Sunday 7 July 2013

New Facebook Page


I've just launched my new facebook page:
Inishkea Facebook Page
Make sure you pop by and like my page to get all the updates on new blogs, new pieces and news on markets and stockists.

I also created some funky posters to display on my market stall to showcase Inishkea.



Wednesday 3 July 2013

Shifty polymer - playing with Mica Shift effects


Mica shift is a technique used in polymer clay work requiring metallic or pearl clay. These clays contain mica particles, which can be aligned by passing your clay through your pasta machine repeatedly in the same direction. An impression can then be left in the clay with a rubber stamp or the like. Using a fine, flat tissue blade to remove the uppermost layer of clay miraculously leaves you with a smooth flat piece of clay with a seemingly 3-dimensional pattern in it.

I recently discovered the fantastic tutorials over at CraftArtEdu. And after watching Carol Blackburn's mica clay tutorial (http://craftartedu.com/polymer-clay/carol-blackburn-free-basic-introduction-to-mica-clay), I played around with her idea to try two very different coloured mica clays with the mica shift technique. I used my bronze and pearl (with a bit of white mixed through it) Kato clays and a couple of different texture sheets and rubber stamps. The bangle below was made by alternating panels from different mica shift sheets on a base of marbled clay.