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Falling in Love with Polymer Clay
Do Lovebirds Tweet? |
For our February issue, we asked several members to write "Tweets" about how they fell in love with polymer clay. We hope these memories will help you recall your first exciting encounters with our loveable medium! Here are the replies: Alice Stroppel: It's versatile, colorful. I can sculpt, cane, stamp, carve, paint, cure at home. Work big, little. Make art, jewelry. Imagination's the only limit! Barbara McGuire: Working in Polymer is like having an 'ah hah!!' moment - even when it's a mistake! Christine Dumont: More, more Polymore!
Heather Campbell: Versatility of color, texture, design along with the magical possibilities to meld polymer clay with mixed media had me hooked from the first time I held it in my hands. Julie Eakes: An auto parts store started it. Unhappy with my early creations, I began a search for fine sandpaper, ending at the Pep Boys. I sanded to 1000, and my love affair began. |
Kylie Milner: Searching for that special something, I stumbled across an array of tantalising colours. One thing just led to another and the obsession to create began. Linda Garbe: I've always lived at the intersection of "Compelling Color" and "Tantalizing Texture." Addiction to polymer clay was inevitable!
Marilyn Davenport: Watching a girl create with polymer clay intrigued me. I tried it & fell head over heels. This was what I wanted to work with! It's been true love for 18 years.
Melanie West: My muse was first lulled by the colors, but it wasn't long before its malleability, versatility and immediacy took control of her heart.
Sage Bray: A friend insisted I try polymer --felt like a blind date. And changed my life! An elegant material I can make anything from--if only there were such men!
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Mentors Wanted
As the popularity of polymer clay grows, more people are becoming interested in learning all about the different things that can be created with it. Have you been working with Polymer Clay for a while? Do you want to share your experiences and knowledge with a newcomer? This could be just the thing for you. Are you a Polymer Clay newbie? Live too far away from a guild? Are you wishing you had a one on one person you could turn to via email? Via Skype? Via Yahoo Messenger? Then this might be something you are interested in. Sure there are a lot of message boards where members are willing to share, heck, there are a lot of people who are willing to share from basics to tricks they have learned. There are a lot of people out there that surf clay tutorials, message boards, and Flickr who scratch their heads and ask "How did they do that?" The IPCA wants to Hook you up! If you are interested in mentoring or being a mentee, drop us an email at: kathig@dragonsglass.com Happy Claying Kathi Briefer-Gose IPCA US Guild Liaison
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Monkey Fist Tutorial
by Kathi Briefer-Gose
 | | Monkey Fist Knot Jewelry |
One of my favorite knots to tie was, and still is, the monkey fist knot. This knot is used as an end knot for heaving lines from one area to another. Sometimes there are rocks tied inside the Monkey Fist to give added weight.
This tutorial translates the rope knot into a polymer clay one.
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Big Faux Tutorial by Corliss Rose
Corliss shares how to create beautiful faux bone focal beads for an Asian-inspired necklace.
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Calls for Entry
Note: Many calls in the US are open to non-US residents
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Artist Trust Fellowship 2012, open to artists residing in Washington State (US), deadline Feb. 26 and Sale, Chicago, IL, deadline March 5 Houston, TX, open to artists residing in Texas (US), deadline March 15 Morning Glory Fine Craft Fair, Milwaukee, WI (US), deadline March 15 Nashville, TN (US), deadline March 15 International Call, Toronto, ON (Canada), miniature works on wooden block (provided), deadline April 30. 1001001 - artproject, The Art of Human Freedom, Stockholm, Sweden, deadline ongoing Magazine Challenges Shelf-Sitter Challenge, Art Doll Quarterly, deadline March 15, 2012 Inspiration Challenge, The Polymer Arts. Create a piece inspired by The Polymer Arts' Spring 2012 articles on textures, spatial design, or chopped translucents, deadline April 15 ($25 cash prize).
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Upcoming Events: Classes and Workshops |
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Society of American Mosaic Artists, Lexington, KY, Annual Conference, Feb.29 - Mar. 4. Laurie Mika will teach 2 workshops on polymer clay mosaics.
Polymer Pamper Play II, Broadway, UK, Mar. 16-18
Sue Heaser, Bead Making Workshop, Suffolk, UK, Apr.1
Carol Simmons, Intricate Kaleidoscope Canes, Dahlonega, GA, Apr. 2-8
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Volume 6, Issue 2
February 2012
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Progress & Possibilities 2011
Winners Announced
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Alison Galant, Chair of the Progress & Possibilities for 2011 , was delighted to say that the levels of artistry and finishing of the entries to last year's Progress and Possibilities were exceptional. She wanted to pass along the committee's thanks to all those who took part. The judges had a particularly difficult task but carefully considered each image before awarding their scores. The images have been transferred to the gallery section of the IPCA website along with judges' and Members' Choice voting results. We do urge you to take a look. Who knows, it may inspire even more of you to enter this year!
Many thanks to the judges - Christine Dumont, Jana Roberts Benzon, Laurie Mika and Kathleen Beck - plus everyone who voted for the Members' Choice entries. Congratulations to Melanie West for ' The Maw BioBangle' voted 'Best in Show', and all winners and runners-up in each category and at each level.
The P&P committee members are currently working to simplify the procedures for the competition by running it through the IPCA website in future. We will keep you posted on developments.  | | The Maw BioBangle, by Melanie West. |
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Guild Spotlight
The Kansas City Polymer Clay Guild
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by Lynette FiskKCPCG (as we lovingly refer to ourselves) was started in the early 2000s by a group of polymer clay lovers following a Klew workshop they attended together. We usually meet the second Tuesday of each month, with quarterly Saturday "Clay Play Days," which give us time for more in-depth work on a technique. A monthly additional "free play Saturday" provides side-by-side learning for anyone who wants help or just someone to "clay" with. We learn from one another, experiment and play with various techniques and new products and have a great time doing so! The Kansas City Polymer Clay Guild provides camaraderie, professional growth, friendships, social outlet and learning to artists from the Kansas City metro area.
 | | KCPCG members with Barbara McGuire (5th from left, back row) |
About 45 members range from interested newbies to very experienced clay artists. Meetings are informal and simple, usually with 10-20 in attendance, and include time for "show and tell your newest work," raffle, brief business meeting, and demonstration. Several of our members have had tutorials or winning challenge items published in Polymer Cafe. Others have studied with well established teachers, and their skills are impressive. When we do our annual bead exchange, we each receive a wide variety of fabulous beads.
 | Chihuahua Clown,
by Deb Williams |
Generously hosted by a local bead shop owner who is also a member, we meet in aclassroom space equipped with tables, chairs and curing oven within the store. A local bead store occasionally sponsors open-to-anyone clay workshops with well-known teachers, but our monthly meetings are taught by members who are willing to share the results of their experiments, great tips, and advanced skills. Visitors may attend 2 meetings before we ask them to join and pay dues.
Some members actively teach and sell their work, and we had a guild booth at a recent Kansas City Maker Faire to spread the word about the joys of playing with clay. Our membership fluctuates with people moving away and new people who find us.
 | | Kashigawa Pendant, by Robin Young |
Recent topics included using kashigata molds to make pendants and bracelets, faux raku using polymer clay, drawing (with no smudges) with ink onto cured polymer, and using easy-to-find materials to make yo
ur own custom texture stamps. Often someone makes an item for a challenge that appeals to everyone; then they're asked to show us how they did it in a future meeting.
Raffles: We hold a monthly raffle of a handmade clay item. The proceeds go to the budget, and the winner makes next month's prize. Challenges: It's fun to see how each person interprets the same concept! Popular challenges included:
- grab bag (included things like finger cots, trinkets, odd items)
- containers
- fortune cookie (portray your fortune in clay - harder than you might think!)
- make yourself in clay (face cane or abstract?)
- insects and winged creatures (bugs, fairies, birds, etc)
 | | Pillow Puff Potion Pot, by Michele Wineland |
Annual bead exchange: (themed by color or technique) One of each bead goes to the Guild collection Guild library: Books and videos which members may reference and share. videos
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Save The Date: Synergy III
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The IPCA proudly announces its 3rd International Conference:
Synergy III: "Seeking Higher Ground"
March 13-16, 2013
Crowne Plaza Hotel
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
To elevate our beloved medium, there will be seminars in Design, Business and Technique, guest speakers, and more. We will be opening the Synergy 3 website very soon with conference information including seminar schedule, events extras, and featured presenters. We'll keep you posted!
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| Update:
Sizing Photos for CaFÉ:CallforEntry
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CaFÉ:CallforEntry has made changes, effective February 1, to provide simpler formatting requirements and better image views. This is good news for many of our members, who found the square-image requirement confusing and difficult, and some of our P&P judges, who found the images too small.
If you're preparing images to submit to Cafe and following the formatting instructions provided in January's Polymergence or on the IPCA website, you can ignore Step 1, item D, and all of Step 2.
Changes to CaFÉ:
- Artists can now upload images that are 1920 pixels on the longest side, rather than a square 1920 x 1920 pixel image.
- The large image preview is slightly bigger, by 200 more pixels.
- Online media-prep help instructions have been updated.
Since the 1920 x 1920-pixel image format has been eliminated, you can now upload images that are at least 1920 pixels in any one direction. For example, you can upload a JPEG that is 3600 x 2500 pixels and the system will automatically size it down to 1920 x 1333 pixels. Or you can upload a JPEG that is 4000 x 1920 pixels and the system will size it down to 1920 x 922 pixels.
What this means, in its simplest terms, is you no longer need to create the black boxes on two sides of rectangular images to make them square!
You can still use and upload JPEG images that are 1920 x 1920 pixels, and they will retain the same dimensions. If you have existing 1920 x 1920 images in your Cafe portfolio, you don't need to remove or re-upload them; you may continue to use them.
Viewing a larger image by an increase of 200 pixels is another improvement. Now artists, agencies, jurors, and review panelists can enjoy a bigger picture of your artwork sample and focus on what's important.
At this time, Zapp has not changed its formatting requirements, so the instructions on the IPCA website are still accurate for Zapp.
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I Heart Polymer Clay
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 | "Elissahearts" with the translucent Chrysanthemum Cane
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Elissa Powel is a familiar name in the polymer clay community. She is best known for her "Elissahearts" - cheerful, brightly colored polymer clay hearts, made with a wide variety of surface techniques. Elissa shared those techniques through her free tutorials, which are still available today at the PC Polyzine website. In so doing, she passed on a love for hearts covered in a translucent chrysanthemum cane - her signature technique. Login to read more | |
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Polymer in Print: What's New
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New Books
- Balchin, Judy, Rebecca Balchin, and Elaine Hamer, The Complete Book of Fantasy Designs, Jan 1, 2012
- Brooks, Nick. Advanced Mouldmaking and Casting, Jan. 11, 2012
- Carren, Rachel, Bruce Pepich, Lena Vigna, Ter
 | | Dragon Plaque, in Balchin & Balchin, Complete Book of Fantasy Designs |
ra Nova: Polymer Art at the Crossroads, Oct. 21, 2011 - Helm, Sarajane, Celebrations with PolymerClay: 25 Seasonal Projects (Kindle ed.), Jan. 1, 2012
- O'Brien, Linda, and Opie O'Brien, Mixed-Media Doll Making: Redefining the Doll with Upcycled Materials, Oct. 1, 2011
- Wilson, Kevin. Men's Gift Ideas: Homemade Gifts Using Polymer Clay for the Men in Your Life (Kindle ed.), Oct. 10, 2011
- Zell, Geronimo, Creativity in Polymer Clay, Jan. 15, 2012.
Books Coming Soon
- Nagumo, Rie. Enlightened Polymer Clay: Artisan Jewelry Designs Inspired by Nature, March 26, 2012
- Polyform Products, Beginner's Guide to Polymer Clay, April 2012
- Polyform Products, Beginner's Guide to Polymer Clay Jewelry, April 2012
- Schiller, Dawn. FaeMaker: Making Fantasy Characters with Polymer Clay, Aug. 9, 2012
Magazines
- Polymer Cafe, February 2011: "Julie Picarello," by Trina Williams;"Heart Pendant," by Julie Picarello;
"Dangle Bangles," by Helen Wyland-Malchow; "Bradley Cat Pin & Earrings," by Debbie Halliday; "An Introduction to Millefiori ," by Eve Leder; "Simply Sorbet," by Karen and Ann Mitchell; "Introducing The Polymer Chef," by Suzanne Ivester - The Polymer Arts, Spring 2011:
Cool Space: A Peek Into 4 Artists' Studios
Create With Space: Design Beyond Form
Control Your Space: Organizing The Studio
Community Space: Grateful For Guilds
The Plentiful Possibilities Of Tactile Texture
Technique Tutorial: Chopped Translucent Polymer
Surprising Tool & Materials Source: Handmade Cosmetic Supplies
In the Galleries: An exclusive with Jon Anderson, Laura Timmin's newest work and more ... - Art Doll Quarterly, Winter 2011, "Little Blessings," Gloria Rone
- From Polymer to Art, The next issue will be Purple, available now for pre-order. The contents page is available on the magazine website.
- Belle Armoire Jewelry, Winter 2011, "Polymer Clay Basics," featured artist Sherilyn Miller.
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