Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy

www.plumuniqprettiesplus.etsy.com

Let’s start by telling us a little about yourself.

I will be 48 in August (08). I have two kids, Adam (21) and Tamara (8). They are my lights. I have a hubby, Rick. I enjoy reading, writing, playing the piano (keyboards, including accordion) and violin, and have since childhood. I am also a ventriloquist-have been since the age of 14 - of course crafts, sewing and PC is my favorite craft.

What challenges have you faced in your work?
The main challenge I have faced is myself! By that I mean my disabilities. I have fibromyalgia, spinal arthritis and bi-polar to name the worst. They truly interfere with everything, however, crafting is a great source of comfort and refuge for me, especially in times of bleakness. When I have too much pain, I just do my best until I can create again. Financially, things haven’t been easy, as it has been hard to get the supplies I needed to work with PC. Honestly, if it hadn’t been for a few terrific people on PCAGOE helping me out with some things, (and a cousin of mine), I’d have very little to work with except some clay that I purchased at Michael’s. Also, my hubby is not my best enthusiast, sad to say, but true. I craft around him, but he doesn’t always think it’s worth the effort I put into it.  So that is a challenge also. But I have faith, and that’s what counts I think.

How has the internet impacted your art?
A lot! I mean, I now can look up various techniques once only available at a library or bookstore, or by word of mouth, or just experience! Plus, the ability to chat with others, as in PCAGOE, and learn from the more experienced clayers is a great blessing to me.
And of course, being able to sell online is a wonderful opportunity. Before we had craft shows or galleries and that’s not always the easiest way to sell.  There is a world of people to see my our crafts. It’s a great experience, especially with Etsy, which I only discovered in February of this year!

What things do you know now, that you wish you knew from the beginning?

As far as within the medium itself, I have learned better techniques in lighting, photography, that I wish I had known then. I also wished I had known some better marketing techniques.  I’ve learned various PC techniques, that I never even knew existed, that are so exciting to me! Many I have yet to try, and can’t wait - it will be so cool. Good advice for a beginner is to take time to learn these things.

www.scdiva.etsy.com

Let’s start by telling us a little about yourself and  what other mediums beside PC do you work in? My name is Lynda Moseley. I am 49 years old, single with no children except four ancient cats who allow me to mother them. I have been a real estate and probate paralegal for the past 28 years, a free-lance floral designer for 26 years; and a jewelry designer and professional genealogist for the past 25 years. I also created and administer three online DNA projects for genealogy purposes. I am a very proud 9th generation South Carolinian and have lived in the same town for most of my life. I am also the world’s greatest aunt to two nephews and a niece, whom I adore. I love to read and cook, and I am a rabid Atlanta Braves fan. I collect first editions, vintage tin and pressed steel children’s kitchen toys, flour sacks and feed sacks from the 1930s and 1940s, and vintage kitchenware and enamelware. I also tat, crochet, cross-stitch, needlepoint and sew; and I make grow flowers and herbs for potpourri and dried flower wreaths and arrangements.

Do you have any words of advice for beginners besides practice, practice, practice and do you have any formal training or are you self-taught? I have only been working with polymer clay a few months, so I’m still a beginner, too. I haven’t had any formal training. I am self-taught, with the help of internet tutorials and books on polymer clay, but mostly I learn from my mistakes. I love working with polymer clay, first because the combinations of color and pattern are endless and limited only by my imagination; and second because it satisfies my inborn craving to create. I pair my PC pendants with semi-precious gemstones to make one-of-a-kind necklace designs. I don’t see a lot of artists doing that, so hopefully, it will give people a different perspective on what PC can be used for, which will help market the designs.

 
As far as advice, it helped me to keep a log of my progress. I decided when I started this that it would be with an eye toward designing jewelry around my polymer clay pendants to sell. Since I live in a very rural area, there isn’t anyone locally I could look to for advice, so before I opened the first package of clay, I needed to know as much about the process as possible. For the first couple of months, I did nothing but read every book and online tutorial I could. I also studied color theory. After I started working with the clay, I practiced making beads for three months until I was satisfied with my progress. I kept track of what I’d made and the date I’d made it by putting each batch in a zip-loc bag with the date written on the front. I still do that, and I look at the first bags and am appalled at how terrible some of them are. It is a great learning tool, however; and great incentive for improvement. I also keep a notepad and pencil with me so I can jot down ideas for new beads. Inspiration comes easily from practically everything I see or read, but I can forget a new idea in a second if I don’t write it down. I also tear interesting photos from magazines and keep them in a photo box at my worktable. I look through the box before I start a new batch of pendants. I always start out with a particular design in mind, but I am a firm believer in letting the clay do what it wants, and I’m hardly ever disappointed with the results, even when they don’t turn out as I originally intended. I have lots of ‘happy accidents”.

Is there a favorite PC supply you can’t live without? Kato translucent clay. I intend to corner the market on it. I’ve already made a good start.

www.stormydesigns.etsy.com

Let’s start by telling us a little about yourself.  I’m an aspiring polymer clay artist who started working in the medium in April 2007.

Do you have any formal training or are you self-taught?
What I know I have learned from all the wonderful tutorials available on the internet and in books that I have either bought or borrowed from the local library.  I have never taken a class although I would love to.  Thank goodness for the great sharing community of clayers that we have, who have discovered many techniques for polymer clay.

Is there a website or blog page you would like to share?
I have my blog at http://stormydesigns.blogspot.com.   I have a weekly feature on my blog, called Friday’s Featured Crafter, in which I publish an interview and photos of a online crafter.  I also periodically feature my work as well as the work of other artists.

Would you like to share a photo of your studio?
My studio is also my bedroom so I’ve designated 1/3 of my room to clay.  I’ve got a desk, which was my dad’s old computer desk  Good and sturdy for the pasta machine. I’ve also got an armoire’ to keep supplies in and a large and small set of plastic drawers to keep all my texture sheets, Pearlex, stamps and assorted supplies in.  Then there’s a small table which holds my oven, another small table with my light tent set up and then a table for my laptop and printer.  It works pretty well for me.  Here’s a shot of my desk.  http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3017/2652200638_dbd66291b6_o_d.jpg  Please excuse the ugly blue walls and pink trim, not my doing.

How do you decide upon what products you are going to sell?
I make things that I feel inspired to make.  Just about everything ends up for sale, unless I give it as a gift.  I experiment a lot with different items and techniques,and textures.  My products will be ever changing as I don’t like making the same thing over and over again.

…Beetreebyme for her sculpture of Gilda, a black lab who works on the bomb squad.

Our theme was “personal hero,” and we had 15 entries depicting heroes special to us. Congratulations, beetreebyme! What a beautiful sculpture of a canine hero. (Pssst, you can get a personalized pet sculpture of your very own here at her shop!)

The voting was very close again this month - 2nd, 3rd and 4th place winners all slid in right next to each other. A Soldier and His Bride by lynnslittlecreations came in second (hey - you can get her wedding toppers custom made, too, right here!)

In third and fourth places are divadea’s slayer necklace and SilverGate’s black and white woman necklace.

Thanks to all the PCAGOE members who participated, and thanks to everyone who voted!

As always, there were prizes to be won in this challenge - a package of 8 summer jewelry items as well as a gorgeous necklace and brooch perfect for your fancy night out at the beach. Our winners are Etsians mamichan and ThePleasantPheasant. Congratulations - we know you’ll love your prizes!

Make sure you get in on the voting action and have a chance to win next month’s fabulous prizes by signing up for the PCAGOE monthly email newsletter.