Experimenting with alcohol inks

Continuing to work with alcohol inks and one thing I have definitely learned is that I will need gloves and a clear work space. I am much too clumsy and had my hands dyed a lovely shade of blue this weekend. Thankfully I had plenty of Clorox wipes on hand and while they aren't the most gentle thing to use on your hands, they are effective for removing those stains. I used the blue and green from the Ranger Adirondack Brights on a white Premo tile I had baked.

Originally I created a Zentangle with micron pens, but in the process of trying to add color I smudged it.  So I sanded it down and decided to cover what I couldn't sand off with the alcohol inks.  Once the tile was "inked" I decided that it had a deep sea vibe to it and thought that an octopus bail would be cool.  I went with it, and this was the result.

Challenge Accepted!

I am seven months late, but I have accepted Kater's Acres 2015 Polymer Clay Challenge.  For the remainder of the year I will commit to creating a weekly project in which I learn a new technique and try new products. This week I used my 50% off coupon at Michael's to buy some alcohol inks and spend all weekend experimenting.  It was a messy endeavor and I certainly need more practice. I also found a great tutorial for Faux Rusted Metal by ArtisTerra Studio.  My luck was better with this and I created a neat little pendant.   Of course I had to add some gears to make it a bit steampunk.

Zentangle Inspired Tiles

Combining two of my favorite things by creating tangles with polymer clay.  I turned one of the tiles into a pendant.  I'm not sure yet what I will do with the other two.

Coffee Please

The July challenge for my Art Abandonment group was to create something for a person who was shrinking. I could have cheated and used the little flip flops from the my previous swap, but that wouldn't be challenging myself! So instead I thought a tiny coffee cup would be great to abandon at a coffee shop. If I were shrinking I would certainly still need my coffee!

 I've created a tutorial and published it to my YouTube Channel

Flip Flops

One of the things I love about the PCA Virtual Retreat is the monthly swaps.  June's swap was itty bitty flip flops!  I've never made them before and it was a little bit of a challenge for me to get my flops consistently the same shape.  However I had what Bob Ross calls a "happy accident" and bent one of my oval cutters.  Since it was already bent I decided to shape it into a shoe shape.  I see many more flip flops in my future.

 The other happy accident was the discovery that one of my clay tools has a textured grip which had a great pattern and texture for the soles of the flip flops.

 Overall I had a lot of fun and learned a lot from this month's swap.  I find that participating in swaps and being in groups like Art Abandonment, challenges and motivates me to create.  Every project I do is a learning experience.  This is something that I try to express to my son when he is frustrated with his progress at art or music.  Each time you create you are improving, every mistake you make is a learning opportunity and no matter how experienced you become, there is always something more you can do to perfect your work. I follow so many polymer clay artists through social media and I am amazed by the talent.  Sometimes it is honestly overwhelming and makes me feel like such an amateur.  When this happens, I follow the same advice that I give my son.  I look at my past work and I compare it to my present work.  I see how far I have come and it makes me confident on how far I can go.