Recycled Polymer Clay

Tags

art bead, bead, handmade, polymer clay, recycling, zero waste

For a while now I have been distressed that polymer clay is plastic and questioning whether I should be adding more of it to the world. While looking for eco friendly options for polymer clay, I found this article by Wendy Moore where she discusses her own considerations on the responsible use of polymer clay. Even though I don’t rely on my creations as a livelihood (as the women of Samunnat do), I have discovered that making things is vital for my mental health.

I have considered whether there are alternatives that I would find equally satisfying, but I haven’t thought of anything yet. Making lampwork glass beads would require constant burning of fuel while I’m working and I would no longer be directly in contact with the pieces due to the high temperatures. Earth clays would dry out and be wasted due to my erratic availability of time (not to mention requiring a furnace to cure). Even wool felt can be considered to have a negative ecological impact when considering the manufacturing of dyes (I don’t know if natural dyes could get the bright colours I’d want).

There does not seem to be a perfect solution, just relative improvements. Since I already have a stock of polymer clay, it seems better for me to focus on using it without creating waste until there is a more sustainable option. Unbaked clay is no problem (sometimes I don’t have enough) as it can be infinitely reused as a base with decorative veneers on top. However there are techniques e.g. carving that I really like which result in baked polymer clay scraps. (I also collect the scraps produced when drilling beads.)

I have previously used the baked polymer scraps decoratively by rolling them into the surface of unbaked clay to make “frit” beads. I have also used scraps as inclusions in thin sheets of clay that I bake and use for creating mosaic pieces. Since making the mosaics results in more tiny offcuts I decided to test how far I could push the cycle. I used tiny pieces to make stud earrings and then used the offcuts from that to make a new sheet ready to use in future mosaics. Since I need to use fresh polymer clay to use up the offcuts, I hope people will like the studs!

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The other place where I have concerns about the waste produced, is the sludge left behind after wet sanding beads. I’m not very keen on sanding so I don’t always do it, but some components just look better when sanded. I have started collecting the dust and working it into raw polymer clay as you might do with mica powders. Because I’m often sanding beads with mixed colours this can result in some neutral shades. I decided to make some of my favourite patchwork beads using these shades of neutral*. I even ended up mixing them with some more colourful pieces because I wasn’t very keen on the colourful mix on it’s own. I don’t sand the beads when I use this technique, so this method closes the loop instead of making more.

With all these techniques, I think it’s important to make something appealing. After all if it doesn’t result in something that someone will treasure it’s going to end up in landfill.

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* Of course if I didn’t like the colour of the dust mix, I could also use it in the same way as unbaked scrap clay with a decorative veneer on top.

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I’ve finished my 24 samples

Tags

24ozPolymerClay, art bead, bead, earrings, handmade, polymer clay

About 2 weeks ago I finished all 24oz of my polymer clay sample challenge. I unpacked all the beads I had made on a Twitch live stream if you are interested in all the details. Here’s a photograph to summarise.

Variety of handmade polymer clay beads.

Now there are so many beads to choose from I’m struggling to know where to start, but I have made a few of these beads into earrings. (If you are subscribed to my newsletter you may have already seen these.)

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What was good about this challenge?

It was really helpful for me to have preselected colours to work with. Often I find myself overwhelmed with the unlimited potential of polymer clay that I end up dithering when trying to decide where to start so I don’t actually do anything. I tried to experiment when making some of the beads by thinking that I have already allocated the clay to be used so I may as well use it (actually this is true for any polymer clay since things that are not working out can be squished into scrap). I had to be creative and find different ways to finish some beads as I couldn’t add more clay to do my first idea.

What was not so good?

When making canes I had to keep things smaller than usual as I had an imposed limit to the amount of clay I could use. It would have been better to start with larger canes so I could keep different sizes aside as I reduced. I struggled to find enough scrap clay for the inners of my beads so I didn’t get as many beads as I could have from a finished cane (i.e. by putting a thin decorative slice onto a thicker layer of scrap). There were some beads where I thought it would be nice add contrasting caps or edge the outside of a cane but I had already used up the colours I wanted to use so I couldn’t do that.

What will I do next?

I found it really useful to have a specific goal in mind to keep me motivated so I’m intending to define what I’m going to work on next. Unfortunately this week gone I was completely disabled watching the news of violence and looting in South Africa so I haven’t been able to make any decisions. I’m planning to continue with my colour palette reruns, so there’s still time for you to choose a colour in my survey.

Till next time, stay safe!

Probably Definitely Finished

Tags

art bead, Art Bead Scene, bead, colourful, freeform beading, polymer clay, primary colours

Today I am sharing a bracelet that I started making back in March 2013 and which I have finally decided to declare finished! I began it as part of the Art Bead Scene monthly challenge. Since I was expecting to have a baby that month I didn’t really suppose I would finish in time, but seven and a half years is slightly longer than expected.

Here is the inspiration painting.

Deer In the Forest, 1911
Marc Franz
Oil on Canvas, 100.97 x 104.78 cm
Philips Collection, Washington DC, USA
(Please note this art is copyrighted and is to be used only as inspiration.)

And <drum roll> here is the bracelet. It’s my first real attempt at freeform beadwork. There was a lot of stop-start (mostly stop) and unpicking and redoing involved.

Freeform bead bracelet by Cate van Alphen

The focal art bead was made by me and is polymer clay with a foil core for lightness. I tried to balance the weight by using a glass nugget on the giant press stud closure. I haven’t worn the bracelet enough to decide if this has worked successfully.

Glass nugget closure.

The most difficult part with this kind of freeform piece is knowing when to stop. So I think it’s finished. Definitely… or at least I don’t think I want to do anymore to it.

What do you think? Was it was worth the wait?

Evolution of a wishpot

Tags

art bead, handmade, necklace, polymer clay, wishpot

I’ve just finished a commission for a wishpot which has helped me work out some of the technical issues I’ve had with stringing them. I began making these several years ago so I’ll show you some highlights in their evolution. Apologies for the quality on the older photos, I’ve tried to fix the colour balance.

This mother of pearl effect wishpot was one of the first I made. It is strung directly on the necklace. The bead stopper can be lifted to open the wishpot. The necklace string keeps it in place when it’s being worn.

There were a few things I didn’t like about this design. Firstly the necklace needs to be thin in order for the bead lid to be opened (the stopper bead plus cord on either side needs to fit through the mouth of the pot). Also unless it is a specific commission I get stressed about choosing the length for a necklace.

For my next version, I wanted the pendant to go on a thicker kumihimo cord. Since there was no hope of this going through the opening of the wishpot, I put it on a ribbon that created a bail to hang on the necklace. I included lengths of ribbon in the necklace to link the design together. This version was better, but still not massively versatile – I couldn’t picture the ribbon working on something like a chain.

My latest necklace was for a wishpot on a mala necklace. I used beads made from imfibinga seeds. The necklace needed a specific number of beads which made it pretty long. I wanted a way to allow the necklace to be shortened without adding a clasp. My solution was to add a button toggle to the wishpot attachment.

This means the necklace can be doubled over and the wishpot used to attach the two sides together. The wishpot can now also exist independently, so for example you could pop it in your pocket or wear it on a belt loop.

The thin nylon cords still allow the pot to be opened. and the bead and macrame knotted button hole on either side keep the pieces together. Hooray! It finally feels like all the pieces of this design make sense!

Before I forget

Tags

art bead, cabochon, earrings, mica powder, polymer clay

I made another pair of forget-me-not earrings that I kept aside for a separate blog. And here’s why…

Forget-me-not earrings by Cate van Alphen

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I have made a Patreon page. It’s a site for creators to find sponsors in order to spend more energy on creating and less time worrying about how to pay the bills. As part of making my page I clarified some goals for myself: I want to use more art beads (made by other artists) and I want to make more tutorials.

I planned for the earrings above to incorporate both goals. I’ve got the art beads: I made the ivory coloured floral disks from polymer clay and the blue ceramic beads are by Jenny Gholson-Morris. But the tutorial part: not so much.

Making a video tutorial is proving more time-consuming than anticipated – I’m struggling to get footage that is in shot and in focus. Oh, right! This is why I set up the Patreon page in the first place – because at the moment I haven’t got much time for figuring this out. So until I can make a full tutorial, here’s a little tip.

Faux concrete cabochon by Cate van Alphen

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I made this cabochon as a way to use up the scraps from making carved beads. The muse wanted a matt concrete effect. My logical brain tells me this is to contrast with the shiny fragments. I wanted something more interesting so I drew in some scrolls and dots. I thought it still needed some subtle pep so I mixed green iridescent mica powder with a drop of water to paint into the dents. This caused the water (and mica) to puddle in the indentations and not all over the surface of the piece. I did the same thing for the petals of the flowers on the earrings.

I used Perfect Pearls for this technique as it has a built-in resin and I painted it onto uncured polymer clay. It didn’t seem to stick as well when painted onto baked clay.

By the way, if you would like to sponsor me, you can start from $1 a month and change your mind any time you like.

 

Polymer clay challenge – week 32

Tags

2016PCchallenge, art bead, charm swap, headpin, kaleidoscope, polymer clay

I have finally found some time to work with polymer clay, even though I haven’t worked on a vessel. I have signed up for this month’s Art Jewlery Elements design challenge to make something using art headpins, so I have made some using a polymer clay kaleidoscope cane.

Polymer clay headpins by Cate van Alphen

I tried to make several of them so I’ll have the option of making something other than earrings (although I have already siphoned off one pair for earrings). I also changed shape when I got bored ;).

Come back on the 27th August to see what I make using them.

In other news my Art Charms arrived today from Jennifer Cameron’s Fairy Tale themed swap, but you’ll have to wait until 16th September to see what I made for that.

Art Charm Exchange

Tags

art bead, Art Charm Swap, handmade

I’m really excited that Jen Cameron is doing another Art Charm Exchange this year. This year’s theme is “Fairytale”. I’ve already signed up :). Here’s what I made last time.

Phoenix Art Charms by Cate van Alphen

Sign ups are open till the 9th May if you’d like to join in too. In exchange for making 11 charms (and paying for postage) you receive 10 charms back from the other participants. The 11th charm goes to auction to raise money for Beads of Courage. So it’s all for a good cause really – not at all because you get a stash of goodies back ;).

Art Bead Scene April Challenge

Tags

APR ABS, art bead, earrings, handmade, polymer clay

I have made two pairs of earrings for the Art Bead Scene monthly challenge. I made the polymer clay art beads for them too. Here’s the inspiration painting:

Jacob’s Ladder by Helen Frankenthaler
Oil on canvas, 1957

Here are the earrings:

Earrings by Cate van Alphen

The first pair of earrings is smaller and the beads are more regular. I paired them with green crystal cubes and seed beads on niobium pins.

The second pair of beads I made were more organic and irregular. They reminded me of seed pods. I made them into longer earrings with a leaf charm at the bottom.

Polymer Clay Challenge week 10

Tags

2016PCchallenge, art bead, ArtVessel, bracelet, handmade bead, polymer clay

This week for my 2016 Polymer Clay challenge I have a sneak peek of a lantern that I’m making and another ballet-time bracelet.

Polymer clay and glass lantern WIP by Cate van Alphen

I decided to do another lantern since the previous one I made was a bit disappointing when illuminated. This time I’m using glass nuggets so it should be more exciting when lit. I’ve only completed a small section, but it’s promising. I just hope it will hold together when I’m done since I’m intending to leave some gaps.

Yellow polymer clay bead bracelet by Cate van Alphen

I used beads from last year’s Yellow Palette to make this bracelet. It’s available from my Folksy shop.

Polymer Clay Challenge – week 8

Tags

2016PCchallenge, art bead, bracelet, handmade bead, polymer clay, retro

This week I have decided to alter the parameters of my challenge – because it’s mine so I can! Last year I tried to do my weekly blog on a Thursday, this meant I could play on Friday evening because I didn’t “have to” finish something off for the challenge. My vessels are taking longer to make than I expect, which is fine because I love doing them, but now I am trying to simplify my ideas to fit them into a self-imposed timescale of a week. I’m not enjoying the stress and I don’t believe artists get bonus points for how quickly they work (unless you use the time is money* equation).

I am now also using the beads I made from last year’s challenge to make finished pieces of jewellery. I do this when I’m waiting while the girls do ballet etc. so it comes out of a different time budget. Therefore I have decided that my challenge will now be as follows: I will work on my vessel each week, and if it is not finished within a week I will post some of my ballet-time jewellery instead.

Maybe by the end of the year I’ll be able to work quicker and more efficiently and have a vessel completed each week? But for this week it’s a ballet-time bracelet.

I used beads from my Orange Palette for this bracelet. I made the red stick beads specifically for it after pairing the square retro beads with the gold pearls. You can find it in my Folksy shop.

Hooray! Tonight I can play. I’ll probably finish off the trinket box I’m working on. But I don’t “have to”. 😉

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* I don’t think money is the best measurement of an artist either.