Homemade Polymer Clay* Questions and Answers

Awhile back I posted a recipe for homemade polymer clay. I recently viewed the post and saw all the questions that readers had asked in their comments. Rather than answer each individually, I thought I'd post a follow-up that answers the most frequently asked among them. So, here goes:

Baking Soda Clay

Here's another homemade modeling compound that good for both kids and adult artisans. Compared to the homemade polymer clay I presented a few weeks ago, it's non-elastic when wet and much "softer" when dry---that is, easy to sand smooth or to reshape, to add etchings, and possibly even to carve (I haven't tried). I've used it to make a variety of small items, particularly small bowls and candle holders (shown below in order of finished-ness). It takes paint well but I would finish painted pieces with a coat of varnish.

Sanded nice and smooth!

Materials

• 1 cup corn starch
• 2 cups baking soda
• 1.25 cups cold water
• Non-stick pot
• Wooden spoon
• Med-large bowl (not pictured)
• Damp cloth, lid or plate (not pictured)

Steps

Combine ingredients in pot and stir until smooth.

Cook over low-medium flame, stirring constantly, until the mixture resembles mashed potatoes.

Remove from heat and let cool in a separate container either covered with a damp towel or mostly covered with a plate or lid.

Sculpt. If necessary, use a bit of water to stick bits of dough together. Be careful, though, as the softness of this dough makes it prone to dissolve.

Allow to dry, about 2 days depending on the size and thickness of your finished piece. You can speed up drying in a 150 F oven, cracked open, or a 350 F oven turned off (heat the oven to 350 F and then turn it off).

Until next time --

Enjoy!

Linda/Purty Bird

Homemade Polymer Clay

At different points over the last few years I've played around with different kinds of homemade "clay." My favorite is a polymer clay also known as cold porcelain. Its main ingredients are cornstarch and white PVA or Elmer's glue. I like it because it's smooth and a little bit elastic to work with and dries extremely hard. It's also relatively non-porous so it takes paint really well. And it doesn't degrade over time like baker's clay or salt clay does. I've used it to cover blown-out chicken eggs for Christmas ornaments, as well as to make various and sundry bowls, boxes and pendant blanks, among other things.

But it took awhile to get the recipe right. Most of the ones I found online resulted in a compound that was way too sticky to work with. So I experimented with different proportions of glue and cornstarch and the inclusion/exclusion of various secondary ingredients. What follows is the fruit of my experimentation. Lucky you!

Materials

• 3/4 cup white glue
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons mineral oil (I used baby oil but reportedly even vaseline will work)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Non-stick pot
• Wooden spoon

Steps

Add cornstarch to glue in a nonstick pot. Mix together and then add mineral oil and lemon juice. Blend well.

Cook over low flame stirring pretty much constantly (you can take a quick break or two if your arm gets tired, which it will) until the mixture resembles mashed potatoes.

Remove from heat! Squirt a little additional mineral oil around the top of your mashed potato mass and with your hands, remove it from the pot. Knead until smooth. It's best to do this while it's still as hot as you can handle.

Pull off a bit to work with and put the rest in a re-sealable plastic bag with the top about half-way open until it's cooled down a bit. Then seal the bag (with as little air in it as you can) and store in the fridge.

Let dry about 2-3 days, then paint, or not.

Until next time --

Enjoy!

Linda

Purty Bird

Sculptural Jewelry by Art Smith

Fluid. That’s one of the many words that come to mind when you look at the jewelry of Art Smith (1917-1982). He was able to create impactful, yet very simplistic modern jewelry that still looks current today.

The amazing man who created these works is no longer with us but you can find an amazing array of his jewelry at the Brooklyn Museum exhibit “From the Village to Vogue, the Modern Jewelry of Art Smith”.

Smith used various methods to create his flowing jewelery and I as a jeweler use most of the same processes, like soldering and forming.
I am inspired by Smith’s work, which is somewhat similar to mine. Simple shapes and silhouettes are what define both of our work. Strong texture and stones accompany my work, his with wire and graceful movement.
The tools that Art used in the middle of last century are still being used by jewelers today. I probably used the same forming tools to create my newer sculptural necklaces. I know for sure that we have the same processes - rough sketches on pieces of paper, followed by trail and error, which finally leads to a dynamic piece of jewelery that looks like just what we were thinking!

For most of his pieces he used wire or sheets of metal that he then drew designs on and cut out with a jewelers saw. The time consuming technique of forming the metal to the perfect shape is evident in his finished items, which hang like mobiles from the wearer's neck. He also soldered stone settings,like bezels, onto his pieces and then hand set many precious stones, including amethyst,lapis and emeralds. Other times he just formed the metal and let the forms and shapes speak for themselves.

I love that we are both lovers of the metal first, then the stones. I do not use many stones in my jewelry, but when I do it is subtle but creates a pop, much like Art's jewelry. One of my newer creations deals with form and the chest. I wanted to created a bold but simple chest piece with movement. This piece was formed from wire, which was then soldered onto brass sculptured castings and plated with 22kt gold.

Another piece that draws inspiration from Art is my Fang Necklace, which draws upon ancient tribal jewelry. Like Art, I use stones to emphasize the gold and movement of the texture of the jewelry.

Art Smith continues to inspire designers and novices alike with his playful, functional wearable art. Please don't miss out on seeing the amazing jewelry of Art Smith at the Brooklyn Museum. By popular demand, the exhibit, which was set to close in 2009 has been extended and is now housed as a long term installation. There is no excuse to miss this!!

Alicia
Lingua Nigra Jewelry

The {NewNew} Art Shops

For more Art, collage, painting, drawing, mixed media from the Metro New York City area,

search: newnewteam, art on Etsy

Allene La Spina - For a few years now I have been obsessed with drawing and illustrating shoes! My extensive library of shoes is a testament to that!

Claudia G Pearson - My name is Claudia. I graduated from Brighton Polytechnic, England with a First Class BA Honors Degree in Graphic Design. Disenchanted with typography I specialized in animation in my final year at college & went on to work with some of the leading animation companies in London. My spare time was spent traveling round the world & painting in my studio.

During a trip to New York in 1994 I met an illustration agent who wanted to represent me & thus my career as an illustrator bloomed. 2 months later I packed my bags & moved to the big apple where I've been working ever since.

Dwell Deep - I am an artist and illustrator and writer.

Faune Yerby - All my work is informed by my surrondings. Each piece speaking of Beauty, Nature, Science. The smallest things in Nature are given the same weight as those normally regarded as the most important. The work has all to do with the connections and coexistence of different places.

Jenna Newton - My work is concerned with the associative process that occurs through spontaneous mark-making. The drawings themselves correspond to the emotions and imaginations that are present as I work. The resulting pieces reference organic forms, architectural constructions, and graphic design. By freeing myself of the limitations of intention, the experience becomes intimate and direct. I am interested in making evident that which normally remains hidden.

Lipeony - Lipeony (Li-pe-ony) is a world of quirky imagination and odd daydreams gather. Lovingly drawn art prints and tiny hand stitched and stamped little critters are mementos of this place to share and keep. So kick off those pinching shoes and step back into the sneakers of a kid and relive those times when we weren’t so “grown up.”

My Zoetrope - What does My Zoetrope mean?: From the Greek words, zoe, "life" and trope, "turn". It may be taken to mean "wheel of life" or "living wheel." My Zoetrope is an ever-evolving wheel of my life and the silliness, craziness, prettiness, and absurdness of it.

Virginia Kraljevic - Thank you for stepping into my obscure world of French pigeons, moustaches, swirls, curls, trees, vines, teapots, clouds, and magical bunny rabbits. Imagining and creating are guilty pleasures for me and for my heart.

Ximi's Collage Art - Welcome to Ximi's Mod Nest! Here you'll find original retro modern inspired collage art and prints for children and grownups alike. All are created by collage artist, Ximi Rodriguez. Every single little detail is drawn, cut and glued by her hands, no templates ever used. Her love for all things vintage, nursery rhymes and color fuel her imagination when creating all of her pieces!