Student's Work: Faux Cloisonne

Student work, Faux Cloisonne

 This morning, I received this lovely letter from one of my customers, Holly D.:

"I thought you might like to see my first cloisonné piece :) made this last night (it is with Lisa Pavelka's Magic Glos, rather than with resin... I was impatient :)"

There were two pictures in this email; they are on the left and below.

Student work, Faux Cloisonne

Holly bought one of my polymer clay Faux Cloisonne tutorials the day before.  I take it as a huge compliment when someone is so excited about my technique or a project!  I am happy to see how Holly's faux cloisonne piece turned out.  The color gradation is lovely!

Pictures from Fandango 2015

Fandango 2015 Retreat on Lake Yale near Leesburg, FL

Below are a few pictures I took during my classes at Fandango this year.  These are work-in-progress faux cloisonne pieces that my students were working on in the class.

 There were fifty ladies in my classes over the course of three days.  Each of them made more than one beautiful faux cloisonne piece.  I wish I took pictures of all of them.

There are a few more pictures from this retreat in my photo album on Facebook.

Leaving for Orlando Clay Fandango

I am going to Orlando Clay Fandango in a few hours to teach my Faux Cloisonne technique. 

It is going to be fun!  I am really looking forward to this retreat. 

Here is my donation piece: a garnet asymmetrical necklace with two faux cloisonne elements.

New Tutorial Faux Cloisonne: Color

I am very excited about this new tutorial and happy to introduce it. 

With this tutorial, I invite you to return to my signature Faux Cloisonne technique and explore various possibilities for creating beautiful reach colors. 

This tutorial explains in a great detail how to add a metal leaf insert to your faux cloisonne project, how to color it with alcohol inks in a number of different ways, and how to expand your mica powders palette.  You will find in this tutorial numerous tips which will save you a lot of time and money not only with this particular technique, but with your polymer clay work in general.


To demonstrate this technique, I chose a project shown above - a colorful brooch in an interesting shape.  In this tutorial you will find step-by-step instructions for making this particular brooch (including a detailed demonstration of finishing its back and suggestions for choosing an optimal closure for your polymer clay brooches). 

In addition to that,  I included a page with a few other brooch designs, ready to be used in your projects.

This new Faux Cloisonne in Polymer Clay tutorial is available in my etsy shop.

Bursting with Color

If you asked me any time up until recently what was my favorite color, I would say black.  I liked it in my clothes and I used it a lot in my polymer clay art.  Actually, most of my designs were about the line, and color was something secondary, and often an afterthought.

Now, I do not know what happened, but suddenly not only do I embrace color, but I am literally craving color - both in my art and in my wardrobe...

Here are a few examples of my latest creations (and yes - a tutorial is following soon).  These all brooches, and they all are done in my signature Faux Cloisonne technique.

Student's Work, Faux Cloisonne

Faux Cloisonne is by far my most favorite technique, because it allows the most variation in design.  The latest examples of what can be done with this technique were sent to me yesterday by Stephanie Michaud, and they are simply breathtaking.

Stephanie is an equine artist, and her web site (http://www.studiomichaud.net/) has beautiful examples of her realistically-painted resin sculptures, with which she has been working for many years. 

Stephanie wrote to me that she is now looking for new artistic ways to have more fun with her work.  The pieces you see here are her first ones made following my Faux Cloisonne tutorial.  I am so impressed by her results!

 

 

 Now, get this: Stephanie listed all four of these pieces on Etsy yesterday, and all four were sold right away.  And did I mention that she had actually opened her Etsy shop the same day as well?  Amazing, isn't it?  I am so happy for her!

This last plaque is my favorite so far.  I cannot wait to see more of Stephanie's works.  She is planning to practice with my Crackled Metal Leaf Tutorial and promises to send pictures of her results. 

Thank you, Stephanie!  Looking forward to more pictures from you!

 

Student's Work, Faux Cloisonne

I love, love, love it when my customers (my "students") send me pictures of their works done following my tutorials.

I received the sweetest e-mail from Donna P.  She wrote:  "Hiya Eugena,  I have been busy at work enjoying your tutorial. I found the directions thorough and concise and the corresponding photos excellent. Even I could follow them!..."

And then Donna included a picture of a few of her pendants she made following my Faux Cloisonne Tutorial.

I already told Donna (and I would like to repeat it here) that I especially like the one with a tree. She has a really nice a clever design here - the wire is used for the roots and branches, and everything else is painted with mica powders. I like how the wire gives just enough highlights for the design, but does not overpower it. Nicely done! This tree pendant is a perfect example how this tutorial may be used to learn a technique, not just one project (although Donna did a fine job with the three heart pendants made following the instructions for the Faux Cloisonne heart described in the tutorial).

Donna gracefully allowed me to use her photo and comments in this blog.

Thank you, Donna, and happy claying!