Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy

Here are the entries for the May Mixed Media Challenge. This month’s challenge was to create an item using polymer clay and at least one other medium (paint, paper, metal, wire etc…..) All of the entries are incredibly creative this month. Thanks to all that participated!

VOTE and WIN one of 2 incredible Polymer Clay Prize Packs listed below and valued over $50 each!!!!

All you have to do is vote for the winner and you will be entered into a drawing for a fabulous polymer clay prize pack created by the talented members of the PCAGOE. Take a look at all of the entries for Mixed Media Challenge. Keep in mind the challenge of using at least one other medium in the polymer clay creation and how well the piece meets this challenge. Once you have chosen your favorite, please complete the form at the bottom of this post and submit it. Two winners will be randomly chosen from all of the voters. You can vote once between noon on May 29th and midnight (etsy/eastern time)on May 31st. The winners will be announced on June 1st.

The PCAGOE member with the winning entry will receive $20 that can be used towards supplies, business expenses, etsy purchases, etc…. as well as a prize pack of supplies valued over $25.

To view the entries close-up as a slide show, please click on the first photo and use the arrows at the bottom of the picture to navigate through all of the entries. The number of the entry as well as the title and it’s creator are listed at the bottom of each photo. There is also a reference list below the gallery which includes this same information as well as a direct link to each shop so that you view some of their other creations!

#1. Music Lover’s Pendant by artsyclay.etsy.com

#2. Faux Stained Glass Butterfly Necklace by blueladystudios.etsy.com

#3. Raccoon Hideout by Clayangel.etsy.com

#4. Beyond the Garden Gate Book by gabriel.etsy.com

#5.When Pigs Fly by IttyBittiesForYou.etsy.com

#6. Deep Blue Dream Lantern Pendant by HardflowerStudios.etsy.com

#7. The Masked Whale boy Comes Ashore by lucybluestudio.etsy.com

#8. Faux Jade Mini Journal by marciapalmer.etsy.com

#9. Mixed Media Pomeranian Tin by nanjodogz.etsy.com

#10. Butterfly Floral Collage by Peggers.etsy.com

#11. Rose Matchbox Pendant by Pollyhyper.etsy.com

#12. Copper, Sterling and Polymer Pendant by StonehouseStudio.etsy.com

#13. Candyland Fantasy by studiobijou.etsy.com

#14. A Charmed Life by blockpartypress.etsy.com

#15. West African Woman by Polyclarific.etsy.com

#16. Polymer and Felted Bead necklace and Earring set by madeinlowell.etsy.com

#17. Hope Pin by Dulcebella.etsy.com

#18. Mardi Gras by cutesis.etsy.com

#19. Once Upon a Time by BreezyDawnDesigns.etsy.com

#20. Men’s King of the Island Exotic Charm Necklace by Sohobeads.etsy.com

#21. African Tribal mask by bencandance.etsy.com

#22. Kaleido Box by ilysaart.etsy.com

Please complete the form below and submit it to be entered in the drawing for one of the polymer clay prize packs! E-mail addresses will only be used to contact the winners and will not be used for any other purpose.

LadyRayCello.etsy.com

Who inspires you?
Oh, no one in particular, but I must say that I get ideas from almost everyone I see in public. For example, if I see and old woman wearing sweater with a crab on it, I might just make something that has to do with crabs! But most likely the crab won’t be just a crab; it’ll be a unique crab with its own “personality.” To tell you the truth, sometimes I create stuff and what it ends up being almost feels as if I didn’t really make it. The expressions on my creatures’ features are not exactly intended; they just are. That’s the exciting part.

What inspires you?
Animals, cars, fruits, vegetables, general cuteness, household objects, weird Asian kitsch, telephones, and other random objects that don’t really have anything to do with each other. I love small things. It doesn’t matter what it is; I just like little details, precision (with spontaneity!), secrets, mysteries, humor, whimsy, and serious goofiness, and funny faces. Faces are a must. I also enjoy writing little stories about my creations. The stories are generally quite random and I don’t sit on ideas for very long. I just write in one blow. Sometimes the stories are semi-autobiographical (e.g. vegetarian pigs shopping at Whole Foods Market, etc.) and sometimes not. So I don’t know. I just dig making this stuff.

Where do you create?
It’s quite barbaric, to tell you the truth. I don’t really have a great table to work on, so work on the floor! I just start mashing clay together while sitting on the floor. I usually listen to the radio (NPR) while sitting on the floor. I have a cute little oven that I use JUST for clay (it was a hand-me-down). I also do not own a TV which is a great thing, and it is probably a big reason why I continue to create. After I bake and glaze, I set the characters up around my apartment. They reside either on my front table, on my nightstand, or in my bedroom next to a really funky miniature house that I built out of sticks and feathers. The pins that I made live on a large piece of maroon fabric that hangs in my bedroom. The pendants live in little box in a drawer because I haven’t found a better way to display them. Whatever. Clay is great.

How long have you been working with clay?
Well, when I was in 4th or 5th grade I had one of those Klutz-make-stuff-with-clay books. I went crazy and made a bunch of miniature stuff. Then I forgot about clay until last December. I had been making things with felt and had been selling a teensy bit on Etsy, but wanted another medium to work with. I was in California visiting my folks for the holidays and they were being totally nutso and intense, so one afternoon I drove to Michael’s and said, “I’m gonna buy me some CLAY!” I came home and made about 20 pendants and pins. A few days later I was going to perform with my quartet (Brad Dutz Quartet! Check out the website http://www.braddutz.com! Our new CD “When Manatees Attack” was just got great reviews from Jazz Times! Yaw Yaw!). I asked if I could sell the little things I made, and I ended up selling almost everything! So since then I have been making more and more things with clay. The creations themselves have evolved; I went from small pins and pendants to sculptures and little boxes. So who knows what’s next. Thanks for reading this silliness and have a nice day. :)

Polyclarific.etsy.com

Who inspires you?
It would be difficult to say who actually inspires me as I’m inspired far more from what I see around me, especially with patterns that I find in nature. As a Christian I suppose the answer to this question then would be that God as Creator inspires me!

What inspires you?
Nature is especially influential to me. I have a love for rocks, which does seem strange, but I am always amazed at how intricate the patterns in rocks are! My inspiration doesn’t stop with rocks. Water, the patterns left behind by water, plants, especially the myriad of markings found on leaves, and also the sky itself are all part of my inspiration.

Where do you create?
I have no special place for creating. I use our coffee table and sit on the floor, usually in front of the TV. I must say that I don’t get to see much of what’s going on the TV as I’m usually so engrossed in what I’m making!

How long have you been working with polymer clay?
Apart from trying it once as a child, I have only been working in polymer clay since last October (2006). I have a BA Arts majoring in painting and have been creating and painting for around 17 years, so I draw on all my skills and time invested honing that area of my creativity. I am looking forward to incorporating my love of painting and polymer clay more in the future.

Breezydawndesigns.etsy.com

Who inspires you?
Probably my husband first and most of all. He has a more open creative mind than I do sometimes, helping me out when I’m stuck in a rut. I also have a very talented brother who is just the most amazing artist.

What inspires you?
Wow. Everything. I’m a vegetarian but I’ve photographed a slaughter house. It’s all about what’s beautiful in the moment. I’m a huge fan of artists like Brian Froud, H.R. Giger, and Amy Brown. I tend to be attracted to loud and brightly colored things. Every room in my house is a different color.

Where do you create?
I use to do all of my clay and beading in my living room on a t.v. tray. The living room is really dark so I used to use a LED head lamp to see my work. My bulbs never lasted that long. I always had a square imprint on my forhead and a strap line around my head. Once all of the roommates and guests got out, I planted my flag in a spare room and claimed it as my own. After gutting, tiling, and painting, I have a studio. I ended up with a great big wooden table from my grandmother that I use. It’s almost too big for the space but it can take one hell of a beating, so I decided to make the size work for me. I’m already running out of room, and I have no shelves for my books, but I love it.

How long have you been working with polymer clay?
I’ve been working with polymer for about a year. I was introduced to polymer clay by a friend of my mother in-law. I have a ton of her figures and every time we go out there I have to buy more. They’re so cute. I had been working with beads for the last five years so I thought I would try to make my own with this stuff. So I picked up a box of Sculpy Original white clay and never made a singel bead with it. Instead I made gargoyles. So I bought more and made feathered faces with it. I still haven’t done much with beads but I’m hooked anyways.