Blogger, wearable art maker, polymer clay artist
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Travel Projects - Colored Pencil/Polymer Clay
What can you do with a package of white clay, no pasta machine, no roller, no other tools but colored pencils and a bit of burnt umber and gold metallic paint? I challenged myself to find out. I do have an oven but only the most basic of materials. I had been wanting to try colored pencils on polymer clay so while on travel I purchased a small set of Prismacolor pencils (small set, big price) and a package of white clay. For tools I used pens/pencils and my crochet hooks (see other travel projects, great reuse of tools). I sculpted a few pieces using the white clay, cured them and began to color with the pencils. I did use the burnt umber to darken the crevices before starting. The colors went on well with no other surface treatment necessary. I did use a light wash of gold paint to highlight the pieces. When I get home, I'll use a fixative and spray lacquer to finish the pieces. I love the depth of color achieved with the colored pencils and will use this technique over and over I'm sure. BTW I'm using Picasa 3 to make the picture collages.
They look fantastic!! I especially love the design at the bottom left corner. Great tip about using Prismacolor pencils, I would have never thought of that!
ReplyDeleteHey Kathleen, glad you stopped by. Travelling is definitely stretching my creative side. BTW I have been meaning to let you know how much I enjoyed the garnet necklace in Bead Trends. I'm going to try that one! Didn't get to participate in BSBH this time around but I saw yours. Love it! Off to the DC Bead Society Bead Bazaar.
ReplyDeleteThese are beautiful! I love my pencils and polymer clay... need to try this! Very cool!
ReplyDeleteMarian, glad you stopped by. I really like the pencils with pc. Do you use any fixative or lacquer? Brands? I've heard that the PYMII is good but haven't tried it yet.
DeleteSerendipity ! I was watching a tute on line - watercolor on canvas. Not exactly what I wanted......hm.......Prisma on pC - yep, googled and YOU popped up ! WOW the muse kicked me !!! This is EXAACTLY what I had in mind..........Your work is stunning. Thank you for being here !!! What a find..........ty,ty,ty
ReplyDeleteHi, thanks for stopping by. This is a great technique and I love the richness of depth! I'm going to try more of it myself.
DeleteBeautiful pieces! Wonderful effects. I am inspired to try out my prismacolors which have been begging to be sharpened! Keep up the spectacular work and experiments! (p.s., I'm in COS...so I am down the way from you!)
ReplyDeleteThanks Jainnie. Are you a member of the Pikes Peak Polymer Clay guild? They have awesome guest artists for retreats and I've attended a couple. Thanks again for stopping by the blog.
DeleteVery cool. I love your colors and metallic effects you achieved in your pieces. How and where do you bake/cure the clay when you are traveling? I'm thinking you're refering to business travel and/or vacationing.
ReplyDeleteHi Loretta. Glad you like the effects. I was surprised and thrilled with the result on experimental pieces. I've been travelling non-stop in Washington DC so I have an apartment with an oven. I keep some disposable foil baking pans to keep the clay covered while curing. Works well.
DeleteGlad to see you get on PCD. Beautiful pieces Maria.
ReplyDeleteClare
Thanks Clare. What a thrill and an honor to be on PCD! Very surprised.
DeleteLovely pieces--your pallette reminds me very much of Doreen's whisical creatures. Congratulations on your Polymer Clay Daily front page!
ReplyDeleteRandee, thanks for the kind words. It has been a secret dream of mine to be featured on PCD. It was a wonderful surprise.
DeleteSuch gorgeous and stunning pieces! Congratulations on your well-earned PCD features. Thank you so much for sharing both your work and a bit of your technique. I'm going to be on the road this summer without access to my studio and you have inspired me to dig out my Prismacolours and white clay to take with me. I have had good results using PYMII as a fixative for artists pastels on PC, but have not tried it yet with Prismacolours. It produces a semi-glossy finish (that I usually try to rough up a bit after it dries to create a more matte finish.)
ReplyDeleteHello. Thanks for stopping by and the kind words. I really want to try the PYMII but haven't found it locally so I need to order it now that you've confirmed good results. I was really surprised how well the Primsacolours worked. Hope you do try it.
DeleteCongratulations on PCD! I love learning about new techniques, materials, experiments, etc. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteIt was a thrill to see my work featured. I read PCD every morning before work to get inspired wo what fun to see my name there. I was really surprised at how well the Primsacolors worked on pc. I'll definitely keep working with this technique.
DeleteDid you bake the white clay FIRST, then use the pencils, rebake and then seal?? Do I have that right?
ReplyDeleteHello. Yes, I created the piece in the white clay, baked it, applied the burnt umber with a paint brush in the crevices only because the pencils would reach those tight spaces (I kept the paint off the body of the piece). Then I used the colored pencils, putting several layers of color to overlap and create depth. I didn't refire or seal yet. I'm back at my studio for a few days now so I'll experiment further and post the results to my blog. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteI really love how these colors look -- great imagination with such a short list of supplies! Isn't polymer clay simply great?? I was wondering, and forgive me if I missed it here on your blog but, it seems that you used the pencils dry?? I used to work with Prismas, in fact still have lots of stubs (liked your comment about little pkg/big price - don't throw those baby stubbies out!!) -- have you tried the pencils using any kind of watercolor affect with wet tips?? Just wondering - I think I'm going to have to find my pencils and get to experimenting, myself -- thanks for the inspiration!!
ReplyDeleteLoriAnne, I used the pencils dry. Next experiment I'll see what happens with a wet tip. Very interesting and such fun to experiment.
DeleteI recently read to use white spirit to blend them as they are wax based, and a cotton bud, and heat set in the polymer oven for 10 mins. I'm about to play with Prismacolour on fresh-from-the-kiln metal clay....I've tried on polymer but I was too timid; seeing your deep colours and rich patina, I'm going back over my polymer dragons, and getting handy with the cotton buds! Gorgeous work, spotted on PCD!
DeleteKerrie
The Polymer Clay Daily page is wonderful! It is a place to find wonderful artists like you. Sometimes polymer clay work gets so complicated... it is good to see how simple methods you use to reach such an impressive result. Congratulations.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment. I agree about PCD. I read it every day and am always inspired. It's been interesting not having all the "stuff" you have at home. I've really been challenged to make do with very limited materials. It's a good lesson to me that you can make art from very little. All that "stuff" sometimes gets in the way and overwhelming.
DeleteCongratulations on being on PCD, What stunning rich colour you have created with the Prisma pencils I have used pencils and you can also use pastels have you tried those yet. Its so nice to experiment!
ReplyDeleteJackie
Hi Jackie. Thanks for the congratulations. I have tried pastels and loved the way they looked. I got a very pastel watercolor effect with the chalks. Very pretty.
DeleteHi, congrats on being selected to be on PCD. I have Prisma color pencils and pens. The pens are alcohol based ... I wonder what it would create using both the pens and pencils on the clay.
ReplyDeleteI'm in CO too. Maybe I'll see you at a guild meeting.
Diana A
Found my way here from PCD, congratulations, well deserved. Gorgeous work. Congratulations on creating beauty with limited supplies and a rich imagination.
ReplyDeleteInteresting that you antiqued it with the burnt umber in the crevices only, given the pencils wouldn't reach those crevices.
Well, well done.
Debbie, thanks for stopping by and your kind comments. This was a fun project.
DeleteWOW.. this inspired me so much. I had a 45% off coupon at Michaels that was specifically for artist pencils and pastels so I ran out and picked up a 36 color set for a great price. I can't wait to try them out.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful work..
Lynn, glad you have the coupon, its the only to buy these pencils since they're so expensive. Good luck with the project.
DeleteHello, I know this post is from awhile back, but I was hoping you could tell me what brand of fixative and lacquer you used for this piece? I am having trouble finding ones that don't end up sticky in the future! I absolutely LOVE how your pieces turned out and I can't wait to try it myself! TODAY!
ReplyDeleteHi, All. Didn't realize this was a 2 year old thread. Congrats on PCD-my favorite. Love your work. Note: I lived and 'clayed' in a motorhome for 8 years-it's easy. It's such a compact hobby. I baked in my gas oven in a tin pan with close fitting lid. Never a problem. On the pencils, I'm having a problem with coverage. Looks nothing like yours-spotty, pretty transparent, using Prismacolor soft. Any suggestions. Thanks for the thread. You're great. Boni
ReplyDelete