Linda's Magic Workshop - Linda Britt Design

Is making jewelry from polymer clay the best way for me to be creative?  If we don't experiment with alternatives, how will we know? How can I use polymer clay to create paintings?  This blog explores my attempts and growth in a technique of applying clay to canvas.  There was no class or written information that I found so I just started.  I'm showing my newest 'paintings' first so that you can see the changes in style and technique. Monarchs The beginning of the Monarch Painting Painting the background of the canvas helped me define the movement of the grasses and the lighting.  I wanted to feel the low sun coming through the grasses while the butterflies took flight.  I also wanted to show a cocoon and give the impression of beginning pods of grass (at the lower edge of the canvas).   This piece is to be a part of the fall 'Changing of the Colors' at The Prescott Art Market in September.   The color scheme and size of the canvas (20"

My Favorite Piece! Planning a new collection of jewelry for the holidays takes time, thought, and experimentation!  I'm sharing some of the process.  The story goes something like this.  The owner of Prescott's Salon 3 asked if I might be interested in creatinng a holiday collection for the shop.  Of course, I said, " let me see what I come up with" Holidays = color, shine, texture and surprise Bits and Pieces I realized those qualities were appearing in my combinations of patterns and colors. combinations of color, texture, shine and surprise  Once I had my combination for the collection, I started making beads and pendants in various shapes.  There is more to do but I wanted to give you a sneak preview! going to be a necklace Deep purple and lots of shine! A little Asian flavor! Center is Sugilite with metal clay copper ring on polymer background A view of my work space in the process! And if you have read this fa

It was a warm (well hot!) windy afternoon and we both wanted to visit at least part of Canyon de Chelly.  Having visited this site many years ago, it was such fun to see it again.  Next time I really want to take the jeep tour to the bottom!  https://www.nps.gov/cach/index.htm The cholla (one of my favorite desert plants) were blooming.  I think they have some of the prettiest blooms and some of the most dangerous stickers!   It's so easy to step on a piece that has come off the mother plant and so difficult to pull out the stickers.   Beautiful Cholla Standing in the hot wind thinking about the early inhabitants caused me to compare their lives with ours today.  The scenery is beautiful and harsh  and peaceful.  Wonderful to see but I don't want to work that hard.  At the bottom of the canyon the trees were green and you can see where the people lived 5000 years ago.  Navajos live there today and I could see their trucks and homes from the rim. Cliff Dw

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 changed.  That should help i

It's winter in Prescott and the cloudy skies and rain make me a bit depressed.  I needed to do something in color and Deb Crother's tutorial showing the techniques of liquid polymer clay was just the thing to brighten my day!  Thank you Deb!  http://www.debbiecrothers.com/product/curing-kato-liquid-clay-and-so-much-more-with-debbie-crothers Generally my beads are in a satin finish.  I find I'm not a shiny glitzy girl!  But when I say the way Deb finished her polymer beads I just had to try.  Liquid polymer ( Kato's liquid polymer is the brand I used) is a milky white semi-thick liquid that I applied to each bead with a brush.  Then I used the heat gun to cure it with crystal clear shiny finish.  Wow!  What a difference.  The colors popped and the beads seemed to have more depth.   The bead on the left has the liquid polymer coating. Debbie Crother's tutorial is well worth the price since she shares set up, techniques and tips for more that just maki

Eight years ago we went to Ecuador and, of course, I took hundreds of pictures.   A few of those pictures were taken in a place where there was a Reptile House and lots of flora.  In a small area of the garden was a plot of the most interesting white succulent plants.  They reminded me of the green agave in Arizona but the ones in Ecuador were white.  It felt like I was seeing a black and white photograph.  White Plants of Ecuador - real color! A few months ago, the Prescott Art Market decided to have a quarterly art competition and anyone that had their work in the market could enter.  A 20 x 20 canvas with black edges done in colors of the season was the requirement.  I did not participate in the autumn competition but decided for the winter competition that I wanted to do something with polymer clay using the white plants of Ecuador as inspiration.  What I had in mind was a 3 dimensional painting made of polymer and everything about it would be an experiment .  I thou

I'm doing the Happy Dance!  It's what happens when a completed project looks like the picture in my head!   As a designer (interior designer or jewelry designer) I generally have a picture in my head that needs to be translated to paper.  It could take the form of a floor plan, a sketch, a collage of ideas.  Once it gets onto paper then the 'how to make it happen' stage takes over and eventually the pieces come together.  Once the project is complete there is  that moment of fear and of anticipation,  The question, "Did I get it right?  Does it work?"That question is always right there no matter how much research, knowledge and talent has gone into the project.  Almost always the completed outcome is within the realm of acceptability. Sometimes I get to do the Happy Dance because it is so close to that picture in my head. Today's post is about sharing the process and the joy in the finished piece with you. My dad was a lapidarist by hobby