Thursday, March 28, 2013

Mokume Gane - My Way: The Burlesque Blend

Spring is finally here, and, along with spring rains comes a packed spring teaching schedule! I'm home now for a couple of weeks, then off to Florida and after that, a final workshop to be given back here, in Montreal.   I'm focused on teaching the Burlesque Blend this year, so, for now, the rustic, gritty, organic stuff will have to take a back burner. I find it interesting to see the effect that teaching has on my creativity - it squelches it totally!!! I get so left brain that my family refer to me as "Sheldon". For those of you who watch The Big Bang Theory, you'll get the point. It becomes all about the chemistry, the physics, the engineering, even the mathematics (even Sandra is working out the math of her latest effort!) of the project. For me, it's important that students not only understand the "how" but also the "why" of a particular aspect of the technique. I've always felt that an artist who understands his medium is in the best possible position to explore and take risks, and therefore is more likely to make new discoveries. Putting all this information into digestible form is time-consuming and laborious, but I started out as a "lab rat" and I love it there!
I've come to realize that there are many new artists coming to polymer clay who don't have a solid background in the medium or in the basics of working with the medium. I would like to do a Polymer Clay 101 post, once a month, with progressive technical as well as technique information. Some of it you will undoubtedly already be familiar with, but there may be little tidbits that will help you with a niggling problem.

For example, I was asked to look at a bracelet that had broken after wearing. The artist asked if I had any idea what the problem was. She had not reinforced the bracelet with wire, but stated that she thought maybe the problem was that she had used an inferior clay, Premo. After picking my jaw up off the table, I told her that Premo is a high-quality, artist-grade polymer clay and not likely the cause of her problem. Ultimately it turned out the problem was not knowing what time or what temperature was needed to cure Premo properly. The result of too low a temperature and a very short cure cycle led to the breakage.

If you think this kind of monthly post would be of benefit, please leave a comment and let me know. If there are specific questions you have that you would like to see addressed in this post, please let me know. I'll be glad to do my best to deal with it.

8 comments:

  1. I like your bracelet. I have also admired a similar one on your banner many times.
    I think a Polymer Clay 101 would be great. I always read through articles on polymer clay even if I think it's about stuff I already know. Many times I have found new things or an easier way of doing the things I know. I don't have any particular questions right now, but I'm sure I will as you can tell by the ones I ask you. It seems that once the ball starts rolling, the questions start as start coming as you go along. As in " Well what about......" or "What happens if.....". Or "How did you make this do that." I think this is a great idea. I wonder how you can get the word out about your site. I'm sure a lot of people don't know about it. I'm not sure if I Googled you or saw you on PCD. PCD is a great idea if you haven't been on it yet. Maybe I could find a way to request she look at your site/work. The more people that know the better. This is a great site.

    Take care, jay

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    1. Thanks Jay, you're a sweetheart! I'll get started on the PC 101. Hopefully it will start to get noticed. Even if just a handful of artists find it helpful, it's worthwhile for me. PCD did a post on my Urban Urchins Graffiti, but most of the people who have found the blog have done so through Pinterest, so I'll do some more "how to's" related to the PC 101 and that may bring a few more in. I'm glad you find the site useful. It fills my need to be of use! lol! Take care, Jay. One day you have to let me see some of your work, ok?
      Warm regards,
      Vickie

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  2. Everybody even old hats learn something new. We don't do the same thing the same way so we allways learn something. I say way to go !I will come and see what I can learn.

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    1. Great Louise! I'll start planning out the posts so if I miss anything important, let me know, ok?
      Warm regards,
      Vickie

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  3. I have been claying for a couple years now; but I use the "bull in a china shop" method...I'm so impatient that I just blunder ahead with things and learn by trial and error. As a result I miss a lot of the basics. It is nice to find your blog offering the PC 101 I think it will be helpful and a great resource for noobs and experienced clayers alike! Looking forward to more.

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  4. Hi Kathy,
    Thank you very much for your comment. It is good to get encouragement to continue with certain directions in the blog. As I'm sure you can see from the posts to date, in many areas, like you, I don't have much patience. I love looking for easier/timelier/cheaper ways to accomplish professional results, and I'll always post my "aha!" moments so you can check these out for yourself.
    Have a wonderful day,
    Vickie

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  5. I found my way here from Polymer Clay Central. And I will be back regularly! I've only read 3 blog posts so far, but I wanted to immediately say that already you've given me some food for thought, and I've been in polymer clay for about 12 years. Just thinking of it as 'wax' instead of clay shifts the mindset just a little in the right direction.
    So put me down for vote for PC101 - I suppect you could teach this old dog some new tricks! And I thank you.
    Debbie G

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    1. Thank you, Debbie, I really appreciate your input. I look forward to your feedback on future posts.

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