Fractals for inspiration

I found these in a folder on my computer while cleaning up today. When I was into fiber arts I found these fractals online and downloaded them. I thought that someday I might try to recreate them in cloth. Now I'm wondering if I could recreate one of them in clay. They are so amazing I just had to share them with you. I don't remember where I got them, nor do I claim to own them in any way. Just wanted to share some amazing photos with you for inspiration.

Bracelet bonanza

I think I have finally gotten the hang of the bracelets and I have been going to crazy. They are fun to do and a great way to use up old canes. The outside is the fastest to do so I get a ton of those done and then have to do the inside and sides. Here are some that I just finished The little rocks in the lower right corner are some I was just playing with.

Carolyn, that is one there that you should recognize, it came from one of your "junk" cane ends. One of my favorites I might add.

Translucent journey

I'm slowly figuring out how to slice those really thin translucent slices from the really cool canes. Getting them to go completely clear is the trick. It doesn't work every time but this one really did get where I wanted it. Now, what to do with it next. A pendant most likely.

The base of this oval was stamped, then I mixed two Pearlex powders together to get a nice green base. I had planned on mixing up some green liquid polymer clay to paint in the stamped areas but when I started doing that it just didn't look right so I wiped it off and used sharpie pens to fill in all the stamped areas. They don't like being covered with liquid polymer clay, as I found out the hard way, they tend to run. You have to kind of dab it on and do no brushing, just let it self level and cure. I was unhappy with the painting part so I decided to use the piece to practice slicing the translucent canes I bought from Carolyn, the one with the nine squares is so cool. I need to get a few more of those from her before they are all gone. I need more practice. with the slicing.

Junk Clay Play

At our last guild meeting we had three demos on what to do with junk clay. This method was my favorite. Everything above was made with the one slab.

1)Chop up some junk clay.

2) Wad it up into a good size log and roll to ensure it is all packed well.

3)Twist the log and continue to roll until it look like vertical lines in the clay.

4) Flatten log to run through pasta machine on largest setting.

5)Run through pasta machine.

6)You should now have a slab that has lines running vertically down through the clay.

7)Lay out slab and make 1/8" cut horizontally through the lines

8)Turn each slice on its side. Each slice turning the opposite way.

9)Continue until you have a new slab of clay that looks like woven fabric.

By the way, I just found a cool site, SmartFlix.com How-To DVDs where you can rent How To DVDs. They have a huge Polymer Clay section to choose from. I rented one from Gwen Gibson and can't wait for it to get here.

Bracelet play

I've been making bracelets for my Etsy Shop and am having a ball. I get the cardboard blanks from Houston Arts and brass cuff blanks from The Clay Store and they work like a charm. I use the tutorial put up by Melanie and its so quick and easy. I have modified it a bit by doing each step and curing in between to keep each piece nice and smooth. Just a quick slather of Sobo glue to give the cardboard or brass some "tooth" for the clay to grab onto and your good to go. Any cane or veneer can be applied for a really cool look. Here are my newest pieces.

Now for the bad news. I had just posted a nice write up on my little AMACO oven and how constant the heat is with it. I use two ceramic tiles in the bottom of the oven and never have to use a thermometer in it. I also use Kato clay which is very forgiving and doesn't burn. So last night I had put the finishing touches on the brown kaleidoscope bracelet and put it in the oven for the last 15 minute cure, turned off the light and left the studio. I went back in an hour later to get something and realized that the oven was still baking away. The timer had gotten stuck on the 15 minute setting and had never turned off. The brown bracelet was ruined. It was a cane that I had gotten from someone else and had been made from other types of clay that are less forgiving of temperature. Many lessons learned here. 1)never use any other clay but Kato, 2)never trust the oven when you have anything but Kato in there, and 3)never leave the oven unattended. The third lesson being the most important for many reasons.

I was so distraught about the brown bracelet. It was so pretty as you can see in the photo. Now it is all brown and black. The yellows, reds and oranges are gone. Kato is the only clay that doesn't change colors when you bake it. All of the others shift when you bake them it the first place and when you over bake them they really go south. Sad, very sad. I am trying to decide now what I want to do with it. I can either trash it, put some white and translucent canes on it and try to make it look like it was suppose to be that way or try to chip off the stuff and start over. Stay tuned to see what I end up doing.

As for the black and white one, I have now added some red and translucent swirls to it and it really is looking nice. Today I will finish them up and try to get a photo posted so you can see how they all ended up. I do have quite a few for sale on my Etsy site if your interested.