Polymer Clay Productions: Podcast, TV, and Classroom

I just remembered- it’s how many cities visited last week to see what’s new with polymer clay?

// July 11th, 2007 // 3 Comments » //

This is what our account says- and thank you everyone, you are all helping me brush up on my geography!
Belgrade, Serbia; Patzulin, Guatemala; Zurich, Switzerland; Toronto, Canada; Villeneuve-Loubet, French Riviera (ooh la la); Almeria, Spain; Torun, Poland; Naples, Servia & Rome, Italy; Cainta, Philippines; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Caracas, Venezuela; Lod, Israel; Bentley & Sydney Australia; Velika Gorica, Croatia; Darmstadt & Heusweiler, Germany; Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Please feel free to correct me if I’m wrong, and also to leave us comments to let us know where our listeners are coming from.
As of today, our show has been downloaded from our site a whopping 1,869 times! Not including people who are watching it on Google, Youtube, Myspace, and the 200 other places we have it on the web. Thank you so much for making our show a success.

Polymer Clay & Pigment Ink Are A Fun Way To Create Different Looks

// July 9th, 2007 // No Comments » //

This week we are talking about working with polymer clay and pigment ink. Pigment ink is great to add color to your creations. My favorite pigment ink is http://www.tsukineko.com Dew Drop Brillance pearlescent & metallic colors. I love the Red Rocket and the rest of the colors are all amazing. The great thing about the ink is that its heat set so you have to fire polymer clay anyway so it will set the ink as well. One of my favorite things to make are textured light switch covers and then I like to add ink to highlight the design. It looks really cool! This Friday we talk about ways to use ink on Polymer Clay Podcast and next week we demonstrate how to use it. If you want to learn how to make textured light switch covers then don’t miss next weeks Polymer Clay Classroom where we show how to make them.

We have so much going on and have been planning interviews with some great polymer clay artists so make sure to stay tuned for those. We will be going to the Creative Hobby Association show at the end of July and will be bringing back lots of goodies and lots of new products and techniques to share with you. Make sure to sign up for the newsletter so you don’t miss anything, plus you will automatically be entered in our monthly contest just for signing up.

Episode 5 of Polymer Clay TV- how to use powdered pigments

// July 6th, 2007 // No Comments » // Vodcasts

Online Videos by Veoh.com

In this third edition of Polymer Clay TV, Ilysa and Kira demonstrate how to add some flair and flash to your polymer clay artwork using powdered pigments. We show you how to put it on top of a raised area of clay to highlight it; how to use it as a mold release to keep your clay from sticking to a stamp, texture sheet or mold; how to make your own pigments from chalk, pastel, or makeup; and other types of powdered pigments available at the store. We demonstrate the Pink-Gold powdered pigment available in our shop, beautiful on black clay or colored clay. And finally, we show you how to use pigments as an inclusion- this means putting it inside the clay to change the actual color of the clay from the inside out.

We know, we know. The sound in this video is a tad off- it’s the only one in our first series where we had a little mishap with our microphones! Chalk it up to our learning curve- we get a little better every time. Just wait till you see #4!

We have created a full length project video lesson. You will follow along with Ilysa and Kira as they create two beautiful tag booklets using Basic Grey papers, manilla tags, and polymer clay covers.

After watching and playing with your clay and powdered pigments, why not stop in at our forum or flickr group to show us what you made, or discuss your learning process, or ask questions if we weren’t clear to you? We look forward to hearing from our viewers! Don’t forget to sign up for the newsletter. You could be a winner, like Cynthia T. who won our monthly prize for June and got a free kit!

A great gift idea for any age- make a polymer clay clock with an old CD!

// July 5th, 2007 // No Comments » //

Did you know you can bake lots of items at 275 degrees F. CDs work great as a template. Just roll some clay flat, stick the cd on top of it, cut about 1/2 inch away from the CD with your blade and turn the edge over. Just pull on the clay lightly to bend it back around the CD. Now use your needle tool to punch a hole where the CD’s hole is. Not as big as the hole that’s there though. This is when you should take a look at your storebought clock movement- you can pick these up for around $7 at Michaels, ACMoore, and I’m sure at other craft stores too. Check the center stalk- the part you will be sticking through the hole you make. See how big it is and make your hole accordingly. See how thick your clock face needs to be- it should say it on the package. You may need to add a little pat of clay around the hole in order to make that part thick enough for the clock mechanism because it is held together with a kind of nut and bolt, and the bolt has to lay against the clock face.
Then flip the CD back over to the front and decorate it any way you like. You can color it with ink or powdered pigments, stick on stamped or molded images, and even stick things into it- like glass marbles, mirrors, or gemstones. It is all up to you. Make a baby’s room clock using molded baby bottles and spell the baby’s name using molded baby block letters- there is a commonly available pushmold with baby things on it. Make one for your sophisticated friend’s kitchen using grapes and glasses- for the wine lover, or chili peppers for someone who loves a little spice in their life. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination. That’s why we love polymer clay! When you are finished, just pop the whole thing in your oven to cure for the recommended time. Be careful pulling it from the oven, the CD will be hot. Let it cool and pop in the mechanism with the battery, and you’re done.
More quick and simple gift ideas will follow- every Thursday.
Enjoy today and we’ll see you tomorrow on Polymer Clay TV # 3!

Polymer Clay Podcast and Videocast has listeners and viewers in 62 countries!

// July 3rd, 2007 // 2 Comments » //

Thanks so much to all of you who made our first month a success! Our website had almost 200,000 hits, and visitors from 62 countries and hundreds of cities. Starting today, every Tuesday we will give a shout out to those cities- Thanks again, happy claying, and stay tuned!

Our listeners so far represent all 50 states of the USA, and here are some of the other cities listening and watching:
Galston, Scotland; Moscow, Russia; Sidney, Moorabbin, and Point Cook, Australia; Kefar, Israel; Tehran, Iran; Sava, Serbia; Singapore; and Taipei, China.