Cabin Fever Clay Fest 2012

Posted on September 29, 2011 by Jainnie

Doreen Kassel - Journal Tile

Are you looking for a creative getaway?  Want to learn from some very talented artists? Then Cabin Fever Clay Fest 2012 might be just the ticket!

The conference will be held at the Holiday Inn West in Laurel, Maryland and will include polymer clay, wireworking, silversmithing, and enameling with eight pre-conference workshops and twelve conference workshops.  Pre-conference begins on February 17, 2012 with a 2-day masterclass by Jeffrey Lloyd Dever.  There will also be full-day workshops offered by Jana Roberts Benzon, Lindly Haunani, Barbara Lewis, Liz Potter Hall, Nan Roche, Marie Segal, and Sarah Shriver.  How exciting!

The conference will officially begin on February 19 with workshops from Blair Anderson, Jana Roberts Benzon, Lindly Haunani, Linda Hess, Doreen Kassel, Shannon Nelson, Kathryn Jo Ottman, Lynne Anne Schwarzenberg, Marie Segal, Sarah Shriver, and Laura Tabakman.

For a full listing of the workshop offerings and to register, please check out the website.

Sarah Shriver - Reverse Inlay Pin

If you register for Cabin Fever Clay Fest, you are entered to win a partial scholarship ($200) which is good towards any of the regular conference workshops!  What a wonderful gift for 2 lucky attendees!!

Leave us a comment and let us know if you are thinking of attending Cabin Fever Clay Fest!  What workshops would you most love to attend?  For me personally, I would love to take a class from Doreen Kassel!

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Call for Entries – Progress & Possibilities and Niche Awards

Posted on September 26, 2011 by Jainnie

2010 Progress & Possibilities Members' Favorite - Julie Sweeney - Scandal in the Henhouse

If you have been creating and are looking for some competitions to enter, take a look at Progress & Possibilities and the Niche Awards.

Progress & Possibilities will post their call for entries on Oct. 15.  Here is some info from the International Polymer Clay Association (IPCA):

Progress and Possibilities 2011, this year’s edition of our time-honored online exhibition, is in its final planning stages.

The Call for Entry will be posted October 15 on Cafe: CallforEntry, and the deadline for submissions will be Nov. 15. Winners of both the juried exhibition and the Members’ Choice competition will be announced Jan. 6.

Once again, categories will be defined by the type of object and the artist’s level of expertise.  You must be a current member of IPCA to enter. The piece(s) you submit must have been created in the year 2011 and must not have been pictured anywhere else, including in books, blogs, websites, or other competitions. The work must be made up of at least 75% visible polymer clay.

We are looking for the original and the innovative, however you define those qualities! The mission of Progress & Possibilities is to show not only how far our medium has come but to give some clues as to where it will go from here.

Now is the time to tweak your designs, refine your techniques and begin working on those amazing art works that will make this the best Progress & Possibilities ever!

The Niche Awards is open to professional craft artists over the age of 21 who reside in America or Canada and are actively involved in the design and production of craftwork supplied to galleries and/or craft stores.  The deadline is Sept. 30th, which is just a few days away, but if you’re interested…you might still be able to enter! UPDATE: The deadline has been extended!  The New Deadline: Oct. 9, 2011 at midnight EST.

2011 Niche Award winners include Doreen Gay-Kassel and Barb Fajardo.

Leave us a comment if you’re planning on entering. We’d love to feature you after the entries are in!

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Mini bears demo for Sept. guild meeting

Posted on September 5, 2011 by Jainnie
Bear with bird friends – by Jainnie Jenkins

 
Hi everyone!  For this coming Sunday meeting I’ll be demo-ing mini bears! I was having a hard time figuring out what I wanted to demo, and my husband said, “do what you like…you like bears” so bears it is. 

I’ve been making a bunch of different types of bears and will bring these to the meeting.  If you are interested in trying to make your own bears, here is a supply list:

–Raw Sienna clay (or any brown clay) (1 block should be good)
–White clay (1/2 block or less)
–Translucent clay (1/2 block or less)
–Yellow cadmium clay (1/2 block or less)
–Black clay (small amount)

Tools:
–pasta machine, roller, or hands for conditioning clay
–Ball stylus (optional)
–Regular stylus (with pointy tip)
–Colour Shapers (optional…these are tools with various rubber tips. I like to use Size 0 Cup Round, and the Size 0 Taper Round)
–Cutting blade or Xacto knife

Another optional item is:
Acrylic paints (these are for creating washes over the bears after they are done baking.  I used black and white paint).

Here are a couple pics of some of the bears I’ve made.  Like I said, I’ll be making more before the meeting!  See you there! (And I’m also including a pic of our bear that frequents our backyard.)

And please remember that Membership fees are due this month and we will be having elections for board positions that are open. :)

–Jainnie

Mini bears – by Jainnie Jenkins
Mini bear – by Jainnie Jenkins
Mr. Bear in my backyard (he’s a good bear!)

 

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Kiva Atkinson – miniaturist extraordinaire!

Posted on August 25, 2011 by Jainnie
Drunken Octopus – by Kiva Atkinson

I must admit something…I love Kiva Atkinson. And if you don’t know who I’m talking about, well read on to find out! Kiva is an International Guild of Miniature Artisans (IGMA) Fellow who loves to make polymer clay miniatures in 1:12 and 1:24 scale and…has a penchant for the funny, wacky, and unusual…which is exactly why I love her. A lot of her minis are food related, but she also does some other wild and bizarre creations, the googly-eyed ones…you’ll see what I mean. Oh, and she lives in Honolulu, Hawaii…my hometown!

I’m posting a bunch of her creations along with a number of Halloween-ish ones for those of you who want something other than cute pumpkins ‘n kittycats! Enjoy! And then head on over to Kiva’s links, listed below.

Green Figs – by Kiva Atkinson
Moroccan Chicken Kebabs – by Kiva Atkinson
Snook Board – by Kiva Atkinson
Tacos – by Kiva Atkinson
Giant Fruit Platter – by Kiva Atkinson
Skeletal Fish Pie – by Kiva Atkinson
Chinese Potstickers – by Kiva Atkinson
Egg Roll Heads – by Kiva Atkinson
Mango Heads – by Kiva Atkinson
Toast Heads – by Kiva Atkinson
Peeping Oyster Bowl – by Kiva Atkinson
Halloween Breakfast – by Kiva Atkinson
Eyeball Soup – by Kiva Atkinson
Mummy Noodles – by Kiva Atkinson
Pumpkin Basket – by Kiva Atkinson
Salty Bones – by Kiva Atkinson
Witch Treats – by Kiva Atkinson
Drunken Squid – by Kiva Atkinson

Links: 
Kiva’s Miniatures
Kiva’s Miniatures Blog
Kiva’s Flickr Photostream
Kiva’s Ebay Page

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Zentangles and Textures, Meeting Notes

Posted on August 24, 2011 by Jainnie

During our June meeting, Jerry Hunt and Peggy Davis did a demo on Zentangles.  Members were asked to bring white polymer clay, black Micron pens, and if possible, a heat gun.

Zentangle inspired pendants (and a mixed media one!) by Eva Rosado

Jerry also shared (during the August meeting) some of the zentangle pendants that Betty Wilkinson made. The instructions for making our own zentangle pendants were to condition the clay and cut them into your preferred shape. Smooth on cornstarch to each piece and place them in the oven to bake. After they have cooled, use a micron pen (with pigment ink) to draw your designs. Heat set with a heat gun on a ceramic tile, or put back into the oven for 5 minutes. Seal with fimo glaze. Julie Eakes has an interesting zentangle book out you may want to check out. 

Micon pigment ink pen – used for drawing Zentangles
Julie Eakes – Clay Classics Inspired by Zentangle
Zentangles from Cathie Graeser and her grandkids
Zentangle inspired pieces, by Betty Wilkinson
Zentangle inspired pieces from Betty Wilkinson
More Zentangle inspired pieces from Betty Wilkinson

Besides all of the lovely Zentangles shared during the August meeting, members were also asked to bring Mold Maker or Bend n Bake clay and various stamps or textures. A few of us created texture sheets. Mold maker is more flexible after baking but Bend & Bake is also fun to make texture sheets with. Tejae likes to make hers thin enough to go through the pasta machine with a sheet of clay.

Sculpey MoldMaker (Super Elasticlay)    
Sculpey Bake & Bend Clay

For my own texture sheets, I’ve used both Super Elasticlay (Mold Maker) as well as just plain scrap clay.  If using regular clay, I just make sure to dust lightly with talcum powder so the clay impression will release easily.  I’ve made texture sheets with rubber stamps…but I enjoy adding additional texture to really make it “my own.”  It is also fun to create your very own texture sheet using such tools as a ball stylus (they come in different sizes) and various pointy things such as bamboo skewers!  

Barrettes made from texture sheets – by Jainnie Jenkins. The gold one was made from a texture sheet made with multiple rubber stamp impressions, then adding in little “dots” with a ball stylus.  The blue one was made from a texture sheet (seen in the corner) made of dried alphabet pasta. (The top one was not made from a texture sheet.)
Polymer clay pendant — by Jainnie Jenkins. The background was made from polymer clay and silver leaf. The center was made from a texture plate. I used an oriental fan rubber stamp, impressed other flower beads, then added various lines around those impressions.  The possibilities are endless!
Polymer clay pendant by Jainnie Jenkins. This was made from an impression of a plastic texture sheet. After baking the textured clay, I added in liquid polymer clay for a cloisonné effect.
Textured polymer clay beads by Jainnie Jenkins. These were made from texture sheets and/or rubber stamps.
Textured beads by Jainnie Jenkins. These were made from a handmade texture sheet.  I used a ball stylus and bamboo skewer to make all the designs. Then I baked it, dusted with talcum powder, and took clay impressions. Pearl Ex was rubbed over the top to highlight the texture design.

We also gathered around the tv to view Nan Roche’s “Special Techniques in polymer clay” video. An oldie but goodie!

Nan Roche – Special Techniques in Polymer Clay video
At the end of the meeting Jerry collected our names on pieces of paper to do a drawing for a Donna Dewberry Sculpey texture sheet. Bev drew Tejae’s name! :)
Sculpey texture sheet – by Donna Dewberry
 See you at the next meeting!
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