The Party is in Full Swing. Come join us!
May 31, 2023
Polymer community news, The Polymer Arts magazine news
What party is this? The latest project from little ol’ me, Sage. The Sage Arts podcast is more than up and running… I have 25 episodes up as of this posting, ready on your favorite podcast player (New to Podcasts? Click here to find out how easy it is to enjoy them!) and a new one coming out every week.
What’s This Podcast All About?
This podcast is all about feeding and exciting your muse. By enlightening or reminding you about important and maybe unconsidered aspects of creating and living as an artist, I hope to help you find more joy and satisfaction in what you do, sharing ways to create with authenticity and fearlessness, while supporting your uniquely defined version of success.
Now what the heck does that all mean? Well, let’s look at what this is and what this is not…
It IS…
… a way to consistently feed your muse
… all about you. Myself, my guests, and my guest co-hosts speak to the issues, curiousity, and hurdles that you as a creative deal with on a regular basis.
… focused on creating a more fulfilling, joyful, and meaningful artistic journey.
… a conversation that goes both ways with lots of opportunities for you to be heard.
It is NOT…
… all about polymer clay or any one medium, as it’s important stuff for all artistic folks.
… focused on “how-to” or the latest tools and materials.
… just interviewing successful artists and talking at you. Rather it is like a coffee house chat or other friendly gather and I include you, the listener, in every way I can.
I created this podcast to supercharge your creativity, motivation, and artistic style through novelty, story, conversation, and community. Everyone has how-tos and ways to increase your sales – valiant and necessary stuff, of course! But what does your muse need? What does your work and your love of your art need to thrive? That’s where I want to help.
I aim to give artists ways to further hone their unique voice, increase their joy and productivity, and create a version of artistic success that is meaningful, satisfying, and anything but ordinary.
Come Join the Conversation
If you have something to share, would like to be a guest (for a chatty interview), or be a guest co-host (you and I banter on a particular subject) drop me an email me via my contact page on the show website: https://thesagearts.com/contact/ or send a voice mail (use the red button on that same site, bottom right corner of any page.)
And join me on social media!
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thesageartspodcast/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheSageArtsPodcast
And don’t forget to click “FOLLOW” or that little arrow on your favorite Podcast player so you get notices of new episodes. New Episodes come out weekly on Friday evenings, barring natural disasters or other bits of interference, of course. I hope you’ll join me there, on The Sage Arts podcast!
There are new artists and creatives joining every day with tons of great things to say…
“Just what I needed!”
“I just binged-listened … and I can’t wait for more!”
“There is so much validity in your presentation…”
“Looking forward to all the thinking and creating that they prompt.”
Taste test on my RSS website: https://rss.com/podcasts/thesagearts/
Or on the podcast home website: https://thesagearts.com/
Or start with this episode:
To Cane Well
July 8, 2013
Inspirational Art
Most of us, if we’ve played with polymer for any length of time, have tried our hand at caning. Some of us have become obsessed and do almost nothing but canes, while some of us look at our attempts and then the many other great examples out there and decide to enjoy their wonder in the works of others. But no matter where you are on the caning spectrum, you probably use the concept of caning more than you think. The concept is a simple one that can result in immense complexity–lay various colors and shapes of of clay together lengthwise and cut it crosswise to reveal a pattern. In what we usually think of as a cane, the pattern is mapped out to result in a particular design, and the clay has been reduced so the pattern is solidified and spaces between the different pieces of clay have been eliminated. But that isn’t always necessary or desired.
This week I thought it’d be fun to look at what makes a good cane, what crazy things people do with them, and the way the concept is used in other areas. But today, let’s just admire some pretty caning work. Ivy Niles Koehn (pronounced ‘cane’, she says) creates the kind of canes I’m happy to sit back and admire rather than blunder through an attempt of on my own. Ivy’s kaleidoscope canes are richly detailed with recognizable images, like the leaves you can see here, as well as straight patterning. But generally her canes succeed because of color and pattern choices, as well as some decent skill in preserving the lines while reducing.
In this cane of hers, the palette is reds leaning towards oranges and greens leaning towards blues, so all the colors contrast from opposite ends of the color wheel. There is also consistency in the changes within colors as they are all only tinted or shaded (having white or black added) rather than changing in saturation (brightness or density of color) or moving around on the color wheel. The patterns are also from a rather small range of forms … flowing lines or spot/circles, all organic looking with no hard angles. The consistency throughout of both color and pattern make for a strong design.
Ivy’s collection of available canes for sale in her Etsy shop, IKandiClay reveals other well-planned designs as well as some simple, basic canes that could be building blocks for more complex designs if you want to use her work to give you a good head start.
Have suggestions for other artists this week? I have been picking out canes to chat about, but if you have a favorite cane or caned piece that you think just must be shared and talked about, write me at sbray@thepolymerarts.com with a link to this icon of caning as well as your information so if I use your suggestion, I can show my thanks with a mention and a link to your own website, blog, or store!
Be Art or Wear it? I Say Be it or Make It!
July 7, 2013
Ponderings
I love Oscar Wilde’s work. He has such intelligent and observant wit. But why did he advise us to wear art if we don’t consider ourselves to be art? Why not create art if you aren’t up for the other two options? Maybe he considers anyone who makes art as being art? I don’t know, truly, but I do like the sentiment that art should be a part of your every day, either in who you are and how you present yourself to the world or in what you show off to the world. Just a simple thought today as we wrap up a holiday weekend here in the States and get ready to dive back into work. Think about what art and creativity you can bring to your Monday tomorrow. Make it a bright and inspirational day!
Keepsake Imagery
July 6, 2013
Inspirational Art
Since image transfer can be used with any kind of imagery, why not use it to memorialize important people, moments, places, and photos that are near and dear to you or your customers?
I just love what Cynthia Tinnapple did with transfers on some of her husband’s turned bowls a few years back. The image transfers were applied to polymer sunk into a channel around the bowl, and all the images were of the women in her family. I believe she quickly and simply turned a beautiful bowl into a priceless heirloom. How many people display their family photos in anything much more than picture frames?
This same approach can be use to add photos to anything you can adhere polymer clay to (which is just about anything). If you want ideas for objects you can start adorning with favorite family photos, take a look at the “Covered Objects” article in the present Summer 2013 issue of The Polymer Arts. Also check out the article on collaboration to read more about how Cynthia and her husband combine their crafts.
Also. be sure you have an up to date subscription, because the Fall issue that will be out next month is packed with tons of great stuff, including a review and peek into Cynthia’s new book Polymer Clay Global Concepts, due out July 30th. (But you can pre-order on Amazon if you just can’t wait to see the review. We wouldn’t blame you!)
Outside Inspiration: Transfers Inspiring Metal
July 5, 2013
Inspirational Art
This will be a bit of unusual Outside Inspiration post. Usually, I have artwork that is made from all kinds of other materials–anything but polymer. But Lorena Lazard, who works primarily in metal jewelry art, has created a series of pieces formed around transfer images made on what else but our favorite medium.
The forms in this piece that continue and define the images in the transfer are subtle and haunting. I know this piece seems a bit dark but the emerging shine of copper at the tips of the leaves and the silver pod forms are quite beautiful, especially against the dark and thorny image of the drawing they are accenting.
Lorena is the daughter of Jewish immigrants living in Mexico. She grew up in a country full of images and symbols she couldn’t relate to and as a result her work focuses on the differences in the world, the contrast and the things that appear to sit opposite each other like the thorny weed adorned in precious metals. Perhaps that is what drew her to add polymer into her work, it being such a different medium than metal.
When it comes to our theme for the week, the one thing I hoped would stand out here is how the transfer is the base for the design, but isn’t really dominant. It inspires the design and works with the additions. In other words, a transfer doesn’t have to sit on its own, untouched. Try adding to a transfer … other layers of clay, embellishments, inclusions floated in a layer of LPC or resin, etc. Use the image as a skeleton for the design and see what it inspires you to do.
LPC Sheet Transfers
July 4, 2013
Inspirational Art
Apparently this is going to be a week of building on the post from the day before! Again, if you read yesterday’s post, you might be getting some bright ideas about how to use liquid polymer clay transfers. But wait … there’s more!
In the present Summer 2013 issue of The Polymer Arts, we have an article by Ann and Karen Mitchell on making polymer hats. Within that article are lots of tidbits on working with liquid polymer clay, particularly LPC sheets. These sheets can be made as large as your oven will allow and then can be cut up as needed. Or, if you follow Ann and Karen’s instructions for adding mesh or fabric, you can use it very much like fabric including stitching, punching, and folding as you would a heavy piece of cloth.
These techniques are nothing new to these two ladies or to any of you who have read their wonderful book Liquid Polymer Clay. They have been using this method of embedding fabric and making LPC transfer appliques to create pieces like this purse “comprised of clay fabric, hand drawn transfer elements appliqued onto silk taffeta on the bottom layer and silk organza on the top layer.”
If transfers with LPC have grabbed hold of your imagination, you should really get the Mitchell sisters’ book Liquid Polymer Clay or re-read it if you have it. In the meantime, I am going to go pretend I don’t work on holidays. It’s Independence Day here in the States and friends, barbecues, and fireworks are in store for us later. So I’m going to transfer my attention to something un-polymer. To all my stateside readers and friends, Happy 4th of July. Have a wonderful day and be safe.
Colored Pencil Transfers and More
July 3, 2013
Inspirational Art, Tips and Tricks
Were you intrigued yesterday by the possibilities of using colored pencil? Grab yourself a big box of Prismacolor pencils (or a comparable brand) and start doodling shapes and swirls, flowers and faces, tendrils and textures … anything you can think of. And yes, you can do this even if you don’t have a lot of drawing experience, and you’ll probably do it quite well. When you are playing with colored pencils, you are working primarily with the color (which you already do with polymer, right?) and can let the idea that you must sketch something particular fall away. Just let go and see what you have. Then pick a section of what you’ve drawn, cut it out and transfer it onto polymer. Quick and easy visual texture! From that you can cut, stamp, layer, embed, etc just like you would any other surface treated polymer sheet.
Another way to transfer you colored pencil masterpieces is to float liquid polymer clay (LPC) on the paper, bake or use a heat gun to cure it and then remove the paper from the cured LPC by peeling and using water to remove any that remains. The neat thing about using the LPC is that the image will have translucency wherever the pencil is light or absent. This can be applied to other surface-treated polymer clay sheets for intriguing layering of colors and textures.
Julia Sober used the LPC transfer of a colored pencil drawing laid over silver leaf to create this beautiful box.
The silver leaf does give the colors extra luminescence often associated with enamel work, which is probably why she called her application faux enamel. But other applications such as a pearl clay backing for light colored sketches or black for bright, densely colored drawings could be quite impressive as well. Once you have the LPC transfers done, you can hold them up to all kinds of backgrounds and see what kind of effect you have. Bring out your inner child with the colored pencils, and just play.
Simple, Impactful Transfer Art
July 2, 2013
Inspirational Art
For you viewing pleasure today, we have a simple drawing transferred onto polymer, antiqued and melded into a polymer frame in such a way as to impart a distinct and cohesive atmosphere in the space of this small pendant. The pendant is by a seller on Etsy that simply goes by the name Gabriel.
Like I was saying yesterday, I think when polymer is allowed to show its versatility alongside the engaging image of a transfer, it’s a winning combination. It may seem like the transfer in this piece is dominant, but not really. The simple pencil drawing would be rather static and unimpressive if it weren’t for the antiquing the polymer allows and the organic nature of the texture that surrounds it. Likewise, I don’t think this kind of frame would be anything to get excited about, except that it is enlivened by the lone tree image whose canvas disintegrates into the frame, creating a single cohesive impression.
The other cool thing here … this is Gabriel’s own drawing. Pencil will easily transfer off paper of almost any kind onto polymer. This is true for colored as well as graphite pencils. You can use the same technique used to transfer toner, so there’s no new skill to learn if you have that down. You can make your own unique sketches, doodles, or zentangles, or even use the drawings of your kids, grand-kids, friends, or those of a skilled artist you employ to sketch original work for you. All one needs is pencil and paper!
Transfers: A Treasure Trove of Possibilities
July 1, 2013
Inspirational Art
I have a bit of a love-hate view of transfers as an artistic technique in polymer in particular. On one hand, it’s such a cool, almost magical technique that can turn any bit of clay from flat to fabulous with minimal effort. That’s the beauty of it. However, since most polymer artists aren’t making their own images, the source of their transfers are sometimes copyrighted, which makes sharing or selling some work sticky or even unlawful. I’ve seen some gorgeous work I would have loved to share but I knew the images on the pieces were copyrighted and there was no evidence that the artist had acquired permission.
Then there is work where I have no idea if the images are copyrighted or not, which would be most of the transfer work I find online. Because of that, I’ve been reticent to share work with transfers; but at the same time, I don’t want to ignore what a great technique it can be. So I decided this week to go ahead and fearlessly share some transfer work and talk about some of the different ways you can use it and the variations that allow you to create more unique and personal work with your own imagery or imagery from other talented artists and designers.
Today, I just want to share some work that I personally really enjoy but have been remiss in sharing. Tejae Floyde is a fellow Coloradan with a penchant for hearts. And better yet, many of her hearts have secrets and surprises! I love the metaphorical use of a hidden heart embellished with a butterfly, an icon of flight and freedom, inside a ornately decorated heart case.
I believe the image used here is in the public domain, so reproduction is allowed. But better yet, the transfer is not the primary focus of the piece but rather part of a collective design. I particularly like seeing transfers that are worked into a design, whether they are the artist’s original image or not, because it allows the polymer’s beauty and advantages to come through so that the polymer and the transfer image complements each other. It seems an ideal use of the technique.
If you haven’t experimented much with transfers, this might be the week to play with them. There are many different ways to create transfers, but here are a few to get you started:
A how-to from Tejae: www.tejaesart.com/how-to-polymer-clay-transfers/
If you like videos and are curious about how to create transfers on round of curved surfaces, check out this video by our friends at Polymer Clay Productions: www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvQm45uQSzQ
And as for the copyright question, we’ll be saving that discussion for the end of the week. In the meantime, if you have images you would like to use in transfer and intend to sell it, familiarize yourself with public domain which can offer a multitude of beautiful images for your work. This page has a summary of US copyright and public domain terms you might want to keep bookmarked for future reference: www.unc.edu/~unclng/public-d.htm
Reveal the World
June 30, 2013
Ponderings
And just how do we do that?
By making the world people know appear new, maybe even unfamiliar, or by allowing people to discover and perceive things they didn’t know existed. The business of art is to open the world a little wider and, with any luck, have others see themselves and just where and what they are in this vast world of ours.
This doesn’t have to be monumental. Sometimes this goal is just making someone smile on a bad day or feel beautiful when they are feeling dull. But it can also be so revealing as to change their lives. We aren’t so in control of that outcome, but we are in control of how we present the world to others, and that is what makes it art. If it is the right time and place, the art will make them see what they didn’t see before.
Visual Reveal
June 29, 2013
Inspirational Art, Tips and Tricks
Most things that are hidden are behind, under, or otherwise obscured by other matter. In polymer craft, what is hidden is usually under more polymer; but what if it’s not buried, but just hard to see, blending in with its surroundings?
This may seem a little off theme, but sometimes what we have done with our clay is barely noticable because its subtlety is hard to see. If you texturize the surface of your clay and the pattern is not standing out the way you would like, there are ways to “reveal” the pattern that can add color and contrast along with additional interest and complexity. (Yes, I know I’m stretching the “reveal” theme, but this is fun stuff so I’m sure you’ll forgive me!)
The most common way to make your pattern stand out is to brush paint into the recesses and wipe away the excess paint from the raised surface. But there are so many variations on that basic brush and wipe technique. Different colors, different types of paint, powders instead of paint, colored liquid polymer … basically, if it can be applied to the surface and then wiped off, it can be used to highlight the pattern on the surface of the clay.
In a limited demonstration of what is commonly known as “antiquing”, Jan Geisen played with different paints, colors and other products on these sample tiles a few years back to demonstrate how a little variation can result in markedly different outcomes.
Even though this is often called antiquing, I wouldn’t call it that. Such a term limits its potential. What if you wanted to add a bright red or a metallic blue to your impressed design? That wouldn’t look so antique, but it could look very impressive. Do whatever you like to reveal your design and bring its beauty to the forefront.
