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!
If you are using polymer clay then you may have already come across clay that was too hard to knead or condition. Eventually, you just give up and want to chuck it. Well, don't give up yet. I discovered through various tutorials and experiments that it is possible to soften clay and even make stiff clay, easier to use. Watch my short tutorial below!
So next time you need softer clay, you know what to do! Now if your clay was
sitting in the sun and is hard, then I don't think it can be re-softened because it was most likely slightly cured or baked already. Keep clay away from heat.
Avoiding hard clay...
Buy clay as fresh as possible and keep open clay in polymer clay safe storage containers, cling film and such. I do use foil and wax paper some times.
Here are some great textured tube beads that I really enjoyed making. But then I love making tube beads. Oh and it helps when you love the colour palette you are working with. Hopefully you will be inspired to try experimenting with colour and textures when you make polymer clay beads. Colour Mixing 101
Being able to mix colours in polymer clay like you can with paint is a wonderful thing. It is why I love working with polymer clay, painting in three dimensions! These beads were made by creating a colour been using a technique called the "Skinner Blend." It was created by someone named Judith Skinner. You can make it with a roller or a pasta/clay machine. Click here to see a tutorial on how to create a skinner blend, by a great new channel I like called "Jessama Tutorials."
Some folks like to mix colours of clay that are premixed by the company that makes the clay. It is a good way to start. But if you love colour mixing like I do, you often like to mix your own colours first and then put them into a skinner blend mix. These beads were created a little while ago so I can't remember for sure what I did. I think I used ready Mix colours, Premo (pretty much the only clay I use) Turquoise, Wasabi and Purple. Then they blend into some really great variations.
It is helpful to know the basics of colour mixing to achieve a palette you would like. Click here for some Colour Wheel Images.
In Paint it is easy to mix combinations of paint do see what colours create when combined. With Polymer Clay you can practice using little amounts if you want to by smooshing little portions of clay.
It helps to know the basics of colour mixing.
Primary Colours are: RED, YELLOW and BLUE. They are called Primary because we can't create them, hence the name "primary."
*Colour Note: of all colour results will vary depending on the primaries you use to begin with. For example mixing Cobalt Blue and Alizarin Crimson make a different purple than Cadmium Red mixed with Cobalt Blue.
Secondary Colours meaning we need to take two Primaries to make a Secondary colour: BLUE + RED = VIOLET/PURPLE
RED + YELLOW= ORANGE
BLUE + YELLOW= GREEN
Tertiary Colours are when we combine three colours to achieve yet another colour!
Analogous colour palette is what I ended up using for these beads. Analogous means using colours that are beside each other on the colour wheel.
Complimentary Colours are when you use colours that are opposite each other on the Colour Wheel. Because they are opposite, it is a great way to make a colour "pop!" Experiment, have fun and create what you love!
Here are some of these fun textured, large hole beads and one very large focal bead! Take a look....
Using a Skinner blend (see the sheet in the back.) Making a large focal bead began with one idea, making thin strips and laying them down in various patterns. That was all I was going to do. But then....
Then I started using my dotting tool to add textures and designs in the surface. As well, I started adding small balls of clay. When you create, try different things like adding shapes, textures, contrasting colours...whatever you think looks good to you. Adding interest makes your art work something you and others want to look at.
Since I love designing beads, I also made an array of smaller tube beads. Save all your bits of clay so you can make elements like dots and strips and whatever you can think of.
To bake, I just made a paper accordion or fan out of card stock, then the beads can just lay there, safe and secure. As well, I have baked using kleenex or tissue all puffed up. It won't burn at 275 Fahrenheit. Just make sure it doesn't touch the element.
To highlight areas and add shimmer, I did dust on some mica powders. Use your own preference. I just like shimmery mica powders.
Here they are. All cooled and ready to be turned into wearable art!
Hi guys! I just wanted to share A pair of faux knitted square stud earrings that I recently made for fun. After watching some photo knitting Techniques and polymer clay, I tried and tried and couldn't seem to get it to look like knitting.
After some more learning, I figured out what I was doing wrong.
So please learn from my mistake, I'm going to post a couple of video Tutorials So you can learn how to create the faux knitting look in clay.
My mistake? Make sure you twist the two strands of clay in one direction, twisting away from you and then the second set of strands, twist towards you, laying them down side by side, in alternating directions.
That way when you lay them side-by-side they will look like the knitted look you're going for. For the longest time I was stumped and didn't get it, I'm a slow learner. The key is to not give up. Once you get that part, it is a very Simple technique that looks real. We all know that knitted items are soft and squishy. So when you touch these, Of course they are not.
To Make The Pink Square Studs that I Did You Need...
💗 A set of earring studs with backs that have a flat disc to attach clay to
💗 2 complimentary colours of Polymer Clay of your own choosing
💗 Krazy Glue or a strong bonding glue OR, you can push the post base into the clay in it's unbaked state and bake it on
💗 Mica Powder for Sparkle
💗 Straight blade cutter
💗 Needle tool
What Next?
💗 Watch the video tutorials below to learn how to "knit" with clay. The smaller you roll out the strips of clay, the smaller your "knitting" stitches will be. In the videos below, are a few various sizes. MoClay's brooch stitches are about the closest to my stud square size.
Once you create a small sheet of "stitches," cut out matching squares. Mine are about 1cm x 1cm or 10mm x 10mm. I did not use a cookie cutter but if you have one, you can.
Then I laid each square onto a contrasting colour that I rolled out to the same thickness almost. Taking a straight blade, slice along all 4 side of your knitted square. Smooth it all out on the edges with your fingers.
💗Texturing: I took a needle tool and poked a texture into the back and sides of the coloured back.
💗Highlighting: Then I took a a hint of mica powder from the lid of my powder and highlighted wherever I thought best.
💗Bake face up, flat, on a piece of cardstock or paper on a ceramc tile, at the manufacturer's temperature for one hour. Yes, it says a shorter time on the package, but I have learned from other artists the clay is stronger when baked at least one hour even if it is thin. Or you can bake them on a crumpled up tissue if you want.
💗Once Cooled. I just squirted a bit of Krazy Glue on the center back and placedd the posts on. Let sit for a while.
Voila, all done!
FAUX KNITTING TUTORIAL VIDEOS
Be inspired and comment below letting me know if you have try this technique. I would love to know how it went for you.
Here is a video below that I made to hopefully inspire some polymer clay jewellery pendants. Here are a variety of methods and techniques. Hope you are even wee bit surprised!
Watch Below!
HeArtfully Creating,
Anita
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Hello guys! Hope you have been HeArtfully Creating whatever inspires you. Lately, I was inspired by Sandy Huntress of Keepsake Crafts (Click here to see the video), to make cool, large hole tube beads. I watched that video over and over. So this video is about how I made some of my tube beads.
As well, I was inspired by Patricia Roberts-Thompson's YouTube Tutorial about making your own bales from polymer clay. She used Sari ribbon. Sari ribbon is wonderful to use in layers, running through tube beads or just as a cord. Check out the video here that inspired me to purchase Sari Ribbon from the shop she mentioned.
Watch my newest Tutorial Below.
Hopefully you will be even a wee bit inspired to try them.
HeArtfully Creating,
Anita
Subscribe! Like and Share!! (if you want of course :o)
Photo by Anita Berglund of HeArtfully Creating and A Bergie Creation, Polymer clay
Hi guys. Wanted to continue sharing my favourite polymer clay you tube channels to watch. Cindy Lietz, a fellow Canadian artist,
has been one of the first poly clay artists, I learned from the most more than two years ago. She offers polymer clay lessons for specific projects that are available for a fee. As well, she has plenty of free hints, tips & tricks, reviews, advice, and mini tutorials. This lady does her research, all for us, then we don't have to! Thank you Cindy for sharing all your work and research. It has been and still is a great learning experience! I have heed a lot of your advice and it has helped. Number one lesson that I regret not heeding in the beginning was about using a thermometer to test actual oven temp! I learned the hard way :o(
What to do when you suddenly discover a birthday celebration for someone you really admire posted in a local paper, but you missed it until the night before? Well, in our case, my husband could go and I couldn't. So his job was to make a handmade greeting card ASAP and my job was to make a gift using what I love working with, Polymer Clay. Watch The MR.70 Video Below:
Because we really love this guy, if we had had more notice, I would have worked on one of my really fun, but time consuming figurines. This guy is actually a hero to many of our peers. But, that gift idea was off the table. Hmmm....What can I make in a few hours for our friend that would be personalized and masculine? You see, as a girl (a 51 year old one :o) I tend to have no problem coming up with girlie ideas. Makes sense right?!
Why Key Chains Of Course!
If you ever have a rush gift idea where you do not want to buy something (way to easy and not personal enough - to me anyway), what works for males and females? Why Key chains of course! After all, pretty much all humans have a key, at least one. No, they may not use it, but it is at least a way to make a personalized gift. They can use it on a zipper pull or as a backpack tag or just throw it into a drawer. It is up to them. Nevertheless, it is a personal handmade gift, made HeArtfully from you or me! What Are The Ingredients?
💗To work on: A Glass, silicone, or ceramic tile works well to work with
💗Tools like, assorted ball tipped and needle tools. OR, you can use a toothpick, needle, skewer and a straw, look through your junk drawer. Awe, come on, we all have one! :o).
💗For "MR.70," I mixed a gold glitter polymer clay and some neutral metallic clay in PREMO brand.
💗Unbaked clay adheres to unbaked clay, but since I purchased Sculpey's Bake and Bond, I used that to make sure connecting parts were essential "glued" together. It isn't critical.
💗I love the assorted collection of steampunk metal gears and such. They add a masculine touch in a quick and easy way.
💗For the keychain, I keep the findings or hardware for items like keychains and such on hand.
💗For metallic surface effects, aside from the clay colours, I also added Gilders Paste and Mica Powder. Then to antique it a bit, I used acrylic paint in an indigo.
💗 Ceramic tiles are cheap and easy to get at places like Home Depot. I bake all my pieces on a dedicated baking pan, with a ceramic tile set inside. A tent of tin foil or an aluminium cake pan works well to protect your piece
💗Cardstock or a recipe card works well to place your piece on. But place that on the tile.
What Kind Should I Make?
The next question is what would be a good design? In my mind when designing a key chain, it is important to make sure it isn't too ginormous so they can use it.If you want them to have the option to use it, think of what size would be practical for you.
As always, it is best to sketch out ideas for the shape. If you know any themes that this person likes, then incorporate that into your design. What colours do they like? What are their initials and their new age?
If they love turtles, then make a turtle themed piece, if you don't have any idea or want something more simple and sleek, then what I did was to work with his initials and age. My husband knows him better than I do, so he told me he likes motorcycles. He actually said that after I had already made the keychain. So before firing it in the oven, not only was I able to translate the zero into a motorcycle wheel, to add to the masculinity, I added more steam punk type gears. As well, using some tools, (a straw would work), I was able to imitate screws. Then with a toothpick, tiny ball tool, and/or a needle tool, I impressed marks to add fun details just to enhance the piece. Finishing Touches
Once MR. 70 was complete, I used my finger to rub on an antique gold Gilders Paste and a shimmer of mica powder. Once baked for about 60 minutes at 375F (I learned baking all clay at least an hour makes it stronger- from Polymer Clay Tutor). I let it cool completely and painted on Acrylic Paint In Indigo. Then I wiped it off. That way it goes into the crevasses and indents giving it some dimension and depth.
Once done, I added a clear coating of whatever I have on hand that works on clay. It is to just protect the mica surface. But, you do not have to use anything.
All Done and Ready To Give Away!
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Hi guys! Haven't shared the newest creative adventure I have been learning but, I will soon. For some of it, I do need a pair of eye balls. I always prefer to make my own. Decided I would share a pile of great useful You Tube tutorials where I get a lot of ideas from. I like to make mass quantities of things I can use in the future so I will post what I came up with once I am done making them!
The drawing is mine!
So if you want to know or actually want to make your own doll or animal eyes, take a watch below!
Today I am in the mood to share some of my favourite YouTube Polymer Clay tutorial/VLOG channels. This lady makes me smile every time I see that she has posted a new video. She also shares other videos that help us to get to feel like we are meeting her for real. I
Here, I am watching Valerie on our tv as I work on one of my clay pieces!
kind of feel like I know her. She has a great sense of humour and I
love her accent. She lives in the UK. So I highly suggest checking out and subscribing to the Unruly Housewife's Channel, if you want to hang out with a sincere, meaningful polymer clay artist and more! You just have to meet her yourself, my words do her no justice. I only discovered her months ago and happy that I did!
Here, I am watching Valerie on our tv as I work on one of my clay pieces!
Thank you Valerie for making me smile and making learning fun! And, thanks for sharing yourself with us as well, it means a lot. :o) Below are some of my favourite polymer clay related videos since this is a blog about creativity. BE INSPIRED! HeArtfully Creating! Anita
