Looking forward

Today was the last day in my part-time job, so for the time being I can concentrate fully on my polymer clay work.

 

 

Having reviewed the goals I set at the beginning of the year, I need to focus on completing as many of them as I can. It is now more than half way through the year. I have nearly finished my second piece for the exhibition coming up later this month. Once this is done, I must finish the HANGAs I start a while ago (trialling some different shapes) and get my Etsy shop up and running. Then I can concentrate on preparing the visual/teaching aids for my introductory workshop.

Image transfer

I have also experimented with transferring images onto polymer clay. I started using some waterslide transfer paper but was not happy with the quality of finished pieces. Printing from the computer onto the paper gave very crisp clear results and it was quite easy to apply the transfer paper to the rolled surface of the clay. However, it almost impossible not to get tiny air bubbles under the surface of the film. Even when it looked smooth, baking seemed to accentuate or even create minor surface irregularities – also, it was noticeable that areas with no print, showing white (as I did the transfers on white clay) looked quite yellowed, compared to the second method I tried.

The lips image was cut out and
applied to a pale pink polymer
clay background 

Toner transfer method - you can
still see some fine paper remains
on the surface at this stage

Not happy with the waterslide transfer paper method, I consulted one of my Donna Kato books on creative surface effects and tried the ‘direct toner copy’ method. This meant taking a copy (in reverse) of the images I wanted to the local printing store and getting them to do a colour photocopy. With it being a digital copier, I was not sure if this was going to work but when I asked, the operator said that it was not ink, so it must be toner.

I was much more impressed with the results of this method. You just cut the image you want to shape and burnish face down on the surface of the clay. Then spray, to saturate with water, for a minute or so and then gently rub the paper with your finger to gradually roll away the layers of paper. You need to be patient and take your time, keep spraying and rubbing. The idea is to remove all the paper, in layers, to reveal the toner left on the surface of the clay. If you rub too much, you will smudge the toner, so you need to know when to stop.

Baking the clay bonds the toner to the clay but it should be sealed afterwards with a layer of liquid polymer clay. (This was my only problem in this trial – my lpc is quite old and has thickened, so it was difficult to get a thin layer). Although it takes much longer to transfer the image, I think the result is better and I will use this method again – you do not have a film over the surface, so it looks more natural and it can be easily cut after the image has been applied, which you cannot do with the other method. Also it much cheaper, as you can fill an A4 sheet with images and just pay for a colour photocopy when you need it, rather than buying the packs of waterslide transfer sheets, which are much smaller in size.

Fabric imprinting

As I have been making the tiles for my second artwork for the ‘Our Future’ exhibition, I have been trying some new techniques. I am really pleased with the way the fabric imprint came out on this tile.

I rolled out a darkish red/pink colour, pressed a piece of interesting lace onto the surface and then rolled it through the pasta machine again. Carefully, I removed the lace, leaving a perfect imprint in the surface of the clay.  I selected the area I wanted for my tile using a square cutter and baked it for 20 minutes. I then painted white acrylic paint all over the tile and while it was still wet, I wiped as much of it off the surface as I could, leaving the white paint where it had collected in the impressions. I baked the tile for another 10 minutes, to help bond the paint to the clay, and when cool, sanded the surface to remove any remaining paint residue. The contrast between the white paint and the coloured clay and the amount of detail it has picked up is incredible. In fact, at first glance, it looks like the lace material is still embedded in the clay.

Invitation to the NZ Art Guild 2011 Annual Members Exhibition - "Our Future"

Sketch for 'Our Future' mosaic artwork

This is a rough sketch for my other artwork for the NZ Art Guild's Annual Members Exhibition. It will be made up of twenty-five large 'mosaic' tiles, each measuring 2¹/₄" x 2¹/₄" (5.7cm x 5.7cm). Starting in the bottom left hand corner and following round in a clockwise spiral, it has been designed to show the different phases of love during the course of a life-long relationship - the future for a couple in love.

I am now setting about creating each tile. When the piece is complete I will post a photo, along with a key to explain what each tile represents or the meaning behind it.



Preparing for Etsy shop

Today I have registered with Etsy.com and plan to launch my Etsy shop some time in August. It will be called Claire Fairweather's shop and initially I will sell my HANGAs and some Art-Brooches. Gradually I will add other pieces of polymer clay artwork.

First polymer clay mosaic artwork completed

Living in Browns Bay
16¹/₂" x 11³/₄" (42cm x 30cm)

Here is the first of the two artworks I am creating for an exhibition at the end of July. This style of mosaic uses free-form shapes, carefully cut from different coloured sheets of baked polymer clay, to fit the design - similar to cutting the glass shapes for stained glass (lead light) work. I have done much of this before in the past with glass but this is the first time I have tried it with polymer clay, on a larger scale.

I am really pleased with the finished piece but it was a 'labour of love', cutting all the pieces to fit. This photo does not show the pearl effect in some of the colours - I will have to try photographing it again, when it is not raining, to get better lighting on it.

Now I am starting work on designing my second piece for this exhibition, which will be in a totally different style.

Nearly finished

All the pieces have been stuck in place and had an intitial sanding - just waiting to be grouted

All the pieces have now been cut and stuck to the board. I need to decide how I am going to sign this artwork - with initials or a signature? Really looking forward to seeing it when it has been grouted, as this should really pull it all together. I will do the finer grades of sanding, after it has been grouted, to help remove any residue from the grout that has not wiped off.

Progress photos of my mosaic artwork

I have been busy over the last week or so, creating different coloured pieces of polymer clay to cut into shapes for my first piece for the NZ Art Guild exhibition. I have posted some 'in progress' photos below, as I am going away for a long weekend, so it will be a while before I can do any more work on it.

Design sketched on to MDF board, backed with a wooden frame. (The first polymer clay pieces have been laid on the design)

Balsa wood has been cut for the top and bottom pieces, as they would have been too large to fit in my oven, if I had made them out of polymer clay

The balsa wood has been sealed with diluted PVA glue and then painted with several layers of acrylic paint

Here are some of the different coloured pieces of baked polymer clay I have made for this artwork. They are 2mm (3/32") thick and will be cut into shapes to fit the design

The first cut pieces have been glued on to the board

I will post the finished piece when it is complete.

Sketch for Browns Bay mosaic artwork

This is the sketch I did yesterday, for one of the artworks I intend to create for the NZAG Annual Members Exhibition. In line with the theme of the exhibition ("Our Future"), it will be called "Living in Browns Bay", as this is the future that my husband and I are looking forward to.