Brushes For Miniatures-Arteza Set of 15 Liners, Spotters & Rounds Review-Friday Findings

May 112018
 

Adding teeny, tiny painted details to our polymer clay and jewelry work can only be accomplished with teeny, tiny paint brushes.

I do lots of work in miniature, so I was intrigued by this set of 15 brushes by Arteza.

ff arteza brushes

I really like having the variety of shapes and sizes to choose from and so far have been happy with the results.

They aren’t top quality, but for someone who is rough on paint brushes, they’ll do.

Watch today’s video for more details and a demonstration of the Arteza Detail Paint Brushes, Set of 15.

Enjoy the video and happy creating!

Watch the Brushes For Miniatures-Arteza Set of 15 Liners, Spotters & Rounds Review-Friday Findings at YouTube.

This product was provided to me for free for review purposes; however, Arteza has no control over my content and I was not paid for the review.  The opinions shared are my own honest views.

Can You Use Pottery Tools With Polymer Clay? Arteza Sculpting Tools Set Review-Friday Findings

Apr 272018
 

Most creative people love their tools!

And polymer clay artists, in particular, seem to enjoy seeking out unexpected and unusual things to use for creating textures and shapes.

ff arteza clay sculpting tools

If you work with polymer clay, have you ever considered using tools for sculpting pottery?

Today I have a review for you of the Arteza Pottery & Clay Sculpting Tools (set of 42.)

I’ll go over everything that comes in the box, and discuss and demonstrate ways I would use them in my clay work.

Since I’m not a potter, some of the items are unfamiliar to me. Please share if you know their specific uses!

Enjoy the video and happy creating.

Watch the Can You Use Pottery Tools With Polymer Clay? Arteza Sculpting Tools Set Review-Friday Findings video at YouTube.

 

This product was provided to me for free for review purposes; however, Arteza has no control over my content and I was not paid for the review.  The opinions shared are my own honest views.

Arteza Polymer Clay 42 Colors DIY Set Review-Friday Findings

Apr 202018
 

When Arteza contacted me asking if I’d like to review some of their products I was excited.

When I calculated the price of the clay set they were sending me I became less so.

ff arteza clay

This set of 42 colors of polymer clay with the container, a few tools and a package of jewelry findings works out to the equivalent of around $1.40 per 2 oz. block.

The price has gone up quite a bit since I recorded the video. It was $21.99 on their website at the time, but now is $29.99. The link at the beginning of the paragraph above  is for Amazon, which has a better price for you.

I don’t use Sculpey III in my work, as I find it too soft, but if you are looking for an inexpensive set of oven bake clay I recommend this set from Amazon instead:

In my mind the clay being this inexpensive did not bode well for the quality. Interestingly, the issues that I expected to find turned out to be not a problem, but there were other unexpected issues.

Watch the video for my review and opinions on this set.

Watch the Arteza Polymer Clay 42 Colors DIY Set Review-Friday Findings video at YouTube.

 
This product was provided to me for free for review purposes; however, Arteza has no control over my content and I was not paid for the review.  The opinions shared are my own honest views.

How To Create 3-D Fairy (or bird, butterfly or angel) Wings with a Rubber Stamp-Polymer Clay Video Tutorial

Apr 172018
 

Think about all the different times and places you’ve seen images of bird’s wings, butterfly wings, angel wings or even fairy wings.

Whether in art, fantasy or nature, wings are very beautiful and popular things!

fairy wings cover

I have a little fairy sculpture who has been needing her wings for quite some time and finally I got around to making them. She is part of a larger sculpted piece which I will be completing soon. If you follow me on Instagram I will post it there when it’s done.

I was really pleased with the method I figured out for making the wings. You could use this technique to create all sorts of 3-D objects out of two dimensional stamped images.

I’d love to hear your thoughts for different ways you would use these ideas!

Tools and Materials:

Enjoy the video and happy creating!

Watch the How To Create 3-Dimensional Fairy Wings (or bird, butterfly or angel wings) with a Rubber Stamp-Polymer Clay Tutorial on YouTube.

Using Ranger Alcohol Inks With Pardo Translucent Polymer Clay-Friday Findings

Mar 302018
 

If you’ve ever used alcohol inks with polymer clay, carefully choosing colors and applying them just so… only to have them look completely different when coming out of the oven, then you’ve experienced the disappointment of color shift.

ff ranger alcohol inks

I’ve been using Ranger alcohol inks for years, and I have experienced that color shift issue several times.

Finally I got smart about it and created a chart showing the colors:

  • straight out of the bottle, not mixed with clay
  • mixed with translucent clay but unbaked
  • mixed with translucent clay, rolled thin and baked

Now I can clearly see why I’ve been having trouble all these years!

I really should do more testing of the sort, the time it takes would probably save a lot of time and aggravation.

In the video I’ll show you not only how I put together this chart and the results (and made a better chart for the Pinata inks!) but I’ll also show you a cool trick I figured out for labeling bottles with black caps. So simple and yet so helpful.

Supplies shown in this video:

Want to see more of the products I use, love and recommend? Check out my Amazon shop.

Don’t know what an Amazon shop is?  Click here to learn more.

Enjoy the video and happy creating!

Watch the Using Ranger Alcohol Inks With Pardo Translucent Polymer Clay-Friday Findings video at YouTube.

Using a Clay Core Extruder Adapter with Polymer Clay-Friday Findings

Mar 232018
 

An extruder is a fantastic tool to use for creating in polymer clay. With it you can make perfectly even ropes of clay with any cross section shape that you have a disc for.

ff clay core adapter

I love to use an extruder for making little tiny 1 mm snakes that I use for trim. So much faster than him trying to hand roll them all perfectly!

But what if any of your extruded shapes could have a hole running through the center?  What kinds of things could you create then?

Just a few of the uses I thought of:

  • Jewelry cord with stringing holes of any size you need
  • Tube beads
  • Bead cores
  • Washers
  • Flat beads of any disc shape, with a hole through the center

Don’t forget that you can cut your extrusions before OR after baking. Either way you’ll need to use a very sharp blade and be sure to extrude a little extra clay to account for the ends that need to be trimmed.

Tools & Materials:

The pendant pictured in the cover photo was created by polymer clay artist Seana Bettencourt. 

Enjoy the video and happy creating!

Watch the The Basics of Using a Clay Core Extruder Adapter with Polymer Clay-Friday Findings video at YouTube.

Make Your Beads SPIN! Glass Bead & Polymer Clay Kinetic Jewelry Tutorial

Mar 202018
 

Here’s a fun way to use smaller beads as focal points in your jewelry.

Not only do you get make those not-so-large beads the center of attention, you get to fiddle and play with them, too!

spinning bead pendants cover

They’re kinda like fidget spinners, only prettier. 

The key to this design is getting the the stringing wire positioned so the bead is where you want it AND the necklace hangs straight. Be sure to watch the video for my simple trick for achieving that balance.

I finished my pendants with Vintaj Patinas, but you should feel free to use any surface technique you like. This would be a great time to use sheets of designs, slices of canes or any other bits you have hanging around your studio.

Tools and Materials:

Enjoy the video and happy creating!

Watch the Make Your Beads SPIN! Glass Bead & Polymer Clay Kinetic Jewelry Tutorial at YouTube.

Using Piñata Inks & Lumiere Paints With Pardo Translucent Polymer Clay-Friday Findings

Mar 162018
 

Recently I made a long overdue purchase of some Piñata brand alcohol inks and Lumiere paints, and so far I’m absolutely in love.

Playing and experimenting with new supplies is so much fun!

ff pinata inks & translucent

In today’s video I’ll tell you a bit about the Piñata alcohol inks and the Jacquard line of Lumiere paints. I’ll also show you the results I got from testing all 18 of these colors with Pardo translucent clay.

Supplies shown in this video:

Want to see more of the products I use, love and recommend? Check out my Amazon shop.

Don’t know what an Amazon shop is?  Click here to learn more.

In an upcoming video I will be doing the same sort of testing with translucent clay and Ranger alcohol inks. Considering how many times I have used them over the years and been disappointed in the results this test is also long overdue.

In the meantime enjoy the video and happy creating!

Watch the Using Piñata Inks & Lumiere Paints With Pardo Translucent Polymer Clay-Friday Findings video at YouTube.

Calla Lily Pendants-Springtime Polymer Clay Jewelry Tutorial

Feb 272018
 

These pretty pendants are evocative of graceful, elegant calla lilies.

They are surprisingly simple to create out of polymer clay.

calla lily pendants cover

Once you have the basic form created you can then add paints, patinas and beads to further personalize and enhance them.

Depending on the colors and styles you choose you can get just about any look you want.

How about?

  • simple elegance
  • rustic charm
  • vibrant playfulness
  • gypsy boho

The flower is a blank slate for your creativity!

Make a couple small ones and you have a pair of earrings. You could even make a bunch of teeny tiny ones for bracelet charms.

Tools and Materials:

Enjoy the video and happy creating!

Watch the Calla Lily Pendants-Springtime Polymer Clay Jewelry Tutorial video at YouTube.

Fairy Garden In a Teacup Polymer Clay Sculpting Miniature Tutorial-Pt. 2 of 2

Jan 232018
 

Last week I showed how to sculpt miniature houses, flowers, succulents and a forest of mushrooms for our fairy garden teacups. 

Were you able to find a teacups to build your project in?

If not, you might be able to use a pretty bowl, candle holder or even a teapot!

fairy garden teacup pt 2 cover

This week, as promised, I’ll show you how to create sweet little bunny rabbits, ladybugs and a garden trellis. Then we’ll put it all together and complete the project. 

If you missed the first part, click here to watch part one of the Fairy Garden in a Teacup.

Tools & Materials (from part one):

Tools & Materials (for part two):

Enjoy the video and happy creating!

Watch the Fairy Garden In a Teacup Polymer Clay Sculpting Miniature Tutorial-Pt. 2 of 2 video at YouTube.

Watch part one of the Fairy Garden in a Teacup.

See the part one Fairy Garden in a Teacup blog post.

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