New Blog

From polymer clay jewelry - to polymer clay tutorials.  I am switching my focus and decided to switch to a new blog as well.

This is the last entry in this blog.

I will continue in my new blog, polymertutorials.blogspot.com.  Please follow me there!


polymertutorials.blogspot.com

Student's Work Faux Cloisonne

"I purchased your tutorial and wanted to tell you how much fun I have had doing this technique. I absolutely love it.....I have attached a picture of one of my creations using this technique for you to see some of my work. Thank you so much, I am always looking for new things to try and this one is great!!!"


I received this lovely e-mail from Deb a couple of days ago. The e-mail was accompanied by a picture of Deb's faux cloisonne pendant. Isn't it beautiful?!


I was very excited. I love receiving feedback from the people who use my polymer clay tutorials, and seeing their works is the best part. It is always interesting to see where the other people are taking this technique.


Deb's design is amazing. Creating faces in faux cloisonne technique is a challenge, because the tiniest shift in any of the lines can easily turn a beautiful face into an ugly one or completely change the facial expression.


We exchanged a few e-mails since the first one, and I learned that Deb already made a few pieces in faux cloisonne technique. She has a website (a very new one, and a work-in-progress, she says), where more of her works could be seen.

My new About page

Yesterday I finally filled out my About page on Etsy.com.

Here are the pictures I used to create this page.

The first picture is a panaramic shot of my studio.  I am lucky to have a lot of space for my studio.  My husband helped me to set it up in our basement, and we installed kitchen cabinets in there as working benches.  That gave me plenty of storage space and working surface.  Being busy with my full-time job (I am a lab manager at a company that analyzes chemical standards for pharmaceutical companies), I cannot use my studio often.  Sometimes, I have to leave my started projects for days in a row.  However, when I do have a free minute to work there, I want to be able to start working on my polymer clay projects right away. That is why slosed storage space protecting my projects from dust and distortion is crucial for me.

A photocube is a central piece of equipment in my studio. This is a collapsable model, but I leave it set up permanently on my bench.  Most of my time in studio is spent taking photos for my step-by-step polymer clay tutorials.  Each tutorial has from 20 to 90 pictures, and every picture is taken at least three times.

An oven with tight temperature control is another important tool in a studio of any polymer clay artist.  I am happy with my Amaco oven.  

Here are some more of my tools.  In fact, this is the most of my tools, because you do not need too much to work with polymer clay.  

This picture shows my stash of polymer clay, tesin, and some other stuff.  To be honest, I usually do not keep my clay in the open like this - I decided to rearrange this area a little bit just for the picture so that I could show my materials.  I mostly use Kato clay in black (lots of black), white, translucent, and metallics.  Most of other colors I create by mixing translucent clay with Kato color concentrates.  

To save space on my About page, I compined the last four pictures into a collage.  I hope it is not too confusing.

Here are two more pictures I used.

This one shows my publications (magazines and books in which either my tutorials or pictures of my polymer clay jewelry weer published).

And the last picture shows a few close-up shots from my various polymer clay tutorials.  I thought my Etsy visitors would be interested to see how someone works with polymer clay.

I still have one slot left for one more picture, but I cannot think of another good one to place there yet.

New Focal Polymer Clay Bead

I want to show my recent polymer clay creation.  Exploring some new areas for me - aiming for organic and rustic look.  I 've been working with antique brass a lot recently, and here I tried to mimic that material in polymer clay...

New Necklace...

I realized I did not show any of my new work for a while, so here is a polymer clay and metal necklace I just finished last week. It is a study of various textures, with every bead being unique and different from all others. The beads are tied together by their common shape and color scheme.








 

...And Disaster

This is what happens when an old oven is not replaced in time. The last couple times I baked in it, I suspected there was something going on with the temperature setting, but never got around to actually check it. This time, there is no doubt. I wonder just how high did the temperature spike to turn one of the last sections of my necklace into this ugly blob (I took a picture of it next to the other sections for a size comparison)...

Finally on Facebook

Just finished making my business page on facebook.  Come and take a look.  There is a link on the right side of this blog or you can just follow this link:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Polymer-Clay-Tutorials-Jewelry-and-Beads-by-Eugena-Topina/166188150060268

I am still trying to figure out how it all works.  My son says it is a never-ending process since the site is constantly changing.  Sounds encouraging!

Web Site Updates

Checking the sources of the traffic to my sites a couple of days ago, I came across a post about my polymer clay work at some forum. The post had a link to the gallery at my Eugena's Creations web site with a short comment, something like this: “Polymer clay imitations of cloisonne beads, but very beautiful.”

While I am flattered by the “very beautiful” part of this statement, I felt quite uneasy about the rest of it.

The choice of preposition (“but”, not “and”), probably, says something about the author's taste. I feel, she does not really like cloisonne in general, or she is not a fan of the polymer clay versions of this style. Whatever it is, there is nothing I can do about it.

The first part of this comment, however, made me spend a few hours updating my site. I realized that in fact, the gallery did not represent my work in its variety. I had mostly my faux cloisonne work there (plus a few sculpted flowers), but none of my other works – in steampunk or rustic style, for example. So, I added 25 new gallery pages. Take a look when you have a few minutes.

It was a timely update, indeed. I am shifting priorities in my polymer clay work, concentrating on my tutorials now. I never liked “production” type of work, and with closing of my 1000Markets shop, I decided not to list my jewelry for sale anywhere else at the moment. So, Eugena's Creations web site is now becoming a showcase of my works rather than a tool to lead to my on-line jewelry shop. It is also becoming a portal to my PolymerClayTutorials.etsy.com shop, which will be the center of my attention now. In either case, my gallery definitely benefits from showing a wider variety of my works.

Updates to My Tutorial Delivery System

While I am out of town at the beginning of April, my polymer clay tutorials will be available from my web site only.

I am also setting up a new system. Instead of sending my customers a file in pdf format, this system will generate a temporary web page and send a link to that page. The purchased tutorial file will be placed on the corresponding temporary web page. The customers will be instructed to download the file before it expires (in five days).

I hope this system will work better than the current one. With the current system (when tutorial files are e-mailed directly to customers), some of the e-mails get lost or somehow do not reach my customers. This happens rather seldom, but it is still very irritating. Problem is, when this happens, I do not get any mail failure messages, so I have no idea that the tutorial was not received. I only learn about the problem when my customer contacts me. When that happens, I re-send the tutorial manually, and always feel terrible for causing my customers this inconvenience. It seems that some people have protective settings in their e-mails preventing them from receiving big files (and my tutorials, with all those pictures, are usually 2 to 4 MB files). So, the new system, when only a short message is sent, shall overcome this problem.

I finished setting up and testing this system yesterday. I will continue monitoring its performance while I am still here.

After April 2, I will have no computer access until April 10. I hope there will not be any problems during this time.

Experimenting:

Hollow Rose Bud Beads

Last week's polymer clay hibiscus flower custom order put me in a “flower mood”, I think. I kept looking at the petal cane left from the hibiscus, and suddenly got an idea for a sculpted rose bead.

I made it hollow inside, about 1.5” long.

Here is the same bead in two finishes – natural and with patina added. Which one do you like better?

Oh, and by the way, these beads are available through my Etsy shop now.

Eugena's Creations at La Boutique De Mon Amie

I am happy to report that some of my jewelry may now be seen in a brick and mortar store in the beautiful historic part of Elicott City, MD. This store is called La Boutique De Mon Amie, and it is owned by two elegant women, Debbie Kehoe and Kimberly Kepnes.

I went there this Wednesday, on my friend's recommendation, and was absolutely charmed by the place. The shop is located in an old French-style cottage, and has its own charm a certain European aura. There is Little French Market Cafe right next door to this shop. While I was talking to Debbie, a girl from this cafe brought her some most deliciously-looking coffee. I did not have time to check out the cafe, but I will definitely do it next time.

The boutique sells various accessories, purses, and jewelry. It has three floors, with a nice cozy room at each floor. Visitors are greeted at the first floor, the second floor is dominated by a huge wall mirror in a wrought-iron frame and a few glass cases hosting black velvet jewelry displays, and the third floor (the attic, as they call it) is all sunny and colorful. Everything is presented with a great taste and in a very friendly atmosphere.

There are only a few of my pieces there right now, but I shall bring some more in a couple of weeks. We are also talking about me creating an exclusive Mon Amie collection to be carried in this shop only.

My New Studio

I want to brag about my new studio!

We have one big semi-finished room in the basement, and I've been using a part of it for my studio. Here is how it looked like a few years ago:

Unfortunately, I do not have a more recent picture – with all the extra stuff I've accumulated since then. The space under this table was packed with boxes, and the table itself was always covered with various unfinished projects.  There were a couple of open shelves overflowing with my tools and supplies, and I also had a smaller, rather inconvenient, table for taking pictures (and you know – I am taking tons of them, both for my tutorials and for my on-line listings).

So, my husband and I finally decided to remodel the downstairs space. Eventually, we'll have three separate rooms there, with one of them being my studio. Since we do all the work ourselves (or to be exact – my husband does most of the work, and I am helping him a little), the entire project is going to take at least a year. Right now, we have one of the corners of that big room enclosed, and we are building a new master bedroom in there.

Suddenly, right before Thanksgiving, my husband scored a VERY good deal on a few kitchen cabinets and counter tops. The best part is that they will fit nicely in the future studio, when we really have it finished, with all the walls and everything. For now, we temporarily installed all the new furniture so that I could use it right away.

Here is where I will be working now:

See the white cube in the corner? That's my permanent photo studio. No more folding and unfolding it between the photo sessions and no more balancing it on a tiny table!

This is my sewing space. Did you know that I actually design and make most of my clothes myself? I still need to put some drapers over the top shelves for now. When we finish this room, all my sewing stuff will be inside a built-in closet.

This part is still open to the rest of the big room. Eventually there will a wall right behind the left section of the counter top.

I am so happy to finally have all these drawers to put away my art supplies. I know, some artists prefer to have their supplies in the open. Not me! I prefer to have only the stuff I am currently working with, and to put it away when I am done.

I took the pictures above yesterday. Here are how the views from my studio look like now (it's been snowing the whole day today):

By the way, the numerous lilac vases are for the custom order I am finishing right now. They are a variation of my Sea Urchin Vase design, and are intended as the central pieces for my customer's wedding.

Eugena's Gift Certificates

I am happy to offer Gift Certificates for Eugena's Creations.  The certificates are available for any money value of your choice and can be purchased at Eugena777.etsy.com.

The certificates are redeemable at any of my on-line shops: Eugena777.etsy.com or 1000markets.com/users/eugenascreations (both are accessible through my main web site, eugenascreations.com). Your gift recipient will be able to choose anything she wants from my polymer clay tutorials, beads, and finished jewelry. The amount of the certificate can be used toward any item or combination of items from my two stores, including the shipping fees.

Your gift certificate will be printed on white card stock paper and mailed to you or directly to the recipient.

Alternatively, the gift certificate can be e-mailed to you (so that you can save on the shipping fees).

First Sale

Over weekend, I sold my first piece of jewelry through 1000markets.com.

I am in the process of listing all my jewelry on this site. Right now, some of my polymer clay items are both on 1000markets.com and in my Etsy shop, but as my Etsy listings expire, I am not planning to re-list any jewelry there any more. I am doing quite well on Etsy, but (at least for me) my tutorials and beads sell much better than finished jewelry. This can be explained by a few factors, and one of them, I think, is that in order for my jewelry to be seen by the potential customers, I have to re-new my listings very often. If not re-newed, they drown under numerous more recent listings by other designers. The new site, as far as I understand, has a different algorithm for displaying its content, and I hope my jewelry will have a better chance to be found there.

Unbelievable Story

or How the Inspiration Works

A while ago I've got this picture through Etsy conversations.

This is a picture of a cake from somebody's blog, which was inspired (get this!) by my steampunk butterflies!

Too bad I do not have the link to the blog itself. If anybody knows where this picture came from, please let me know, OK?

New Tutorial

Polymer Clay and Fiber

Poppy Beads

The new polymer clay tutorial is available now.

My detailed step-by-step instructions show how to make a beautiful poppy cane, how to shape it into a poppy bead, and how to adorn it with fibers.

This project is simple enough to be enjoyed by a novice clayer, yet fun and innovative enough for those who already have some experience. As always, the skills learned following this tutorial can be used for many various projects in the future.

This tutorial is already listed both in my Etsy shop and on my web site.

My Faux Cloisonne Workshop

in Baltimore

November 14, 2009

I have finally received a confirmation of my hands-on class scheduled at Baltimore Clayworks studio on November 14, 10am-4pm.

In this class, I will demonstrate my faux cloisonne technique. The picture on the left is the one that was chosen by the studio to represent the possibilities of this style, although I usually advise my students to start with a simpler design.

Cloisonne is an ancient metal-working technique that involves soldering pieces of wire to the metal base and filling them up with glass enamels in various colors.

My faux cloisonne technique allows to get a very similar effect using polymer clay, wire, and resin.

In this workshop, I will demonstrate and then let the participants do the polymer clay part. At the end of the day we will cure all projects in an oven so that they could be easily transported home and finished there later.

In the second part of the class, I will demonstrate how to work with the resin and let everybody practice on some scrap pieces, which I will provide. With this training, the class participants will be able to finish their projects at home. The projects cannot be finished in class, because the resin takes at least a day to cure, and it shall not be disturbed during this time.

I will also provide a detailed review of resins and glazes available on the market, discuss possible errors and ways to prevent or correct them, and demonstrate variations of this technique, including the use of beads, crystals, and metal leaf.

You may find more details about this class and register at http://www.baltimoreclayworks.org/class/mtclasses/fall09/workshops/WS7_workshop.html

Coming soon to an Etsy shop near you...

I spent more than a month developing and refining two new lines of jewelry, which I will start listing in my Etsy shop in August. I know, doing them one at a time would have been wiser, but inspiration is a powerful force, and I simply could not fight with it. The first line is sprouting from my original faux cloisonne technique. Those familiar with this technique know that a faux cloisonne design is created by pieces of wire, meticulously measured, shaped, and applied to the surface of raw polymer clay. It is a very time-consuming technique, and every piece made like that is truly unique. The new technique I am coming up with still employs the line as the major design element, but it allows me to make multiples of the same design, with or without some variations. While I am not ready to share the details of this technique yet, I am happy to show you a few proof-of-concept pieces:

Since these pendants require less time to make, I will be able to offer them at more affordable prices than my faux cloisonne creations. The second line is all about color. The picture below shows a few of my cabochons ready to be made into pendants and earrings. I will also have them available as beads for those who would like to use them in their own designs. And here are some experiments with fusing these two techniques. While the results are interesting, I am not quite pleased with them yet. I think I will list these pendants in my Etsy shop as well and wait to see what kind of response I can get. I may come back to this concept and explore it some more, but I am not planning to do it right now.

Work in Progress,
New Tutorial

I am working on a step-by-step tutorial for this fantastic bangle bracelet.

The design combines polymer clay (of course!) with some gems, and looks wildly exotic.

I hope to have this tutorial in my shop by the end of the month.

New Tutorial, Sea Urchin Vase

Just finished a new tutorial! This one is for a polymer-clay covered vase decorated with fresh-water pearls. The vase is shaped like a sea urchin and looks great both with flowers and on its own. The tutorial is currently listed in my Etsy shop.

Scarlet Sails
Finished!

I am done! The Scarlet Sails faux cloisonne wall piece is finished, framed, and shipped to the customer. I think it was my biggest, most challenging, and probably the best piece so far.

See my previous posts for work-in-progress pictures. Here is the finished piece (click on the picture for a larger version):

The faux cloisonne part is 4 1/2” by 6 ½ “, the size of the the whole picture with frame is 11 1/4” by 13 1/4”. The faux cloisonne part has domed edges showcased by mounting the piece on top of the two mats within the frame, not behind them, as it is usually done for flat artwork.

Taking a photograph of this piece turned out to be an extremely daunting task. Due to its size, I could not fit it in my light box and tried to photograph it by simply hanging on the wall in my studio. I immediately realized that due to its shiny surface (two layers of clear resin), the piece works as a mirror. Well, not a perfect mirror, but a good one enough to reflect me and my camera when I tried to photograph it. Yes, and also all my windows... When placed away from the windows, it did not have enough light, but still acted as a mirror. After a number of unsuccessful shots, I was finally able to capture the one you see here. The trick? I had my kids hold a solid-colored piece of fabric in front of the camera. I made a hole in the middle of this screen just big enough to point my camera through it. I also used two of my OttLite lamps on both sides of the picture, but not in front of it.

I am ready for a new challenge!