Art is a Blessing: Polymer Play and Mixed Media Musings

by Staci Louise Smith

Art is such a blessing.  I think someday's I take creativity and that I get to do this for a living for granted.  Art is such a huge part of who I am.  I see art in almost anything.  I take in colors, and textures and composition no matter what I look at.  It leaks into all parts of my life, and for that, I am grateful!

It's that time of year, where I have spent the entire year making beads and jewelry.  I try to allow myself some playtime around the holidays.  It allows time to make gifts for people and get out some of my other art supplies.

One of the blessings, is that my children get to be creative too.  they learn the fun of play, and the business of selling their work too.

To start off the season of creative playtime, Julia and I worked on some polymer pendants for the Hereford Bazaar.  It's a craft show her school puts on.  All three of my kids made stuff for it and I got them a "real" crafter table there!  

It was a lot of fun to prep for a show that was NOT my own.

Now, Julia (age 11) is not known for her organizational skills, and she brought me these bags of polymer clay.  They contained every color of the rainbow and then some.  So I said, how about we mix them up and swirl them, and then she could use that as a base to stamp her designs onto!  

We had a blast putting odd colors together and running them through the pasta machine and finding the  surprise patterns that arose.  She is a color junkie, so she was in rainbow heaven!

After that was done, she stamped them and cut out the circles to add to her bezels.

I had so much fun with the kids in the studio.

Collin (9) made little owls and got to use alcohol inks for the first time.  I showed him how to make these easy little "squish" owls and he picked it right up!

My oldest, Aiden (14) makes jewelry.  

Here they were at the show- they all did really good and had a blast, and I must say, IT WAS THE MOST FUN SHOW I DID ALL YEAR!

Here they all are, and yes, I am a proud mama!

Here are Collin's key chains and bracelets he made

Here is Julia's set up, with magnets and necklaces in polymer

 And here is Aiden's work.  He loves working in gemstones and beads, but has started doing more wire work and polymer too

So, that was a great week to get the creative juices flowing.

As you may know, I have dabbled in mixed media before.  But I have wanted to add more of my polymer into the mix.  I have had ideas, but no time to try them.  

So finally I gave myself a week to play.  It's almost up, and I am almost done these piece.  They are finished, all but the three in the lower right corner.  I hope to make a few more today and finish these, and then its back to business for a week.

I love being able to pull from all the different media I have worked in to create art.  It is such a blessing to my soul to be able to freely make what is in my head and heart.  It is also nice to know that I get to use all those things I have learned through the years, a million different ways.  I REALLY encourage you to always keep learning new techniques and mediums.  You never know when the skills you learn will pop back up!  

So be blessed and create art!  Never stop learning and playing.  It's all part of the process.

Polymer clay: Endless Possibilites

by Staci Louise Smith

I never intended to become a polymer clay artist.  I made jewelry.  I made jewelry with PMC, sea glass, gemstones and wire.  When I started to make beads, it was for fun, to allow myself some play.  PMC got really expensive and the polymer allowed me to scuplt without breaking the bank.

I never knew I'd fall so in love with it.  I myself, was a bit of a bead snob, and never bought polymer beads to use in my "fancy" designs.  Most of what I knew was caning, and that was far to bright for my work (gorgeous, but bright)....and......the snob in me saw it as plastic.

Then I got paired with Lynda Mosely of Diva Designs for The Bead Soup Blog party.  She sent me some of her faux turquoise beads, a fabulous transfer and lots of other beads to play with.  I was in awe that it was polymer.  It was such an eye opening moment for me.  You could make polymer look like things, well, other then polymer!  

I mean, look at her work

You can find her on facebook here:

https://www.facebook.com/Diva-Designs-Inc-440052939372905/timeline/

and on etsy here (where she sells tutorials as well!!!)

https://www.etsy.com/shop/divadesignsinc

That is all I needed, and I was off and running.  I chose to paint on polymer, because I grew up in a home with a mom who painted.  I learned faux finishes and how to use painting mediums on just about anything.

At first I just loved being able to get out my paints again and play.

Here are some of my earlier beads, just loving being able to play with color and paint.

Over time though, I began to love the sculpting of the clay too.  These are my new favorites to make because I really get to play with form.

And as time goes on, I fall more and more in love with this medium.  There is always something new to learn.

I mean always.

You can find new techniques daily, or, at least, new ways to use old techniques.  

I love blogs like Polymer Clay Daily, which features inspiration and new artists each day!  

Or the Polymer Arts Blog, which focus's more on a technique or design element and showcases it for a month or so through the works of different artists.

And then there is my favorite place to go for WOW moments and information, and that is Ginger Allman of the Blue Bottle Tree's facebook page.  Her blog is packed with information for beginners and experts alike, as she investigates tools, dispels myths, and continually gives the polymer community a plethora of useful information.  

On facebook, she likes to showcase artists as well as post things to inspire us to go further.

This is the post that inspired MY post today.  I mean, just when you though you have seen it all.  She showcased this pendant and asked us to try to figure out how it was made.

artist: Ayyrin

http://polymerclayfimo.livejournal.com/5210791.html

Ginger hinted that it involved pastels and stretching of the clay.  

We were all stumped.  

Well, here is the tutorial.

Its not in English, but you can follow the pictures.  

Watch and be amazed.

http://ayyrin.livejournal.com/8166.html

It really had me shaking my head, but in a good way.  There is so much you can do with this medium.  So many finishes, so many ways to manipulate it......the possibilities are endless.

If you are looking to try out polymer clay, I encourage you to really investigate The Blue Bottle Tree's blog and do research.  There is a lot to learn.  But once you have conditioning and curing down (and trust me, these can take time to get right for a strong solid piece) then you are ready to have fun.

Ginger also has lots of tutorials you can purchase on her website.

I have a tutorial on my painting technique that involves the crackle finish available on my website (just the painting technique, no polymer forming in it)

http://www.stacilouiseoriginals.com/product/painting-polymer-crackle-technique-tutorial

I also have an online class you can take through Craftcast to learn to make these from start to finish: forming, curing, painting, and making the necklace as well.  

You can find that here

https://www.craftcast.com/recordings/painted-polymer-fossil-talisman-staci-l-smith

So how about you?  What have you seen that has blown your mind?  or opened a new door in your medium?  Have you had those moments that have changed your entire artistic course?

Confessions from the Oven

by Staci Louise Smith

Well, I am in full on, all day all night, prep for Bead Fest.  Right now it is polymer clay on my work table.

I am really feeling the panic for sure.  

(though I do have these all made, which is a start)

However, this post is not about my panic, or the hundreds and hundreds of beads that still need to be made and painted, or the class I still need to assemble kits for and prepare.  Nope, this is about something else.

My polymer clay oven.

A few years ago, I got myself a convection oven for firing polymer clay.  I got an oven thermometer to check the temperature and used it here and there, on and off to ensure it was cooking properly.  It heated nice and even and worked like a charm, for years.  But something changed.

To check the cure,  I usually try to break a couple beads to make sure they cured right.  That is the ultimate test.   

Well, I had a batch that broke.  So I popped the oven thermometer I had inside, and it was reading differently then last time.  I had been using a cheap dial thermometer from the store.

Claire Maunsell shared with us in a class I recently took, that she used a meat thermometer (thank you for that Claire!!)- which allowed her to constantly monitor the temp of the oven throughout the process, and you can even set an alarm to go off when it hits a certain temp so you don't overbake.  

(you can take Claire's class here at Craftcast)

Well, I bought one.  

https://www.eiseverywhere.com/ehome/106987/StaciSmith

I put both thermometers in the oven, within an inch of each other, and one read really low according to the temp on the oven and the other read high- well, not high the whole time, it had some crazy spikes.  ????  AAAND, it was taking twice as long as before to reach temperature.  So all day I messed around. 

(here is my set up) The oven, with pizza stone on top (now) and the two thermometers I am using inside the oven (which are on top of the oven in the picture).  The dial one is a cheap one, and I plan to invest in a better more acurate one of them as well.  The digital is on the counter to the right of the photo with the probe that goes inside the oven sitting next to the dial thermometer.

 At first, I thought perhaps my oven was getting old, and maybe I am wearing it out (which I still think is part of the problem) from reviews online, none seem to have a long life.  

But in the course of re-firing the beads that weren't totally cured, and messing around with temperature and time, I found a few things out.  

1.  Placing a pizza stone (some use ceramic tiles) on top really helped the temperature to stay stable.

2.  I have to set the oven above my target temp for preheat and allow up to 20 minutes (I keep my clay in there the whole time though) and then reset it for an hour.

3.  I cannot have 3 shelves in there like I was doing, it was messing up the temperature too much.  I can only do two.

4.  Because ovens get older and things change, you need to constantly monitor the temps- with TWO thermometers.  (who would have thought that not only your oven could be so off, but two thermometers could read so differently)

It was a long stressful day, but I got it figured out, and my pieces are once again rock hard and fully cured.

As I was really frustrated with this, I contacted Ginger Allman of the Blue Bottle Tree to find I am not alone, that there really is a good deal of playing around to figure out your oven, or in my case, re-figure it out after it starts to get old.

(Ginger is awesome and you can find all kinds of polymer information here http://thebluebottletree.com/)

  No one really talks about it, but you need to find your own ovens sweet spot (my cure temp ended up being somewhere between what the two thermometers were reading- who KNOWS what that actually is).  I had to let go of the numbers and target temps, and do some good old trial and error to get it back to firing correctly.  (I also think my oven is on its way out, and I just hope it holds out until after Beadfest)

I think between my ovens over use, age and that most times I was only using two shelves, and came to the conclusion that maybe one reason it was firing better before, because the other pizza stone was on top insulating it, and there was more air flow inside.

At the end of the day, a good cure gives you strong beads.  You can usually feel when they are not cured right.  Bake to the correct temp (not always the correct setting on your oven) AND for longer then directions say.

Here are some resources about baking and ovens that I though had some great info.  This video, shared in the beginning about her old toaster oven and how she rigged it with tiles to make it work better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiZMCfE0tec

Ginger always has great info and did a 3 part series on baking polymer

http://thebluebottletree.com/bake-polymer-clay-oven/

Here is a blog with some thermometer recommendations

http://www.polymerclayer.com/oven-thermometer.html

Anyhow- I really hope my crazy day can help head off some baking issues.  I highly recommend two thermometers- even with a convection oven, because the efficiency can change over time.

Contrast: Blinging up my Rustic

by Staci Louise Smith

I finally decided to try adding a little "bling" to my rustic.  I love contrast, and I am surprised at myself, for not trying this sooner!

I love how Gaia Copia uses crystals with her natural shapes, like her ammonite and crystal earrings.  Her rustic bling has always inspired me!

you can check our more of her work here- while her website is under construction

https://www.facebook.com/GaiaCopia

So I ordered me some crystals and got into it.  

I spent a day making these before I left for our trip, and just could NOT wait to paint them and see how they looked finished.

So then of course, I painted a few before we left too, because I am so impatient.

(they are mid-paint here)

So when I got home from vacation and went to clean off my desk, I could not just put these to the side, they were begging to be made into something right now.  

So of course, I obliged.

So now I can move onto other things on my list.  

Do you ever have that happen?  That you can't move onto what you are supposed to be doing, because you just HAVE to finish something that sparked your creativity?  Happens to me all the time!

The rest of the beads are not done, but the necklaces are available through my Facebook page (below) if you are interested, just message me.  Otherwise, they will venture to my next show with me. 

https://www.facebook.com/stacilouiseoriginals?fref=ts

Iced Enamels with Polymer

by Staci Louise Smith

Karen McGovern did a post on playing with the new Iced Enamels by Susan Lenhart Kazmer.  They are a cold "enamel" system, using some sort of embossing powders with resin to seal them.

Of course, I thought right away, how can I use them on polymer?

Though I really did plan to use them on metal as well.  

I could not wait for them to arrive.  Of course I tried them on polymer clay before metal, of COURSE I did.  Though I did metal as a quick second.

First I followed the instructions, Susan has a nice little video here, but I didn't like the look of the globbed on "enamel".  I wanted a crusty look, both on my metal and polymer.  Something more gritty.

Here is the "globbing" or applying a thick full layer of power on polymer (on the area's I wanted anyhow)

Here is what my first tries on metal looked, like

I mean, I don't NOT like it, but I was not thrilled

So, I kept playing......

For this black polymer donut, I used the German silver and I really bubbled nicely, and gave me a sort of raku'ish look I liked.  However, it just wiped off the polymer, so I used resin to seal it on.  I only put the resin over the "enamel" and a tiny bit over the edges, because I wanted the matte look of my black to remain.  I like it a lot, and now it doesn't come off.

So then I tried to over my already based coat painted polymer, and then put my crackle layer over top. (the donut has stripey circles painted on in the faux 'namel and the pink bead has one stripe at the top)

LOVE these.  Love them so much.  It is exactly what I was going for.  

The crackle layer was enough to seal it on (plus of course the actual sealer I use on top of that).  I didn't need to use any resin on these at all and they are soooo cool.  I love the texture it adds to the pieces.

My painting and crackle tutorial is available here for purchase.  Though it does not include how to use the iced enamels, it does tell you how to layer paints, alcohol inks and use a great crackle that works wonderful with polymer and doesn't take forever to achieve a great aged look.

Another polymer artist, Tammy at Paisley Lizard,  was playing with them as well.  Here is a link to her post. 

http://www.paisleylizard.com/2015/06/using-iced-enamels-with-polymer-clay/
 I loved that she mixed the powder in with the translucent.  Though it may not have given her the look she was going for, it sure did make some pretty beads.  Since I just bought a bunch of translucent to play with, this is on my list to try.  I have mixed other things into translucent and loved how it looked, but the iced enamels were pretty awesome too!  Instead of having to add color and something with particles, like chalks and mica, it is all in one for you!!!

I ended up making some metal pieces I liked as well with the Iced Enamels.  I liked them very much, but they needed the resin to really seal them well.  However, it was soooooo shiny, it not only didn't look like enamel, it was just distracting.

So I sprayed them with some matte sealer....and that made them funky, and matte, and turned the clear resin milky looking in spots.

So I think next time I will use a satin finish over the resin, so its not so shiny.  Anyhow, I don't hate them, and I am having a blast!

I can definitely see me using these........which is nice, because I can sometimes jump into things and then not end up finding a use for them in my work!

Anyone else use these?  What are your thoughts?  Your results?  Feel free to share your pictures of what you did with Iced Enamels on our Facebook feed in the comments.

Balance Between Weird and Wearable

by Staci Louise Smith

I have a constant struggle I face when my imagination takes over, and it is between weird and wearable.  I don't mind calling my jewelry weird, at times it really is!  And that is fine, because it is what I am going for.  

However, I am a huge stickler for making sure things are comfortable and wearable.  I understand that what may be comfortable for one person may not be for another, and so I try to make a variety of sizes, shapes and materials to suit many different styles.

However, there are more days then not when my heart screams "Bigger!  Weirder!"

and then my head must say no.

One of the times I ran with it was for this piece, my Frida piece that was made for the Art Bead Scene monthly contest (create a piece of jewelry using art beads that is inspired by the painting they designate)........
(Here is the latest challenge for June challenge http://artbeadscene.blogspot.com/2015/06/june-monthly-challenge.html)

I am happy to say it is wearable- but not so comfortable (by my standards....I mean, nothing pokes you or anything, but you cannot wear it without knowing its there!).

I loved the design though, so I later created this necklace, a spin off the thorns.  It ended up being much more comfortable and wearable.  

It felt good to be able to indulge both sides of creative spirit.  I am hoping to allow myself some more of these BIG and Weird pieces, and then challenge myself to make spin offs that are more wearable.

Another example is my Bead Dreams entry, Earning my Stripes

It was made for the competition, so it needed to have that POW!  So I went huge with it.  Here is a picture of it on the bust (with my ribbon- my pieces took second and third in polymer clay- total brag moment)

The displays are 18" high!  So you can get an idea of how big the pieces are.

So, I created a couple of these necklaces, much more wearable, similar idea- bold and big, but comfy too

My Carved piece, Ta Moko is gigantic, 
it comes to my belly button!!! 

 So made a few short necklaces that still had that carved look and some real chunk to the beads

So that is it, my constant struggle between over the top and wearable.  I am enjoying these contests and such, that allow me to make more of an "art" piece, and then spinning off onto wearable pieces from that.

Do you have a heart vs brain topic that cramps your design style?  

Have you learned to allow them to work together?