Polymer Clay ATCs with Faux Watercolor Surface
I am teaching a class this week at Ornamentea in Raleigh on making Artist Trading Cards and postcards out of polymer clay. The class will mainly be on using Skinner blends, but we have a little extra time so I plan on adding a faux watercolor surface technique as part of the class. I am also doing a swap due at the end of the month on watercolor ATCs so I decided that instead of using watercolors on watercolor paper, I would replicate watercolors on polymer clay. I discovered how to do three different faux watercolor techniques on polymer clay three years ago when I made painted torsos for an exhibit. You can see some of the techniques using inks and fabric dyes on the torsos on this page. I used fabric dyes on some of them, but it takes too long to prepare the surface. The dyes work similarly to the inks, but the dyes require preparing the plastic surface to accept the dyes. So for the class, we will stick with using inks only.
I am not a painter and can barely draw anything, but I do love the watercolor look even though I am not using watercolors. For the ATCs shown in this post, a variety of different brands of inks are used. They include Tim Holtz' Adirondack Inks, Stazon Refill Inks, Pantone Tria Inks, Pinata Inks and more. All of them work differently based on the thickness, colors, alcohol or other extenders used.
These are so addictive that I made 30 and I only need to make four. They are all one-of-a-kind.
Labels: artist trading cards, ATCs, polymer clay, postcards, watercolor
posted by Jeanne Rhea @ 5/06/2007 03:34:00 PM
25 comments
25 Comments:
Love the watercolors!!!!!!
Thank you! They were so much fun that I could not even stop making them. I was having so much fun the whole time I was working on them and I was saying to Vince, "I'm going to become a painter!"
These are great! I love the poured ink technique on paper; I use sheets of the stuff for journals/ATC backgrounds.
I may have to get some ink for clay play . . .
Great work! I love alcohol inks & I'd been considering trying them to make polymer clay ATCs. Didn't imagine they could be so gorgeous though.
One question (if you don't mind sharing) -- is there a particular ink brand or technique for getting the little circles with the perfect little outlines like your green & pink ATC (atc12.jpg)? I absolutely love that look!
Thank you, Spike! I am going to do a mini book with some of these for backgrounds. I have never made an altered book---unless you count of course the Reader's Digest where we folded pages and made them into Santas and other figures. Guess I should add this to the "must try" for them.
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Thanks, Jeanne. Interesting to know the order you put on different brands makes a difference. I'll have to buy some new inks & start experimenting!
Those are spectacular. I just adore the way they look!
Thank you, Zhenia, I really had so much fun with them. Now I have to try the Four Squared that a member of our mixed media guild meeting told us about last night!
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Jeanne;
No words can convey how these ATC'S affect me.
I can only say super, glorius, amazing wonderbar,stupendous.
Wished I could have been in that class. I will stay tuned for your list of combos. Now I have to add some pantone inks to my supply stash. That wanna list of mine is getting huge!
This may be one of those stupid questions but I really would like an answer. So my pride will not be smashed if you scold me. Are you applying the inks to baked clay? You mentioned that the effects are affected by how dry each layer of ink is before applying the next one, can you speed drying time with a shot of a heat gun? I have tons of questions for this technique. I guess I should just get out the clay and experiment. The Virgo in me wants answers before trying all the time. Accept my apologies for asking.
Illaya, I am so happy that you like these! Email me at jrhea@nc.rr.com and I will be glad to give you some hints.
The inks are applied to baked clay. I am gong back through the steps and trying to take photos to write a tutorial---unfortunately, the inks dry so quickly that I must have someone else to take photos so I can capture the results as it happens. By the time I put on some ink and then take a picture, the first ink may be too dry to get the effect I am trying to photo. It will probably be after the first of June before I can find someone to take photos for me.
Thanks again!
I forgot to answer this question. A heat gun is not needed--I do occasionally breathe heavy ;) on the ink to keep it from spreading where I do not want it to spread. It is more important to use two or three different viscosities of ink so that you can get different effects. I have used a heat gun, but I made a bunch yesterday and maybe due to the fact that I now know what I am doing, I did not have to get the heat gun out at all. Hope this helps some.
Zhenia,
Thank you! I am addicted to these things now. I must stop though and pick four today to mail for an ATC swap! I am contemplating making a 18x20" piece using the same techniques.
Jeanne,
I love your watercolor effects on the clay. I think I was in a workshop in Raliegh with you-Kathleen Dustin workshop?
Marilyn Davenport-Tn
Marilyn,
I didn't make it to Dustin's workshop. I took Donna Kato's workshop here in Raleigh a few years ago. I lived in Glasgow, KY after we left AK. Were you a member of the KY/TN guild? They were together when I was there about six years ago.
Thank you for comments on the ATCs. I just made a bunch more and they are really, really good. Got to post them! I am addicted.
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