Working With: Polymer Clay

One of the most unique aspects of We Care Arts is the broad range of mediums that our artists are welcome to create with.  We go beyond simple paint and colored pencils to allow our artists to explore their creativity in ways they might not have even known were possible!  Most often, these new and frequently unusual techniques are introduced at visiting artist classes, when one of our teachers shares one of their personal favorite projects with our artists, allowing them to experiment.

Some of our classes regularly explore different types of products.  Terry Schalnat, our Executive Director, teaches a class that has been known to delve into furniture restoration, soap-making, tile and glass art, and the list goes on!  But one particularly unique class happens every other week.

Two Tuesdays a month, Naomi holds her polymer clay jewelry making class.  Polymer clay, which is actually called polyvinyl chloride, is actually a plastic, not a clay whatsoever, but is referred to as such because it is treated similarly to clay when molding and sculpting it.  Those who work with polymer utilize the same tools as ceramicists, and similar techniques.  The creative potential of these little blocks of ‘clay’ are essentially limitless!

Naomi's class usually makes beads, pendants, and other types of jewelry out of their clay, usually by making sugar beads.  This technique yields large, hollow beads by mixing sugar and water into a paste and making a mold, then forming the clay around it and baking it.  Warm water is then used to melt the sugar, leaving the bead as all that remains.  There is a TON of creative flexibility in this one craft alone, but the potential of polymer clay is such that this class has been itching to branch out into different crafts.

The day I talked to the class, they were making nightlights shaped like little birds sitting in nests.   The adorable birds were shaped over light bulbs and then scored and sculpted to look more realistic and unique.  The nests were formed by braiding or layering strips of clay over one another to achieve the desired effect.  This class has been gradually shifting away from primarily making beads to these more unusual projects, really taking advantage of of the flexible qualities of the polymer.  Essences, such as pearl or glitter can also be mixed in with the clay for an added dimension.  It is a very versatile and playful medium and can be incorporated in projects with other mediums very easily!  Our class has mixed it with glass and metal to make pens and serving utensils, and professional jewelry makers even incorporate finer metals such as silver in their crafting.  

 

Left, right, and below are some of the one of a kind jewelry pieces our artists have created!  If you fall in love with any of them, they are available for purchase at our main store on Wilmington Pike in Kettering, or in our shop at Town and Country on Stroop Rd in Kettering!

 

 Did talk of these fun projects inspire you?  You can purchase polymer clay from most crafting retailers (think Michael's or Jo-Ann) and get started experimenting with this super fun medium!

Collaborative Design Project - Bockrath

One of the best parts about We Care Arts is the diverse cross section of projects that our clients are encouraged to try.  It isn’t just colored pencils and paper here, our clients have the opportunity to experiment with a huge variety of mediums.  In the past few months, we’ve had groups use oil pastels on velvet board, bead, weave, create designs using tiles and glass, paint glass, upcycle furniture, make jewelry, paint model airplanes, work with clay, oh how the list goes on!  There is always an exciting new project in the works, and our most recently commissioned project is no exception.

We Care Arts is partnering up with local flooring and rug company Bockrath Flooring to create a one of a kind masterpiece floor tapestry to be sold at our annual auction in March.  The best part?  It will feature a design created by one of our clients.

A few weeks ago, a representative from Bockrath came into We Care to show examples of designs and the available colors, and encouraged our clients to draw from their imaginations to design a uniquely spectacular rug.  The challenge presented; to focus on curvatures and geometric patterns, utilizing bold design and contrast (as the medium doesn’t allow for a lot of detail).  This stipulation will challenge some of our artists to venture outside of their typical comfort zone, an exciting prospect that will undoubtedly yield terrific designs!  As you can see in the picture to the right, the gears were turning right away even as we just starting discussing the project!

Once the designs are completed, one will be selected by Bockrath’s customers online and brought back to the Bockrath studio where 2 veteran rug artisans will transform the drawing into a full sized statement rug, BY HAND!  Our clients will be welcomed to watch this transformation take place, to see their design come to life while also learning a bit about the process of making rugs. 

Our clients are not new to having their designs transformed into different products – just over the summer, 3 clients’ work was featured by the website We Are Lions, and was reproduced as shower curtains, bags, and cell phone cases (still available, if you're interested)!

Make sure to look out for the rug at our annual auction on March 11^th!  We’ll be sure to post a picture once the project is complete!  We’re getting very excited to see this process continue, because as we’ve heard, a good rug can really tie a whole room together. 

Project of the Month - DIY Wind Chimes

By the time February rolls around, we are all finding ourselves aching for the return of spring.  To bring a little bit of warmth into We Care, Terry’s Tuesday class decided to make some floral wind chimes out of recycled bottles!  This open ended project allows for all sorts of creativity, and a dynamic sensory experience.  Here’s how you can complete this fun (and sustainable) project on your own, in only a couple of short hours!

*NOTE: the preparation for this project requires some skill and tools

Supplies:
Empty glass bottle – any kind! We used wine bottles, but any size or shape will do!
Wine corks
Rubbing alcohol (acetone will work as well)
Acrylic paint – any colors!
Paintbrushes (or your preferred method of paint application)
Wire
Beads – any size
Copper coil tape
¾ hooks

Feel free to incorporate any other materials you have lying around the house!  Our teacher Diane was in and out of our craft room throughout the class bringing out strings of beads, pieces of glass, crystals, and many other miscellaneous knick knacks that could be incorporated in the project! Just remember, if you plan to hang your wind chime outside, use materials that can handle the elements!

Process:
There is a bit of preparation to be done before the creativity can begin, but don’t let this intimidate you!  We ran out of bottles halfway through class and Diane prepped more in only a few minutes.

First, you are going to need to cut the bottom off the bottle.  There are several different methods of accomplishing this, depending on the resources you have at your disposal, but three simple methods can be found HERE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxKZ8hhcmvg) .

Once the bottle is cut and smoothed (we used wet/dry sandpaper), you are going to need to strip the label off.  If peeling it doesn’t do the trick, a bit of rubbing alcohol on a paper towel or cotton ball will remove any adhesive residue.  Wash the bottle after you are finished with this, to ensure that the paint will stick to the glass.

Now, the fun part!  Pick any and every color paint you want and decorate your bottle with whatever inspires you!  Below are some of our artists’ chimes-in-progress to give you some ideas!

              

Our artists all took different approaches to decorating the outside of their bottles; a few painted directly on them, one wrapped wire around the bottle, one painted on wax paper and then placed his designs onto the bottle like stickers, and one didn’t paint his bottle at all, emphasizing the original label design and creating elaborate, decorative chimes.

The chimes are made of beading, or wire/string with beads tied to them.  Get creative here too!  Different materials will make different sounds when they come in contact with the bottle, so experiment with anything you have lying around!  We used lots of beads (wooden, glass, and plastic), glass ornaments, wire, and chain, but the sky is the limit here!  Although we didn’t have any handy, one artist mentioned incorporating CD’s, as the light reflecting off of them produces rainbows.

*NOTE: while placing your decorations, or “clangers” as we call them here, make sure they are placed at a length along the wire or chain that it will come in contact with the bottle.  If they are all hanging out of the bottom of the bottle, the chimes won’t chime!

 Assembly and Finishing Up:

Screw the hook into the top of the wine cork, and attach the chimes to the hook using pliers.
Reinsert the cork into the neck of the bottle, with the chimes hanging down into the open bottom of the bottle. 
We wrapped the bottom edge of the bottle with copper coil tape, to help keep the bottle from cracking or shattering while it moves.

Hang on your porch or in your favorite sunlit window and enjoy!!

If you fell in love with one of our artist’s creations, they are available for purchase in our gift shop at 3035 Wilmington in Kettering OH!  Proceeds go to the artist and back into We Care Arts to ensure that our artists have a space and materials to continue their craft.

Spring Flowers Watercolors

All of us at We Care Arts are anxious for Spring's arrival later this month. I am sure you are too!

The High School classes from Kettering, Fairmont, and Belmont painted flower watercolors this week with their instructor Diane Zubrick. Here are some of their paintings below:

Looking forward to those Spring flowers!

Mexican Yarn Painting

Mexican yarn paintings are created by the Huichol Indians in colorful designs as expressions of deep spiritual beliefs. Diane Zubrick's classes created their own yarn painting using sticky foam boards from McMrf. You can use tacky glue, beeswax or sticky board as your base for your own yarn painting.

Above is an example of the Huichol Indian's yarn painting. Below is the artwork from Dynamic Senior Solutions in Beavercreek plus Diane's example. They started with thicker nylon yarn to make the main design, then put in other yarns to fill in. This activity was excellent for manual dexterity and using a new material to create artwork.