ABS June Challenge - Retro I Go

Art Bead Scene Blog: June Monthly Challenge

Mini mixed media poly clay portraits

Roberta Marks is a no nonsense artist who creates mixed media artwork that  is "often constructed with curious objects and hints of collected memories."  Having seen her exhibit recently at Key West Customs House, I was inspired to create my own mini mixed media Portrait pendants.  I started with either black, white, or muddy clay backgrounds and cut out various size squares and rectangles to create small abstract like paintings.  Most I textured using fabric or ceramic tiles and things like manual drills, and circle cutters.  In the case of the black and white one with transfer image on side one and white flower on back, I used a marxit tool, which I really liked.  I am thinking of making a blackboard and "chalking" in a saying on it.  

I painted each canvas with Genesis Heat Set paints.  I dressed some of

the canvas' with image transfers or emphera which I mod podged  before applying resin to secure the papers and objects in place. 

Side One - Includes a variety of techniques.  The images with flowers were done by finger painting on Genesis Heat Set paints onto stamps and then stamping on the baked, painted clay.  The bottom pendant has a series of yoga poses I stamped on.

Side Two - same techniques.  For pendant with green cutouts in next to last row, I first painted underneath on baked clay and added a backing which I cut out.

Side One closeup of Top Half

Side one - Closeup of Bottom Half

Side Two - Top Row

Side Two - Middle Row

Side Two - Bottom row

Close up of Letter pendants.  I especially like the pendants on the bottom.  I can see the swirls from the texture pad I used in the one on bottom left and overall it has a really rustic look.  The one on bottom right has 'Floating papers 3D look,"  which I love.

This is one of my more minimalistic "paintings"  I used a combo of finger painting and stamping to get the effect.  I like the idea of painting all around the edges  with messy strokes to give it more the look of a shabby well worn look.

I read somewhere online about using an incense stick to burn edges and holes in paper.  Makes so much sense and was quite fun!  Will try it on fabric too sometime!

Peacock pretty - Before and After

Many years ago when I was just a baby clayer, I took a class with Christie Friesen to make a peacock.  When I finished that class, I was, well, proud as a peacock.

 It's only many years later, when I dusted the piece off again, that I found myself scrunching my nose at it.  If you are a bead or jewelry artist, I think you know exactly the look I mean.  Often accompanied, it is, by a silent "what was I thinking" and then by air involuntarily releasing itself from puffed cheeks.  But I am a real believer that anything can be saved.  And I mean anything (just about).

 And that's where paint comes in, which is my favorite first responder tool.  I used Genesis Heat Set Paints to transform the colors from blah to fab (at least that is what I think today) and threw in some of my painted metal and wirework connectors to redesign the necklace.

Here are the results starting with the AFTER.

The make over results

Below is the BEFORE

15% off in my etsy shop - Storewide SALE!!!!!

LOVE 15.  That 's the coupon code to use at checkout for 15% off on any and all purchases in my Etsy Shop.  That includes all of my beads AND my jewelry.  Valentine's day is coming up so I wanna spread some love around.  Here are a few items that are new in my shop.  But, first here is me and my new hat!!!

Stamped and painted polymer clay hearts  Click here

Hearts and flowers and all sorts of wonders.  Click here

Hearts, fish and stuff.  Click here

A nice funky eclectic mix.  Click here

Cosmos.  Click here

Art Bead Scene January Challenge - Landscape (don't dance) with Stars

I love stars.  There is something wonderfully dreamy and mystical about a star filled sky.   I love watercolor paintings and how seemingly ordinary brushstrokes develop into magnificent works of art.  Henri Edmond-Cross's Landscape with Stars is one of those.  What struck me most about the painting was the use of just two colors (though there are various shades) to create the work.  I decided to experiment with that in the creation of these star shaped beads.

This is what the other side looks like.

And here is Henri's painting

Polymer Clay - Seeing the Possibilities in Store Bought Shapes

My eye is always roving the streets and stores for shapes to use in my Polymer Clay Creations.  Last week, at the Ben Franklin store, I found a shape I thought might be useful to create a blank for a necklace.  Initially, I thought I would use it as is.  However, once I got it home and cut out the shape on my poly clay, I was not happy with all the sharp edges, so I started cutting into it and reshaping them.  I figured the worst that could happen was I would have to re sheet the clay.  Instead the best thing happened.  I got some interesting ideas for shaping and linking the shapes.  I took the clay shape I had cut out and cut three shapes from it and then modified these shapes to make the beads I wanted.  Then I connected the three new shapes and added the bird and flower beads over the connection points.

Here is the result.  The shape with the stars is what I started with.

Scrap Cane Mosaic or What to do with lots of little pieces of canes leftover from previous projects

Cane slices are just too pretty to waste.  Even ones cut unevenly or otherwise badly cut. One of my favorite activities is saving all these little pieces of discarded cane slices for use for another project.

To start what I like to call my scrap cane mosaic, I like to choose a neutral color clay, such as black, white, or gray as my backing.  I sheet this usually at the thickest or next to thickest setting on my pasta machine and create a nice square or rectangle.

Then the fun begins!!  Choosing this piece and that piece of cane, I begin lining them up on the backing sheet according to what makes me happy.   I try to cover as much of the backing sheet as possible so that it is almost entirely made of the cane slices.  If the scrap slices I am working with are really uneven, I might put several of them together first and roll them to get a more even surface before applying them to the backing sheet of clay.  Sometimes I just pinch/spread them with my fingers to get them all about the same evenness.  

But, I don't worry about them being perfect!!!  This is fun, remember??!!!!!   It just might mean there is more dimension in some spots on my beads than others and that can be cool.  Sometimes if I am also using scraps from a previous mosaic cane that has already been cut in beads, I will take the cut out scraps and trim them with a blade or X-acto knife to have neater edges or fit the spot I want to put them in.  I realize pictures would be helpful here and will add them if I remember to take ones next time.  I get so intense once I get started - oooo, it's hard to stop and take a picture.

Once everything is in place, I cut away any excess backing so as to save it for future use and then use my acrylic roller to lightly hand roll everything into place.  Then, I take a Yo Clay texture sheet and put one on each side of the clay and roll it through the thickest setting on my pasta machine.  This adds texture to both sides.  

Sometimes, at this point, if I want a thicker bead,  I sheet more backing clay, texture it the same way and add it to the backing clay that has been covered with the cane scraps before cutting bead shapes.  Sometimes I just wait until I cut and cure the beads to make them thicker.  The reason is that sometimes I want to layer beads on top of one another and I would rather use thinner beads to do that.

The final step before curing is to cut your shapes.  I have lots of different templates I use to create shield beads, circles, squares, and other shapes.  I like cutters that are open in the middle so you can see the pattern the bead will have.  

For example, Cool Tools has lots of these such templates.  Or you can get individual cutters which I actually like best.  

And here are some of the canes from which I have used the scraps.  

Note that cane just right above my name is a scrap cane I made by combining left over scraps of colored clay.

Here are some results of mixing these various cane slices together.

Try it,  You'll like it!