#2015PCChallenge : Week 29 : A mix of blues

Hi!

Here is my submission for week 29 for #2015PCChallenge.

This week I wanted to give Bargello style a try.Not unusually , I started meandering within the first hour or so,resulting in something I was not planning on making.

Primary Piece : Textured geometric Cuff in Blues & white

Fastened with turquoise suede chord in a sliding knot.

Secondary piece :Textured  Fishy pendant in blue.
This can probably be directly related to watching shark tales on tv , while playing with clay (lol).
Fastened with turquoise suede chord in a sliding knot.

Hope you liked what I made this week ! Thank you so much for reading :)

Have a great day !

#2015PCChallenge : Week 28

Hi !

For this week's challenge , I made a mix of floral themed pieces.
I rather forgot about the challenge this week , so these were made quite quickly. They are made with a flower mold I rediscovered. They are quite simple to make , but the results are quite rewarding :)

I am trying to make a few more pieces for some experiments. I will try to post them here.

Thanks for reading this quick post :)

Have a great day !

#2015PCChallenge : Week 27 : Jhimki trials

Hi!

This week I have tried to make some jhimki's. These are dome shaped earrings , usually made with silver or gold. This style is one of  thetraditional style earrings that can be found through out India.
They have recently had a resurgence in popularity ,however the materials are now paper , terracotta & clay.

I have been making jhimkis with cane designs for a while , but I could not try an textured styles.
Recently , a friend ordered some  texture sheets for herself from cooltools , and very kindly offered me the chance to buy some for me as well. So now I have a few sheets to play with !
I right away tried making some Jhimkis.
Textured jhimkis were fairly easy to make , one color sutton slice technique based ones were tougher but doable , the multicolored sutton slice based one was quite tough & time consuming.

So here goes :
Primary pieces : Textured jhimkis with wire work .

I am a rookie in the matters of wire work also , so I am not a 100% happy with the purple jhimkis , and would not be putting these style earrings for sale just yet. 

I am quite happy with the blue pair , I initially put them up for sale , but i have withdrawn them since.I happen to have a perfectly matched saree for this , and I was also hunting for the perfect earrings. So a bit of self indulgence in this case.

Secondary pieces : Sutton slice technique 

The jhimki pair on the bottom was single colored sutton slice experiment. It went off without a hitch. I am quite happy. 

The jhimki pair on top was a monster to make , and even then I am not perfectly happy with it. I was done with most of it , but completed it just a few days back.Thankfully the better version of this is off to an owner , and this is an experimental piece. I wasted so much clay , just trying to get all four colors in.I spent days get it just right. Finally when everything was in place , the hole for the eye pin would be off by a millimeter or so . I was a frustrated mess.  This is by far the toughest earring I have had to make.

Sorry about the delayed post , I was unable to upload the photos on time due to our rather slow internet connection.

Thanks for reading.Comments are always welcome !

Have a great day :)

Now we Bake !

Now that we have gotten answers to the most common questions , let us move onto finally baking our project.

Most of us use different methods to ensure burning, browning and soft spots don't mar our work. I follow Ginger Davis Allman's method of baking clay.I have had good results so far , with only few instances of burning ( because of temperature spikes).
To bake this way ,you need :

Aluminum containers are easily available in super markets. Buy a size that fits your oven.

You need at least 2 binder clips for this. I used four for a while, but it doesn't seem make any notable difference.

She uses a small size ceramic tile , which she places inside one the containers.
Then , on top of it , copy paper or printer paper , then the project is placed on top of it , close with the other container , use the binder clips to close the sides.

Picture Credit : Blue Bottle Tree . Thank you Ginger !

Putting Ceramic tiles in your oven has another major benefit for those who have misbehaving ovens. Ceramic tiles help with spiking , that is , it helps with stabilizing your oven temperature so that your projects have a better chance of baking thoroughly.

Covering your project with containers helps with stabilizing temperature. This also has an additional benefit of containing any toxic fumes on the off chance your project gets burnt.


I however did not find any small size ceramic tile , so my alternative is to put a cardboard piece, cut to size ,inside the box. I have tried putting only printer paper , while this prevents shiny spots , the paper has to be replaced every time.I am essentially lazy so I use cardboard instead.You can use a single piece of cardboard for baking around 20-30 times.

Putting a piece of cardboard instead

Another common technique is using baking soda / Corn powder. This is a good option for baking sculptures or projects that are not flat , or otherwise needs some support during baking to retain their unique shapes.

Set project in the corn powder. Cover & bake.

You will  need 2 aluminium containers as well as 2 binder clips for this technique also.

Pour the powder of your choice into the container and put your project in. Close the container using the other container and binder clips. Bake.

I do not follow this technique generally as I mostly make things that do not need support. If you want to bake small figurines or flowers with delicate petals etc , this would be a good option for you.

Con : The powders may stick to the crevices in your project. Use a toothpick or tooth brush to get them out.


 The piece used here for explaining is NOT polymer clay. It is cold porcelain. I wanted to show the type of projects that would benefit from this technique , as well as to show powder sticking.


NOTE : Many people use regular baking pans ( non disposable) for baking polymer clay. Line the insides with foil before putting in the tile/cardboard or powders. Use another regular baking pan that covers the first one perfectly and bake,

You can bake your PC project directly, using the pan provided with the oven & leaving your project open , but this generally results in burning. If not burnt it will most likely discolor your baked clay or leave a shiny spot where it touches the pan.

You are sure to find many more techniques as you get familiar with clay. You will most likely modify a technique you like to fit your particular needs.Also :

• The clay will be quite flexible after taking it from the oven. Once it cools down , it will be much harder , but still a little bit flexible. This is normal.The thinner pieces will be more flexible than the thicker pieces.
• If you try to break your project during this stage & the piece crumbles ( feels a bit like crumbled wax), then your project may be under baked , ie, baked at a lower temperature than recommended.
• When you bake whites or translucent clay , and you notice that  the clay is slightly beige or brownish , then you may be baking at a higher temperature than needed.So please purchase an oven thermometer to ensure that your clay doesn't give you any nasty surprises.
• You can bake your clay pieces multiple times. As long as the temperature range is controlled , your item will not get burned .Infact , experts say that baking for longer makes your pieces stronger.

I have tried to add in the questions I answer most of the time. I cleared most of my doubts from the blue bottle tree. Ginger writes very clearly &  articles are easy to read. Please read through the comments on her article  as well , as your question might be answered there as well.

If you would like me to add anything in , please let me know.

Thanks for reading , have a great day !

Some common questions about polymer clay : Before baking stage

Hi !

Now that Polymer Clay ( from now referred to as PC) is quite easily available in India , I see a lot of people who are beginning to play with PC. Even though I am newbie as well , having the virtue of being a slightly older newbie , I get quite a few questions about PC. For the most part they are recurring , so I have decided to answer most questions here.

1. Is PC an air dry clay ? 
: No. It needs to baked.

2. What temperature do we need to bake the clay at ?
: The temperature is mentioned on the cover of your clay.
Sculpey3/ Premo/souffle at 130 degree celcius , Kato at 135 degree celcius.

3. My clay packet does not have baking instructions. What can I do ?
: Most good quality clay's come with baking instructions as the baking temperature varies from brand to brand. If the baking temperature is not mentioned , you will have to experiment on your own and see which is the baking temperature.
 A word of caution : Polymer clay burns if the temperature is too high , but it will be under-baked if the temperature is too low. The baking temperature may even vary from packet to packet of the same brand of clay where the temperature is not mentioned.

4. Can I bake my home made PC ?
No. Cold porcelain is also called as home made PC and that is an air dry clay.Their chemical composition is quite different , Cold porcelain being a PVA based clay and PC being a PVC based clay.

5. What can I do if I don't have an oven ? 
To work with PC you need an oven. There are many brands of toaster ovens available in the market.

6. Can I use microwaves to bake PC ?
No. It is mentioned on most of the packs as well.
Here is a Video of what happens when you microwave clay , by claycupcakes4 on YouTube. If you go through the comments there are some who recommend using a bowl of water to cure clay in the microwave. I have not tried it this and I don't know if the clay was cooked through.

7. Can I use the pressure cooker or water in some form to cook PC ?

I would say no, Water evaporates at a 100 degree Celsius , and most clay brands need at least a temperature of 130 degree Celsius for it be correctly baked.

8. What oven should I buy ?

As long as the oven has a temperature control feature ( such as knobs) , you can buy any oven in your budget.
 There are pros and cons to every oven out there. Go online and check out the various offers available along with the reviews. Speak to people have baking experience ( not necessarily clay) . Speak to electronic stores , check out guarantee / warranty offers.
Another thing to keep in mind are the projects you plan to do. For example if you intend to make large figurine's at some point in the future , ensure you buy an oven big enough to accommodate it.

9. What else do you use regularly while baking PC ?

I use an oven thermometer every time I bake.
Many , if not all ovens have temperature spikes, My oven spikes anywhere from 30 degree Celsius to 80 degree Celsius.If I don't use a thermometer , I will only know about burned projects once I smell them on opening the oven.
I need 2 aluminium containers to bake my projects in , and 2 Binder clips to keep it closed.

10. Do you burn projects ?

Yes. All of us burn projects at least once in a while.We may burn things due carelessness ( did not notice wrong temperature on the dial ) , or forgetfulness ( forgot to put the second aluminium cover on) , or because oven temperature suddenly spiked more than normal.Just like how a baby falls when they take first steps , we may burn things on the way to becoming artists. Don't let that stop you from loving clay :)

My very first project : BURNED !

Hope this was useful to you . Please comment to give feedback or to add the other questions you commonly recieve , question will be added with due credit.
Thanks for reading have a good day !

#2015PCChallenge : Week 26 : Rainbow bangles !

Hi !

I have submitted a half year worth of projects ! Yaay ! I am very happy to move onto the next half of the year.

I have seen many rainbow themed canes in this past year and I have always wanted to make one. Last week I finally decided to take the plunge and make a rainbow cane.
Since it was a lot of work the way I planned it, I started off with the individual canes last week itself. I was done with a few colors and BOOM! Facebook exploded with rainbow profile pictures.

Neither am I sure if this is the right place to say this, nor am I good with words.But here goes -
While same sex marriages are still illegal here in India, along with being a societal taboo, we are slowly moving along with the world, and inter-caste, inter-religion and inter-region marriages  are beginning to be given more leeway.

I understand it is not the same situation, and that growth of tolerance in one area does not mean growth of tolerance in another, but I still believe that tolerance level on an average level is going up.
Borrowing my husbands words ( he is much more concise than I am ), I hope that we soon wake up and see that it must be one of our basic rights that consenting adults may freely marry each other.
That's all that it really is .

Okay, moving on, there is no theme this month. I am just going to make whatever my heart tells me to.

Here is this week's project:

I have put both the primary & secondary pieces together in this photo. Even though they are very similar looking, the actual patterns are quite different and varied.

Thanks for reading :) Have a great day!