Polymer Clay Journey: Go! Leafs Go!

Hi guys! Hope you are having a warm winter, Especially if you win where it is actually winter in the northern parts of this world- That's Where we live! Yup, It has been about -30°C With the windchill. What is a wind chill you  ask? First you have an actual temperature on the thermometer, And then the wind comes up. Depending where that wind Is coming from, Like the north, It can make the air feel colder than the actual temperature. Hence the Windchill factor. Regardless, It's kind of cold Up here.

Today I wanted to introduce something that may or may not be new to you. It is called metal leaf. I have made an introduction video that you can watch below And then my next video Will be a polymer clay application for Metal leaf. Yes I am sharing it Because it is really cool to use it on polymer clay, Or in a polymer clay.

Watch Below

One of the artists who have inspired me the most When it comes to using metal clay or gold leaf, Is one of my favorites, The great, The fun, The imaginative Artist,  Christi Friesen! In fact the technique that I will show in the next video (I will post it within the week), Was inspired by her Sgraffito bead.

The metal leafing Technique has been around for 5000 years or so. I am not an expert on the history, All I know is it is really cool to use it with Polymer clay. It is also used in Cake decorating And other sweet Delights. However, I do not recommend eating your Metal leaf, no matter how good it might look. I am assuming there are edible types.
But we're here to talk about Artistic applications That are not edible!

I have purchased mine on eBay.ca. I find a lot of supplies that way, At a fairly low cost. I just search what I'm looking for, click on free shipping, and the "Buy Now" feature. It usually comes from Asia somewhere, So it can take a while to arrive. But I find it is worth waiting for. So if you're looking for metal leaf, Just search for Gold leaf and you will find what I did. As well look for nail art supplies,  and nail art powders - If you're looking for more polymer clay tools and enhancers.

I hope you're inspired to try Using this item. Just remember to not Use it in a windy area! In fact be careful not even to sneeze Where the package is open. You will find out more when you watch the video above.

Please don't forget to join the  HeArtfully Creating group on Facebook. There are you can share what you're working on, Ask questions, And just playing talk about anything creative. It is not limited to polymer clay only. I'm a visual artist, So the Topics are endless.

HeArtfully Creating,
Anita

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POLYMER CLAY JOURNEY: From Clay and Resin Into A Necklace

I love giving my pieces a name when I put them for sale in my Etsy shop ( www.abergiecreation.etsy.com ) - but this one hasn't been posted yet, so no name so far. Hmmm....what name should I give this?

I Made A Lot Of Resin Pieces That Day!

A way back I got to play around with epoxy resin for the first time. It takes patience and care and about 24 hours to fully cure and shouldn't be used if you are young. There are too many warnings about safety and I wouldn't want to cause any vulnerable persons to dive into a material that could cause some harm if not used correctly.  At first I was a little paranoid about using it. It was because most of the tutorials I had watched prior to using it, were adamant about wearing gloves, having ventilation, and not getting it on your skin. However, I did loosen up once I became familiar with it and it did touch my skin.  If that happens, wipe off right away. Baby wipes and rubbing alcohol with rags are your best friend when using resin and clay too. I look forward to working with it some more but haven't yet. So far...

It was a really fun first time and out of that resulted some really cool potential pendant pieces (See above), at least that was my intent when designing and making them. Using silicone molds, I poured the resin in along with polymer clay inclusions that I made, such as the orange leaves below. The word inclusion was something I have learned about from watching Christi Friesen's tutorials. Check her out, she's a mighty artistic inspiration. 

And I also dropped in glitters and other sparkling elements like acrylic rhinestones. Based on my own experiences, these acrylic sparkly bits from nail

Can you see the glitters and sparkly bits?

art places (mine are usually from Ebay and Amazon),  have held up fine in the oven at 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Yet, mostly all the tutorials I have watched, say only use glass and crystals.  If you are are not sure, you try on a scrap piece before using acrylic/resin pieces for inclusions.

It took a while to transform my square into something spectacular, but I finally did. If you see the photo where the piece is in it's simplest beginnings, I then embellished the square resin and clay piece into a more interesting, hopefully beautiful pendant with a bale made from wire,(another idea from another jewellery artist, Keepsake Crafts). As well, the polymer clay decorative addition was textured and accented with beads and mica powder. 

Thanks to so many great tutorials, I also learned how to make my own end caps, again thanks to Patricia Roberts -Thompson. out of clay (those are the end parts holding the ribbon ends and clasp). Along with accent beads and using sari ribbons to suspend it on. 

Hope you are a little bit inspired to create something!

💗HeArtfully Creating,

Anita

Here Is Original Leaf and the Mold I made using silicone and cornstarch and acrylic paint for colour.

Can you find the original piece in there? (front middle)

Here Is the finished pendant turned into a necklace!

Here Is the finished pendant turned into a necklace!

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Here Is the finished pendant turned into a necklace!

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