Ten on Tuesday: Ten Uses for Acrylic Paint

The other day, pulling out the supplies to crackle some paint, I realized that I hadn't devoted a Ten on Tuesday to acrylics. Time to remedy that, because these fast-drying paints have so many uses in a variety of polymer clay techniques! Better yet, you can find them in any arts and crafts store at a wide range of price points. They're so abundant that there's a good chance you have some in your arts and crafts supply arsenal even if you're brand new to polymer clay.

Ten on Tuesday: Ten Ways to Use Acrylic Paint with Polymer Clay

1. Antiquing
To "antique" something-- whether it's made of polymer clay, wood, or another material-- is to give it an appearance of greater age. This is usually accomplished with a little paint.

Antiquing is most effective with a textured piece. Start with a cured and cooled piece of clay. Apply paint straight from the bottle/tube, covering the entire piece. (Use a color that contrasts with the color of the clay. Dark brown and white are common choices, but you can use any color you like.) Before the paint has had a chance to dry, wipe away most of it with a soft rag. (Try to find a clean, lint-free rag. Otherwise, the lint or dust from the rag can make a mess of things.) The idea is to remove the majority of the paint from the piece, leaving it only in the recesses. Grooves, nooks, and crannies should catch the paint, much as small amounts of dirt and oil remain in the hard-to-reach spots on true antiques.

Play around with it until you're happy with the results. You can continue adding and removing paint until you're satisfied. You can remove stubborn paint with a slightly dampened rag or even a light sanding. (I find a little alcohol is helpful, if water's not doing the trick.)

2. Highlighting
Highlighting is essentially the opposite of antiquing. Instead of trying to leave paint only in the nooks and crannies of a textured piece, you're trying to apply it to only the raised, uppermost portions of a design. This is commonly done with mica powders to emphasize a design, but the technique can also be used with acrylic paints.

Highlighting is not difficult. The most challenging aspect of the technique is patience. Experiment to find whether you have better luck using a paintbrush (perhaps a stenciling brush?) or a fingertip to lightly dab paint (in any color or combination of colors) onto clay (raw or cured). Try not to overload the brush/fingertip with paint, as this can lead to paint seeping down into the crevices. Just take it a bit at a time, tap-tap-tapping (and reloading as needed) until you're done. You can highlight as much or as little of the pattern as you like and can apply as few or as many layers (in different colors, maybe?) as you like.

3. Washing/Glazing
It seems that the terms "wash" and "glaze" are often used interchangeably. I tend to think of them as slightly different things. The main difference (in my mind) is that a wash is matte (almost chalky, even), while a glaze is glossy. However you think of them, here are two related uses for acrylics:

A wash is paint that has been thinned down using either water or an acrylic medium. (Using water to thin the paint can cause the wash to bead up on cured polymer clay. This makes it difficult to use, so some advise against adding water to acrylics. Feel free to experiment to find what works best for you.) Adjust the ratio to get your desired consistency. Use a wash to achieve a matte, translucent layer of color. You can apply multiple washes to build up layers of color to achieve just the right opacity. Let each wash dry thoroughly before applying the next.

You can create a glaze with acrylic paint by mixing a few drops into a little Varathane, Future, or a product made specifically for creating acrylic glazes. The resultant mixture will create a translucent layer of color that will dry with a shine. This type of glaze can be used to cover an entire piece or as part of an antiquing process. Multiple layers are always a possibility. Just give plenty of time for drying between coats.

4. General and Detailing
General painting on polymer clay-- that is, using a piece of polymer clay as an canvas or painting every inch of a piece with opaque paint-- is largely overlooked, but it is certainly possible. You can start with raw or cured polymer clay. (I'd suggest curing it prior to painting, in this instance.) Paint just as you would any other surface, allowing ample drying time between coats. If desired, you can pop a cured piece back into the oven to harden the paint.

Detailing refers to painting the small details in a piece, such as the eyes, lips, and cheeks of a face. A tiny brush and a steady hand are your best aids in detail painting. If you make a mistake, you can quickly remove the paint with a damp cloth. Take your time, and don't forget that you can apply multiple layers to achieve darker or richer colors. A few thin layers (with "dry-time" between each) is better than one globby, thick layer.

5. Tinting Solid Clay
Because polymer clay comes in such a variety of colors and can be easily mixed to produce nearly any color imaginable, there's not really a need to tint it with paint. However, there are some of us who like to try things whether they're necessary or not. ;o)

There are mixed reports on how well acrylic paint works for tinting polymer clay. If there's too much paint in the mix, it can lead to plaquing or maybe even bubbling. For faux effects-- particularly imitations of stone-- a little plaquing doesn't hurt. In fact, some people try to induce plaquing! General knowledge is that you shouldn't use too great a ratio of paint to clay, but I say it can't hurt to experiment. I suggest letting the paint dry on the clay before kneading it in. This should make less of a mess. Oh, and for the greatest bang for your buck, try tinting translucent clay. You can mix paint into opaque clay, too, but obviously it won't have as much impact as with translucent.

6. Dry Brushing
This is another of those techniques that work best on a textured piece.

To dry brush a piece, pick up a little paint on a stiff, flat brush, remove most of the paint by brushing the bristles over a paper towel, then lightly brush the piece, leaving just a hint of color on the raised portions of the design. You can go over a piece several times until you get the desired finish. Consider using different colors in separate applications.

7. Brocade, Faux Gold Leaf, and Faux Silkscreening
Donna Kato's most recently published book, The Art of Polymer Clay: Creative Surface Effects, demonstrates some lovely techniques involving acrylic paint-- faux gold leaf, Silkscreen effect, brocade effect, and pattern overprinting.

Even if you don't own the book and can't get your hands on a copy, you can still enjoy this tutorial based on one of her appearances on The Carol Duvall Show: Polymer Clay Painted Pendant (featuring the brocade effect).

8. Faux Stone
Several faux stone recipes call for acrylic paint. Of course many faux stones are finished with an antiquing of dark brown-- to give then that ancient look-- but in addition to that, black, brown and white paint in particular are used in techniques that replicate the layered or banded effect found in so many natural materials. Agate, turquoise, marble, and onyx are a handful of faux stones that use acrylic paint, for instance. (Check out this older blog post for links to some related tutorials.)

9. Mokume Gane
(I love this technique, and I've written about it on more than one occasion.)

Acrylic paint can be used in mokume gane with beautiful results. Metallic or iridescent paints are more commonly used than regular ones, but anything is possible. Paint is most commonly used in mokume gane slabs made of translucent clay, as this allows the paint to be seen to the best advantage-- but again, feel free to experiment. Simply roll and cut your clay to the desired dimensions, paint, and let dry. Stack the painted clay and proceed as usual for mokume gane. You can make your mg with several layers of the same color of paint, a variety of colors, or in combination with other materials (metal leaf, for instance).

10. Crackling (or Crazing)
This is another technique that I've loved since the first time I saw it.

This is a simple technique that yields beautiful veneers of clay that can be used in any number of ways. It's helpful to have a pasta machine, but an acrylic rod will do in a pinch.

Start with a uniform sheet of clay in any color. Black is a common choice, but don't be afraid to try something different. Skinner blends can create striking results, too. (Here's a little tip: Don't make this sheet of clay too thin. You'll be thinning it more later on.)

Paint the sheet of clay with your acrylic paint. Metallic or iridescent paint is generally used for crackling, but regular paint will also work. You can use one color over the whole sheet or combine a number of colors in stripes, dots, or random squiggles. Combining different brands of paint can make an interesting crackled sheet, as each brand crackles in a slightly different way. You can cover as much or as little of the sheet as you like. Allow the paint to dry thoroughly. (Trying to crackle before the paint has dried will only make a mess.)

Adjust the pasta machine to a thinner setting and feed the decorated sheet through. The paint should crackle in one direction. To crackle it in the other direction, too, turn the sheet, adjust the pasta machine down to an even thinner setting, and feed the clay through once more.

You can also create a crackled effect on polymer clay by using special products designed to create crazing in the paint on any object. You'll need a crackling medium (sometimes in one bottle, sometimes two formulas kept separated in a pair of bottles). These products create crackling through a chemical process instead of a physical process (such as the physical stretching of painted clay, as described above).

Things to consider:

• These techniques work just as well with metallic acrylics as with regular acrylics.
• Some paints' colors can bleed into the surrounding cured clay, over time. This seems to be a problem particularly with red. Some people report success with sealing the clay before applying paint. Others say that this hasn't helped. It probably varies with the brands of paint and sealant.
  
• Brands differ. Even colors within brands can vary, from one to the next, as to which ones crackle best, will/won't bleed into cured clay, etc. Experimentation is often the only way to find what will and won't work. I think I've had different results with the same bottle of paint on different occasions-- probably related to the time of year and humidity.
  
• Some suggest that you cure painted clay to harden the paint. Some also suggest sealing. What's necessary will depend on what you're going to do with the finished piece. I've put a clay button with unsealed crackled paint through the washer and dryer a few times with no adverse effects (so far), but who's to say it won't come peeling off eventually? Use your own judgment. :o)
• There are different opinions as to how different qualities of paint-- craft vs. artist quality-- perform for various tasks. Some prefer one brand, others another. The best solution seems to be to experiment until you find what works best for you.

Here are a couple of useful links:
http://www.angelslanding.com/pushmolds/paint.html
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/paints.htm

Kato Polyclay -- Reformulation

I read today on Donna Kato's website that Kato Polyclay has been reformulated-- "gone green". The phthalates have been removed from the formula.

I'm no chemist, but I know that large amounts of phthalates probably aren't good for us. Because of concerns over the effects of contact with phthalates, more and more restrictions are being placed on their use in goods-- particularly products intended for children.

Donna writes that the new formula will be just as strong as the old one. It's even supposed to be easier to condition-- "but not too soft".

The packaging of Kato Polyclay will also be changing. Instead of the larger 3-ounce blocks, it will come in 2-ounce packages (like Premo and Sculpey III). For those interested in testing the new clay, there will be sample kits of four 1-ounce packages of different (but coordinating) colors. Oh, and Kato Clear Medium will be sold in colors. No idea which colors, but there's something else to be on the lookout for. (I wonder if the colors will be opaque or translucent. I guess we'll have to wait and see.)

I'm not sure when the new formula will hit stores-- or how the change in package size will affect the price of the product-- but it will be interesting to see what happens next. I've barely touched Kato Polyclay, myself, since I've mostly been happy with Premo (which is also easier for me to get), but if the new formula is easier to condition, I'll definitely have to give it a try.

On a related note:
On the Prairie Craft website, I found an update on the status of Donna Kato's upcoming book. I have no idea when it was posted, but the report indicates that the photos are all done and they're working to get final approval before sending it off to be printed. They haven't even chosen a title, yet, or set a release date, but it shouldn't be too long. (Still no mention of it on Amazon, but I guess that's not so strange, considering that it's not even named yet.)

If I remember correctly, this next book's supposed to focus mainly on millefiori. I haven't done much caning, to date. Every now and then I make a very basic cane-- usually for something relating to miniature food. Millefiori can be beautiful, but it simply hasn't appealed to me as much as other techniques. That said, if the new book is anywhere near as lovely as her last, I'm sure it's worth owning-- and maybe it will be the incentive I need to give caning some serious attention. There's a lot to learn!

Pretty Things

I've been trying to catch up on a few months' worth of blogs. It takes time, but it's certainly a pleasant way to pass an hour.

I recently came across these beads by Mariane S., who describes them as being inspired by Donna Kato. Yes, I see the Kato influence-- the stripes and general shape-- but the "curlicue" and the interesting series of holes are something new to me. Very pretty!

I was also interested to read this entry on Tina Holden's blog. (Another blog to add to my list! And I found two others, as well, while reading other blogs!) Tina put another twist on the faux ceramics technique. Before adding the glaze of alcohol ink-tinted Kato liquid, she touched the clay with mica powders. Great idea! I'd already tried a light sprinkling of embossing powder, but I hadn't been thrilled with the results-- too bumpy for my tastes. (It might look better with different embossing powders. . .). After seeing Tina's lovely examples, I gave the more finely textured mica powders a try last week. It was fun to play around with the powders, and I'm looking forward to doing it again! There are lots more colors combos to try! :o)

One of these days, I'll make myself get out the ol' digital camera so that I can post pictures of my own "pretty things". ;o)

What I've been up to, lately. . .

What I've been up to lately (in the realm of clay). . . Quite a few annoying "flops", in varying degrees of floppiness. ;o)

I'll admit it-- I'm impatient, and I have unrealistic expectations. If something doesn't go right the first time, I'm a bit miffed. If it messes up a second time, I threaten to move on to the next thing, never mind the well-known fact that "practice makes perfect", "Rome wasn't built in a day", and so on. If it's something I really want to do, I might give it a third "go"; otherwise, I need to take a breather and come back to it later. These days, I have a number of "come back to it later"-grade projects.

While reading Donna Kato's new book during my vacation, I came across a few more things to add to my "to try" list. I've been gradually working my way through some of those.

The first project I tried (the alcohol ink on metal leaf under translucent clay) kind of flopped (partly because I deviated from The Plan and didn't realize how sticky the inked clay would be, even after a good, long drying time). I have those lemons sitting off to the side, waiting for me to work up the willpower to see if they can be salvaged. (I'm sure they can be, but I'm just not in the mood to clean up messes, lately. As the piles of clutter in the office can attest!!)

The second "Little Project That Couldn't" ;o) was another from the new Kato book. And ok, maybe it "could", but it didn't do it as well as I'd hoped. It was the encased toner transfer project, and this time, my problem was two-fold.

On the first try, I chose a transfer and color combo that didn't work out very well. The colors are ok, but you can't see much of the transfer. It looks almost like some interesting cracklature instead of a transferred design.

On the second try, I took contrast into consideration, so the transfer is alright-- but this time (as with the first try) I had a little trouble with the translucent clay sticking to my work surface and tearing/stretching when I tried to move it (even when I used a clay blade). After all that burnishing to make the transfer, it's no wonder that the clay gets stuck, but it's still a huge pain. Next time, I guess I'll work on a small tile and chill it. . . Then I also had trouble deciding what to do with the sheets of clay. I tried a couple other things with metal leaf and paint-- attempts to dress up an otherwise dull piece-- but I fear I may have only made things worse.

All in all, it took quite a bit of time, and left me with lots still left to do before I'll have anything finished. Not exactly an exhilarating experience, but I have to keep telling myself that I can't expect everything to go smoothly the first time. (If only I were one of those people who truly enjoys a challenge! (g) Instead, I think I really prefer it when things come easily!! Only joking. I guess. . .)


Looking at the pieces again, I think maybe I was too harsh with them. I mean, I definitely wouldn't say they're my best work, but it's not as though I'll have to bury them in the dead of night. ;o) I think my main problem was that I'd looked forward so much to trying this technique, then when I finally was able to, it wasn't the dream I'd been expecting. I do tend to expect things to go more easily than is likely.

So, what else? Well, I tried that faux ceramic tutorial I linked to the other day-- the one that glazes extruded clay beads with tinted liquid clay. The first try was a disappointment. The liquid clay was running more than I'd expected (probably because my bead rack doesn't hold beads on vertical pins, but on horizontal ones). I tried setting the liquid clay with an embossing gun, then put them into the oven to cure properly. Apparently I didn't heat set them sufficiently, as the liquid clay still cured into a slight drip. :o( Fortunately, it was a test run with just two beads, but now I'll have to figure a better way to deal with the remaining "base beads" I made for that technique. (Maybe I'll make another bead rack, like the one used in the tutorial photos.)

So, has anything been going right? (g)
I did go through with a plan to make different pizza toppings, which was fun. I've run into a slight problem with my pizza slices, too, but it's nothing major, and I think I know how to fix it.


I was also pleasantly surprised with toner transfers. I'd been putting them off and putting them off-- partly because transfers in general are such persnickety things and there are about a hundred ways of doing them-- partly because I didn't have easy access to a copier. I finally got around to visiting the Xerox machine at a local library, which wasn't too much trouble (g), and the water technique in Donna Kato's book makes the process much easier than I'd expected. (Yay!)

(Of course, before I could go to the copier, I had to get my "master sheets" ready. That did take some time-- finding images that were in the public domain, arranging them on the page-- and then, when I had ideas for projects requiring specific images, figuring out the basics of Adobe Illustrator and drawing my own vector images. . . Not that all of that is absolutely necessary, depending on what you want to do. It's pretty satisfying to wrestle a new computer program into semi-submission, but it can also be ir-ri-tat-ing!)

Um, where was I? Oh yeah, toner transfers. So I've been focused on those for a little while, now, using them in a more straightforward way-- not in the encased technique. I was heartbroken when a couple of what I'd hoped would be "perfect" pieces came out with bubbles marring them. But oh well. I'm pretty sure I know what went wrong, and I can adjust my technique.

And that's been it, apart from a few other bits and bobs along the way. I don't have many new photos from the past couple of weeks. For some of the projects, I'm waiting until I get it just right (or "right-er"). As a matter of fact, I'm off to test my toner transfer bubble-problem fixer-upper right now! Wish me luck! ;o)

Just chatting a bit :o)

I'm still far from completely settled back in, but I'm getting there. It's funny-- I spent hours of my vacation reading the two polymer clay books I brought with me (the new book by Donna Kato and the bead bible-- er, I mean Making Polymer Clay Beads (g)). I day-dreamed about all the wonderful things I would do with the clay when I got back home. I wrote down ideas. I missed my clay table. And now that I'm home again, I'm already back in my old bad habit of not spending my time as wisely as I ought. That didn't take long! ;o)

Joking aside, I have spent a little time at the clay table since returning home. There's one project (based on a project in the new Kato book) that I'm in the middle of. (It didn't go quite as planned, but I'm going to try to make lemonade.) Then I've also been using up some scrap clay and taking advantage of the opportunity to try out some of the bead shapes I admired in the Blackburn book (as well as online, in my contacts' Flickr photostreams).

I've taken a few photos of my first attempts at that "new-to-me" style of bead. I'm not sure what the name for this style of bead is, if it even has one. Basically, it's just a base bead covered in one long string of extruded clay. To jazz them up, you usually use a few different colors of clay to make the extruded snake.

I was excited to finally try my new homemade clay gun leverage tool. My husband made it for me based on the design I found on-line. (You can see the page here: http://kelliesklay.homestead.com/pusher.html.) It doesn't look like much, but it works like a dream. I had only used the clay gun once before, and it was so difficult that I never cared to try it again. Now, with this nifty tool at my disposal, I see more extruding in my future. ;o)

Here are my first attempts. I was using up some scrap clay and didn't realize that my color choices were so similar that there wouldn't be much variation in the extrusion. There is some variation, but it's very subtle and may not be visible in this photo. . .

Next, there are a few more from that first batch, in a slightly different color.

As you might have noticed, I decided to experiment a little with the basic idea by adding some texture to the beads. I used rough sandpaper and a toothbrush (my favorite texture tools, and also some of the cheapest I have (g)).

Oh, and I also experimented with whitewashing/antiquing a few from this group. I used white acrylic craft paint. I don't like the fact that they even further dim the colors, but I think this might work well for some styles of jewelry. They remind me of some pottery I've seen. . .

These in the next photo aren't even baked yet, but by the time I made these, I had at least managed to choose colors that didn't completely blend in the extruder. ;o)

While I was taking photos, I snapped a couple pictures of my clay table. At least it looks like I've been busy, right? ;o)

Before I decided to try the "extruder beads", I was using some scrap clay by playing around with some stamps and acrylic paint. . .

Oh, and I made a few of one of my other new favorite bead shapes (which I also admired in Blackburn's book). I've always loved spiral seashells, so this shape has a strong appeal for me. :o)

This photo definitely leaves something to be desired. I'll have to give it another try the next time I'm "really" taking photos. (This was something of a spur of the moment photo shoot.) This is something I made before our vacation. I was just in the mood to try something different, so I tried my hand at applique. It's a bit time consuming, but enjoyable. (Probably would be more enjoyable if I put it up on a taller surface so I wouldn't have to hunch over it.)

Here's another in the same style. (Actually, I think I made this one first.) I'll have to give this another try, someday. Maybe think up some new flower shapes. . . Planning would probably yield better results than just free-handing it.

So, what's in my near future, clay-wise? I need to start work on a special order double cheeseburger. There are a couple other custom order things I need to look into, as well, not to mention that I really ought to list some new items in my Etsy shop, as it's dwindled down to nearly nothing. I have a tutorial in the works (nothing ground-breaking and it has definitely "been done", but I don't think anyone has dibs on it. . .)-- plans for at least two more tutorials/projects to work on-- and I've spotted some glaring errors in my last tutorial, so I need to fix that. (It's nothing sunstantial-- just an accidental repetition in the instructions.) Then there are a few things I really want to try soon, just for fun.

Plus there's all that other stuff-- you know, the rest of my life. ;o)

Vacations are nice, but it's good to be home again!

Kato's "New Opal"

It's high time for another post. Let's see. . . what can I post about?

Well, here's something:
I tried Donna Kato's "new opal" last week. I've made the opal sheet, but so far haven't done anything with it, beyond cutting it. The results were somewhat disappointing. Oh, it looked ok, I guess, but it was much more brittle than I'd expected.

First, I had a little trouble getting it off the tile. It wanted to crack apart, until I slid a tissue blade underneath to gently pry it up until I could get a good grip on it. Then, when I tried to cut it, the brittleness/crumbliness made things difficult, too.

It's hard to tell much for certain from photos, but the pictures in the tutorial-- and the fact that in her gallery, she's used this faux opal sheet to cover a slightly curved cabochon shape-- look to me like hers were more rubbery and/or flexible than mine turned out.

I can think of a couple of possible reasons for this, right off-- and there may be even more.

First-- I wasn't using the same type of flakes used in the tutorial. I suppose this might have affected my results in more than just appearance. I have yet another brand of flakes (still not the one used in the tutorial, though) that I can try next time, to see if this makes a difference.

Second-- I wonder if I didn't make my sheet thin enough and/or get my mix right. Too many flakes, not enough liquid clay. Ms. Kato describes the correct consistency as being like oatmeal. Unfortunately (in this one instance, at least), I'm not much of an oatmeal eater, so this was a bit of a guessing game for me. ;o)

The tutorial indicates putting the cured and cut opal sheet on top of a base of regular clay. In this step, you have to choose your clay color with care, because some of the base shows through. Well, with my sheet, you can put it on whatever you like, 'cause ain't nothin' gonna show through that sucker. (To put it elegantly. (g)) This is probably another indication that my proportions weren't right and I didn't smoosh it down thinly enough.

All in all, rather disappointing, though I can still try to use the pieces did manage to cut out. I just was expecting to have so much more control over the shapes I could cut from it. (That was one of the reasons I was so excited by this technique.) I suppose one mustn't expect success on the first try with every technique, and once I get this one "down", I have a few twists I want to put on it.

__________________________

Random bit of nothing:
I daren't be explicit, for fear of inciting "flames". . . and of becoming some milder form of a pariah (though, honestly, some days I already feel like one, in some of these silly groups!). . . but I need a vent for my annoyance, even if it's just a muffled, ambiguous little rant on my own personal blog.

So-- You know how "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing"? Well, "a little knowledge" has got nothing on "a (very) little power". And. . . I think that's all I'll dare to write here, after all. I'm moving the rest of what I was going to say to an even less public place than this 'umble 'ittle blog. ;o)

New polymer clay product on the way?

I just read something interesting in a PCC thread about Donna Kato's newest book. (You can find the thread here.) I haven't found anything official about this subject, but as Donna Kato herself was in on the discussion, I guess that's official enough. ;o) Apparently, the book mentions a new product that will soon be released to the public--

What is it?
It's something called "Kato Color Concentrate Clay" (which may or may not be the name it's eventually marketed under-- I don't know), and from what I understand it's basically polymer clay with a very high concentration of pigments. There's something like six times as much color in this new product compared to what goes into regular polymer clay.

What do you do with it?
From what I gather, some of the projects in the new Kato book use it, so you can probably refer to that for some examples. Based on the same PCC thread, it sounds like it probably has a variety of uses. For example, it's ideal for making rich shades of pearlized/mica-infused clay without losing the mica shift (chatoyant) effect. It's also suppsed to be great for mixing dark colors without the muddying you often get when mixing regular clay. Because the colors are so rich, you can use just a little bit of the color concentrate, compared to the amount of regular clay you'd have to add to mix the desired color.

What colors does it come in?
The only colors it will initially come in are red, yellow, and blue. But these can be mixed, of course. (Mixing is really their whole reason for existence.) There may eventually be new olors added to the line. (It looks promising, based on the discussion in the PCC thread!) Another color-related tidbit for those of us dying for more info: The three existing colors, mixed in equal parts, make black-- apparently a very fantabulous black. (No, I'm not sure what makes it better than regular black. (g)) ...And the greys are pretty great, too, according to Lynn Ann Schwarzenberg, who was the impetus behind the prototype for the product.

How is it packaged?
I don't know. (I'm not even sure if it's been packaged yet!) Donna Kato describes it as polymer clay consistency-- not liquid-- so I imagine it's packaged similarly to regular polymer clay. Because it is so potent, it may come in smaller packages than regular clay. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Where can you get some?
To start with, it will only be available at select on-line distributors, according to Ms. Kato. And it's not available even there, yet... This first batch is relatively small-- 300 lbs. I hope that once that flies off the shelves (as it's sure to do, I'd say), they'll manufacture more. If it's successful enough, maybe it will eventually be available wherever Kato Polyclay is sold. (However, the only local stores that stock solid Kato clay don't even have the liquid Kato, so I'm not holding my breath. (g))

And in less exciting news. . .

While checking out Donna Kato's blog on the off chance that she'd mentioned this new product (not that I've seen so far, but I'm still reading), I saw this entry-- and this one, too. Evidently, the folks at Epson have changed the formula on some of their papers. One of their papers was discovered to be excellent for image transfers with polymer clay, but that has changed.

Don't despair! There's still hope. ;o) There are other papers that work, including the one Katherine Dewey suggested in the second link-- JetPrint Imaging & Photo Matte Paper, medium weight. (Actually, I think that's the one I've used before. I'll have to go check...)

New polymer clay books on the horizon!

And they're beckoning to me. ;o)

The idea of a new book is usually somewhat nicer than the reality-- but not always so. And anyway, that's how it is with most things. Anticipation is the best part-- or the worst, dependent on what you're anticipating.

I haven't been active on any (polymer clay-related) message boards or e-mail lists for a while, now, so perhaps everyone else in the pc universe already knows about these new books, but this is the first I've heard of them.

I was looking forward to Donna Kato's latest, which is due to come out this month: The Art of Polymer Clay: Creative Surface Effects. The library system "next door" already has a copy on reserve, and I was hoping to get a peek at it before too terribly long. (And if it was simply too wonderful to pass by, then I'd consider buying it.)

With visions of "creative surface effects" dancing through my head, I never gave a thought to the other clay books that might be in the works. But I just found two (and I'm sure there are more, but two is all I can handle at once (g))!

First--
The Encyclopedia of Polymer Clay Techniques: A Comprehensive Directory of Polymer Clay Techniques Covering a Panoramic Range of Exciting Applications, by Sue Heaser. 160 pages, hardcover, $18.45 from Amazon, and due out October 2007! Let the countdown begin. ;o) I've yet to see a photo of even the cover, but I've so enjoyed some of Heaser's other books that I have high hopes for this one. It does sound like it might be more useful for a beginner-- or someone who doesn't already own a few good clay books-- but you never know. There's not even the standard description you usually get from the publisher, but based on the title, I'd expect it to be "comprehensive", with a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Pretty tantalizing, actually!



Second--
Polymer Clay Beads: Techniques, Projects, Inspiration, by Grant Diffendaffer. 144 pages, hardcover, $16.47 from Amazon, and due out January 2008. (Just a bit too late for Christmas, more's the pity. But I guess one could always ask for money or an advance order placed in one's name. (g)) I don't know much about Diffendaffer, but the little I've seen of his work has been impressive, and I like the beads in the cover photo. I'd like to at least see this book, so I hope the trusty library will get this one, too. ;o) This book does have a description in the "editorial reviews" section:

Twenty different crafting methods—countless breathtaking beads, all made from easy to work with polymer clay! The varied techniques in this comprehensive skill-building book—many of which have never before been published—range from hand-formed tubes, spheres, wedges, teardrops, and baguettes to traditional mokume gane with fantastic layered effects. Add mica clay to create iridescent “ghost image” beads. Construct veneered pillow beads. Carve beads, press-mold them, or even use a cookie-cutter to get an array of fabulous shapes. Turn and form the bead on an extremely affordable craft lathe. Close-up photos show every step in the process, as well as the completed beads; some also appear as part of a finished piece of jewelry for inspiration.

Some of it is familiar and even potentially "over-done" (mokume gane, "ghost image")-- but there's no way to know what twist he might have put on it-- and there are also things that he "specializes" in-- such as the use of the lathe-- which you probably aren't going to find in another book. I'm definitely interested in this one, too.



Books, beautiful books! ;o)

P.S. *gasp* I almost lost this post! (Not that it would have been some great loss to humanity, but I still would've been annoyed.) Thank goodness for Blogger's handy-dandy new "auto-save" feature! (Because I didn't think about copying the poste until immediately after hitting "publish". Isn't that always the way it works?) Blogger Autosave, you're my hero!! ;o) (Now, where do I go to type a glowing testimonial? (g))

No tables, but a link...

Still no sign of the tables, despite phone calls to the "help" line. Apparently it's "out of their hands", now that the delivery company has the boxes. Maybe the delivery guy decided to keep them for himself. ;o) Seriously, if they don't come today, it's going to be time to get a number for the delivery company and contact the local branch directly. This is getting to be ridiculous.

. . . . .

I was redirected to Donna Kato's website today, where I found some new tutorials that she has up. So far, there are tutorials for a carved, antiqued bead, toner transfers, a new style of opal, jellyroll millefiori, and something she calls "layer dichroic effects"-- all very nice. I'm definitely going to try the new style of opal, one of these days. The only problem is that she uses Kato Liquid Polyclay, and I only TLS, which probably won't cure as clear. Maybe I'll get some Liquid Kato sometime. If it's really that much clearer than TLS, it'd be nice to have for some other projects, as well.

--Excuse me a moment while I get rid of this disgusting zinc cough drop. Yuck!!! Well, they might lessen the effects of a cold, but I think I'd rather have a cold than have to take one of those every three hours. Why are almost all medicines so horrible to take? Why can't they taste like pizza or candy? I wish someone would come up with a cough syrup (for example) that is pleasant-tasting-- or at least neutral. Now I need some chocolate or something to get rid of the taste! ;o)

So, back to the website I was writing about before...
There's also a gallery of some of Donna Kato's polymer clay art. Some of it's older, some of it's brand new. Some pretty things there.