thing to it a clayer can hope for.
The basic DREAM machine--9.5” wide, 10 thickness settings, two sheet guides and a stable cast iron base.
I spent a month with the machine myself as well as talking to one of its
truly big users, Kathleen Dustin, to see if it would be money well spent.
The Down & Not So Dirty Removable Blades
With blade cleaning being by far the most time mongering aspect
of using a pasta machine, blades that are easy to remove and clean
were an absolute must on my list. Artway’s solution is to have easily
accessed nuts holding each blade to a hinged assembly bar. It’s not
exactly a one button operation, but even in my not so rushed tests, I
could remove, clean and replace both blades in less than two minutes.
A 5/16” socket wrench speeds up the removal of the nuts
and side bolts.
Kathleen professes that she never cleans her blades any more so perhaps over time, the machine settles to where loose clay on the blades
is not a problem. But with my new model--and simply because I can
now--I clean them between all major clay color changes.
Going Double Wide
I didn’t expect the width to be that big a deal but now I realize how
restrictive the smaller machines have been. The DREAM has 9.5” of
usable roller space--that’s almost twice your average pasta machine,
which means, of course, you can run through twice the amount of clay.
Taking out the side bolts allows the assembly to swing
out for ease of access but isn’t necessary.
The width is also one of Kathleen’s favorite features. She notes that
although she hasn’t found much call to have sheets wider than are on
the Dream machine, she seemed to always need wider sheets than the
Atlas.
My favorite part though is that when working with smaller amounts
you can dedicate the left, center, and right side of the rollers to different color clays, cutting down on how often you need to clean the
blades. I recently had to rush a piece that included black, silver and
translucent layers and how sweet it was to roll a swath of each, all at
once, and without fear of cross contamination.
You can use the guides as dividers to roll multiple clays
at the same time or dedicate sections to different colors.
27
New & Improved--What’s in a DREAM
Grateful for Guides
Since a number of my designs require a very specific width of evenly
rolled clay I had McGuyver’d my old machine with little sheet metal
and magnet parts. Definitely not ideal but better than the constantly
spreading sheets and the uneven edges.
But here we have two tough composite plastic guides, formed to the
shape of the rollers, that can be moved back and forth and even raised
up. Once in position, they’re set with just a twist or two of a simple
thumb screw. They work perfectly. There’s not much else to say other
than I never want to work without properly designed guides again.
Adding Accesories
The guides, made of a hard composite plastic, can be
positioned anywhere along the length of the rollers or
loosened enough to flip out of the way.
The two primary accessories available are the sheeting tray and motor.
To take advantage of the width and run wide sheets or several sheets
at a time, the tray is a necessity. And the thoughtful addition of a measurements marked on the edge closest to the rollers is convenient for
setting the guides at standardly used positions.
I didn’t’ get the motor (I kind of like the forearm workout) but Kathleen
says she’s been using her DREAM machine with the motor 6 days a
week for over three years. “That motor just keeps going and going and
doesn’t seem like it will ever wear out. It is so much quieter than the
Atlas motor – it’s still quiet even after at least a thousand hours.”
The other advantage to having a motor, I am told, is that you don’t
need to clamp down the machine. According to Rob Yost of Polymer
Clay Express, the exclusive seller of the DREAM machine, the weight
of the motor stabilizes the machine and keeps it firmly planted on the
table top. Now, that’s wildlly cool.
Measuring Quality
The broad sheeting tray just slips into grooves on the
machine--easy on, easy off. The measurement units (in
inches only) are great for lining up the guides.
Budgeting for a DREAM Machine
When you first lift the machine out of the box, the weight itself is comforting. You don’t often purchase anything mechanical whose traditional steel parts aren’t now plastic or aluminum wherever possible.
Everything on this machine but the guides and the adjustment knob
are solid metal and heavy at that.
●●Machine only: $245 US
As Kathleen points out, it’s basically a handmade machine and fairly
new so consistency may be an issue. Even Rob admits that there are
the occasional machine parts that need to be replaced, but he promises they do whatever it takes to make it right when that does happen.
●●Motor: $425 US
The Bottom Line
●●Sheeting Tray: $22.50 US
At $245 for the machine without accessories, it’s about three times
the cost of a good quality pasta machine, but as my economist father
would say, your time is worth money. The time saved with quick blade
removal and the amount of clay that can be conditioned all at once,
will cut your time significantly. which means, it will easily pay for itself.
These are the prices of the machine and accesories as we
went to print, as listed on www.polymerclayexpress.com.
●●Buy machine and motor and get free shipping. International orders receive a free
sheeting tray as well.
Polymer Clay Express is the exclusive seller of the DREAM
machine which was created by Wilma Yost of Artway
Tools and Polymer Clay Express.
Review & photos by Sage Bray
28
I know many clayers will still balk but as Kathleen points out, most professional craft artists spends thousands to get even the basics. “This is
CHEAP compared to a kiln, jeweler’s tools, or a wood lathe.”
The bottom line is, that if you’re serious about your art or about growing your business, you can’t be messing with inferior tools, especially
when it comes to the most used heavily used tools in your studio.
New & Improved
Sculputural Necessities
Colour and Clay Shapers--getting serious
by Kyle Kelley
Colour Shapers were not created for clay but for cutting in
and modeling thick paints. But for those of us working in
soft clay and on small scales, these are the perfect tools.
They are rubber tipped so they move and bend giving you
control over soft or hard edged impressions and with no
bristles you can drag and smooth without brush marks.
I found Colour Shapers in an art store when I was first
sculpting in polymer. I’d been using kitchen utensils my
mom wouldn’t miss (Sorry, Mom!), hammered wire, and
even twigs up to that point. Although they were a bit pricey,
I bought a few shapers and instantly I was sold. Back then,
there were just a few shapes and only soft tips available.
But eventually they came out with more shapes and three
different hardnesses--a soft white tip, a firm gray, and, finally, an extra firm black they call Clay Shapers.
Choosing the right tools for your sculpting style
Cup Round being used
to form a lower lip on
this small delicate head
sculpture.
The variety now is kind of crazy--the line keeps growing,
literally--there are some now as big as wall brushes. But the
ones I recommend for polymer are the standard sets which
are sold in 4 sizes (measurements are tip widths):
●●Size 0-- 3mm (1/8”) For fine details.
●●Size 2--5mm (3/16”) Great for small sculpture.
●●Size 6--8mm (5/16”) Great for details on moderately
sized sculpture and larger details.
●●Size 10--11mm (7/16”) Rather big for most polymer
sculpture except maybe larger dolls, vases, etc.
The shapers come in 5 different tip shapes, each with a
particular advantage for polymer sculpting:
A Flat Chisel is prefect
for smoothing in added
clay and sealing seams.
●●Taper point--like a knitting needle but pointier. Great
for soft lines and rolling across round shapes to smooth.
●●Cup Round--cylindrical, angled, and concave to undercut ears, round out eyelids, or dig in dragon scales.
●●Cup Chisel--like a mini ski jump these are good for
smoothing tubular forms like limbs, columns & bones.
●●Flat Chisel--more of a tapered wedge this is the ultimate smoothing tool, especially for flat surfaces.
●●Angle Chisel--a sharp, steeply angeled chisel perfect
for cutting in cracks, straight lines & parting lips.
The Angle chisel has a
very slim edge which
makes it easy to gently
cut in the hairline here.
29
New & Improved--Sculptural Necessities
For more than just sculpting
Colour Shapers are also excellent precision painting tools
(imagine that!) for painting on baked polymer. They don’t
hold or lay down a lot of paint, but they are perfect for defined edges--use a paintbrush to lay down the paint then
use a taper or flat chisel tip to push the paint evenly to the
edge, something that can be difficult to do with brushes
and their wanton bristles. I’ve also found the taper points
are ideal for painting pupils, eye highlights, or anything
that requires just a small drop of paint.
Colour shapers are also my tool of choice for precision application of mica powders, laying down small bits of foil leaf
(the foil will actually cling just enough to move it), pushing
seed beads and crystals into place, and for mark free manipulation of small delicate bits of clay.
A one time investment
The standard taper point is excellent for picking up
and ‘brushing’ mica powder into small areas.
These tools are incredibly durable. I’ve had most of mine
for near a decade and other than reinforcing a couple ferrules (the collar that secures the tip to the handle) I’ve never had to replace one. The resilient rubber doesn’t stress or
crack and I haven’t found anything that can’t be cleaned off
the tips with minimal effort. Well, the handles don’t give up
epoxy putty easily but then, that’s not the end that matters.
Most of the well-stocked art supply stores carry the full
line in their paint and/or sculpting sections and some craft
stores carry the smaller sets, usually tucked in with the doll
making supplies. All the major online art supply sites carry
them as well.
So if they are such wonderful tools, why aren’t all polymer
artists working with them? Well, the most likely reason is
that they just aren’t cheap. The smaller ones retail from $9$20 each or in sets of 5 from $37-$65. No small investment
if you want even a basic variety. You can save quite a bit
going big on-line retailers though, getting sets for as low
as $22. And during sales and through coupons offered at
chain craft stores, 25%-40% off a set can get them into a
reasonable range.
Or you can do what I’ve been doing for the last half dozen
years … buying one or two here and there (cheaper than
a video game when I want to reward myself!), repeatedly
putting them on my gift lists, and guilting your fellow artists into adding to your collection since they borrow them
so much!
Colour Shapers and Clay Shapers are made by Royal Sovereign Ltd,
London, England.
30
A faux bronze scuptural interpretation of the Xmen’s Wolverine produced in Super Sculpey with
Colour Shapers. (Editor’s note: This was only the
second sculpture Kyle ever created ... in any material. I think some people are unfairly talented!)
Kyle Kelly creates digitally
in image maniipulation and
3-D software as well as pencil,
polymer, epoxy and whatever
other random material he
can find. He lives in Aurora,
Colorado and is the scoundrel
who first introduced the editor
to polymer clay. So, really this
magazine is kind of his fault.
In Good Company
Transitioning Into
Wholesale
by Sage Bray; Photos by CJ Kosovich
I had never been to a wholesale craft fair before. But
here we were in Las Vegas having spent a night in all
the noise and lights and next afternoon we enter the
relative calm of the Las Vegas convention center. I
hadn’t expected wholesale shows to be as noisy and
bustling as craft fairs, but the amiable seriousness
of the chatter and the purposeful way people walked
around kind of surprised me. People were here not to
browse. They were here to buy. No question about it.
Of course, we kept a keen eye open for Polymer clay artists.
There were a half dozen for whom polymer clay was their
primary material--not a large representation but, in speaking with several of them, it seemed a few staple pc artists
were missing this year. Still, we found jewelry, sculpture,
mixed media and even polymer ‘wine tags’. Of particular
interest were two artists that were able to speak to exactly
the issue we were there to seek advice about--starting in
wholesale and how to develop your line to succeed.
Finding what works for you
I was probably 30 feet away when I recognized the stunning work of Laura Timmins. Laura has spent considerable
time branding herself by consistently distributing recognizable images of her signature swirl lentils. And it works as
evidenced by the regular presence of buyers we found at
her booth the half dozen times we passed by before having
a chance to speak to her.
Laura has a quiet spoken but very confident and professional demeanor which seems to mirror the tone of her
work . You would not have guessed it from the very intentional layout of her booth--honestly one of the best presentations I saw there--this was her first wholesale show.
The focus was kept on her lentil bead designs but scattered
throughout were the occasional, eye catching, higher end
pieces. Her work was laid out in sets to show the potential
buyers how a purchased selection might appear in their
retail location moving from a small collection to more and
more impressive sets as they progressed along the wall.
“The big advantage for those who have done some retail
is that they understand what the galleries want to see in
presentation because I can put myself in their shoes.” Laura
explained as she walked from display to display, “so my displays show what the product will look like in their store.
What I planned to do, and so far it seems to be working, is
I have the buyer’s who are buying the lower end pieces but
I’m moving them up quickly to more of my one-of-a-kinds.”
If you’re going to do it, go all in
Although Laura has sold wholesale before, those happened
because buyers found her at retail locations. However, after
being worn down by a full schedule of 20 or so shows each
year, she found herself at a crossroads.
“I was going to do a year sabbatical and decide whether to
go this direction or go to high end galleries with my sculpture but the economy made me decide not to do high end.
So when I was coming back this winter, with several retail
shows already scheduled for this summer, I said now it’s
time to get into wholesale.” So she started into her wholesale plan in January. “It was instantly going well so I canceled the retail shows and now I’m doing wholesale only.”
Although Laura admits diving into the wholesale market
the way she did has been scary, she also spoke to the common theme we heard from all the artists we talked to at
the show: If you’re going to do it, you need to fully commit.
“I think it’s better to just do it--because now I’m not schizophrenic.” Laura laughed as she explained her choice to not
try selling retail and wholesale at the same time. “And the
31
In Good Company--Transitioning into Wholesale ...
By focusing on her signature
lentil beads and a simple palatte
of autumn tones, blacks, whites
and bright splashes of blue,
buyers can instantly determine
whether Laura’s line is a potential fit for them. It also shows a
confidence in the work which
combined with the statistics she
shares from her retail experience,
assures buyers that her line sells.
buyers are really responding to it. I thought I would do it
bit by bit, maybe 50/50 at first or 75/25, doing it that way as
a safety net. But the buyers were saying they really rather I
not have any retail venues. And I thought, alright, it’s really
not that important to me right now, let’s give it a try and it
instantly rocketed everything. “
One of the harder things she had to do was let go of her
standard shows and not get too concerned about the relationships she had with
them and their directors.
“There are shows I tried
getting into for years
and now I’m grandfathered in but, for instance there’s one this
next weekend but there’s
no way ... I would be totally nuts if I did that. It
was hard to call and tell
them I wouldn’t be doing it anymore but I’m
really tired of that whole
thing. And I’m ready to
be in the studio more. I
decided it’s just time.“
Laura Timmins in front of her well laid
out wholesale display at ACRE.
Keep it simple, seller
The dominant theme of my conversation with the highly
accomplished cane artist, Janet Pitcher was about keeping
your line simple and focused. Although she’s been selling
wholesale for years, this year she also took a scary plunge,
moving from her large variety of handmade beads to the
selling of one basic style of jewelry.
Janet has worked through several lines in her wholesale career. “My first line was too complicated with all the different
themes,“ Janet explains about her original jewelry collection. “I think at one point I was trying to be something for
everyone and I think that was a big mistake. I don’t think
the stores and galleries were able to look at my stuff and
say ‘I can see that in my store’ because it’s too much visu32
ally for them to take in. I did understand that but I didn’t
know how to push it for a long time.” Her solution was to
focus on beads instead because she could sell quantities to
bead stores who were looking for a large variety.
Then a few years ago she began designing very creatively
satisfying pieces for theater while still selling her line of
beads. Really enjoying the theater pieces but not wanting
to pull out of the wholesale market, Janet began to question which she wanted to do. The answer came from another polymer artist during a casual chat at the airport after a
show--”You need to find a way to do them both.”
Make what you love
Her search for a combination that would both sell well and
that she really enjoyed doing resulted in her present line
of mixed media floral designs. They are still predominantly
caning but the line has a laser focus that her prior jewelry
line did not. The result has been less need to explain the
work and the need for a pitch is nearly non-existent.
“I don’t have to explain it, they just like it.” Janet says with
a big smile on her face. “Before I had to explain how the
canes were made, explain why the price is what it was, explain the value, educate the audience and they loved it a lot
of times but in some cases, they didn’t understand it.
“Having been a production artist for so many years, where
I was structured in what I had to make, what sold, and having an opportunity where I’d just think, ‘How do I make a
lariat? I really want to try this.’ and allowing myself to play
was a fun start to this journey that brought me here. “
Now she has a line that she loves herself and wears. She
grudgingly admitted that she didn’t always like what she
made before and didn’t wear it. But with this line, she felt
confident enough to put together a small selection of pieces and aim for gallery sales. Like Laura, her booth is set up
so potential buyers can see how it might be displayed in
their stores and what items should be next to each other.
“I love letting them pick their own colors which allows them
to pick for their area and store. I think one of the successes
of this line is that it is very clean… but I only have 40 pieces
here. That’s not even a full jewelry case!”
In Good Company--Transitioning into Wholesale
so many other things like the food and the fun stuff plus
you are competing with a million other jewelers and you
are competing with jewelers who are putting some beads
on a string and calling it handmade.”
Like Laura, Janet is keeping her focus on wholesale, doing
only one or two retail art shows a year--the ones that allow
her to travel and where she already has customers. “But I’ll
take it one year at a time and see how they do,” she admitted staying open to leaving even those couple of shows.
Janet Pitcher at her ACRE booth. She displays her jewelry as it would be
in a retail setting so the buyer’s can visualize the pieces in their stores.
By day’s end, I had a lot of food for thought and tried imagining how I could shape my present work into a focused,
easily reproducible line I would enjoy making day in and
day out. I think that’s the real question--Do you as an artist,
looking to join the ranks of wholesale, have the temperament and discipline to dedicate to a specific line of work, to
grow a brand image, and to jump in feet first when you do
decide to make the transition? It’s something to ponder.
The small selection is not the only thing that made Janet a
little nervous this year. “It’s a little scary to say, ‘I’m not going to do that thing that I’ve been selling any more.’ I think
I did hold onto designs longer than I should because, since
they sold, they hold some financial security for me. But you
have to trust that you are going in the right direction.”
Selling one-of-a-kind pieces
Being an artist who often lets my muse wander, I had to
ask, “What about artists who don’t want to do a lot of production?” wondering if there was any hope for moving beyond retail for us less focused souls.
“It doesn’t have to be like that,” she assured me. “If you are
really honest with the buyers and you tell them what you’re
able to do, they appreciate that. If it’s not what they want
you just have to be willing to let them go. If they want production, then you may not be the right person.”
“I think there is room for one-of-a-kind items,” Janet said a
moment later. “Some of the buyers are looking for that. The
difference is in the order taking. Most of us don’t want to
do custom orders. In my line giving color choices is something I can easily do, but I have a minimum, you know, of
how many the cane is going to make.”
Janet did bring two pieces that were one of a kind, personal pieces she made to go with a dress she has, and sure
enough buyers liked them so she took orders to fill later, so
she can keep her personal pieces. Is she going to do that
again? “Yeah, I’m going to bring more of them next time.”
Keeping the focus on wholesale work
As our conversation wound down we spoke about how to
deal with buyers versus the retail customer. The difference
to keep in mind she explained is that individuals are buying
something personal so they will look around more. “Especially at the fairs you get a lot of people who are there for
Janet’s floral pattern mixed media
designs in a lariat
and a couple different earring styles.
You can see more of
Janet’s work in the
Mentor’s Gallery
About American Craft Retailers Expo
All the artist’s we spoke to spoke highly of the ACRE
Wholesale show and supported its reputation for being
well-organized and especially helpful for their new exhibitors. They offer an emerging artist’s section which allows
new comers to the wholesale market the opportunity to
test the salability of their wares without quite as much
expense (or space) as the veterans whose gamble on the
show is easier to measure. The Las Vegas event is housed
in a space of over 80,000 square feet filled with hundreds
of American and Canadian products with a wide range
of price points, drawing a great many buyers who come
from every kind of retail venue including craft galleries,
gift shops, art galleries, boutiques, and jewelry stores.
To find out more about ACRE shows and the unique services through
WholesaleCrafts.com, visit their website at http://www.acrelasvegas.
com/, http://acreorlando.com/, & http://www.wholesalecrafts.com/
33
34
The Bottom Line
Creating a Marketing Muse
A Fundamental Exercise for Business and Art
by Kristen Glenn & Sage Bray
It’s impossible to be all things to all people. Yet this reality
is very difficult for many creatives to grasp. Attempting to
create art for everyone is not only highly risky, it’s success
is highly improbable and only forces you to dilute your
marketing efforts across a wide range of people rather than
market powerfully to the most likely few.
This reluctance to narrow the creative focus usually comes
from the fear of limiting selling potential, and missing prospective buyers (and prospective bucks). But if you acquire
a small yet very enthusiastic following to start with they will
spread the word, referring your work to their peers as well
as others in adjacent markets, growing your market in a
natural and lasting manner.
The rest of the questions will
be more about why they buy
the kind of work that you
sell. You can look to your
present buyers (look at their
Etsy profiles or look them up
on Facebook or Twitter), or ©iStockphoto.com/mihhailov
if you are looking to change
what you are selling, look at other artists who sell related
work and see if you can figure out who they market to.
A Muse is Born!
But who are these potential huge fans of yours? Well, that
depends on who you approach. Instead of waiting for fate
to provide the answer, you can determine who your ideal
customer is based on the work you love to do and then use
this “marketing muse”—the person you should keep in mind
as you create—to inspire and steer your promotions and
choice of sales venues.
With these details about your ideal buyers in hand, it’s time
to create one specific individual that will help direct your
marketing and keep you company as you work through your
designs. Go ahead and be as comprehensive and as creative
as you want—as long as they fit your ideal buyer outlined
by the questions you answered and include the critical factors that determine their purchasing habits. Write out a few
paragraphs about this hypothetical marketing muse and
bring that person to life.
Defining Your Ideal Customer
An example might go something like this,
Creating a marketing muse starts with the 5 W’s and of
course, the lone H—who, what, where, when, why and how.
These define the demographics of your ideal buyers, and
the details of their buying habits.
“Jessie is a young, independent, and social woman, who likes
to visit edgy and off-beat events and places. She likes to acquire unique art and jewelry found in small store fronts, art
events, and on interesting websites her friends sent to her.
She buys what she likes when she finds it rather than buying
with a purpose or desire in mind. She is not shy and enjoys
lots of color. She doesn’t have a large disposable income,
but she will spend good money on the things that make her
happy to own.” So ... get a paper and pen or pull out your tablet or computer and start by answering the basics:
●● Who are my ideal buyers? Define gender, age, culture,
careers, hobbies, income levels, beliefs, etcetera.
●● What does he or she want from what you have to offer?
●● Why would they spend their money on your work versus
something else?
●● Where do they shop for the type of work you offer?
●● When do they buy this type of work?
●● How do they prefer to purchase or acquire art work?
The answer to the first question, “Who are they?” will probably be the longest answer. Take your time and flesh out
who this buyer is. Give them a background if you wish, a
significant other, a job, a hobby or two … whatever helps to
make them as real as possible to you.
After you have your description, you can even look for a
picture in magazines or online or sketch one of someone
to visually represent your marketing muse. Then put this
description and picture in your studio space and your office.
With your muse in mind, you can create more coherent collections, which will help your market identify with your style.
It also keeps your focus on the fact that the work you make
is for real people, not just a marketing concept.
Kristin Glenn is a photographer in Denver,
Colorado and devotes a great deal of time
to {r}evolution apparel, an organic and fair
trade fashion startup. She blogs at www.
revolution-apparel.com about all things
entrepreneurial.
35
Galleries
Mentor’s Gallery
Christine K. Harris
Creation is a reflection of self, but for
Christine Harris, art is fully a part of
her being. Taking snippets from her
emotional state, recurring dreams,
and world observations, Christine
creates mixed-media pieces that
range from dark and disturbing to
angelic and ethereal.
The catalyst for adding polymer to
her artistic mix was a crafting television program, which prompted Harris
to try polymer clay nearly 10 years
ago. Now she uses a mix of polymer
clay, wire, Apoxie Sculpt and Super
Sculpt, as well as objects found in
thrift stores and at rummage sales.
She primarily uses polymer to sculpt
her expressive faces and hands and
to add fine detail.
Berries for Mother, detail
Her love of the natural world is inherent in her pieces, which feature a mix
of creatures, flora, and fauna. The
connection between animal and human is a recurring theme in all of her
works.
Christine’s work is recognized internationally with innumerable awards
from juried art shows, displays, and
private collections in the United
States. Her art is represented by
Mayer Fine Art Gallery in Norfolk,
Virginia. Past exhibits include the
Contemporary Art Center of Virginia
and the Charles H. Taylor Center for
the Arts.
Christine lives in Virginia with her
husband. She uses polymer to teach
as well as being utilized as part of her
artwork. She works as an art therapist
and instructor, conducting workshops
and private lessons with polymer clay
as the primary medium.
Berries for Mother
http://www.christinekharris.com
Coverup
36
Christine K. Harris
Feeding Mother
Tentative Nurture
Gathering Flock
Someday Never Comes
37
Galleries
Mentor’s Gallery
Janet Pitcher
Janet’s creativity was fostered by her artistic family.
Her dreams early on were
to be a fashion designer
but instead she studied
business and marketing,
preparing for a career in
retail buying. Initially, her
discovery of polymer clay
was just a hobby but when
friends started asking to
buy her work she changed
her path and moved towards jewelry design.
Her focus in polymer clay
has always been on caning
from which she produces
beads or decorates findings, combining finished
pieces with glass beads,
semi-precious stones and
precious metal beads.
Recently she has moved
from primarily selling beads
to developing a lean but
striking collection of mixed
media floral designs for the
wholesale environment.
Elephant Necklace
Janet has had her work
printed in several books
and magazines as well as
being featured on the DIY
showcase and the Carol
Duvall show.
Tiger Bead
Janet lives in San Diego,
California with her husband
who also fills the position of
manager, traveling with her
to her shows and helping to
promote her designs.
www.twocanclaydesigns.com
Miami Heat Fairy Petal Earrings
38
Janet Pitcher
Think Pink Floral Bracelet
Fuschia Florals Lariat
Sunflower Bracelet
Miami Heat Lariat
39
Galleries
Emerging Artist
Jill Kollmann
While searching for a fun family activity 5 years ago, Kollmann and her
sister came across the work of Christine Friesen who inspired them to try
polymer clay. Although the first batch
of beads ended up in the trash, Jill
kept at it. She studied, took classes,
and eventually joined the Orange
County Polymer Clay Guild.
Prior to working with polymer clay,
Jill worked with wire so her initial
inclination was to combine her wire
work with her new-found material.
Although combining wire and polymer was tricky, Jill persisted until she
had developed a “fusion” technique
that fused the wire and clay before
actually baking the piece.
Family and history are important
themes in Jill’s art. Her designs and
colors are intentional, harking back to
her grandmother’s stories of afternoon tea, ladies come-calling, and
hand-embroidered handkerchiefs.
Jill constantly strives to produce
cleanly constructed and well-designed pieces with her two favorite
mediums. Her work primarily consists
of delicate jewelry, bead designs,
and trinket boxes. Her work has
been seen in several issues of Bead
Trends magazine and her signature
Flower Basket Beads were featured in
VintageJewelrySupplies.com’s ad in
Polymer Café this year.
Basket Weave Fusion Earrings
Kollmann lives in Fountain Valley,
California, with her husband and
chocolate lab. Her two sons are away
at college. She manages and operates a consulting business but is able
to put time into her art every day.
When having a clay-muse block she
likes to do counted cross stitch and
Pergamano parchment craft.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/jkollmann
40
Periodot Necklace
Jill Kollmann
Flower Basket Bead
Fashion Show Fusion
Cinnabar Trinket Box
41
Galleries
Emerging Artist
Els Van Haasen
Dutch Polymer Art Guild president Els
Van Haasen was introduced to Fimo
beads in 2008, after which she became “heavily addicted” to polymer
clay, and now uses it to create natureinspired pendants from her home in
Holland.
Travel and the outdoors are a big part
of Van Haasen’s life, and these lifestyle elements are apparent in the details of her work. While not considering herself a color expert, Van Haasen
creates jewelry inspired by the colors
of her visual experiences observing
the earth, sea, and sky.
Still feeling new to the medium, Els
constantly reinvents her style and
tests new techniques. Silkscreen
printing and texturing in combination
with paint are some of her preferred
techniques. She is also perfecting Dan
Cormier’s blending technique, as well
as constantly looking for ways to add
new twists to old techniques.
Feeling Grey
The search for a definitive artistic
voice is an ongoing process for Els.
The one constant in her art is her love
of polymer and what she sees as its
therapeutic nature. “There is still so
much to discover with this wonderful medium and it also works like a
distress therapy. Very welcome in this
hectic world!”
While working a full-time job at the
University of Amsterdam and managing a busy life with her husband and
two teenage kids, Van Haasen teaches in a local creative center and sells
her work in craft fairs and markets.
Her work has been featured in “European Polymer Clay Art” and in the
new Dutch magazine, “From Polymer
to Art.”
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Beadelz
42
Crete Pendant
Els Van Haasen
Golden Blossom
Jungle Fever
Volcano Grasshopper
43
Galleries
Emerging Artist
Erin Metcalf
Introduced to polymer clay in 2003
during a sculpture class, Erin Metcalf
was enchanted by its versatility and
began sculpting a variety of fantastic, playful creatures that define her
award-winning work today.
Erin creates colorful creatures in a
style that she calls, “whimsical realism.” All of her pieces are anatomically believable, and based in reality.
A majority of her work is centered
around creating fanciful, quirky,
make-believe creatures that speak to
the enchanted child within each of us.
Since her start in polymer clay, Erin
has earned places in several juried
exhibits. Her work has also been
featured in American Miniaturist
Magazine (February 2008) and Faerie
Magazine (Spring 2009). She has
shown her work at two prominent
science fiction & fantasy art shows,
and won a merit award in the Santa
Clara Cultural Advisory Commission’s
2009 Sculpture Exhibition.”
Bat-Eared Sap Dragon
Erin focuses on sculpture strength
and fine detail in her creations. She
starts by using solid armature and
strong, flexible clay in her pieces.
She then refines minute features by
utilizing a variety of odd sculpting
tools such as a single porcupine quill
or knitting needles. Experimentation
is key for Erin, who is experimenting
with leather sculpting now as well.
Erin lives in Santa Clara, California
with her husband. Together, they
are active in the musical arts through
their church band. She continues to
broaden her artistry and experiment
with new techniques. “I am learning
not to fear trying something new. If I
ruin a piece, it was not a waste, but a
classroom.”
www.eirewolfcreations.com
44
Mean Old Goat Satyr
Erin Metcalf
Dragon Snail: Kinoko
Felis Draconis
Dragon Snail: Senshi, detail
Dragon Snail: First Sight
45
Subscription or Single Order Purchase
Fill out and return this form and mail to the address below.
Only checks drawn on US banks can be accepted. All forms of payment should be in US dollars.
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46
Or Subscribe Online at:
Inspiration Challenge
The
Show us Your Inspiration!
Produce art work using any of the techniques or tips in this issue and submit it for our upcoming issue!
‘Best in Show’ will be awarded $25 cash
The Rules:
●●Make a piece based on or inspired by a technique or tip in this issue.
●●Send an email to [email protected] with “Inspiration Challenge
#1” in the subject line.
●●Write a short note on what inspired you and how it evolved into the piece you are submitting. Please use the article’s
title when referencing. Keep the note brief, about 100 words or less ... that’s about 2 text messages worth.
●●Attach a digital image, minimum of 300 dpi and no smaller than 4” or 100mm on the short side; in .jpg, .tiff or high
quality .pdf. If its large, zip it.
●●Judging will be based primarily on an assessment of the design and creative application of the inspiration.
●●It is understood that submitting photos to this challenge is also giving The Polymer Arts the right to reproduce the
image for display in the magazine, both print and digital versions without restriction to editing as needed.
●●Challenge winners are announced in the publication.
●●The deadline for challenge submissions, inspired by articles in this issue is October 15th, 2011.
The Polymer Arts
Video Workshops
Come join us for an hour of technique and discussion! These will revolve around the techniques shown in the
issue. Sage Bray will be your host, presenting the technique, taking questions, passing on comments, and
getting your input. This is your opporunity to ask those questions that come up as you follow a turtorial and
get additional tips as well as share your discoveries as you tried out the techniques in your own unique way.
Let’s get some work ready for the Inspriation Gallery!
Video Workshop Schedule
●●Sunday, September 25th @1pm EST/8pm Greenich Meantime
●●Sunday, September 25th @8pm EST/3am Greenich Meantime
Other dates and times may be added depending on response.
To get in on the workshop, send an email to [email protected] with “Video Workshop 9/25” in
the subject line and we will send you the access information and a reminder email when we get closer to the
workshop date.
47
Contributor’s Guidelines & Idea Submissions
Have some great ideas for a future issue? A new technique, an
issue you’d like us to address, or an artist we should profile?
Let us know!
Share your knowledge, techniques and experiences with other polymer clay enthusiasts. It’s okay if writing is
not your thing--we keep a few talented writers and editors around to help whip an article into shape. What
we can’t do, is tell others what you know!
We are open to any type of article that would be of interest to the serious clayer. So even if your idea doesn’t
fit anything we have presently, we’d still love to hear it!
Who can write for TPA?
We welcome contributors who are polymer clay artists or work with polymer clay in association with other
major mediums as well as art critics, historians, collectors, publicists and specialists who have a topic of interest to the polymer clay artist.
Types of Content Accepted
Content in TPA is 100% non-fiction that is either written from direct personal experience or is well researched
with reference materials available upon request should it be applicable.
How to Submit
●●Feature Articles
Feature articles will directly reflect the theme of a particular issue. These are generally assigned/solicited
rather than gained through the submission process. But please inquire if you have a specific feature idea that
matches an upcoming theme. (See the About section of our website for upcoming themes)
●●Material Issues
These are in depth explorations of technical and creative polymer clay techniques and practices. Articles may
come in the form of an editorial or researched article or a technique tutorial.
The New and Improved
Testing and review of new products and tools or new views the use of existing products. Tips and tricks for
improving one’s studio space or artistic processes are also included in this section.
●●Artist Spotlight
Featuring one particularly accomplished artist. Submit an artist’s name and link to their work for consideration.
●●Master and Emerging Talent Galleries
Galleries of new and established artists’ work with brief interviews. Candidates for these galleries can send
links to their website, Flicker, Etsy or similar online source where the detail of the artwork can be readily seen
and examined.
●●The Bottom line
Articles on selling, displaying, listing, marketing, or any business related subject that affects the income of a working
artist. Images may be produced or stock photos acquired where generalized or abstract ideas are being illustrated. If
submitting such images to accompany the article, proof of the right to reproduce the images will be required.
48
Contributor’s Guidelines
●●In Good Company
Personal experience & reporting on events, retreats, workshops, new guilds or organizations, or formal art programs.
●●Muse’s Corner
Personal style essay that speaks to experiences, community issues, inspiring stories or anything that might uplift or
otherwise engage our primary market, the polymer artist.
●●Inspiration Challenges
Art work submissions that were inspired by a prior issue’s articles. See present/previous issues for challenge guidelines
and deadlines.
Submission Process
We ask that you send queries first. This saves both you and the editor time and work. Before spending time writing an
article with TPA in mind, you can find out if your chosen subject is something we are presently looking for.
Queries of interest will be responded to within 1 week -3 months. .
If you would like to submit a query for an article, please read our full Contributor’s Guidelines at http://www.thepolymerarts.com/submissions.html then send your queries to [email protected] and include “Article Submission” in the subject line.
If you just have a good idea you think we should pursue, please send us an email at [email protected]
and put “Article Idea” in the subject line.
The Polymer Arts Resource List
The most comprehensive resource list for Polymer Clay artists was too large for this printing!
We’ve amassed over 400 retailers, guilds, artists, schools, organizations, blogs, publishers, and other great
stuff. So instead of taking up a ton of room with lots of tiny print, we’ve loaded the list on our website
where you can browse, search and/or download your own copy.
You can peruse the list at http://www.thepolymerarts.com/Resources.php to find:
Supplies: Retail & wholesale shops; supplies for polymer clay, jewelry, sculpting, etc.
•
Community: Guilds, groups, forums ... Anything focused on member involvement
•
Artists: Gallery level artists, teachers, innovators and notable emerging artists
•
Information Sources: Magazines, Blogs, Newsletters, Tutorial sources, Wikis, and Book publishers
•
Organizations: Art and business support organizations
•
Sales Markets: Year round sales avenues and services
•
Galleries/Museums
•
Events: Craft shows, workshops, retreats, classes and industry shows
In future issues we will feature some of our greatest new finds so send us your resources! Use the form on
the website page as stated above.
49
Muse’s Corner
Coop
It Begins with
eration
Not Competition
A note from publishers Marjon Donker
& Saskia Veltenaar
When we decided to start our polymer clay magazine in
Holland last year, it wasn’t to fill a need so much as to fuel
a passion. In the polymer clay community there are always
new ideas blooming and so much that inspires us, so we
thought we would translate our passion into a magazine,
and From Polymer to Art was born! Shortly after we made
the announcement that this new magazine was coming
out, we got an email from one of our new contributors,
not the kind of letter you get often these days:
Marjon & Saskia-I would be happy to write up an article about my adventures with the halogen oven (and they have been adventures!). I’ve put it on my calendar and will submit a draft to
you the first week of January.
I also want to be up front with you about my own projects
I have been creating/editing art and literary magazines on
and off for 25 years and had started working up an idea
for a polymer magazine about a year ago. I held off when
I heard you were starting up one, just to be sure I wouldn’t
be stepping on any toes. It doesn’ t look like we’d be overlapping as my idea is to develop a magazine specifically
for professional and aspiring polymer artists. I think we
could help each other out by promoting each other if you
are up for it. I don’t believe in looking at other businesses
as competition, rather I think we should look at supporting
each other.
--Sage Bray
And we couldn’t agree more! The two of us, Marjon and
Saskia, are both very positive thinking people. We hate
competition. We think in opportunities! The world would
be a brighter place, if we’d all think and act a bit more
positive. We don’t know if this is a value, we were taught
by our parents, or if it’s a Dutch thing, but we do know
positivism makes our day shine more!
We never saw Sage and her ideas for a new magazine as
a threat to ours. Her ideas about making this new magazine are so different, but we all want the same thing… to
spread the news that polymer clay is not just any medium,
it’s thé medium with the most exciting possibilities! Our
magazines are fulfilling the needs of two different areas
50
of the market, like Ying and Yang. Ours is full of project
tutorials and this magazine is full of in-depth information.
Some people will want one or the other, some people will
want both.
Having this variety, while still focused on our shared passion, has already bred further creativity. We are looking
at ways we can help each other out by refering article
submissions, advertisers, and art work to each other when
we get things we can’t use or that just don’t quite fit our
current needs. I don’t know if other magazines have even
thought about doing this, but it makes so much sense!
Note to you, dear readers ... it was the cooperation and
creative thinking that lead us to these great ideas!
We just wanted to tell this little story, so you might think
about it when as you build your business or go to sell your
art. Whether it’s a small Etsy shop, a booth at a craft fair, a
gallery showing or a publication even -- don’t look around
you for your competition. Look around for who you can
help and who might help you in return! Trust us--you get
so much more from working together than struggling to
get ahead of someone else.
--Marjon & Saskia, From Polymer To Art
Welcome to the world of creative possibilities
Here at Woman Creative we have gathered inspiring work in polymer
spanning two decades and highlighting the talent of over 90 artists. You will find
the atmosphere elegant and the presentation stunning. The classes we have lined up feature
masters you can trust to deliver more than you expect. Enjoy the process, learn to express your
passion and heighten your skills. Live your dream. Woman Creative will accomodate.
Studio Artists
Barbara McGuire, Ellen Prophater, Sure Sutherland, Jan Stephens, Patricia DiBona
Guest Artists
Christi Friesen, Leslie Blackford, Kim St. Jean, Lindly Haunani,
Jana Roberst Benzon, Alice Stroppel
www.womancreative.com

The The Genesis Issue!

Transcription

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