Monday, June 8, 2009

Trying a New Thing

Clay! Polymer clay. See that link under "Who I'm following" for MoeArt Polymer Clay Creations? That's my Aunt. She's a self-professed clay addict. But that's OK because she's very good at it. (And very funny so go read her blog!)

Aunty Em, being the generous soul she is, sent me a wonderful box containing everything I would need to try my hand at clay. I haven't touched any kind of moldable material since SillyPutty and the Play-Do Barbershop days but I was eager to get started.

One of the many things in the box was a large bag of clay scraps.

scrap bag


Perfect for practicing on without wasting any of the pretty, new, solid color bricks. So I rolled and kneaded and folded and smooshed and rolled and kneaded and... and made lots of gray.
I practiced rolling out snakes and had fun cranking clay out of the extruder and spent a great deal of time with the brayer trying to make a flat rectangle of the same thickness. Harder than it sounds. Harder than picking up the polymer clay lingo. ;)

After several hours (uhm ok, more like all day) I had a piece ready to bake. 45 minutes later plus a little cooling time, and I had this, a cuff bracelet made entirely from polymer clay. Mis-shapen and mangled in places, but a bracelet nonetheless.

baked cuff


How cool is that? From the above melange to a bracelet!

After I tried smoothing the edges with a disposable emery board (wrong!) I ended up with what, to a visually impaired person, could possibly pass as a worn leather cuff.

I then decided, what the heck, I'll paint it. So I dug into my drawer of acrylic craft paints and found a sheer metallic copper and a sheer metallic silver. Alrighty! Seemed like just the thing. An hour later I had this:

painted cuff


I couldn't get an accurate picture of it, one that didn't make it appear shinier/brighter or flatter/matte-er than it really is, but you get the idea. It looks like medium-aged penny with pewter accents.

Is it beautiful? Is it going to win awards and make people stop me on the street to ask where I got such a grand bracelet? Heck NO! But it's my first ever polymer clay piece so I am shamelessly showing it off here.

Many thanks and mahalos to Aunty M, and a special thanks to "Mary Kay Too" from the PCC forum who contributed items for my clay care-package. I now have another hobby I am going to love.

9 comments:

MoeArt said...

You have the Aunty Am Polymer Clay Award for Excellence in the Beginner Category. You also have the relief of knowing that I won't disown you. :D And the fun of looking forward to all the other goodies your favoritest aunty will be sending you. You did a mearvelous job and AM is beaming!

MoeArt said...

Marvelous. You did a marvelous job! :D

Mary Kaye said...

I think it's beautiful. Damned fine job for a beginner, too.

Kathi said...

welcome to the addiction. I love your bracelet! I actually liked it better before painting, but it rocks painted too. AM is a good woman as is Mary Kaye! can't have better folks in your corner rooting you on!

Melissa said...

Wowee! That's FABULOUS! You've definitely got the Moe genes.

ColsCreations said...

Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Welcome to the best addiction I've ever had, hopefully you will think so too; "The Madness of Polymer Clay." You may find yourself up at strange hours working on an idea for a piece (I do) because, "if you don't do it now you'll lose the moment" and other funny (or shameless) excuses you may give yourself and others just to play with this wonderful stuff and all of the goodies you can use on it, or in it.

Your Aunty Moe is one talented Chick too! Looks like you take after her.

Hugs,

Pam

Michele said...

That looks great to me. Hard to believe you've never made anything from clay before.

MoeArt said...

Tough being a star, no? xoxoxoxoxoxox