A place to encourage the creativity of artistic minds of all ages. Offering Ideas, Inspiration and Instruction and sharing the work of others who inspire me!
When I put the last video together, I was restricted regarding the polymer clay section of My Personal Art History. Just couldn't find the photos that I thought I had saved. Well lo and behold, the next day I discovered a pile of photograph records tucked away on my back up hard drive. So of course that meant I had to make more parts, or should I say segments to this Personal Art History series. Must say, creating figurines both hman and other kind were great fun. This Art History series is basically a trip down memory lane, sharing or journalling about my Art making experiences. So if you get inspired even a little, great. If you want to learn more about how to create clay figurines, there's a link to my figurines below.
While I enjoy memory lane, may you be even a little inspired to create in whatever way you wish.
Watch Below
Interested in the tutorial/learn with me videos? Here are the links to a few of the featured projects:
💓Figurines here are all on one page, just click the project you prefer.
Part 5 of my personal art making history. This was my time with polymer clay. Loved working in three dimensional colours. Unfortunately, I had trouble with the physicality needed to work the clay. Take a Look to see some of the fun I had. All of the pictures and more are contained in detail on my channel and this blog.
First of all, if you are interested in creating your own faux turquoise beads from polymer clay, click here. See what I was avble to create using those beautiful beads. As well, I was able to incorporate the hologlitter polymer clay beads as well as others! About 90% of these necklaces are comprised of beads I got to make.
Below is a video featuring the pieces, some now listed in my Etsy Shop A Bergie Creation. There are a few tips about creating necklaces as well. Watch Below Now...
Making jewellery with your own beads is greatly rewarding.
I hope you are a little inspired to make your own too.
(sorry caps lock was on and I was in a hurry! ) IF YOU FOLLOW THIS CHANNEL AND/OR IT'S CORRESPONDING BLOG YOU WILL KNOW THAT I HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH ALCOHOL INKS. AND YOU WOULD KNOW HOW MUCH I LOVE POLYMER CLAY. WELL TODAY I WANT TO SHARE A RIEF VIDEO SHOWING WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE TWO WORLDS COLLIDE. HOPE YOU ARE INSPIRED TO CREATIVE AND COLLIDE DIFFERENT MEDIA IN YOUR CREATIVE LIFE TOO!
Yay, finally Friday! Months ago, I planned to have regular Tutorial YouTube Channel Recommendations. As usual, I have not been consistent in doing that. I keep learning so much from so many great people out there that I thought it would be valuable to recommend these great art making tutorials. I like creating videos as well, but it's only because of all I have learned and will continue to learn that I am able to expand my skills.
Today I want to share a new very fun favourite, Susan from TurtleSoup Beads! She is fun , very good at explaining and keeping it real. I love her bright colour palette and cheery, pretty designs. She mainly shares polymer clay tutorials, but also is clearly a beading artist. She shares wonderful tips and inspirational ideas not just for beads but how you can transform them into jewellery pieces.
It is tough to select a few good video tutorials because I love them so much. Needless to say, below is a large selection of some of my favourite tutorials. Bonus is, a tour of Susan's studio! We all love studio tours!
Enjoy! Be sure to subscribe to her channel if you enjoy it too!
I just created the video below for my Etsy shop blog. It is about what I have been creating lately. Since what I create and trying to sell those creations intermingles so tightly with Heartfully Creating, I am sharing this on both blog sites. It's meant to reach as many people as possible! -------------------- A Few Ramblings About Creating...
It has been a busy few months artistically speaking. It seems that once I find a technique or process I like, I want to make some in every colour. It is much different than when I was working only in two dimensions. A canvas in front of me and a palette of brightly pigmented paints, crying out to be smooshed, combined, and swiped into what would become a beautiful work of art. Well, hopefully it would.
My paintings were usually at least 16" x 20" inches or more and could take days and days to weeks and weeks. It all depended on what it was, how I wanted it to look and if it was turning out how I wanted. Some artists like to meticulously plan out their masterpiece, methodically, critically and succinctly. Not me, I try to but it just doesn't happen. A speck of an idea may spontaneously plunk into my mind, fuelling what would become my next artistic creation. But planning and agonizing over how it will be played out just doesn't feel natural. In three dimensional land, sculpting in polymer clay, making jewellery, needle felting, and such can be done in the same manner.
Watch Below about What I Have Been Working On Lately...
If you don't want to read my rambling about my creative process, dive in and watch the newest video compilation below.
Open A Bank Account!
However, I am trying to bank ideas into what Christi Friesen once recommended for me to do, write down my ideas into a notebook, keeping them in an idea "savings" account. Then, wen I want to create, (daily for me) I just go through my idea bank and make a withdrawal. I am totally paraphrasing, but it's the gist of what she said. The banking of ideas is a great idea. Just like Christi, a
The time I won a Christi Friesen polymer clay
original heart. Such a Happy moment!
great lady! You might want to try it. In fact, I even made a handmade note book using index cards, a hole punch and some heavy wire. As for the discipline of banking my ideas, still too impulsive and I forget to look at my bank. That's my fault. Not giving up. It really could work if I followed it through. It doesn't help that I stink at actual banking, spending what I don't have - impulsively!
Any way, thank you for stopping by. Hope you like what you see, are a wee bit inspired to create in whatever method you wish. You may even want to look at my Etsy shop here.
And I hope you know how much I value any and all likes, shares and subscribes to any or all of my online activities because it encourages me on those days when my body feels too tired to create but my always mind longs to do it. It also helps bit by bit to earn a few cents a day trying to earn money to cover my creative projects through google adsense and such. And of course I also am super appreciative for my 1200 plus or so jewellery shop customers. So happy you want to wear what I enjoy creating!
If you want to help out feel free to check out these links and share em!
Love you all.
Anita
This summer was extra special as two precious sisters we love were married one week apart. I was honoured to be able to create extra special one of a kind wedding figurines for them. They are both off to a happy new life beginning. If you want to see other figures I have created just check out the posts with videos on this blog. It is something I only do for people I deeply care for. Some have asked me if I would do them to sell and my answer so far is no. They are a work of love and I am still learning. If you love sculpting or painting in three-d, then be sure to try creating figurines. To Watch The Video About Creating Wedding Figurine Number Two Below!
Excited to share what I did with those beautiful resin cube beads that I made last winter.
I am about to list my first pair of copper chain tassel earring! (Here is my shop) Dangling tassels are so fun and definitely have been popular for the last few years or so. I am a wee behind on trends in fashion accessories, well any trends really. Inspired by some fine copper chain I found in my art making supplies. The links were too teeny to thread a clasp through so I thought, voila! What a great way to make tassels! Chain has great swing and movement. To take a super closer look, I made a video to watch at the top of the page.
On top of that, it was a great way to finally use my handmade resin cube beads. They were made using duo or two colour sparkling pigment flakes, from violet to turquoise blue green and the accent polymer clay beads, were coated with emerald green that transforms to a gorgeous violet hue. Inside these glass like resin cubes is a layer of brown mica powder and a thin undetectable layer of glow in the dark powder. Below are some pics that I originally took when I made the beads, showing the glow in the dark abilities! They need to be "charged" with sunlight or uv light before glowing. The glow doesn't last super long but still really fun.
The ear wires were handformed and slightly hammered for texture. I love the whole look of these tassel earrings. Copper is a great metal and colour. These turned out so wee that I made another longer pair using my newest "fux" turquoise beads. Stay tuned to see them in my Etsy shop, A Bergie Creation.
If you like having fun watching other people makes creative messes, then you have come to the right place!
Yay, finally the "Faux" Turquoise tutorial is complete! Well technically, because the variations are endless when it comes to faux stone. Now just like I explained in the video, the word "Faux" is in quotations because I enjoyed creating my own variations of Turquoise. That means this tutorial is not for anyone seeking an authentic turquoise look. Contrary to real turquoise, there is sparkle and striations that you don't find in the original.
Watch And Learn Here:
The colours I used....
All Premo brand, Peacock Pearl, Bright Green Pearl and Turquoise. In one variation I did use the white Pearl.
Coming soon, will be a talk and review about UV resin because that is what I tried to do with the pieces I made with my turquoises.
Hope you are inspired to try creating your own faux stone variations.
Thanks for stopping by.
HeArtfully Creating,
Anita
The video that goes with this article can be viewed right here below:
Happy Friday everyone! Hope you had a great week. What were you creating this week? Any extra special projects? Did you learn anything new about your favourite art making method? If you want to share any answers, we would LOVE to hear from you and even see your creations too! The best way to do that is head off to our Facebook group: HeArtfully Creating Group (click here.)
My cabochons and beads
The video that goes with this article can be viewed at the top of the page. What have I been working on? As always, a variety of projects but this one in particular. I love the colour turquoise. Now we all know there are many variations of turquoise... greeny blue, bluey - green, tropical ocean blue, peacock blue....that is just how colours are. Well, I have been mixed varieties of colours trying to create a faux turquoise stone effect. Not the true stone look which is more chalky, opaque and basically one shade of a turquoise, but, Anita's version... multiple tints and tones of blues to blue greens. I just love creating depth and interest. The sample picture below of real turquoise is just one kind of blue. They are not all the same.
These are REAL TURQUOISE stones
This tutorial is about the basics of how to make beads using a polymer clay veneer. You can use the same technique using whatever veneer in polymer clay you want. Please watch the video to see how easy it is. As well see the other projects I used the veneers on. My Top Veneer Bead Making Tips... 1. Make sure your bead core or foundation clay colour works with the veneer you are using. (see more about that in the video.) Also make sure the bead core clay type is strong enough to hold the shape you will want. Experiment by baking a bead or two first. I have learned lessons the hard way by NOT testing things out first! 2. If it matters to you that you can replicate the same look/colours by making other batches/blends in the future, be sure to record the exact brands of clay, portions/ratios and their colour names. Because I am a wing it, impulse person, I tend to make large blend mixes since I know I won't be replicating the exact same look again. That way I usually have more than enough to create what I want. 3. Make your bead holes before baking and enter into the clay on both sides to avoid a pokey clay nub.
See how I made my own bead baking rack CLICK HERE.
Learn about Baking your own poly clay beads...See how I made my own bead baking rack CLICK HERE. To learn what I have about bead baking CLICK HERE. And to learn about the Amaco bead baking rack that I talk about click HERE.
My next tutorial, with better "how to" footage, will be a faux turquoise tutorial. However, because I have enjoyed creating some great cabochons an jewellery pieces, I thought it would be fun to share how to use the veneers made with the turquoise blends first, hoping to stir interest in creating a faux stone blend/veneer. To learn how I made some of my turquoise blends, be sure to subscribe so you can receive notifications as they happen.
Here is my first batch of faux turquoise (no two batches are the same)
Final note... It has been a productive few weeks. So much so, I even got to list a piece of jewellery created using one of my turquoise blends! Click here, if you want to see.
My cuff bracelet
Thanks so much for stopping by. Hope you are inspire to create.
Been having great fun creating fantasy style pendants using polymer clay, gemstones and nail art powders that have colour shifting abilities. They are called chameleon and the Pear Ex mica powders that can shift from one colour to the other are called DUO.
Since I have completed about four pendants, it seemed best to share each pendant in separate videos to avoid one long boring one! Because creating is my main focus I don't get to turn each piece into a tutorial, but I do try to take process photos so I can share my work as it happens and afterward. Then I can offer some hopefully useful information, that might inspire you to create an artistic piece of jewellery.
A Side Note:A watcher recently commented on one of my non-tutorial videos about how it would be more interesting to watch, if I showed the making "it" process. So I am writing the following to address their comment. Of course I also have tutorials as they happen too and Kudos to those great artists who faithfully create tutorials, I know how much time, planning and work it takes to put them together. As much as I love teaching the art making process, and wish it was easier to film/edit and upload tutorials. Because I have physical restrictions, my husband has to be home to help me set up and move around my camera. So I definitely do the tutorials when I can. Since taking photos is fairly easy for me, I can compile them to make videos like the one below. It may not be a detailed "how to make it," tutorial, but I do hope it stimulates those creative juices! WATCH here right below:
Materials:
I used...
💓It is easier to work on a ceramic tile that you can slip into the oven once you are done.
💓 Keep your tools and surfaces clean with rubbing alcohol and baby wipes
💓 A dark mix of Premo polymer clay
💓 chameleon nail art powders
💓 A largish gemstone cabochon (a Labradorite stone -about 30mm x 20mm).
💓 flatback crystals
💓 Liquid Polymer Clay or Bake and Bond
💓 Shaping and sculpting tools
💓 Dedicated baking pan, ceramic tile, aluminium foil to cover clay while baking.
The Process
My clay pieces are one of a kind so I can't tell you exactly how to copy anything. Instead, I am here to encourage you to create your own original work. Looking at the pictures for ideas, create your piece. Many artists pre-plan their work, sketching and drawing it out. If you follow my youtube channel and/or this blog, you know that is not how I create. When it comes to art making, there is no right or wrong way. Planning happens if I need to, but usually I just go with the urges to create. Whimsicalness is key.
What makes this a "fantasy" design? It is up to you, but I think using lots of decorative swirls and flowing forms help achieve that feel. As well, using shimmery sparkly bits and pieces makes me think fantasy. Fantasy is something imaginative, not real - think Lothlorien, the Elvish home from the Hobbit/Lord of The Rings. No, I am not an expert in labelling design styles, this is my opinion only 😃
The work of others inspire me. Materials inspire me. God's creation, always inspiring. I just gather what I need and begin building my piece. What is important is making it visually interesting using, line, shape, texture, colour and other elements of design.
The main step is set your cabochon in with a clay bezel and the rest is up to you. Keep reading to learn about bezels and cabochons, these are two key words used in my pendant design.
Cabochon/Bezel Talk
You need to set your stone with a clay bezel....
Until today, I though cabochons were beads without a hole. Turns out I had it wrong, cabochons are polished, shaped stones that aren't faceted. Working with polymer clay and gemstone cabs means that we can make jewellery pieces without being a metal smith, because you can form your own bezel to hold the stone.
What is a bezel? If you are reading this or watching it on a screen then you see a large bezel every day. The bezel is the part that goes around the stone (or computer/tv screen) edges to hold it in tightly. If you have a ring, you can probably see prongs holding on to the stone. We can set the stone with a clay prong type bezel, you just need to make sure it is well secured. I prefer pushing the stone into the clay and either letting the clay gently slip around the edges of the cabochon and letting it "hug" the stone enough to be secure. As long as it grabs just the edge well it will be secure.
You just need to barely capture the cabochon's edge with clay and it will be secure. Depending on the look you want, you can just lay it flat on the clay surface and then place a thin or wide strip of clay around the cabochon. Whichever way you choose, be sure to smooth and shape your bezel accordingly.
Decorate It!
Once the stone is secured, I decorate/design it, building around the stone's bezel, creating a one of a kind pendant! Of course you can use the same method to set a gemstone for other pieces, like a journal cover or a brooch pin.
The fun escalates as the clay is shaped and placed down as I think it looks best. If you don't like what you did, remove it and re-do it. The beauty of polymer clay
Choose A Cabochon to Use...I used Labradorite
See the blue flash in the labradorite!
The stone I used for this pendant is one of my faves, Labradorite. God's amazing creations come in so many forms, these rocks included. What makes these one of my favourites is that they are fairly affordable (I buy mine on Ebay, from India mostly - under free shipping), that helps. But they also have an incredible feature that enables them to reflect amazing colours. The iridescence or what is often called "flash," or "labradoressence," is gorgeous. They have a variety of colour possibilities, with really beautiful lines and depth. I suggest you read more about them by clicking here.
Make Your Own Faux Stone
If you want to make your own version, there are great polymer clay faux stone tutorials online. Here is a favourite, Ludmila Bakulina's tutorial here.
Once my piece was done, I made sure I had a place to suspend my pendant (do that in the beginning.) Then I used liqiud clay to secure crystals and brushed the coloured powders. I always bake my pieces for an hour or more. (if your oven if the correct temperature, you can never burn the clay.) Bake the piece on a ceramic tile, with foil or baking pan covering it. I completed the back after with liquid clay and textured raw clay- baking it again. Final step, I used UV Resin. HeArtfully Creating,
Handmade fantasy art ring using polymer clay and chalcedony gemstone.By Anita Berglund
Happy summer guys! Have you been creating in some form or other? Hope so.
It has been a fun artistic summer so far for me. Between creating one of a kind figurines,(see here) I have been experimenting with polymer clay and gemstone pendants (coming soon) and yesterday, a new gemstone ring idea.
This ring was totally whimsical, no pre-planning at all. Never been good at pre-planning. Because I love taking photos of what I make, I have a video below that features all angles of this pretty fantasy ring. I call it a fantasy ring or even cosplay because it has that look to it, some swirls and sparkle and a large glowing gemstone in the center! The ring itself, was formed around a metal cannoli cylinder. You can use any cylinder in the size you want, just wrap it in wax paper first and tape or it will be tricky to remove. For the base, I used white Premo and translucent clay and an aqua chalcedony onion briolette gemstone with facets (about 12mm across).
To be sure it was secure, I pushed the pointy part into the clay and surrounded it with a clay bezel and some embellishments. Unfortunately, I ended up losing half the stone in the clay. Chalcedony is an amazing stone that glows when light is near. You don't need a stone to make a ring, or you can make a faux stone out of clay or even a resin gemstone (that must be oven safe.) Then before curing in the oven for 1.25 hours at 275F, I coated the clay with a beautiful shimmering, metallic chrome nail art powder. I assume the born pretty nail art powders are mica, but am not a hundred percent sure. Hope you are inspired even a little to try creating a polymer clay ring.
See More Photos - Watch Video Below!
HeArtfully Creating, Anita Be sure to share your creations with us at our Heartfully Creating's Facebook Group
Do you like t-shirts with printed images on them? Do you know how those images are placed on the shirt? One technique is called Silk Screening.
This is painting by me, Anita Berglund. I paint with Acrylic paint,
the same paint used for silkscreening on polymer clay and other surfaces.
This technique can be used on polymer clay surfaces as well as others. But today I want to share some DIY video tutorials from others on how to create your own silk screen They can be expensive and besides as a visual artist, I love very opportunity to create my own images/designs.
To Create Your Own SILKSCREEN You will Need: 💓A pair of panty hose, piece of silk or a piece of sheer curtain 💓A jar of Mod Podge or a decoupage medium that is dishwasher safe so the screen can be washed. 💓An image that is drawn on paper 💓A Embroidery hoop or m\a frame then duct tape to secure the screen part tightly to 💓Marker or something to draw image with 💓A Silicone or Teflon craft mat (optional) 💓One tutorial calls for using Freezer paper When it is time to use your silkscreen on Polymer Clay, you will need: 💓acrylic paint. Or as one polymer clay video shows below, you can use the dry method. For that way, use mica, pigment or chalk powders. 💓A Squeegee or old bank card as a scraper device
💓A tub of water to wash silkscreen immediately or the paint will dry and ruin your DIY silkscreen
💓Your polymer clay sheet, ready to be silkscreened
To inspire ideas about what silkscreen printing can do for polymer clay, first, I will share some related videos! POLYMER CLAY AND SILKSCREEN
DIY SILK SCREEN: MAKING THE SCREEN FOR PRINTING
I am going to try making my own design and silk screen. When I do, I will be sharing all about that. Just need to order a few materials first!
