We love Design-Seeds.com!!

Photo Credit: Design-Seeds.com

Each day the color wizards at Design Seeds send us two palettes drawn from real life. One of today's palettes, Cacti Color, struck me with its mixture of bold yet mellow tones of the desert. If you enjoy art of the Southwest, drink in the beauty of this color array.


PS - You can sign up for free emails at www.design-seeds.com.

Aniko and Jeannie (and Milo) wish you a Merry Christmas!
Remember to leave milk and cookies for Santa and some carrots for the reindeer.

Photo Credits: Twisted Papers Vintage Christmas Collection.

Rob Driscoll, a clever magician also known as Robbie the Wizard, has been busy the past year making a unique balloon model each day. The Portsmouth, Hampshire visual artist also makes popular cartoon figures such as SpongeBob and Sonic the Hedgehog which he gives to children at his shows. Click the Christmas Elf link to view more of his balloon creations. 

A quick search on Etsy and Pinterest reveals a sizable community of polymer clay balloon art. Most popular is a dog. A red dog. A red dog used as a charm for phones, etc. I was able to find a rainbow group of dogs, a single purple dog, along with an imaginative balloon dragon. All made of polymer clay and most available on Etsy. Or, maybe you will be inspired to create your own fantastical balloon creatures.

Photo Credits: Christmas Elf, Rob Driscoll (CATERS); Balloon Animals, (1) laughingsquid.com (2) katkraftukon on Etsy (3) PaperPastels on YouTube (4) minniekitchen.com (5) upcyclepatch on Etsy

A Reason to Celebrate

A huge thank you to Professor Diane Levesque at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin, who will teach ART 200E Polymer Clay in the Spring 2014 semester. According to the college website, this is one of the first college-level, full-credit courses available in polymer clay.

Congratulations to Maggie Maggio and Lindly Haunani, whose book, Polymer Clay Color Inspirations: Techniques and Jewelry Projects for Creating Successful Palettes, will be used as text for the course. Way to go, ladies!!

Spring 2014 Pantone Color Forecast

Get ready to brighten up your clay color palette with the new Spring 2014 colors from Pantone. Radiant Orchid is the Color of the Year. We'll be seeing it in fashion, jewelry and home decor.

Rabbits, rabbits . . .

Click image to view larger size.

Photo credits: 1-Christel Jensen; 2-Madre Olius; 3-Trina Prenzi; 4-Aniko
Kolesnikova; 5-AbsoKnittingLutely; 6-Free Heart; 7-Billie Beads

Call it legend or superstition, saying "rabbits, rabbits" on the first day of November assures luck throughout the year, so they say. I've been saying this phrase since I was 17 and have yet to see my luck improve significantly because of it.

During fact-checking for this blog post, I see on Wikipedia that I should have been saying "rabbits" three times, not two. And I am to say it at the beginning of each month, not just November. Maybe that is why my luck is always just so-so.

Lucky or not, I couldn't resist this colony of polymer clay rabbits found on Etsy, DeviantArt, and the pcPolyzine Tutorial Archives. From steampunk to wedding cake toppers to Aniko's sweet little Honey Bunnies, the range of styles on the Internet keeps multiplying like, well, rabbits.

Pantone Color-of-the-Year Spring 2014

Blue, blue, blue. Thanks, Pantone, for selecting a Color-of-the-Year in blue for Spring 2014. My personal favorite shade of blue is Cornflower, or as I call it, Havel-blue. The Spring 2014 COY is called "Dazzling Blue," and the swatch from the Pantone website looks, indeed, dazzling to me. Look at the color block on the left; that is the swatch from Pantone. Then, look at the swatch on the right; that is a swatch I found over and over again on a Google search for "Pantone Color of the Year Spring 2014." As usual, the variance in the shade is dramatic. That is to be expected since not all monitors display color in exactly the same way. But this time, the two colors are not even close, and that is just the two most-frequently posted swatches I found. 

Every time a new Color-of-the-Year is announced, we see variations in the tone and shade of the swatches posted online. The moral of the story is, for best results where accuracy is concerned, go with the Pantone swatch. It is, afterall, their color. Just keep in mind that one person's "Dazzling Blue" is not always going to look the same as the official Pantone color.

Official Pantone color, left side; popular swatch from Google Image search, right side.

Aniko Goes to the Big Bead Show 2013 in London

Wind Summoner's Necklace by Anna Kolesnikova.

Waiting, excitedly, to hear from Aniko, reporting live from the Big Bead Show in London today. Hoping she brings home a lovely prize.

This is her entry entitled, Wind Summoner's Necklace.

Wish her luck...


UPDATE: Congratulations to Aniko for bringing home Second Prize!! First prize went to Lydmyla (or Ludmila) Heggland.

To Your Health

You won't feel much like claying if you are sick with the flu, that's why we are recommending flu shots to everyone over the age of 6 months. Here is a flu vaccine location finder for the USA. Just plug in your Zip Code for a handy list and map.

Fall Color Inspiration

If you are working on your polymer clay color palette for autumn, aside from Pantone, where can you look for the season's most popular colors? An almost foolproof guide to color forecasting is fashion, especially cosmetics. This year, fall makeup colors are anything but ho-hum. The season features subtle tones of bold shades. What?? How can a color be a subtle tone of a bold shade? By starting with a palette of bold, exciting colors and dialing back the volume a bit, the result is a happy medium of pizazz and don't-look-like-a-rockstar. 

Allure magazine offers detailed information about "The 8 Sexiest Fall Makeup Colors" in their online edition. Look for a list of brand names as a guide or go straight to the cosmetics department of your favorite store to pick up a few shiny eyeshadows. Use them to match colors with your clay, then add them to your collection of Mica powders. http://www.allure.com/makeup-looks/2013/sexiest-fall-makeup-colors#slide=1

1-Plum; 2-Chocolate; 3-Emerald; 4-Garnet; 5-Taupe; 6-Lilac;
7-Turquoise; 8-Violet

Color mix recipes can be found at www.pcPolyzine.com.

Image Credits: David Cook for Allure magazine

[Posted by Jeannie Havel]

Remembering Gwen Gibson (1934 - 2013)

As the mystery of polymer clay unfolds for each of us, there are those who leave an indelible mark on our journey. Their spirit, skill, and ingenuity forge paths for us to follow that branch off in infinite directions. Such is the soul of Gwen Gibson. She died September 24th leaving a legacy of unique style, innovative techniques, and a degree of excellence for us to follow. In true Gwen fashion, what she wrote about "departing" on her website - although her meaning was about art, not death - is exquisitely fitting as we bid her goodbye.

"...'Departure' is about an impossible faith faced with the imposed limitation of gravity. Yet, the yearning to transcend is so strong that one is prepared to take off in the shakiest of contraptions."

Dear, dear Gwen, as you transcend, may your contraption be sturdy and your passage filled with peace.

Image credits: Gwen Gibson.com

[Posted by Jeannie Havel]

Product Review: Lucy Clay Extruders

The older I get, the more I appreciate polymer clay tools that are kind to my hands. When I think back to the old syringe-style extruder, I shudder at the memory of how painful it was to use. I've talked to many clayers over the years who, like me, stopped extruding completely because it just wasn't worth the trouble. Then, a new little green extruder made its way onto the market and ta-da! I was extruding almost every day. Many of the old problems were solved - the extruder was easy to use, held a generous amount of clay, and was designed to be self-cleaning. Wow! Could things get any better?

Fast forward to 2013 and the answer is yes! Things not only got better, they got seriously better. The new clay extruders from Lucy Clay in the Czech Republic have most of the now-familiar features of the more modern extruders already on the market with one giant advantage: the Lucy Clay extruders are designed to work with an electric drill. This one feature pushes the Lucy Clay extruders into the stratosphere. While the extruders - two sizes: 10cm and 18cm - have a standard ratchet turning handle, the ratchet can be removed to fit the extruder with an electric drill. This makes the clay extrude quickly and easily, and for me, with no pain to my hands at all.

Although I know many people already use a drill with their current extruder, there is not an extruder already on the market - in my professional opinion - with the strength to withstand the torque of an electric drill over an extended period. In addition, any adaptations to existing extruders will, most likely, invalidate any type of warranty offered by the manufacturer. This includes devices added to make twisting or turning the extruder easier. Extruders from Lucy Clay, however, are heavy-duty in design and can hold up under strong use.

Lucy Clay extruders come in a variety of colors and are well packaged. Currently, there are four sets of extruder shape disks available. Of note is the shape sometimes called the "kitten nose." Clay extruded with the kitten nose shape disk fits perfectly in the crevice created between two round logs of clay. This means fewer air pockets and better-looking canes.

Extruder add-on tools are in the works including a cleaning brush, vise, and more extruder disks. If you are serious about extruding clay or have been avoiding extruding for whatever reason, extruders from Lucy Clay are the answer.

Visit the Lucy Clay Facebook page to find a distributor in your country: https://www.facebook.com/LUCYpolymerCLAY

Image Credits: Lucy Clay

Disclosure: One Lucy Clay Extruder and one standard extruder disk set furnished to pcPolyzine for review by Lucy Clay, Czech Republic. Extruder shape disk with "kitten nose" shape purchased at full retail price by pcPolyzine.

[Posted by Jeannie Havel]

Papal Inspiration

Today's inspiration comes from an unlikely source far from the polymer clay community. Although it is about a religious figure, it is not about religion. It is about hope. My hope is that somewhere in it, you, too, find inspiration. The message comes from Pope Francis to a group of young people in Rome and I cannot think of a better mantra for us, whether we are seasoned polyclay artists or newcomers.

"Have courage. Go forward. Make noise."

Pope Francis poses with young people in the Church of Saint
Augustine in Rome on August 28, 2013.

Posted: Saturday 31 August 2013

(AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE)  Pope Francis has broken protocol once again, appearing with a puzzled look on his face in a "selfie" photo taken with a group of teenagers visiting the Vatican. The picture appeared on the Facebook page of one of the youngsters, who used it as his profile picture, and was going viral on social media on Saturday.
The picture comes in the same week that the Oxford English Dictionary included the word "selfie" to denote a self-taken photograph on a smartphone.

The young believers were part of a church group from northern Italy who met with the leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics on Wednesday and were seen going up to him afterwards to take their photo. "There is no marketing behind these actions. The pope clearly likes being with people while his predecessor liked being with books," said Beppe Severgnini, columnist for the Corriere della Sera daily.

Read the full story: http://news.yahoo.com/first-papal-selfie-goes-viral-social-media-073930372.html
Image Credit: Yahoo
[Posted by Jeannie Havel]

Illusionary Inspiration



http://img.gawkerassets.com/post/4/2012/03/illusion3.jpg

It's true. I am crazy for canes, so when I saw this example of an optical illusion this morning in the Huffington Post, it makes me wonder if a carefully built cane could provide the same visual effect. If successful, it would seem the clay is moving. Can you imagine that?










Image Credit: Huffington Post

[Posted by Jeannie Havel]

Translucent Colors

Yesterday I decided to have a browse online for some inspirations for translucent clay. I wanted to find out what could be its top level of translucency and what I found online did surprise and inspire me a lot. I created this inspirational collage for all of you to get inspired, too and to get some deeper understanding of how limitless polymer possibilities truly are. Enjoy!

Image Credits: (1) Aniko Kolesnikova; (2) Joan Tayler; (3) Dana Phamova; (4) Katrin Neumaier; (5) Wendy Malinow; (6) Claire Maunsell; (7) Dana Phamova; (8) Patti Pennisi; (9) Ginger Davis Allman; (10) Katrin Neumaier; (11) Mars Design; (12) Ginger Davis Allman; (13) Heather S.

Boxes on the Brain

Desiree McCrory is a class act in the polymer clay community. She earned status as queen of the clay machines many years ago when she showed us how to bravely dismantle and reassemble our machines for cleaning and tune-ups. Her talent goes far beyond mechanics; she is an accomplished artist whose imagination and skill produce stunning canes, beads, light switch covers, breathtaking jewelry, and an array of whimsical and artistic boxes and tins. Her covered Altoid tin tutorial, "Pretty in Pink and Blue" graced the January 2001 issue of pcPolyzine and is a favorite in the tutorial archives. Follow Desiree's step-by-step instructions to create your own treasure. And be sure to visit her website, Desired Creations, for an excursion through a gallery of box after beautiful box.

Image Credits: Desiree McCrorey
[Posted by Jeannie Havel]

Cambrian Treasures



Imagw Credit: LiveScience on Yahoo News

[Posted by Jeannie Havel]

Morocco is rich with artistic inspiration. For example, look at this rendition of a fossil uncovered by paleontologist Andrew Smith in the Anti-Atlas Mountains in 2012. The primitive sea creature was found while excavating sediments dating to about 520 million years ago. If it gets your polymer clay juices going, you can read the full article in yesterday's edition of the journal, Proceedings of the Royal Society B, or search LiveScience for Helcocystis moroccoensis.

Friday Night Inspiring Snack

Quick, before you settle into dinner, take a look at the vast array of polymer clay candy on Marlene Brady's Pinterest pages. I could stay there all night . . . and since it's Friday, I just might do that. Hope you enjoy it, too!

Image Credits: (1) Marlene Brady (2) Mandy Geo (3) Meagan Chaney (4) Tory Hughes (5) Créa'Sofimo (6) Pips Jewelry (7) Susan Hyde (8) Vesi Koleva (9) Olga Ayala
[Posted by Jeannie Havel]

Imagine Home Decor in Polymer Clay

Image Credit: One King's Lane

[Posted by Jeannie Havel]

Today's inspiration comes from home decor catalog giant, One King's Lane of San Francisco. Great ideas for covering objects in polymer clay with texture sheet and stamped embellishment flow from accessories in bright, saturated colors. Summer is a good time to give your creations a little oomph. Browse through the OKL catalog, then use patterns and color mixes to adapt a design with your unique touch.

It's Saturday - Treat Yourself to Something Wonderful!!

Israel's polymer clay guild (ILPCG) is a robust group of talented artists whose work is well recognized in our community. A popular member is Yonat Dascalu, author of numerous tutorials she sells in her Etsy shop and now her first self-published book available through Amazon.com entitled Polymer Clay: All the Basic and Advanced Techniques You Need to Create with Polymer Clay.

This book is compact in size but brimming with instruction. Scattered throughout you will find step-by-step projects to apply what you learn in the techniques section. There are myriad photos and generous explanations of how to make just about every type of essential polymer clay cane and how to apply them to jewelry and items of home decor. 
If you have ever wanted to know how Yonat creates her lovely polymer clay art, I recommend exploring Amazon's "look inside" feature to see what treasures await when you make your purchase. An added benefit, Yonat's book is available for Kindle and in a large print version. There is much to enjoy here!!

Paperback: 128 pages (Large print version)

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (April 9, 2012)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1475153740

ISBN-13: 978-1475153743

Image Credit: Guy Dascalu
[Posted by Jeannie Havel]