The Art of Cane Work (Millefiore) written by Wyvern Designs

The Art Of Cane Work (Millefiore)

written by WyvernDesigns

I have always been intrigued by those polymer clay pieces that use thin slices of a intricately crafted polymer clay canes.  The technique was originally used in making glass making and is called millefiori, which , in Italian, means thousand flowers.  Pieces of this detailed glass work have been dated to  ancient Roman, Phoenician, and Alexanderian times.  The technique was lost by the 18th century but rediscovered sometime in the 19th century.

I don't know who first tried to reproduce those beautiful glass beads using polymer clay, but they were a genius.  The process is long and involved, using rods of conditioned polymer clay in a myriad of shapes, round, square, triangular, and so on.  These rods are then wrapped with thin sheets of polymer clay and stacked together to form one unit.

Once the image is completed, the entire piece is rolled, squeezed and manipulated  until it is the desired size.  The messy ends are cut off to reveal a miniature masterpiece inside!  Then, thin slices are cut and applied to the base piece of polymer clay.

I've tried my hand at making some polymer clay canes.  I have never been too successful.  Most of the time my slices get distorted, smeared or are of varying thickness and are useless for the project I envisioned.   I keep trying, though, because I am fascinated by the process.

Some of the polymer clay artists from the Polymer Clay Smooshers Guild on Art Fire have mastered this difficult technique.  Below are some pieces from those talented artists.

This Flat Modcane Pendant by Dream Weaver's Designs  is a wonderful example of the intricate pattern you can achieve using a relatively simple cane.

This Set of Purple Flowers on Yellow Clay Beads by Blue Morning Expressions  show the delicate beauty of these purple flowers using this intricate cane.

This Black and White Wine Bottle Stopper by Amy Crawley is made with extruded clay.  I'm not quite sure how that works, I'll have to research it, but it produces a bold and striking pattern.

Another piece using the extruding method is this lovely Red and White Extruded Rounds Necklace by Flower Child's Artsy Jewelry

 

These gorgeous Green Web and Orange Tigerlily Focal Beads by Art Makers Worlds  use the traditional method of cane making.

The Black and White Zentangle Cuff Bracelet by Second Sister At Moark Jewelry  fascinates me.  I just recently discover the Zentangle method and I am itching to try it, both on paper and in clay.

After seeing all these wonderful items, I suggest that everyone run out, buy some clay and start smooshing!

And be sure to stop by WyvernDesigns and check out all of her wonderful polymer clay creations!

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Faux creations in polymer clay

One of the most wonderful things about polymer clay is it's ability to mimic a wide variety of other materials.  You can create faux gemstones, faux wood, faux ivory, and just about any other faux item you can imagine.  Today I'll be featuring some faux creations in polymer clay made by members of the Polymer Clay Smooshers guild on ArtFire.
I love this nature inspired faux bone pendant from Christina Kosinski Designs.  The pendant was hand formed in a faux bone polymer clay and has many leaves and flowers surrounding a face in the style of the leaf man or tree man.
  
This faux wood pendant from Creative Sisters mimics more than one type of wood in the same pendant for a striking look.
 
These hand carved faux stone petroglyph earrings are part of Cynthia Blanton's Primitives collection.  They feature hand-carved polymer clay faux stone panels with images that look like ancient petroglyphs or cave drawings.
  
This puzzle piece pendant from Desert Rubble was made to resemble old metal scrap hardware.  The faux metal finish comes from metallic highlights which were antiqued  to make them look old and rustic.
  
This clock from Dreamweavers Designs was made with two polymer clay faux techniques.  The brown background and center piece are faux leather and the center plaque is faux turquoise.
  
In just this short post we've seen polymer clay imitate leather, turquoise, metal, stone, wood, and bone!  There really are no limits to the things you can create, and re-create with polymer clay!

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Swirls in polymer clay

Today I'd like to show off some work from members of the Polymer Clay Smooshers featuring swirls.  When I see swirls I think of flowing movement and energy.
These beautiful swirl post earrings from Amazing Designs definitely have a feel of movement to them.

 
This nature themed pendant necklace from Art Asylum is just bursting with energy.  Plus it's 30% off right now!
 
This purple swirl kaleidoscope cane from Artmakers Worlds is very unique and colorful.  Just imagine the things you could create with this design!
 
Here are some beautiful swirled beads from Blue Morning Expressions, perfect for stringing together into a lovely necklace.
 
And last but not least we have this pretty copper colored filigree barrette from Captured by Lori.
 
And those are just a few of the swirly creations made by the Smooshers.
To see more posts featuring swirls from the Smooshers check out these blogs: http://wyverndesigns.blogspot.com/2012/08/swirls-and-whirls-in-polymer-clay.html andhttp://prescencebysandie.blogspot.com/2012/08/swirl-designs-from-polymer-clay.html.
Thanks for stopping by!

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Vote on the theme for our next Challenge!

The Smooshers haven't had a Challenge for a few months now, since I was dealing with a cross country move, but now that I'm settled in my new home it's Challenge time once again!  In order to participate in one of these Challenges you need to have an active shop on ArtFire, be a member of the Polymer Clay Smooshers guild, and create up to two entries based on the current theme.  The entries need to be handmade and must incorporate polymer clay and they need to be listed in your ArtFire shop.  Those guild members who participate in these Challenges will not only enjoy the fun and challenge of pushing their skills a little farther, but will also benefit from the additional promotion of their shops and entries.  Your entries will be promoted on the Smooshers blog, the Smooshers Facebook page, in the ArtFire forums, on Pinterest, Wanelo, and if I get enough entries (at least 16) I'll put together a Collection and a video.

The theme choices for this Challenge are Autumn Colors, Falling For You, Halloween, and Back To School.

Anyone can place a vote- you don't have to be a guild member to vote on the theme. You have until August 31st to place your vote.  For some reason I can't seem to add a poll to the blog, but you can leave a comment on this post with your choice for the theme.
Once a theme has been chosen you'll have a month to complete your entries and post a link in the Smooshers guild forums.  I'll send out a guild bulletin with the winning theme and the due date.  I encourage all guild members to vote and enter their creations in these Challenges.  Not only is it a lot of fun, but very often you end up learning new skills and improving your craftsmanship!  And everyone else gets to enjoy the amazing creations of the Polymer Clay Smooshers guild (all of which will be up for sale)!  Thanks for commenting and voting! :-)

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And the entries for the Celtic Challenge are in!

This has been a really fun Challenge which has pushed the creativity of the Smooshers guild members!  Many of us have learned new things about the Celts and Celtic mythology and symbolism.  Learning, growing, and trying new things is what these challenges are all about!  Each item created for the Celtic challenge is available for sale in the artist's ArtFire shops.

I hope you enjoy the video! 
Don't forget to use the form on the upper right side of the blog to vote on the theme for our next challenge!

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Book Review: The Art of Jewelry Polymer Clay

This post was written by Anna of Grays Crafts

The Art of Jewelry: Polymer Clay by Katherine Duncan Aimone.

152 pages, soft cover, full color.



It is a wonderful book for intermediate to advanced clayers. I do not recommend this book to beginners. The projects in the book contain just a few illustrations each, and in most cases steps are not described in full, since, being an advanced clayer, you are supposed to know how to do elementary things. I have heard some negative reviews about this book, and they mostly came from beginners, which is understandable. If you are just starting your journey into the wonderful world of polymer clay, you may become disappointed and overwhelmed by this book and may be better off with simpler projects at first, reserving this one for the time when your skills will reach the next level. However, if you are an intermediate to advanced polymer artist, this book would be a sheer delight to you, as you would have a chance to challenge yourself while using well-familiar techniques and learning new ones. Following the instructions in the book, you would truly be making art jewelry, of quality and beauty such as to be easily displayed in an art museum.
The Art of Jewelry, as its title implements, is a jewelry-making oriented book, in other words, all projects in it are polymer clay jewelry. The book contains:
- 12 necklace projects;
- 7 pendant projects;
- 7 brooch/pin projects;
- 6 bracelet projects;
- and 3 earring projects.

Techniques you will be using (and learning) include:
- sculpting;
- forming;
- texturing;
- embossing;
- image transfer;
- transfer etching;
- screen printing;
- freeform mica shift;
- color blends, including Skinner Blend;
- caning, advanced caning and millefiori;
- faux tesserae mosaics (clay embossing);
- faux glass;
- faux ceramics (Celadon glaze);
- faux fresco (gelatin coating);
- creation of hollow forms;
- molding;
- antiquing.

Some of the projects require use of general metalsmithing skills, such as soldering, wire work and riveting.
The book’s cover states Katherine Duncan Aimone as the author, however she is the compiler and the author of the introduction to the book. The introduction is followed by the polymer clay jewelry basics chapter by Mari O’Dell. In that chapter, you can find information on:
- polymer clay, its properties, conditioning, storing and curing;
- materials that can be used with polymer, such as embossing powders, metal leaf, heat set inks and so on;
- an overview of basic and special tools used for working with polymer, including advice on making and using your own molds;
- finishing options and surface treatments;
- use of findings in polymer jewelry, including excellent instructions on attaching a pin back to polymer brooches.

Projects themselves start from the page 24. Artists whose projects are featured include:
- Judith Skinner (3 projects);
- Jacqueline Lee (3 projects);
- Pier and Penina (4 projects);
- Louise Fischer Cozzi (2 projects);
- Mari O’Dell (3 projects);
- Jennifer Bezingue (3 projects);
- SL Savarick (2 projects):
- Stephanie Jones Rubiano (1 project);
- Sandra McCaw (1 project);
- Lindly Haunani (3 projects);
- Jeffrey Lloyd Dever (1 project);
- Leslie Blackford (2 projects);
- Julia Converse Sober (3 projects);
- Wendy Wallin Malinow (2 projects).

The beautiful cover piece, Snow Flower Brooch by Sandra McCaw, is included in the book and is an advanced caning project.
Book contains a lot of useful tips. There is a wonderful inspiring Gallery section which alone makes book to be worth its price. You can learn things by just looking at these beautiful high quality photographs. Pieces presented in the Gallery are advanced to ultra advanced. At the end of the book you can find short bios of the artists whose projects are featured, alone with their contact information. And like all of that already was not enough, the book also contains a metric conversion (inches to centimeters) chart.

I got my book on Amazon.com for $12.76 and, since my husband is a Prime member, shipping was free.
I would give this book six stars out of five and highly recommend it to advanced clayers interested in jewelry projects.

Below you can see a picture of a project I created after reading this book:


You can find Grays Crafts online at http://grayscrafts.com/, on Facebook, Twitter, and her ArtFire shop.

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