Polymer Clay

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Artist Spotlight: Christi Friesen

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bluebelle.jpgAward-winning artist Christi Friesen has sparked our imagination with her fantastic creatures, other-worldly designs and her openness to share her work and techniques. Christi has won numerous awards, published 4 books and graced many magazine pages with her wonderful and wildly popular projects.

Christi took a few minutes out of her busy schedule to share some her thoughts on her creative journey.

What was your first polymer clay project?

My first polymer clay project was when I was teaching myself how to play with this fun product. I had always sculpted in kiln-fired clays previously, so having unlimited colors to work with while creating (instead of adding on afterwards as glazes) was new and very interesting! Of course, as you know, it takes a while to settle down to a color palette – the first stuff is often made from every color you own. Mine first stuff was – blobs! literally – little blobs of clay with faces and every color possible. They were quite hideous.
Besides a pasta machine, what polymer clay tool can’t you live without?

My favorite tool is a wooden sculpting tool (#JA17, made by Kemper)- if I only had that, I could still make everything I do with it (of course, you wouldn’t want too – more tools are part of the fun!)
What inspires your polymer clay creations?

Everything inspires me! nature, of course, since my designs are all organic. I love the art work of ancient cultures – Aztec, Egyptian, Celtic. And anything at all from the Art Nouveau period – love it, love it, love it!
Oh, and chocolate – that inspires me (especially the creamy dark stuff.)

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Would you share a color recipe with us?

One of my favorite mixes is Premo gold and green pearl – a wonderful rich, olivey color that varies by how the ratio of the two colors are combined. I love that color!

To view more of Christi’s work visit her main website or her art jewelry website.

She also has an awesome download page with sample projects.

[tags]polymer clay, arts and crafts, Christi Friesen[/tags]

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Comments

  3. I have made several birds from Christi/s mixed media book and they all seem too big and thick to wear as pins. What is the size of the bird find before its tailed etc and how thick is it? Love her work and thanks for this website.

  4. Hey Dorothy!

    A lot of Christi’s pieces are quite substantial. If you find the instructions lead to a piece that is too large for your tastes, I’d reduce the amount of clay you’re using. If pieces start to look too thin or fragile, reinforce with liquid clay or make sure to use wire for the skeletons.

Have you read?

How To Make A Milk Mache Molding Compound

There are some craft projects that feel like they belong on a rainy afternoon kitchen table, and this Milk Mache Molding Compound is exactly one of them. It is part craft, part science experiment, and part “wait… did we just turn milk into something solid?”

This clever little project from CraftBits shows you how to make a simple homemade molding compound using just milk and vinegar. The idea is wonderfully old-school: when the vinegar reacts with the milk, it separates into curds and liquid, leaving you with a soft mixture that can be pressed, shaped, and dried into a hard, stone-like material.

It’s a lovely one to try with kids, especially if you enjoy hands-on STEM-style crafts that do not require a trolley full of supplies. You can use the finished compound to make small charms, beads, ornaments, rustic tags, or simple molded shapes. Just keep the pieces small and thin, as this is not really the sort of compound you would use for large sculptures or anything that needs to be perfectly smooth.

What I like most about this project is how accessible it is. Most of us already have milk, vinegar, a bowl, and paper towel in the kitchen, which makes it a brilliant last-minute craft activity. It also has that slightly magical quality children love — one minute it is liquid, the next it is turning into a moldable material.

A couple of tips before you try it: use whole milk if you can, as it tends to give a better result than skim or semi-skimmed milk. White vinegar is also the best choice, as darker vinegars may affect the colour and texture. And don’t rush the draining stage. If the mixture is too wet, it will be soggy and hard to shape; if it is too dry, it may crumble.

This would be a fun companion activity for our other kids craft ideas, especially if you are looking for something simple, inexpensive, and a little bit educational. It also fits nicely with home crafts and handmade gift embellishments if you want to turn your dried shapes into tags or decorations.

Would I call this a polished, professional clay substitute? No. Would I call it a wonderfully curious, messy, memorable craft experiment? Absolutely.

If you enjoy homemade craft supplies, kitchen-table experiments, or easy projects that make children ask “how did that happen?”, this Milk Mache Molding Compound is well worth a try.

You can find the full project instructions here: Milk Mache Molding Compound