Linda's Magic Workshop - Linda Britt Design

When I went to Africa among the many animals I fell in love with was the Barbet - a most unusual patterned bird.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-and-yellow_barbet   There are several kinds of Barbets. This is my take on the Barbet, a wearer of many patterns and colors, blue legs and feet and attention seeking. Making the Bird That Flew Out of the Pillow (see previous post), I just had to make another bird.  This time I took some photos of the process to share with you. Materials: steel wire, pliers, wire cutters, Ultra-lite clay, aluminum foil, polymer clay (solid colors and old canes) Taking the steel wire and forming the bird head, body, legs and feet was the most difficult part of the process.  Figuring out the scale, the type of bird shape, how to attach the legs and form the feet definitely took the most time.  It was also the most essential part. Starting the wire form The next step was filling the body with foil and using 28 g wire to secure ...

The Bird Flew Out of the Pillow  Sometimes an idea needs time to foment or stir up the creative mind to action.  This is one of those times!     I have a friend/client who is on the tail end of finishing the decorating of her home.  She is using a wonderful fabric with woven character birds on her kitchen chairs.  We fell in love with the birds and she sent me (she lives in another town) enough fabric to make myself a pillow.  The more I looked at that fabric the more I wanted to create a bird for her table.   This is the product and I'm waiting for my friend to name her new table accessory!   It took awhile to plan an attack.  I used steel wire, wire cutters, pliers, aluminum foil, Ultra lite Clay, and polymer clay.  In my next post, I will go into much greater detail of the process.  I've made another bird and took pictures along the way. I'm sure this bird will have quite a story  when she arrives to her ...

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...

A collection of polymer jewelry 'Carnival' This week I made a presentation to members of Mountain Artists Guild here in Prescott AZ of some of the things I've made from polymer clay.  The purpose was to expend the members knowledge a about the many possibilities of this wonderful medium.  I wanted to share my slides with you hoping to also expand and inspire you! Collaboration in Wood, Decorated Eggs So many uses of polymer.  So many ways to create!

One lovely morning not long ago, Peter and I went to the Prescott Gem and Mineral Show.  Having lived in Prescott for 8 years and making jewelry, you'd think this would have been one of my first stops.  Like many people I know, exploring our own town gets pushed aside until we have visitors.  The Prescott show (held in Prescott Valley Civic Center) was a pleasure to visit.  It was very interesting and not overwhelming.  We actually had space to look at the items and talk with the vendors.  Lots of variety in both polished and rough stones and in finished jewelry.  This was a welcome experience having attended the gem show in Tucson which covers the city of Tucson and takes days to see. At one of the booths I was introduced to stromatolites.  A small stone that had layers and concentric circles making a very interesting pattern caught my eye and my imagination.  It would make a great mold for metal clay and polymer clay.  O...

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...

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 ...