Robin Young wins GRAND PRIZE

Congratulations to Robin Young! She won the Grand Prize in Fire Mountain Gems recent Jewelry Making Contest with her "Family String" fish necklace.

Using her amazing polymer clay fish, elements of Steampunk design and her own personal style, Robin created this fabulous piece. Check out the Fire Mountain announcement here. Her competition was impressive too!

Here is what they say about Robin's winning necklace: "With its unique polymer clay creations and steampunk style, Robin's museum-quality necklace stole the show. Her incredible piece represents what Chris called "one of the better uses of polymer clay I've seen." A well thought-out jewelry design, the necklace also features a handmade clasp. Robin calls Family Stringer a show-stopper featuring pieces from her line of Rescue Fish. These fierce yet friendly polymer clay creations pay tribute to those rescued from the 2011 tsunami and nuclear devastation in Japan--and to the fish that elude the hooks of Robin and her family on their annual Canadian fishing trips!"

Those of us who are members of the local polymer clay guild are privileged to have a fish made by Robin for last year's bead exchange. We have also known for a while now that Robin is exceptionally gifted with polymer clay. We are proud to call her "one of us!"

SELF PORTRAIT: Represent Your Face in Clay Challenge Results

Our first 2012 Challenge - Self Portrait: Represent yourself in Clay!
Make your SELF PORTRAIT, a face cane of yourself, sculpt yourself, make a face mask, or somehow do YOU in polymer clay. What a challenge! Creations were due at the April 2012 meeting! View the results here. Read more here.

Not everyone participated in this challenging challenge....but the results were fantastic! Techniques ranged from a face cane to a complete life-sized sculpt and included a large sculpture with not only polymer clay, but also glass, paper clay, brass, wire, shells, beads and more!


Mary DeWerff (welcome back, Mary!) brought her face cane pendant. She said the eye (hazel) and lip colors are hers, the rest she questioned. But we all agreed the translucent flower canes surrounding her face cane were a great representation of her curly blond hair, which surrounds her real face.

Kim Keane took the minimalist route - using the wire and resin techniques we learned from Eugena Topina a few years ago. This piece does look like Kim - reflecting her easily recognizable pieces and frequent use of black clay and resin.

 Deb Williams - who has an great gift for sculpting animals and faces - did herself in clay. The eyes are glass beads but this has way more gray hair than Deb actually does. What a great, realistic-style face!

New member Carol Hale (who by-the-way is an accomplished doll artist who repairs and restores porcelain dolls - as in replacing lost and broken fingers! ) created a 3-D sculpt of herself, complete with one of her dogs. The hat brim is so delicate she protected it with tissue while curing so it would not brown.

Another new member, Donna Veran Ford brought two pieces she did in school with kiln-fired earth clay. The first is a life-like face mask which really looks like Donna. It seemed to be very close to life-sized.

Donna's second piece is more of a sculpt of her alto-ego....also done in earthen clay....Donna as a fish! This piece was fired then painted, and has an iridescent shine.

Robin Young brought in a work-in-progress. Obviously fish are close to her heart and this fish sculpture contains many of her favorite things, not only polymer clay but also paper clay (for its light weight), wire, brass (steampunky clock parts, gears, keys etc), beach glass, sea urchin shells, and beads.

 Front view - find the eyes....we want to see this when it is finished!!

Michele Wineland found a way to use polymer clay and have not only her own self-portrait, but everyone's with her clay framed mirror. Brilliant!!

April Swellegant Meeting

Lynette has ordered Christi Friesen's kit of Swellegant metal coatings and patinas. Check out Christi's site here and download your own copy of her free PDF here. (bring your copy to the meeting if you want to follow along.)

Basically, these products put a metal coating over your polymer clay. Then you can apply patinas to the metal! Looks like fun...come and see it next week.

Some samples from Christi's site.

UPDATE: There are other sources for these patinas and dyes. B'Sue Boutiques also carries the Swellegant line. Search on Etsy for dye oxides. MissFickleMedia and Art and Soul Objects (her bottles are 2oz and come with a spray top!) Easy to buy a set of colors, all small amounts.

Or go to the source - Sculpt Nouveau - which is a source of these and many more products for applying patinas to metal, specifically for sculptors. If you find a color you use a lot of, this one makes more sense.

Pricing: Christi Friesen- 2oz bottle of Swellegant dye oxide for $5 ($2.50/oz)
B'Sue Boutiques - 2oz of Swellegant dye oxide for $6 ($3/oz)
MissFickleMedia - 2oz self-branded for about $8 ($4/oz)
Art and Soul Objects - 2oz self-branded for $7.95 ($4/oz)
Sculpt Nouveau - 8oz for $14 ($1.75/oz)

There were some questions about what exactly a dye oxide is. This is from the Sculpt Nouveau site: "Dye-Oxide Patinas are a cross between the Solvent Based Dyes and a patina. All of the colors are transparent and may be blended or layered together to achieve any color. Like the Universal Patinas, Dye-Oxide Patinas are UV safe, non-reactive, and do not contain acids. They may be applied in any manner using any traditional hot or cold patina application technique. The Dye-Oxide Patinas adhere best when the metal is warmed (180-200°F)."
 
 This site has many other materials and information, plus patinas and dyes in larger quantities. Swellegant patinas and dye oxides appear to be the same formulas as what's available on Sculpt Nouveau, but repackaged in smaller quantities for those not needing large sculpture amounts. And providing ways to test and experiment with the colors.

March 2012 Meeting Demo

Jana Kimberling will demonstrate how she makes FAUX RAKU beads from polymer.

 

Those of you who participate in our annual Christmas Bead Exchange may already own one of Jana's beads!

Join us at our March meeting on Tuesday, March 13, 2012, from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. at United Methodist Church located at 5519 State Park Road in Fairway, KS 66205.

NOTE: our regular meeting location changed for 2012. Our 4th Saturday free play days still take place at Heartland Bead Market's NEW LOCATION at 13964 Santa Fe Trail, Lenexa, KS 66215.

More Kashigata Play Day Info

I wanted to add that the Old Mission United Methodist Church is a Beautiful Large Church on Shawnee Mission Parkway just East of Mission Rd on the South Side of the street in Fairway, KS

RE Clay to bring for Kashigata

You can use any two colors or more of your choice of clay.  Black, Gold and Red or Orange look nice.  So does Black, Gold and Blue or Purple.  Black and one or two other colors of your choice will work.  Come with your clay conditioned if possible.

• Bring twice as much clay of one color or scrap clay
• You can also bring any foils:  Silver, Gold, Copper, Verdigris 
• Wet Dry Sandpaper in 300, 500, 1000 grit or anything close.
• 4 x 4 ceramic tile for baking.  Bring extras if you have a few to share

February 2012 PlayDay

February is our first quarterly Saturday PLAY DAY, which replaces our monthly Tuesday evening meeting. SO, NO MEETING on Valentines Day (2-14-12). Instead, we'll gather on Saturday, February 11, from 12 - 4pm to play with clay!

Robin Young will bring all her many Kashigata Molds (Japanese Sugar Molds) for us to use and she'll guide us in making bracelets, pendents and more using these fantastic, detailed molds. This is a hands-on day so bring your clay and tools.

Things to bring:

Materials

♢ 2 oz black clay
♢ 2-3 oz red clay mixture: 2/3 part red (such as cadmium red Premo--), 1/3 part burnt umber

(if using Kato, try blending 4 parts Brown, 1 part Red, 1/2 part Black, as per http://shadesofclay.com/more/Color%20Recipes.htm)
♢ Metal foil, optional

Tools
♢ Basic tool kit (including pasta machine; roller; work surface; blades)
♢ corn starch pounce if available

NOTE: We do have a location change.

The meeting will take place at the old United Methodist Church, 5519 State Park Road, Fairway, KS 66205. Enter in the front doors. You can take the elevator straight ahead and go down 1 level to the left. The stairwell is to the right when you walk in the front. Go 1 level down and it will be on your right.

October Meeting Demo

The October meeting will take place Tuesday, October 11, at Heartland Bead Market in Lenexa...our usual meeting place. Anne Rowe will lead us in a creative exploration for ideas and inspiration....

Sound intriguing? Read her description below!
HANDS-ON DEMO:  Bring some scrap clay and hand roller, tile or work surface


Anne: "Looking around for ideas - polymer clay, mixed media and where did you say you found THAT?" 

• Hear about the rubber fish that got away - a fine art opportunity missed, I'm afraid.
• Hands on demo involves heat guns, miscellany and scrap clay. Yes, you, too, can make a custom clay stamp in under 30 seconds - no mixing chemicals, cutting, carving or baking. No sanding, buffing or otherwise fussing around. No polymer clay or mixed media art experience required.
• Bring a lump of scrap polymer clay and clay roller (hand rollers only). We'll be testing our stamps on scrap clay so there will be ABSOLUTELY NO PRESSURE TO SUCCEED on the first, or any try!
• There will be valuable, my-trash-can-be-your-treasure freebies and door prizes.

Sounds like fun. See you there.

August meeting is a Saturday Play Date

Once per quarter we get together on a Saturday to have more time for a hands-on learning experience. So get ready for Saturday, August 13 - from 12 - 4 at Heartland Bead. Robin Young will teach us about Kashigata mold use with polymer clay.

 

To participate bring these Materials:

♢ 2 oz black clay
♢ 2-3 oz red clay mixture: 2/3 part red (such as cadmium red Premo--), 1/3 part burnt umber
(if using Kato, try blend 4 parts Brown, 1 part Red, 1/2 part Black, as per the recipes found here.)
♢ metal foil, optional

Tools
♢ Basic tool kit (including pasta machine; roller; work surface; blades)
♢ corn starch pounce if available

Note: KCPCG members receive a reminder email from Teri with this same information. If you'd like to join, we welcome to come to the meeting....bring your clay, tools and sense of adventure and clay along with us.

Directions to Heartland Bead Market in Lenexa and more info about our group is on our website.

Summer Updates

Thanks to everyone who helped with the KCPCG table at the KC Maker Faire at Union Station. If you saw us there and are interested in learning more about polymer clay, join us at a meeting. Check out our website for dates and location.

We welcomed several new clayers at the July meeting, where Kim Keane shared her experiments with Zentangles and clay. Kim made a variety of black and white Zentangle inspired canes, which she applied to discs baked on lightbulbs...then combined into lentil beads.

She also used her pens to draw directly onto clay -heat-setting as she went to keep the clay from smearing.

Those who know Kim know she works on a grand scale, with wonderfully large beads, exciting combinations and she's prolific. She brought a whole box of black and white Zentangle canes.

Teri also announced a September challenge: Come up with ideas for a KCPCG logo. Make something in clay or draw on paper and bring in September. We won't decide immediately - the process could take time - but let's start thinking about logo ideas that would represent us all.

More of our talented members getting published...

Congratulations to Robin and Kim for being selected for Polymer Cafe's Steampunk Challenge. Robin Young's Steampunk Fish Necklace place 3rd! Both appear in Polymer Cafe's June 2011 issue, received today in my mail.

Kim Keane's Steampunk Heart is one of the Runners Up.

 

Linda Lee and MariEtta Adams were both included in the February 2011 issue of Polymer Cafe. MariEtta's pendant was a runner up in the Mica Shift challenge.

Linda Lee sent in photos of her entry into KCPCG's Mixed Media challenge from last fall and both were published in Polymer Cafe's Reader's Gallery

April Demo - Faux Antique Coral Beads

The April KCPCG meeting will be Tuesday, April 12, at Heartland Bead Market in Lenexa, Kansas - our normal meeting spot. Thank you, Carol Hooper, of Heartland Beads!

The April demo by Lynette Fisk will show you how she made the Faux Antique Coral beads that were her 2010 Christmas exchange beads.

This demo is easy to follow along so if you come, bring this stuff to create your own beads that night:

Materials
Clay in red, yellow and/or orange, turquoise, translucent – pre conditioned.
Wire (brass or craft wire – non-shiny is better)
Ink or acrylic paint for antiquing (burnt umber, brown, or black)

Tools
Tile or work surface
Tissue blade
Wire cutter
Chain nose pliers (for twisting wire)
Small bowl or cup for water
Sponge or brush
Paper towel
Needle tools or skewers for roasting beads upon
Flat acrylic square or whatever you use as bicone roller


I’ll bring a handout, hopefully some pictures and the secrets!

March Free Play day moved to Sunday

Our normal 4th Saturday free play day is being moved to Sunday March 27 from 12-4 due to some schedule conflicts. Join us at Heartland Bead Market for fun.

Kim Keane, who has been making pieces based on the lesson Industrial Scrap Pendant by Lynn Reno
as seen on the cover of the most recent Polymer Café http://www.scottpublications.com/pcmag/
is going to demo that lesson.
If you want to learn it & play along, here's a supply list:

-basic tool kit, including pasta machine
-1  1/2  oz polymer clay, black (extra if you want to make more than one pendant)
-Clear Liquid polymer clay (optional)
-20 Gauge Gunmetal artistic wire
-10mm watch gears or whatever size, shape you would like to use
-Pearl Ex Mica Powders in Silver, Sunset Gold, Misty Lavender, and Antique Copper
-Acrylic paint, black
-Rub'n Buff in Antique Gold and Silver Leaf; I use copper as well
-Sealer of choice
-Clay cutters in a variety of shapes

Otherwise, just bring along whatever you want to work on and clay with friends!

March 2011 - Tuesday March 8

Free Play--Bring your own project or work-in-progress to the meeting. If you made a skinner blend at the February Saturday Play Day, bring it along. If I get a chance, Teri will see if there's something else on the Hunani DVD, since she had so many possibilities of uses of the blend.

Some of us will be either very tired or very inspired (or both!) from the Jana Roberts Benzon class over the weekend. If you were there, please bring along your pieces for the rest to see.

You are also welcome to our monthly Footloose Crafternoon (usually on Saturday), which will be on SUNDAY,  March 27 from 12-4. 

Kim Keane, who has been making pieces based on the lesson Industrial Scrap Pendant by Lynn Reno (as seen on the cover of the most recent Polymer Café http://www.scottpublications.com/pcmag/) is going to demo that lesson.
If you want to learn it & play along, here's a supply list:

-basic tool kit, including pasta machine
-1  1/2  oz polymer clay, black (extra if you want to make more than one pendant)
-Clear Liquid polymer clay (optional)
-20 Gauge Gunmetal artistic wire
-10mm watch gears or whatever size, shape you would like to use
-Pearl Ex Mica Powders in Silver, Sunset Gold, Misty Lavender, and Antique Copper
-Acrylic paint, black
-Rub'n Buff in Antique Gold and Silver Leaf; I use copper as well
-Sealer of choice
-Clay cutters in a variety of shapes

Otherwise, just bring along whatever you want to work on and clay with friends!
 
Bring your projects and clay with the rest of us!

If you signed up for Anne Rowe's Charm Exchange - bring your charms!

February 2011 Saturday Play Day

Our quarterly play day is next week:
Saturday, February 12, 2011
12 noon - 4:00 pm
Heartland Bead Market
13440 Santa Fe Trail
Lenexa, KS 66215

HANDS-ON LEARNING: DVD Confident Color: Exploring Textile Patterns by Lindly Haunani–facilitated by Kim Keane
Make a series of color-coordinated stripe blends to use in 11 laminated textile-inspired patterns, including Ikat, Seminole Stripes, and Flame stitch. 
Disc 1 is 120 minutes; Disc 2 is 97 minutes.  I'm not sure we will get to Disc 2.
SUPPLIES:
*Basic clay tool kit (including pasta machine, work surface, blades, etc)
*A few 4" x 6" index cards
*At least 6 pieces of copy paper
*Sandpaper 200 or 50 grit (for texturing)
*For making bails: Wire Or vinyl paper clips in assorted colors (If you use the paper clips you will need to cut them with heavy- duty wire cutters from the garage)
*Ruler
CLAY (brand of your choice):
Please have all the clay conditioned ahead of time. This will make it easier for everyone to follow the DVD. 
For Rainbow Skinner blend
*2 oz blue
*4 oz yellow
*2 oz red or magenta
For Stripe blends
*3 oz white
*mix of 1/3 oz black & 1/2 oz blue
*mix of 1/3 oz black & 1/2 oz mud
*mix of 1/2 oz & fuchsia 1/3 oz black
*at least 4 oz black or scrap clay for making pendants or other items

2011 Program - Posted

Hey, all you members - please check the 2011 meeting schedule and let Lynette know if there are corrections. Thanks!

2011 Program Planning

Our first 2011 KCPCG meeting is Tuesday, January 11....snow permitting. Bring your calendars and be prepared to have ideas for or volunteer for a demo  . . .

Mixed Media Challenge Results

Wow! What an amazing variety of items people made for our September Mixed Media Challenge. A talented group of artists in our guild.....

Two people - Anne and Deb - made dolls so vastly different from each other as to defy comparison:

Anne's mixed media doll:

Deb's Clown Dogs:

See all the challenge results by clicking on the doll below.

KCPCG Mixed Media Challenge

September 14 Meeting Plans

The Kansas City Polymer Clay Guild will meeting Tuesday, September 14 at 6:30 pm at Heartland Bead Market in Lenexa.  

Features of this upcoming meeting:
♢ Demonstration: Puffed Pillow Potion Pot by Michele Wineland  We're just watching on this one! She's going to show us how she made those cute Potion Pots she made for out Spring Container Challenge.

♢ September CHALLENGE ITEM: is due; theme is Mixed Media 
 If you have finished your challenge item, you'd better get busy! Here are the results of our Spring Container Challenge.

KCPCG Container Challenge

Other events to keep in mind:
♢ NOVEMBER BEAD EXCHANGE: Theme RED is coming. We started a signup sheet last month for our annual bead exchange. You'll need to make as many beads as we have people signed up so each receives one of each bead.


♢ FOOTLOOSE CRAFTERNOON - Saturday, September 25, 12 noon - 4
Our 4th Saturday free play day! Bring your own project and clay along with friends.

Great info for those who teach and those who sell

A great reminder about what is legal (and not permitted) in using and learning from published materials and designs cam in today's Art Jewelry Newsletter (from Art Jewelry Magazine, Kalmbach Publishing) from editor Hazel Wheaton. View her essay here.

500 Judaica

Congratulations to KCPCG member Sue-Ellen Flescher, who was among the artist chosen for the recent Lark Books "500 Series" publication "500 Judaica".

We don't have a picture yet of the bead and wire kippot that was selected, but we will post it when we do. The book is on sale now, from Lark Books and from Amazon.