Linda's Magic Workshop - Linda Britt Design

                                                                                   New Direction Cleaning up my art studio always produces new directions in my projects.  As I reorganize and open drawers that have been closed for a while, I find tools I've forgotten.   Metal Creator This cleaning session uncovered The Metal Creator I purchased in a crowd funding several years ago.  It was invented by Bill Struve and consists of a foot pedal, a CO2 canister, two tubes and a regulator.  The purpose of this tool is to save hand stress as the CO2 pushes the metal clay paste through a syringe.  If I were using a typical syringe, my hand would push the plunger as the clay is extruded.  That gets pretty tiring after a while.   When I first purchased this tool, I also purchased 3 syringes of bronze metal paste.  Fortunately I used one of the syringes and stored the other 2.  One of those syringes was still a good consistency.  I hooked up the tool to try it out -thinking it was time to use

It seems that this 'stay at home' enforced time due to Covid 19 spurred many artists to challenge themselves.  Here's mine!  The Challenge:  Select an artist you love and a painting you love.  Apply the style of a 2 dimensional painting to a 3 dimensional object.   It was my challenge to myself and I chose Gustav Klimt and his painting 'Tree of Life' https://www.gustav-klimt.com/The-Tree-Of-Life.jsp My hollow turkey egg was ready for the first covering of polymer clay.   While that was curing, I looked through my stash of polymer canes (designs in polymer) and selected some that would work.  Next I made a few more and extruded strips to use for the tree and branches.   The design was sketched on the polymer covered egg and using a type of liquid polymer I applied the branches in areas and cured them in the oven.  I've learned to do a few at a time to keep shapes stable - that means baking the egg several times,  After the branches were done, the flowers and leav

The next turkey egg is prepped, ready to apply the polymer design to the polymer covering.  This time my design is based on Deb Hart's techniques and a wrought iron design I like.  On goes the lines and I bake it.  Next I  fill in the spaces.   I tried using liquid polymer and quickly realized it wasn't going to work.  The curved surface encourages the liquid polymer to run off.  Now wouldn't you think I could have figured that out without trying it?  I like using 2 colors of polymer chopped and mixed to get depth and I also like chopping metallic polymer and using the mica shift to look like 2 colors.  That comes in the next egg! My design is finished and cured and now I need to sand.  I use 3 grades of sandpaper and my Jool Tube for the sanding.  It gets nice and smooth and even.  I take it to my drill press with the lambswool buffer.  Turn it on and start to buff and polish.  And then....the egg slips from my hand, hits the concrete floor and I hear the cracking sound!