Cutwork Extravaganza with Jana Roberts Benzon

I've just spent 2.5 days with Jana Robert Benzon via zoom. What a fantastic workshop! In this class, Cutwork Extravganza, Jana showed us how to make a variety of components using various cutwork techniques. while each of the lessons allowed us to produce items based on that technique, the culminating half-day was focused on combining pieces from the various lessons into one final piece she calls "Picasso." Below are some photos showing a few of the items made from various techniques. The last image shows my first 2 "Picasso" pieces. I am looking forward to finding other ways to incorporate what I've learned. If you ever get a chance to take a workshop with Jana, please do. Just her tips and tricks for working with polymer alone are worth the registration.

This first photo shows samples of both the bargello technique and a technique Jana calls "harlequin." These are all such fun to make!

This is another example of bargello done using a completely different method of creating the stack from which to create the bargello sheet.

Finally, here is a snap of the 2 collage-type pieces I made from the various sheets and objects we made. Jana calls these "Picasso" - and you can probably see why!

Fun With a Bull's Eye "Striped" Cane

As sometimes happens, I've gotten caught up in making one type of cane.  Then I play around with it for a while before making jewelry pieces. I've finally gotten a few things done and photographed, and thought I'd share them here.
The photo to the left shows an example of the cane.  As you can probably tell, I started with a Skinner Blend bull's eye cane, wrapped it in a thin sheet of white and then a thin sheet of black, and then compressed from side to side.  The compressing process elongated the cane. Once it reached about 12 inches, I cut the cane in half and then into fourths, and stacked the pieces side-by-side.  I reduced the piece again, and then cut it in half again, and joined the pieces as is depicted in the photo.  You could certainly continue to reduce, cut, and join the pieces, making the striped bull's eye sections narrower and narrower.  This 8-section cane seemed fine for my purposes.

I think it's pretty obvious that I just cut slices of the cane and ran them through the pasta machine to make the pendant and earring set shown on the right.  I like the look, as well as the fact that the cane can run horizontally or vertically and create a different effect.

The pendant and earring set below was made from the cane above, as well as from another Skinner blend bull's eye cane in similar colors.


The last photo shows a pair of earring made from the same cane but with some manipulations. Basically, I rolled and swirled pieces from the original cane into a log, flattened the log very thin in the pasta machine, and then cut slices and placed them off-set next to each other on a clay base.  Fun and interesting process - and I like the result.  I know I'll be making more along these lines.  The design that appears is somewhat of a surprise, since it develops as you slice and place.

Technique Re-Visit #2: Tattoos & Other Decorations for Image Transfers

A few posts ago, I shared several photos of pieces made from color image transfers.  The technique is not difficult, and there are several small tutorials and directions online. After some experimenting, I found a method that works for me, and had a lot of fun making several pieces of jewelry.  Some of the images were basically "stand-alone." However, some of my color images were more like backgrounds, so I had to try a couple of ways to embellish them.

So far, I've only done 3 simple "decorating" techniques.  The first decoration I decided to try was to use non-permanent tattoos.  I found some fauna-looking small gold colored tattoos, and placed them on image transfer pieces.  Because the tattoo process requires water, the pieces had to be baked first to avoid damaging the transfer image.  I really like these pieces and the sparkle the tattoos provide.  A Magic Gloss finish added depth and shine.






This third photo (below) shows a set with a steel-blue damask-type image transfer.  Before baking, I used a small stencil and blue Pearl-x powders, and created a simple design on top.  After adding a Magic Gloss finish, the powder design looks as though it is floating above the surface, making a nice 3-D effect.  The photo does not show the amount of shine the powder has.  It's a very nice contrast against the matte transfer background.



For the third decoration, I tried using rubber stamps and stamping ink. The stamps were applied after baking since pressing the stamp into the wet clay would have distorted images.  I tried using colors that complimented the background image.  However, I think these would have looked better using black ink.  The contrast would be greater, and the images would stand out more.  On the green piece, especially, the black shading on the transferred image interferes with the stamped tree image. Next time, I'll give black a try.

Technique Re-Visit #1: Using Leaf Skeletons

Sometimes, when I work on pieces incorporating a technique I've used previously, I try a slightly different twist.  I was working with leaf impressions with Pearl-x powders. I've used a technique from Michael Buesseler in which the powders highlight the outline of the leaves and another approach from Diane Villano in which powders are applied directly to the leaf.  There weren't any leaves to use here, since the ground is covered in snow, so I ordered some dried leaves online. When they arrived, there were some leaf skeletons in the batch.  I decided to see what would happen using these particular leaves.

Because the leaf skeletons have open veins, the other techniques did not create clear impressions.  I tried a couple of different approaches, and found one that worked.  The best effect resulted when I used a small mop brush, with most of the powder tamped off first. Then I dabbed with the brush instead of drawing it across the leaf. This allowed the powder to go into the open spaces and not behind the thin lines of the leaf veins.  The samples here show the results.

I started with the red, heart shaped pieces. This is where I discovered the need to dab rather than wipe with the brush.  The heavy gold along the bottom piece is a result of too much powder on the brush close to the edge of the skeleton leaf.  

The blue and gold pieces above turned out the way I wanted because I used very little powder on the brush and used a direct down and up "dab" motion for application.  Now I just need to find more leaf skeletons. 

Some recent - and updated - projects

I've been off on a bicycle touring vacation in Minnesota and Wisconsin - pretty country.  We're home now, and I've had a chance to get back to some polymer.  I miss having my "fingers" in the clay when I'm away from home, and it feels good to be making some pieces, and augmenting others.
Just yesterday, I taught a workshop on painting polymer with Pearl-x powders.  We had as many different results as we had participants, and everyone had a good time experimenting and learning.  Here are a couple of pieces I made as part of my demonstration.  On the red clusters with bronze stems pieces to the left, I used a micro-pearl for the background.  These pieces I finished with Magic Gloss.  The next set with the basket weave pattern was finished with several sprays of Preserve Your Memories II.The two finishes make the pieces look quite different.  The Magic Gloss adds a depth that looks like a piece of glass. This creates a really shiny surface that seems to distort the background slightly.  The PYM II makes a shiny satin finish that leaves the colors and textures clear.  It certainly is a matter of personal preference.

While I was using the Magic Gloss, I decided to finish up a few mosaic pieces I'd made a while back and hadn't finished.  Each of these pieces now has a layer of Magic Gloss.  On the mosaic pieces, the gloss adds depth but there is no distortion of the design - probably because the design is so specific and sharp.

The last photo is another mosaic piece that still needs "grout" and a final finish.  I really like the colors in this one.

Both of these techniques are a lot of fun.  They are time consuming in some ways, though I find that I get caught up in the processes and don't notice the time it takes.