From Ponsawan:

http://silastones.blogspot.com/2007/06/less-is-more.html

And the how-to:

http://polymerclaybeads.blogspot.com/

I have yet to try polymer clay. Those beads are exactly the type of patterns I like and I thought they would be really awkward to make, i thought you would have to make loads of different canes. The canes look so complicated that I have been put off so far but I think I may have a try at them.

Melanie

Melanie,

Canework is great, but a lot of people just do surface decorations...give it a try. Use a stronger clay for beads (kato, fimo classic, premo).

Thanks, Barbara. I've tried doing that - picking a color scheme and using it many ways - it's harder than it looks, for sure! It's also the kind of thing where, once you get on a roll, you keep rolling until the clay is all gone.

QUOTE: Those beads are exactly the type of patterns I like . . .the canes look so complicated that I have been put off so far but I think I may have a try at them.

You should definitely do that!

Canes can be so simple that kids can easily make them, or be so difficult we all have trouble with them, or be anything in-between. But there are actually quite a number of canes that are easier, and the great thing is that those can be used in simple or very sophisticated ways depending on the colors chosen and their placement, etc. (an eye for good finishing techniques can help too but that's kind of a separate issue).

If you want additional lessons and ideas for the canes shown on that page, check out the ones here too:
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/canes--instructions.htm
(... click on Striped, and perhaps on Spiral and Bullseye
since those are shown in the other photos ....you might also want to check out the category called Beginner Canes...)
And if you'd like more tips on successfully making, slicing, and reducing canes, look on these pages too:
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/Canes--general.htm
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/canes--reducing.htm
(oh, and for putting slices on beads in particular, there's info here:
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/beads.htm
...click on Flat Onlays, under Covering a Core...)


Have fun!!

Diane B.

ooooh, thanks for all those links Diane, I have checked out some and will look at the rest later. I didn't realise that some of the canes are just two colours rolled together.

Melanie

I'm another who has never tried PC, but you folks sure are tempting me, Barbara, I just visited your site and tutorial blog, WOW!

I've always wanted to either make my own beads...can't afford all the stuff needed for glass. Always wanted to cut into some rocks...I love rocks, but again can't afford all the needed supplies for cabbing, The more I read here on the PC forum, the more I think PC just might be part of the answer. Humm, we only have Wally World in my town, Never looked there for supplies or clay.

Sorry got off topic, I really love your beads :-)

Edited to add: I mentioned on another topic the other day that I do have some PC in a shoe box somewhere in the garage..still not unpacked from our move almost two years ago..Not that I'm slow or lazy, it's just that we downsized homes and ran out of room for stuff, YIKES, Anyway, I haven't found that box, yet as it's way too hot in our garage to dig. I'm thinking just to forget the shoe box and buy some locally.

Yes Wirenut you've definitely got to try PC. You can make anything you want in any size and it' won't be too heavy like the real thing would be, and you can mix the colors to exactly match an outfit, and you can have flat, satin or shiny finishes or use mica clay for an internal reflectivity - take a look at some of our real old posts too. We all do slightly different things so you can see a lot of possibilities. You can make a LOT of cabs from 2 oz of clay - I love to put them back to back to make "fat" beads with big holes for some of the Eni-style stuff..........

This is my biggest failure I guess...canes! I have tried it a few times and have botched every attempt..it's the reducing part I have trouble with....there is a tute..I believe I posted it somewhere (? polkadotcreations) and it looked like the easist one thus far...the photos are great..really shows how to reduce the cane...I'm going to try it..one of these days[:D] WOW just looked at the tute posted here...that doesn't look too diificult!!

QUOTE: I haven't found that box, yet as it's way too hot in our garage to dig. I'm thinking just to forget the shoe box and buy some locally.

Wirenut, you might want to consider buying some clay by mail order as many clayers do (many suppliers are also online).
It'll be cheaper that way than most retail clay, plus you'll get all the colors of every brand, and the clay will also generally be fresher especially if you order from one of the clayers who's also become a distributor.
(Walmart won't have any clay but Sculpey --which is weak after baking in any thin areas-- and our WM doesn't even have many colors of that.)

If you're interested in some of the suppliers that are commonly used, check out this page:
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/supplysources.htm
(... click on Mail Order, under Polymer Clays....)


And btw, since colors of clay can be mixed together to get almost any new color, you can start with just 5 basic "colors" and still be able to create an entire palette. A red, a yellow, a blue, plus black, and white is the basic formula (maybe twice as much white is good though to be able to lighten all the colors).

The "clearest" red/blue/yellow will result in a palette that's very clear, or any of the colors can be toned downindividually or before beginning .... choosing an already toned-down red/blue/yellow however can give only in a toned-down palette (it's a one-way street... those can't be made truer colors).
The red/blue/yellow can also be any version of those colors, but again the ones started with will determine the limits of the palette that can be created... the "best" combo of those colors, believe it or not, is actually turquoise + magenta + lemon yellow, but you could also use rose+navy+gold, or again just any version of red/blue/yellow.

There's loads more info on all this and also recipes for specific colors and whole palettes on this page at my site if you want more details:
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/color.htm


HTH, and jump in!!!


Diane B.

Well, you folks are gonna get a kick out of this. I found the Box! Yep, opened her up..and..bummer no magic Genie appeared. But, what I did find is this: (1) A paperback book titled FIMO;Ideas for creative modeling. by EberhardFaber. (2) 10 pkgs. Sculpey III in a variety of colors. Don't have any idea why I bought the colors..oh well, guess they can be 'blended? (3) 8pc. sampler pack Granitex stone colors by Sculpey. These ar neat, and as I try to type this, I have a ball about the size of a large grape in my hand. It seems pretty soft. (4) A clay gun with 19 interchangeable design discs. (5) A PC blade called NuBlade by Kato. (6) A Crayola 4 stick box of colored non-hardening modeling clay. YIKES, why did I buy that? (7) The pasta machine I got at the thrift store. Don't even know if it works. (8)And last, a store receipt from Michaels for the blade and Granitex pack...dated 2-26-99..Holy Cow! This stuff is over eight years old. How can it still be pliable? I've looked on the packages to see if there is any dates at all on them and guess not, so don't know when the packs of Sculpey III was purchased, but would guess somewhere close to the other stuff.

Is this crazy or what? Okay, now what do I do. I highly doubt this particular brand is what you professional clay artist use, but could I maybe play/practice with it? The good thing is at least when I packed up stuff I had the sense to put all the supplies in the same box!

Diane B., I haven't weeded through the links you shared, but will. Thanks a zillion :-) Also thanks to everyone who have encouraged me to get off my duff and open the box. Kinda like a box of chocolates...You never know what you're gonna get! I love Forrest Gump!

Wow. . . you hit the JACK-POT! (...just separate out that #6 [;)] )

You've got basically everything you need to start playing with polyemr clay (you'll just need a few additional things from around the house like a toothpick, work surface, and brayer which could even be a jar or drinking glass).

As for the Sculpey clay still being soft, that's not surprising. It's the softest clay out there when raw and it takes a lot to really harden it even after it sits... sounds like yours was pretty protected from heat and uv light though anyway. It'll be fine for playing with awhile, and also fine for many clay techniques, but just keep in mind that it will be weak in any thin or projecting areas after baking. You can mix it with stronger clays (Premo, Kato, FimoClassic especially) to give it more strength in those situations, or put it on armatures of various kinds, etc, though.
You can also mix the colors together in any way you want (even with other brands).

If you don't have an idea about what kind of thing you want to start with, you might want to check out this page at my site... it has ideas and projects for beginners in various of the polymer clay techniques:
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/kids_beginners.htm

Then you might want to take a look at this page just to see all the things that can be done with polymer clay:
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/contents.htm
.. when you find a technique or item you're interested in (e.g., making beads), just click on the page or pages at the site that have to do with that topic from the alphabetical navigation bar on the left (--e.g., for the item beads, you could click on Beads, Beads-Holes, Jewelry, or Pendants... if you wanted to do a particular technique on the beads, click on the technique instead.)

Oh, and if you want some suggestions on work surfaces and brayers you could find around the house, check this page:
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/tools_Dremels_worksurfaces.htm


HTH, and have fun!!!!!!!!

Diane B.

Well, I kind of thought the 'crayon' clay would be trashed. Funny the smell brought back school day memories :-)
Thanks so much for all the links and encouragement. Lots of reading and learning for PC and will keep you all posted about my progress. I'm excited, but gotta take it slow. One thing for sure, it's a good 'hand' exercise!

That tutorial was SERIOUSLY COOL!!!! [:D] Thanks for posting it! I can't wait to try some of those techniques. I do have a question about the "Skinner Blend Gane" from May 28th though ... Does anyone know where she go the rubber stamp looking texture sheet that she used on the mokume with the white background (foreground technically?)?

Here's a link to what it looks like http://www.slide.com/r/o7tvWjzp7j9xB54pWuGAw-4Bz5QjxYgl?previous_view=TICKER&previous_action=TICKER_ITEM_CLICK&ciid=504403158277110920

and here's the resulting mokume sheet http://www.slide.com/r/o7tvWjzp7j9xB54pWuGAw-4Bz5QjxYgl?previous_view=TICKER&previous_action=TICKER_ITEM_CLICK&ciid=504403158277110920.

If you know where I can find one please let me know, it looks too cool! Thanks!

Mollie
new polymer addict, long time PMC addict & metalsmith

I'd also like to find similar type texture sheets. The texture is much deeper than anything I've seen so far.