Linda's Magic Workshop - Linda Britt Design

Series of Four - Texture, Color and Nature  It's always fun to start a new project.  This time I wanted to explore nature with techniques using texture and color highlighting sea creatures.  The sea fascinates me with all the large and small shapes of animals, with animals that look like flowers and plants, with seashells that were homes and so much more.   Selecting which creatures I use in this study took some research, planning and experimenting. There is so much in nature we are not aware.  For instance -Sea Slugs and the variety of shapes and colors they come in.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_slug   Nor was I aware of the Ribbon eel - such a graceful unusual creature.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ribbon_eel I began collecting pictures of the creatures that were appealing to me and that might support each other in a texture series.   Before the actual work could begin, the decision of how and what to use for mounting each piece was decided on.  The structure chosen was

  Ever wonder what you could do with those extra parts and pieces you have in containers?  I happened to pick up a polymer start to a bead and decided to do something else with it.  I may never know why it reminded me of tropical fish but it did.  This was my opportunity to experiment, create and learn.   These are polymer shells I learned to make in Dan Cormier's class and as it happens I got carried away and made several I did not use.  They make great fish bodies!   Next a little research -  I wanted my fish to be somewhat accurate (yes with lots of poetic license!)   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_fish Then I started going through some of my old polymer canes and making some new colors and textures and the fun began!  Just coat the baked shells with liquid polymer and start applying textures and colors.  Once the fish were finished.....ok it was so much fun I may have to make more!...I needed seagrass to anchor them in the visual story. Long strands of seagrass came fro

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 project as they will add interest.  The plan deve