Polymeri Online 28.6.13 | Jason's Customs, Mavi's cartooned polymer clay portraits, Ewa's Zoo and white feathers tutorial

Summer is officially announced, but here, in Israel it's hot for more than 2 months.

Heat has a tendency to keep me away from my studio (clay is not behaving nicely during the summer...) but I am working on new projects so the AC is working extra hours...;)

I stumbled upon Jason Simpson's work when I opened an Instagram account few days ago, searching for polymer clay hashtags, then I noticed his bold, unique sculpturing.

Jason says his shop is inhabited by things what comes out of his brain through his fingers and into Sculpey material. He is from Canada and have been sculpting and painting for over 20 years. 

His "customs" (what he calls his ooak creations) are made of polymer clay, acrylic paints, pens, pencils, sculpted, carved and painted. His artwork is remarkable. 

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

2D polymer clay portraits

Philippines based Mavi crafts are a couple working together creating 2D cartooned style polymer clay portraits, name tags, bag charms and other cute personalized designs. 

Their recent project is magnets for Edgar & Mila's 50th wedding anniversary. So cute!

https://www.facebook.com/mai9380v

Ewa's zoo - polymer clay cow

Sculpturing small animals is pure fun to both children and adults. I remember the day I took a local book teaching adorable animals from Plasticine and tried my skills in creating some. How was I? It was ok, not more :) Even my son did better than me.

Ewa from Poland, on the other hand, is doing a wonderful job in bringing to life scenes from the animals view. Monkey on a tree, cow sitting next to her cow friend, all with her sweet talent and clay balls in all kind of shapes and sizes. How could you not like it? Check out her free videos on YouTube and Facebook -

http://www.youtube.com/user/LetsClayWithEwa?feature=watch

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lets-clay-with-Ewa/525503667502530?fref=ts

white-gold polymer clay feathers

Last link is a simple and easy project I found online. Feathers are very much in fashion lately! If you're looking for a 10 minutes project for earrings, pendant or just a nice charm hanging on a gift, grab some white polymer clay, gold leafing pen/acrylic paints and get busy. Kelli makes it all look so easy!

http://www.100layercake.com/blog/2013/06/07/diy-clay-feathers-by-kelli-murray/

You are welcome to follow me on Instagram, search for "irismishly" and I'd be happy to see you there! I am posting photos from my daily work along with some personal stuff.

B.t.w - This photo is my illustration made by a friend. The great thing is that I got the skin of a 15 yrs old again! no wrinkles or sun spots! ;)

Have a great weekend!

Short summary to a wonderful trip - Switzerland-Liechtenstein Classes, June 2013

Teaching in general (and teaching a group of polymer clay ladies and man in Switzerland in particular) is such a rewarding experience.

When teaching a class, I feel as much of a participant in the learning process as I am responsible for presenting the content effectively. A wonderful feeling.

For me, it is important to make sure the students have a good understanding of the material and technique, supplying them with both a toolkit of ideas and class projects, and also, I want my students to become thinkers, active and use the technique and idea to go to the next "what if" step, researching the possibilities beyond.

My Switzerland teaching trip was another proof that learning is mutual, fun and endless, no matter which language you speak.
It was wonderful.

On a nice sunny day, a group of dozens students gathered in the beautiful Liechtenstein, with landscape taken from fairy tales, both Melanie Muir and myself along with Sabine Backer as the ideal organizer, translator and host, spent wonderful 3 days of rock cuffs, skyscraper, INKredible and of course, perfect venue, clean fresh air and healthy appetite!

Look at those clean plates! :)

 

A visit in Zurich

Liechtenstein's view from the class

With 2 groups, each teacher was teaching two 1.5 days of classes.
I was giving my "INKredible polymer" class as a full day and the Skyscraper technique as a half day.

Students were each taking their own path in creating a design, one chose a round shape, other pointed, third created multi-beads creation - thinkers!

Working!

Some of the final pieces

There was one man in my class (only one! How come there are so few men in polymer clay?), Jean Nordmann, a very special person with a very special life mission. I will post about him and his precious humanitarian work in my next posts. Surrounded with lots of helpers he did a great job as well.

And how can we miss a Swiss tradition?

Sabine's sweetest daughter surprised us with a superb chocolate fondu!
The perfect end to a wonderful trip.

I wish to thank Sabine and to all my new and old friends for this wonderful opportunity to see the world, meet new friends I would have never met if it wasn't for polymer clay.
I cherish these moments and think of how small the world is and how happy I am that polymer clay brings us all closer together.

You are welcome to see more pictures from this event on my Facebook,

My next stop is Czech Republic at the end of August.
Only 4 last spots left! Grab your spot if you are close by -
Press here for all the details.
Till next time - Tschüss!!
:) 

Polymeri Online 15.6.13 | Spanish guitar, Miss Piggy and friends, Smiley polymer clay gnomes, Italian Harry Potter and Altoid-Mania!

Back from my Switzerland-Leichtenstein trip and it was wonderful and un-forgettable. It was my first time in Switzerland and will definitely not my last.
Perfect Tick-Tick Swiss clock organization by Sabine Backer, wonderful people, great food, clean fresh Swiss air, beautiful landscape and I can only wait for my next visit there. Such a peaceful and wonderful country. More photos and stories will be posted soon or if you cannot wait, you can see them on my FB page.


But first things first - Polymer clay inspiration from around the world -

Spanish MomentOComplementO is a multi-technique polymer clay artist - from Millefiori to stamping, beading, jewelry making, leather stringing, miniature food and the list goes on.
Her recent creations is a guitar collection made of polymer clay. This is a personal project of hers and it is a humble tribute to each and every one who loves music.
Not sure what they will become but I can see cool brooches in this electrifying shape!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/momentocomplementos/9005673644/
https://www.facebook.com/momentocomplemento
http://www.momentocomplemento.com/

And another tribute, this time to "The Muppets Show" by Sandra Zurita. I couldn't find more details about Sandra but my nostalgic love to the Muppets and especially to Miss Piggy & Kermit the frog brought such a big smile on my face, I had to share these super cute polymer clay beads.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=367934356652833&set=a.367933696652899.1073741826.100003088160381&type=1&relevant_count=1

Tina from The Spotted Tree creates US handmade figurines in the classic style of vintage folk art: Clowns, gnomes, smiley Easter eggs, all with her special signature design and characteristics. Her pieces first come to life with a paper sketch or a layout, then hand sculpted (by her) out of polymer clay. Next they are oven baked, painted, sealed and signed.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheSpottedTree

Nicolò (Finally a man!) is Italian, from Padova, a 22-year-old student who studies Economics and Management in Venice.
Like many of us when he was a child he used to play with polymer clay, and in 2011 he took his passion one step forward and began to create and sell his creations - miniatures of manga characters, cartoon characters and many more. Harry Potter, Freddy Mercury and the the monster from the Alien movie are only few of his wonderful miniatures.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/QuareNick

Ruth Karp, one of my dear students, send me a picture of her beautiful Altoid tin boxes. Her expertise is obvious, when creating so many one can do it with her eyes closed :)
I covered a tin box only once, probably need to do that again, they look like fun!
Ruth doesn't have a website at the moment but in addition to her tin boxes creations she also cover and create masks, lotion bottles, boxes & frames.
If your fingers are tickling, here is a good resource for various tin boxes shapes -
https://www.etsy.com/shop/florestanissupplies/search?search_query=tin&order=date_desc&view_type=list&ref=shop_search

Have a great day! See you soon :)

Final samples for my Liechtenstein trip | When INKredible meets Cosmic Ceramic

That's it, I am almost packed for my 6 days trip to Liechtenstein, hosted by Sabine Backer and joining with Melanie Muir.
Eager students are waiting to find out more about marvelous polymer clay techniques, tips and tricks, I am sure we will have a wonderful time, weather is on our side as well!

I've played with more samples for my classes - Skyscraper and INKredible, combining them with new designs. In these necklaces I took the Olympic Rings design from the Cosmic Ceramic tutorial and created an INKredible sample (too confusing, ha?)

It's always fun to go back to a technique you already master and play with it's variations.
This necklace design is so simple yet so impressive when worn.

INKredible Tutorial Samples

And a set matching earrings.

This necklace is a variation on the Garden Walkway only using metal findings. When using these findings the final result is very elegant.

 

Now I should be getting back to my suitcases, I hope this week finds you in good mood, will be back for updates and photos from the workshop next week.

Polymeri Online 27.5.13 | DIY Sharpie alcohol inks, Retro Flowers, Sculpted mirrors and more Faux Ceramic by students | Last 24 Hours to Promotion Sale

More from the Cosmic Ceramic Beads -
Gifts with every kit purchase!

First I wish to thank you all for your patience with my messy schedule of weekly posts, the new tutorial preparation, packing and shipping, getting organized to my Liechtenstein classes, daughters' final exams

I wish there were more than 24h a day...

I guess I'll have some rest on board...  :)

2 parts for today's post -
The first part will be our regular overview of my www polymer finds, and the 2nd will answer some of your most common questions about the Cosmic Ceramic tutorial (which by the way,special promotion sale ends today! so hurry and get yourself a copy in the discounted price).

More from the Cosmic Ceramic Beads -
Gifts with every kit purchase!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Home made alcohol inks
using Sharpie pens

There was a talk in the Israeli forum about ways to create your own alcohol inks using... Sharpies! The link was taken from "I am Rushmore" blog by Karen Isaacson - All you need is to break open a sharpie and soak the inky insert in some rubbing alcohol, then place the colored liquid in travel sized spray bottles. It's quick and easy (but she also said it's smelly and messy) ;)
Will you try and let me know how it worked?

http://iamrushmore.blogspot.co.il/2012/01/homemade-alcohol-ink-with-sharpies.html

Retro!

Silvia Ortiz De La Torre took the retro canes one step ahead and created this colorful beads necklace. Her colors are always so vibrant!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/95865282/polymer-clay-necklace-spring-rose

Athena's Mirror

I do not like the new Flickr interface but I liked Athena Alexs' little pond which I found on her Flickr gallery. Athena (or is it Minerva?) is from Greece and is a third year student and does mainly ornaments, flower sculpturing and canning.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/64800407@N03/8700733125/

Here is a mirror of hers - so lovely!

http://www.atheniaclaycreations.blogspot.gr/2012/07/blog-post_31.html

Kathy's Mini Houses Beads

Another Flickr find is by Kathy Richardson who was quick enough to produce 2 new creations from the Cosmic Ceramic tutorial - Hippie pendants and super cute mini-houses.

Kathy said she wanted to do some kind of "hippie" type thing so the faux ceramic seemed like such a good fit.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/outoftimedesigns/8808117707/

Lot's of goodies in her Etsy store too - https://www.etsy.com/shop/OutofTimeDesigns

Veronique's Beads

Veronique Hoffmann, which is always the quickest student to produce my tutorials projects, really did it this time. Only 7 days after getting the complete set she posted one of her projects - The "Moon Rocks" beads. According to her she has work expected for the following months!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fimomaus/8737235083/

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I've been getting questions about the new tutorial and hope the following answers can clear them out -

Are the secret ingredients can be purchased again easily when we run out?

"Is the ingredient to make a new clay something easily purchased?"

Yes! The ingredients and material we are using in the tutorial are common everywhere. You can purchase it in your own country or order it from us in case you run out.

Quick & light?
or Advanced?

The variety of projects will work for those seeking quick and light projects as well as those who are looking for more complex and elaborated designs: 5 minutes beads? advanced bracelets? In the complete "Cosmic Ceramic" set you will find your personal preferred project.

Do the technique fits any product? Can I still use my signature designs with the new technique?

Yes! The ceramic technique can be adapted onto any design you create even if we did not include it in the projects - various beads, pens, glass covering etc.

Do I need special tools or materials to create the projects?

You will need the basic materials we use in our daily polymer clay work.
In addition you will need soft pastels, chalks and you may need alcohol inks if you want to try new mixes and combinations.

The special promotion sale on this new set of tutorials ends tomorrow!
LAST 24 HOURS!

Don't wait for the last minute so you won't miss out on this one time offer -

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Cosmic Ceramic" | Vol. 46, 47, 48, 49

=> 4 PDF files; Hundreds of step-by-step photos;

=> Beads, jewelry, home accessories & decor.

=> 20+ ideas and projects,

=> 19 super detailed videos;

=> 6(!) hours of content

==> PLUS - A pampering kit with CD, tools and materials!

SPECIAL GIVEAWAY -  When purchasing this deal you will receive one of our sample beads as a gift!

To join the Cosmic adventure, just click the link below

http://www.polypediaonline.com/cosmic-ceramic-polymer-clay-faux-ceramic-tutorial.html 

I know you'll love it!

I know I do :)

Polymeri Online 17.5.13 | The Rocky Horror millefiori cane, Plaster mold hollow beads tutorial, Embellished bags and Faux ivory polymer clay art

Polymer clay cane
The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Beverley Start is a polymer clay artist since 2009, after she moved to Ontario, a friend gave her a beautiful pendant made of polymer clay. She was fascinated by the technique and went to goggle about polymer. After watching a few hours of how-to videos on YouTube, she was off to Michaels to buy what she needed to get started.
With background in science and engineering, and years of being a cake decorator, her tip for canning is "think three dimensionally".
Here is her "Frankenfurter" cane from The Rocky Horror Picture Show
http://handmadeartists.com/forum/index.php/topic,6758.0.html


Whinnie Poh is sharing with us some of her unique ways for creating hollow beads using molds and plaster or salt dough.
Her beautiful hollow jewelry pieces require delicate technique which gives such an accurate result.

Hollow beads using plaster molds

More of her work here and here .
She gives special directions, tips and "do's and don't" for working with plaster molding. Translation from Russian to English was a bit complicated to understand, if you'd like to experiment I recommend reading her post several times until you feel confident enough to begin :)
http://yablor.ru/blogs/otminka-zapekaemih-plastikov/2492694

Sun and moon wall art decoration

Lisa Rapp started HiGirls! Designs because she wanted to carry handbags that didn't cost a fortune while making a statement about her personal style.
She learned to work with polymer clay first as a way to make beads, then started to discover new ways to use it for practical items, then it become her obsession! Her trademark has become a polymer clay embellishment for each bag.
This is another one of her polymer clay pieces - Sun and moon wall art decoration, Mexican inspired.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/124311822/sun-and-moon-wall-art-polymer-clay

Faux Ivory polymer clay beads

Speaking of faux techniques (I am still with faux ceramics spinning in my head), here is a beautiful real but faux store for polymer clay art by Selena Wells, her specialty is faux ivory pendants and beads, ancient-seeming, history-archaeology-like.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/selenaannewells
http://www.flickr.com/photos/selenaanne/

In exactly 3 weeks I am flying to Liechtenstein to meet old and new friends and teach 2 of my most popular classes - Skyscraper and INKredible.
Preparations are on my schedule, new jewelry, new samples, I promise to post pictures as soon as they are ready.
Have a great (almost) weekend!

"FIMO Pen of the Season" Polymer Clay Themed Fountain Pens

Several weeks ago, just before launching the new Cosmic Ceramic tutorial, while I was still playing with the technique and looking for interesting projects to feature, I got an email from Staedtler's people, asking me to create a series of 4 limited edition fountain pens with their new writing instruments kits.

The theme was "FIMO Pen of the Season".
Technique was free so I could play and experiment with old techniques or new ones.
My mission was to create a pen for each season - Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn.

Studio time produced pens using the Skyscraper technique, Extrudinary LifeSavers and 2 new pens with the ceramic techniques - "Moon Rock" and "Time for Tea".

Experimenting with the techniques on a different product and surface was another proof that the nice surface treatments will work on every design. Lots of fun.

I am not sure what the future will bring to these pens (the previous set I created for Staedtler was purchased and the money was donated to a children organization) but I am sure they will get a warm and cozy home!

Can you guess which season belongs to which pen? 

"FIMO Pen of the Season"
Polymer Clay Themed Fountain Pens

Time For Tea Pen

Time For Tea Pen

LifeSavers Pen

LifeSavers Pen

LifeSavers Pen

LifeSavers Pen

Moon Rocks Pen

Moon Rocks Pen

Skyscraper Pen

Skyscraper Pen

Don't forget! One of you, purchasing the complete "Cosmic Ceramic" Tutorial set,
will receive this limited edition Staedtlers' fountain pen - Ceramic themed as a GIFT!

and now - back to packing "Cosmic Ceramic" kits!

Cosmic Ceramic Kits!

Wrapped in Boxes