Linda's Magic Workshop - Linda Britt Design

A challenge!  That's what I need to take me away from the world's overwhelming daily concerns.  So I wondered how big of a polymer clay bowl I could make.  What could I use for a form?  What technique would I use?  How much clay would it take and what would fit in my oven?  You've seen my 'Small Bowls for Little Things' on my Facebook Page ( https://www.facebook.com/LindaBrittDesign/ )  and in my Etsy shop ( https://www.etsy.com/shop/LindasButtonsBowls ).  If not, please take a look!  Those same questions were ones I had to answer when I started making the small bowls except in the other extreme.  How small could I make a bowl and it still be useful, what form to use and what technique?   One of my favorite bowls is a handmade Mexican pottery bowl with a scalloped edge.  It just fits in my little oven if I take the rack out.  I can use some of my large 3" cane slices that were left over from a Christmas ornament proje...

It's kind of funny when you think about it.  The only limits I have on this project is a 20" x 20" canvas, a summer color scheme and my mind!  I think the mind is the problem!  There are so many directions to go.  I've narrowed the choices by deciding to use polymer clay.  But what should I do with it?  I could do a mosaic or an abstract design, or a still life, or ... well the list goes on.  At some point I have to do something. I start making canes...big canes....summer colors of polymer clay rolled together to make circular designs.  I think I'm making stylistic flower blossoms and swirls of blue sky.  As my plastic container starts to fill with clay designs, my mind is deciding how to attach, where to attach and what is the end result going to be.  I still have to decide some of those questions.  Here's the progress so far! I sliced off some of the clay and baked it to see how the colors ...

'Petals"  finished pendant Experimenting with different metal clays involves risk, creativity and knowledge.  The risk is about the price of silver and not wanting to waste it.  The creativity is about an idea and the knowledge comes from experience.   In this project, I wanted to used fine silver bezel wire to hold a unique cabochon and I wanted to use FYI clay.  I knew from experience how to cut tabs in the bezel wire so that some tabs go into the clay and some are perpendicular and lay flat on the clay.  When the clay fires the wire and silver clay setting become one.  What I did not know was what the higher shrinkage rate of the FYI clay backing would do with the bezel wire.  Would it all come apart (I've had that happen) or would it shrink with so much curvature that the stone would not fit? Typically I use the  Art Clay brand of silver clay that does not have so much shrinkage.  This time I wanted to use the FYI clay b...