Super-Duper Tools

Happy New Year!  Wishing all my friends lots of creative energy in 2016!

Here is my first finished project for this year: a set of custom-made super-duper tools for polymer clay. 

People who buy my tutorials know that I love using knitting needles for sculpting.  I had a set of very short knitting needles in three sizes.  Finally, I made handles for them.  The handles are triangular in cross-section, so they are extremely comfortable to hold.  An added bonus: they do not roll on an uneven working surface.  I could not possibly leave the handles of new tools plain, so I decided to decorate them using my Wonder Stamps (I am supposed to be working on a tutorial for a project with these stamps, by the way).

And the other two tools are an X-acto knife and a needle tool.  For these, I covered their existing handles with polymer clay and finished them in the same style as the knitting needles.  Their handles are much thicker than those of the knitting needles, but still are very comfortable.

Openwork Pendants: Now in Color

 Experimenting with adding colors to my openwork pendants.

How to make these shapes is described in my tutorial Openwork Pendants: Under a Microscope.

I am using the coloring techniques shown in my other tutorial, Polymer Clay Cabochons Sea Creatures.

New Tutorial Sea Creatures

Are you ready for a few new ideas?

Make yourself some new jewelry in trendy organic style inspired by sea creatures - just in time for summer.

Follow my new tutorial to learn how to make fifteen different textures with a few simple tools.

I am offering this tutorial for an introductory price for two days only. The sale price expires on Monday, April 20, 2015, at noon (EDT). 

 This new tutorial is available in my Etsy shop (etsy.com/shop/PolymerClayTutorials).

Work In Progress: Sea Creatures

I am working on a new series of polymer clay pendants - with a corresponding tutorial, of course.

Coral and sea urchin inspired pieces are very popular right now, especially in ceramics.  I did not want to copy anybody's work, even if it is in a different medium, technically speaking.  It took me a good number of hours in my studio to finally come up with something that I actually like.  My husband had to listen to a lot of my grumbling, but he is finally rewarded by seeing me happy and inspired.  I see so much potential for these designs!

In the tutorial, I will describe five pendants, each constructed from three parts with different designs (that is a total of fifteen different components that can be arranged in various ways).  Each pendant will be represented in three finishes: all white, white and black, and colored.

How to Condition Old Polymer Clay

Sooner or later most clayers are faced with a problem of polymer clay revival.

Most of us like to buy clay on sales, stocking for future projects that may never materialize.  Stored for a long time, polymer clay eventually looses some of its plasticizers and becomes really difficult to condition.

Here is some of my old Kato polymer clay.  As you can see, there is no way I could feed these crumbs into a pasta machine.

Besides just throwing the clay away, a common approach to this situation is to add either some clay softener or liquid polymer clay (TLS).  By the way, it turns out that old TLS becomes very thick and clumpy if it is stored long enough.  It makes a nice companion for the old polymer clay and works well as a replacement for clay softener.

However, mixing polymer clay with TLS is a messy process: TLS ends up everywhere, especially in hard-to-reach places in a pasta machine.  Here is my solution for this challenge: a big Ziploc bag and a hammer.

(Pardon my cat running in the background.  He is just doing his job: being curious and annoying.)

Anyway, back to my clay.  After a few minutes of beating the clay and TLS mixture with a hammer, it was soft enough to go through my pasta machine.  I cut off the plastic strips along the edge of the Ziploc bag and ran the whole thing through my pasta machine, folding the clay inside the bag every so often.  Result: my pasta machine is clean, my hands are clean, and my clay is well-conditioned and ready for my project.  The whole process took me no more than 15 minutes.

Oh, and in case anyone wonders why my clay is photographed on the floor: this is simply because hammering the clay on my workbench causes all those little things in my studio to rattle.  Working on the floor is quieter...

Student Work: Openwork Necklace and Earrings Set

I am very excited to share the pictures sent to me by Tamara Crum.  She made a spectacular polymer clay jewelry set following my Openwork Pendants tutorial.

I love how Tamara adopted the technique for her own designs.  She used Inca Gold and Pearlex powders to color the pieces, and the colors turned out simply gorgeous.

Tamara is in the process of setting up her shop on Etsy (www.etsy.com/shop/Welcome2alittleTLC).  She also has a few more pictures of her beautiful polymer clay and resin creations in her account on deviantart.com. 

I hope to see more of her works in the nearest future and wish her the best of luck both in her art and in her jewelry business.

Fantasy Flower Brooches, a Few More Pictures

I feel like this blog is turning into a non-stop promotion of my openwork technique.  To dilute it a bit, here are a few more pictures from my latest tutorial, Fantasy Flower Brooches.

FCFC 2015: Getting Ready

Getting ready for my class at   Clay Fest-Cabin Fever Creative Arts Fest 2015, I made a few new openwork pendants.  While the ones described in my tutorial are all made in white, this time I am experimenting with different colors and finishes.

I just realized that I actually did not work in this technique since the publication of my Openwork tutorial.  I guess I am too eager to move on to experimenting with the new things...

New Tutorial: Convertible Fantasy Flower Brooch and Necklace

Aren't your friends jealous that you can always have a piece of jewelry perfectly matching your outfit?

Here is an idea for your next masterpiece: a beautiful brooch in delicious colors from the Pantone Spring 2015 collection: Marsala, Sandstone, Woodbine, Tangerine, Strawberry Ice, Aquamarine...

In this tutorial, you will find detailed instructions for making all of these colors in Premo polymer clay. I will take you step-by-step through the process of creating a few different brooches.  This project is easy and fun, so I am sure you will want to make these brooches not only for your every new dress, but for your friends' as well!

More Student's Work, Openwork Pendants

It was nice to wake up this morning to this pleasant surprise: Polymer Clay Daily featured the work of Annette Kruger based on my tutorial Openwork Pendants.

Annette's creation is so beautiful!  I absolutely love how she mixed my technique with Melanie West's ideas and came up with her own amazing piece.

Seeing how other polymer clay artists are developing my ideas is one of the greatest pleasures of teaching.

Student's Work, Openwork Pendants

Pendant and post earrings by Linda Britt

I was very excited to see the works of Linda Britt, which she did following my tutorial Openwork Pendants.

On her blog, lindabrittdesign.blogspot.com, Linda shares a number of her creations in this technique, including beads, necklaces and bracelets.

Each of them is interesting in its own way.  I especially enjoyed seeing how Linda is experimenting with this technique, coming up with her own designs and new uses for the openwork elements.

I had difficult time deciding which picture to show in my blog.  Finally I chose this one, because the pendant on the left is my absolute favorite of her works in this style so far.  There is something magical about it!  I hope Linda will continue working in this technique.

By the way, Linda mentioned in her post that she had to be extra patient with this technique.  There is a waiting step, which she said took her much longer than stated in my tutorial.  After a short discussion, I think we figured out what happened.  I hope Linda will try it again and report her results when she has a chance.  Meanwhile I want to stress out that it is important to follow the procedures described in the tutorial exactly as  written (especially for that tricky step).  They are there for good reasons! 

Thanks to Linda, I already edited my tutorial and added an explanation for each step.  I realized, if I explain not only what needs to be done, but also why is that so, than people will more likely pay attention to these particular instructions.  I still need to figure out how to notify everybody who bought the tutorial so far about this edition.

Site-Wide Sale!

Treat yourself to some creative time!

Visit PolymerClayTutorials.etsy.com for the best savings of the year on Eugena's original tutorials. 

You can save up to 50% on some of them!

Wishing you happy claying and a wonderful holiday season!

Work in Progress

Here is my next project: polymer clay Fantasy Flower Brooches. 

I am showing only one here, but I am planning to have at least three variations of each the petals and the flower centers for my next tutorial.

Cabin Fever Creative Arts Fest 2015 Registration

Registration for Cabin Fever Creative Arts Fest 2015 is now officially open! For all details and registration, please visit http://polymerclayfests.wordpress.com/ 

Hurry up!  The first 50 registrants will receive a special registration bonus.

Here is the list of instructors: Jana Roberts Benzon, Maureen Carlson, , Robert Dancik, Dayle Doroshow, Christi Friesen, Lindly Haunani, Anke Humpert, Doreen Kassel, Randee Ketzel, Melanie Muir, Kathryn Jo Ottman, Nan Roche, Sarah Shriver, Marie Segal, Eugena Topina, and Teri Walters.

Polymer Clay Tutorial Hollow Crescent Beads

These beads should probably be called "lost and found'. 

A while ago I was playing with different textures and inadvertently made a crescent bead.  I thought: "Oh, cool bead!  I shall figure out what do with it and then write a tutorial."  Then I completely forgot about it, and only recently came across it in my studio.  This time suddenly everything clicked in place and I immediately envisioned a project with this type of beads and metal filigree. 

So, here is my new tutorial, and it is available in my etsy shop.

Let me know what you think!

Two New Polymer Clay Tutorials

It's been a while since my last update, so am very happy to finally introduce two new tutorials for polymer clay.

Both tutorials are available in my Etsy shop (etsy.com/shop/PolymerClayTutorials).

One of these tutorials, "Polymer Clay Leaf Earrings", is intended for people new to polymer clay. It shows how to make a pair of polymer clay earrings with leaf design and hand-made sterling silver links. It does not require any special equipment or previous skills. 

The second tutorial, "Fantastic Filigree", is suitable for all skill levels, from beginner to advanced. It shows how to create necklaces, earrings, and bracelets with shining filigree designs formed with metal leaf.

Polymer Clay Tutorials and Example Pages

Updated all my polymer clay tutorial descriptions on polymerclaytutorialsetsy..com to include the free picture versions of some tutorials and the example pages for the rest of them.

Tutorial Embossed Polymer Clay: a Couple More Ideas

I would like to add a couple more ideas to the tutorial described in my previous two posts (below).

As you can see, in this tutorial I explained how to use a lever paper punch to create a custom stencil for embossed design.  However, you may also use commercially-available stencils.  Please refer to the picture below.  To obtain this design, I used two plastic stencils - one of them is for a letter and the second one is for a decorative corner.    

Please note that a better (deeper) design may be obtained when a thicker stencil is used.  The design created with a thin stencil is more shallow and less visible.

Here is another idea: to create your own pattern, cut a stencil out of a thick paper.

  

I decided to make a rather complicated stencil, with two trees (see below).  After sketching the trees, I cut them out with an X-acto knife.  I can now use the obtained silhouettes of the trees to make an impression in my clay in the shape of these trees.  However, if I want to have these trees embossed in polymer clay, I will have to collect all the little cutouts of the spaces between the tree branches and glue them onto a separate piece of paper.    

Too bad I cannot show you this design finished in polymer clay since I am still away from my studio...  You will have to use your imagination and experiment a little bit to use this approach.

Happy claying!

Tutorial Polymer Clay Embossed and Impressed, Part 2, Christmas gifts, DIY gifts

Look for the first part of this free polymer clay tutorial in my previous post.

Following the steps described in the first part of this tutorial, you made and baked a polymer clay veneer with embossed and impressed design.  

Your next step is to sand the edges of this veneer with a piece of relatively rough sandpaper (100 grit or similar).

Below are the pictures of the polymer clay veneer edge before and after sanding.

At this point the obtained polymer clay veneer may be used to decorate the notebook cover.  However, if you would like to highlight the design with acrylic paint, it could be done in one of the two ways described below.

Option 1. 

Apply small quantity of paint onto your index finger.

Gently tap the polymer clay veneer with your finger. 

Repeat as needed until the whole veneer is covered.

Option 2.

Paint your polymer clay veneer with acrylic paint in contrasting color.  Let the paint dry.

Using a piece of sandpaper, sand off some paint to reveal the pattern underneath it.

To complete the project, first put the covers back onto your notebook.  Gently press the wire loops together to restore their original shape.

Using Super Glue or glue E6000, attach the obtained polymer clay veneer onto the cover of your notebook.

This technique may be used for decoration of many other objects, such as picture and mirror frames, various boxes, business card holders, jewelry. etc.

Tutorial Polymer Clay Embossed and Impressed, Part 1, Christmas gifts, DIY gifts

In this free polymer clay tutorial, I will show you how to create an embossed effect in polymer clay using stencils.  These stencils can be made out of paper or plastic, handmade or commercially-produced.

While the techniques explained in this tutorial may be used to decorate many objects (including jewelry), I decided to demonstrate their use for transferring a plain and inexpensive journal into a beautiful hand-made gift.

First of all, you will need a blank journal to decorate.  The ones I am using in this tutorial can be found in most craft stores (particularly, in Michael's) for about a dolar or so.  A journal like this is held together by a spiral, which can be easily removed to take the journal apart.  

Open the journal and rotate the spirals so that one cover could be removed, and then another.

You may have to gently pry open each loop as you free them up one by one.

 Spray-paint the covers.

This is better to be done outside. Cover the ground with old newspapers, place both covers side by side on the newspaper and spray them evenly.

Note: I recommend doing this step before you start working on your polymer clay veneer to give the paint enough time to dry.

For this project, you will also need a lever paper punch, such as the one shown in the picture.  These punches are available in every major craft store for about $4 each.

Besides snowflakes, you may find punches with a butterfly, leaf, heart, and other designs.

Prepare a card stock paper template for the polymer clay veneer and then use the lever punch to make decorative holes in this template.  Save the cutouts.

Please note that due to the design of these punches, you will be able to make decorative holes no father than about 1” from the side of the template.  Plan your designs accordingly to this limitation.

When you will press the obtained template into a sheet of polymer clay, the holes in the template will make embossed (raised) designs.  The cutouts glued to the template will make impressions in the clay.

Use just enough clay to attach the cutouts and do not allow the clay to show around the sides of the cutouts.  Wipe off any access of glue right away.

Set the template aside.

Condition polymer clay and roll it out into a sheet bigger than your template and about 2 mm thick.

Transfer the obtained sheet of clay onto a smooth ceramic or glass tile on which you are planning to bake it.

This step has to be done slowly and carefully to avoid trapping any air under your polymer clay sheet.   Air bubbles expending during baking may cause unwanted bumps on a polymer clay sheet. 

To prevent this process, lay the clay sheet on the baking surface starting from one of its shorter ends and simultaneously use your roller to squeeze out any air from underneath it.

Place the template on top of the polymer clay sheet so that the side with the glued-on cutouts faces the clay. Roll it over with an acrylic roller.

Press the paper template hard into the clay using a roller or a brayer to make sure that you get a nice and clean design.

Carefully lift off the paper template to reveal the obtained design.

If any of the cutouts get stuck in the clay, you may carefully peel it off using a needle.

Note:  If you ever decide to use this technique in a smaller item (such as a pendant, for example), removing a cutout in a similar situation will be much easier.  All you will need to do is to lift the polymer clay pendant and slightly bend it right under the cutout.  The paper is stiffer than clay and tends to remain flat, so you will be able to separate it from the clay.  For the current project, however, you cannot use this approach, because picking up the whole sheet of clay will most likely distort it; plus you will risk trapping some air under this sheet of clay when you place it back.

Trim off the clay sheet following the lines impressed into the clay with your template. Use a metal ruler and an X-Acto knife for this task as shown in the picture above.

Bake the obtained polymer clay veneer according to the instructions for the brand of clay used in your project.

After baking, place the second ceramic or glass tile on top of the polymer clay veneer while it is cooling down.  This additional weight on top of the polymer clay veneer will prevent it from warping during the cooling process.

To remove the obtained polymer clay veneer from the baking surface, slide your metal slicer for polymer clay between the polymer clay veneer and the baking surface.

To continue, please proceed to the following posts:

Tutorial Polymer Clay Embossed and Impressed, Part 2

Tutorial Embossed Polymer Clay: a Couple More Ideas