Cosmic Inspiration

Photo Credit: Renzo Pastorelli

Modern visual artist Renzo Pastorelli says his visions of universal geometrical shapes show "historical evolution between civilizations and the beginning of the Cosmos." A native of Lima, Peru, Pastorelli's style could be created in polymer clay as well as the materials he uses in his relief paintings. His inspiration is enhanced by the power of crystals and the spiritual practice of Reiki. An accomplished website designer, Pastorelli exhibits his art through the Creative South America Network, an initiative of PUMACreative.

To our subscribers, friends, and followers: We love you!!

Spring Bling

Photo credit: Helen Hughes on pcPolyzine.com June 2001.

These adorable birdhouse earrings by Helen Hughes appeared in the June 2001 issue of pcPolyzine.com. The design is timeless and perfect for an easy project to brighten any Spring day. Slip a pair into a plastic egg and tuck in an Easter basket. Or add to a card in a Passover gift basket. But don't wait for a holiday to make a pair for yourself. Happy Spring!!

Breathtaking Inspiration From Nature

Photo credit: LaBioGuía

This beauty deserves to be immortalized in polymer clay. It is called a bog-star. 

According to the USDA website (and Wikipedia), it is officially the genus Parnassia, also known as Grass of Parnassus. The plants are in the family Celastraceae.

The image is from a post on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LaBioGuía. Click on it to get the most detail if you plan to make a cane.

Nature's inspiration is bountiful.  

Bangles & Bottles

Photo credit: Erin Lightfoot.

Banish the Ides of March by focusing on patterns as your inspiration for fresh clay projects. Check out Australian designer Erin Lightfoot's jazzy bangles and bottles inspired by Edwardian tile patterns. 

http://www.erinlightfoot.com

Balinese Filigree With A Twist

Photo credit: Jael Thorp.

Veteran polymer clay artist, Jael Thorp, takes the Balinese Filigree technique to a new and exotic direction with the addition of sculpted bits and flower canes. The colors are stunning and her assembly is masterfully combined. Visit Jael's blog for more mouthwatering designs: http://jaelsjewels.blogspot.com/.

Be Our Valentine

Photo credits: Elissa Powell, www.pcPolyzine.com

It just wouldn't be Valentine's Day without a tutorial from the pcPolyzine archives by our official "Queen of Hearts," Elissa Powell. From November 2001, here is Elissa's E-Z Hearts Lesson for clay heart-making without heart-breaking.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!

Busy Day at pcPolyzine World Headquarters

There are three new PDF files available on the pcPolyzine website:

• Polymer Clay Library: approximately 150 books with author's name. There are checkboxes so you can keep track of your own collection.
• pcPolyzine Tutorials Archive: alphabetized list of all pcPolyzine tutorials with author's name and links.
• pcPolyzine Tutorials Archive: alphabetized list of all pcPolyzine tutorials by author's first name.

I hope this helps you find our tutorials more easily. The PDF files may be printed and shared at guild meetings or with your friends.

Inspiration from the Rock Collection

Photo Credits: American Museum of Natural History, NY, USA

The group members over at Facebook - 52 Weekly Cane Projects - are busy making bullseye, lace, retro, and mosaic canes. I even saw a few Chrysanthemum canes which reminds me of this glorious image of Azurite and Malachite from the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. I found it on the Flickr page of "listentoreason."

Again, nature provides endless examples of artistic beauty to delight and inspire us. 

What inspires you?

A Love/Hate Relationship With Nature

California Red-sided Garter Snake Photo by vabbly

Leave it to the natural world to challenge us, as artists and crafters, to deny the beauty of these snakes. Even if you have a morbid fear of them try to look past what scares you and see their beautiful colors and designs. Or perhaps you have no fear and see snakes as mysterious creatures, dazzling and exotic. The juxtaposition of something that inspires strong emotions with one whose body is rich with myriad shades of brilliant color invites us to look at things from a standpoint different from our norm.

This collection of images, many of which are pinned to Daniel Carniglia's Pinterest board, holds a surprising number of design possibilities. Gaze at the colors and shapes and translate the images into extruded elements to make polymer clay canes inspired by the natural world. 

Be brave! Look beyond emotion into the inspiration nature offers us, at no charge. While you're at it, explore the mystical beauty of Daniel's Midnight Hibiscus pillow beads on the Polyform website. They are dazzling and exotic, too.

Red-sided Garter Snakes and Green tree Python from vabbly, i.imgur.com, and gartersnake.co.uk.

Happy New Year 2014!!

Photo Credit: Twisted Papers Vintage Postcards

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year filled with peace, prosperity, and polymer clay.

We are excited to begin our 14th year! Thanks for supporting us and being the inspiration for all we do. 

With warmest regards from Aniko, Jeannie, and the entire Team at pcPolyzine.com

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.