Printed and Painted

blurred image borders, blurred colors, fingerprints, &
swiped ink images from printer heads

 About the time that I discovered that my polymer clay could be rolled into sheets thinner than my fingernail, I also discovered that--once baked--polymer clay could be PRINTED ON.  And, you know me, being the experiment queen, I decided it was time to give the "cross-your-fingers-and-hope-it-works" try for using my inkjet printer on a sheet of newly cured clay.  So, I rolled out some clay, cured it, taped it to a piece of paper and crossed my fingers for my little HP printer.  Tutorials I found from my clay guild mentioned that reverse-feed printers were the most risky, but after testing the clay, I decided it was flexible enough.

flexibility demonstration--this sheet was about 3/4mm thick

The first experiment was almost a total failure.  Between taping the clay too close to the edge of my paper, which was the guide keeping the clay from sliding everywhere; to discovering that the amount of ink volume was directly proportionate to how many fingerprints I would end up with in the end design from testing if it was dry, the first printing was definitely not an A+ assignment.  It ended up not being a total bust--I found out that multi-colored images with too much ink led to a blurry image and blurry image border, and that water could easily wash the design off.  I also found that the thinner I rolled the sheet before I cured it, the farther it could bend before it broke off.  Despite the initial failures, these extra discoveries led me to continue to experiment.  After my family's visit last weekend and a quick drop-in from Chris and Lori these past couple days, I set up on my kitchen table (much to my husband's continued dismay and comments of "can we PLEASE get you a big art table?") to roll out some more clay sheets.

The messy workspace--clay, paints,
and of course the ever-present Dr. Pepper. :)

The second experiment turned out infinitely better.  I was able to roll my sheet even thinner to the point where I had to use a razor blade to scrape raw clay off the guide papers.  Prior to printing I decreased the ink volume on my printer in hopes of decreasing drying time, and the image turned out fabulously.  Ten minutes of heat-set curing rendered the ink completely dry.  It wasn't impermeable to water, but the next part of the experiment exited me further:  I colored the image with lightly thinned oil paints, which are either linseed-oil or safflower-oil based, and no part of the image blurred or distorted!  I was even able to place the sheet back in the oven for 30 minutes of heat-setting for the oil paints and they dried almost instantly.  The colors faded slightly, but the image itself looks lovely now.  I now know how some brands/types of oil paints interact with the clay; for instance, pthalo colors (pthalo blue, pthalo yellow, pthalo green) leech through and yellow the back of the clay; reds seem also to leech in tiny amounts.  However, no colors bled around the inked, printed image, and the leeching to the back didn't seem to interfere with the front of the image.  I wonder if it's part of the accelerated drying time with heat, but that is an experiment for another day.

Here are some images from experiment number 2.

Work in progress--Grumbachers!!  You don't see the linseed oil off to the left of the photo.

Before & Afters:

Oil painting--after curing, scanned flat/straight view

Back view, pthalo leeching (yellow color).  Some of the reds you can see, but the sheet is also very thin.

I loved playing around with the clay in this way.  I'm also liking the pastel-y look that the oils dry to once cured.  My next task is cutting and setting the thin clay layer in a clay bezel for a pendant, perhaps?  Or a bracelet, haven't decided yet. :)

Lentils

No, not the kind that you eat--those are beans!  :)

I've been experimenting with polymer clay (when HAVEN'T I been?)  and, despite seeing all the tutorials on unique swirled lentil beads I hadn't come up with one of my own.  So today after my L&D staff meeting, I decided it was time to try.  Lacking a bit of blue clay, I used Premo! turquoise and Sculpey III yellow to create a malachite-inspired lentil bead.  Of course, dummy me...I swirled my bead into my (dirty) desk and it picked up all the little paper and dust crumblies.  Ugh.  Guess that's what wet sanding is for :)  Here's what they looked like straight out of the oven:

Not too bad for a first try.  I couldn't find quite the right combination I was looking for, but the colors were bright enough for me without looking too realistic. I'm going to start trying some caning so that I can create a layered bead--possibly with some transparent Fimo and flowered shapes.  Not that that has anything to do with malachite, but you never know what you could make!

Another thing that's been stacking up is my growing collection of earrings and bracelets.  I've been accumulating the beads and findings that I like for months, but I've made achingly little progress in the way of actually MAKING things until the past couple weeks.  Now I have a variety of drop earrings made with a multitude of materials: pearl, tensha, ceramic, crystal, jade, quartz, marble, onyx, and soon to be many more if I can keep up the pace.  Here are quite a few that I've made in the past week or so:

I've decided that it's time to start making Christmas gifts.  It's a little more than two months away, but if I'm doing anything with clay or paint it'll take a while. So, for anyone who reads....what are YOU wanting for Christmas? :)

New Works

Hello again!

Clearly, this "blog" thing is for the birds...my birds, anyhow (seeing as I lack any and my husband says no, haha!).  I can't seem to keep it going without extended absences that annoy the crud out of family and friends.  But, I continue!

Here are a couple things straight from the camera that I've been working on in polymer clay.  I've been experimenting with techniques in 3D, such as stamping, embellishing, layered mokume gane, etc.  and also with 2D techniques such as washes and application of surface treatments like Pearl-Ex and acrylics.

These guys are a few beaded-jewelry works that I've done recently.

Here, also, is a preview of a manga I am working on for someone in Michigan.  The character's name is Keihana.  She is a student in a rehabilitation school called Junction, where the students are taught to vent their anger from different parts of their lives away from their loved ones and into controlled fighting matches with individual, customized weaponry.