Podcasts about sculpey

In this episode, Maria Coryell-Martin shares how her passion emerged out of collaborating with scientists to help tell their stories through art.Sponsored by ConceptsThis episode of the Sketchnote Army Podcast is brought to you by Concepts, a perfect tool for sketchnoting, available on iOS, Windows, and Android.Concepts' infinite canvas lets you to sketchnote in a defined area while still enjoying infinite space around it — to write a quick note, scribble an idea or to keep pre-drawn visual elements handy for when you need them most.The infinite canvas lets you stretch out and work without worrying if you'll run out of space. When combined with powerful vector drawing that offers high-resolution output and complete brush and stroke control — you have a tool that's perfect for sketchnoting.SEARCH “Concepts” in your favorite app store to give it a try.Running OrderIntroWelcomeWho is Maria Coryell-Martin?Origin StoryMaria's current workSponsor: ConceptsTipsToolsWhere to find MariaOutroLinksAmazon affiliate links support the Sketchnote Army Podcast.ArtToolkitArt Tool kit on InstagramArt tool kit recommend seriesArt Toolkit NewsletterJuneau Certified Research ProgramBrushmaker storyGet 10% discount at arttoolkit.com with code SKETCHNOTE10 through June 1st, 2023.ToolsAmazon affiliate links support the Sketchnote Army Podcast.All-in-one Zipper pouchPentel water brushesWaterproof penSketchbookSharpie penPentel brush penPelikano fountain pensCopic multilinersHelvetica pencilsRosemary & Co travel watercolor brushescollapsible cupNo-needle syringeBinder clipsRubber bandsPaper toweliPhone miniProcreateTipsUse a timer and set yourself a very small amount of time to do something.Give yourself the opportunity to play with color, what you see, and don't worry about composition.Paying attention to the world and just letting yourself start with notes just to start that attention.Trust the process.Practice not perfection.CreditsProducer: Alec PulianasTheme music: Jon SchiedermayerShownotes and transcripts: Esther OdoroSubscribe to the Sketchnote Army PodcastYou can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube or your favorite podcast listening source.Support the PodcastTo support the creation, production and hosting of the Sketchnote Army Podcast, buy one of Mike Rohde's bestselling books. Use code ROHDE40 at Peachpit.com for 40% off!Episode TranscriptMike Rohde: Hey everyone, it's Mike and I'm here with my friend Maria Coryell-Martin. Maria, it's so good to have you on the show.Maria Coryell-Martin: Oh, I'm thrilled to be here, Mike. Thank you so much for having me.MR: You're so welcome. I had an opportunity to work with you on your YouTube channel, I think, was that last year or 2021? I can't remember now. It's so all a blur. We had a blast working together and you popped in mind for this season, and I said I need to have Maria on to talk about the work she's doing because she's a really interesting person. It's gonna stretch our listeners' minds a little bit further, which is always a good thing. Why don't you begin by telling us who you are and what you do?MC-M: Great. Well, my name is Maria and I'm an expeditionary artist and also the founder of Art Toolkit. I wear a lot of hats in my work.MR: Exactly.MC-M: Business owner and artist. The expeditionary art part came first. I've always been passionate about art, science, and education. And using a sketchbook is really how I've interpreted the world, and going out and just nonstop sketching ever since I was really little. I brought a few things to share so those of you who pop over to YouTube later.My father was a scientist and so I grew up really curious about his work and the scientific process. Part of his work brought him to the Arctic. He was studying the formation of sea ice. We grew up with Arctic parkas in the closet, and I remember big maps on the ceiling of my room.His work also brought him to Japan where he was invited to teach. This had a big influence on me because we lived down the street from a brush maker in Tokyo. The brush I'm holding up right now is one that he made out of my own hair before I left when I was, I think 11 years old. I would go up there and paint with him and my mom would help, but we didn't speak much of the same language, but the connecting over art was a really important part of my experience.He made this brush as becoming of age gift for me out of my own hair which he told me was a tradition in Japan. Ever since I was young, I've really known that art has this important place and who I am and how I experience the world, and how I can interact with it. That's where that idea of art as a tool started for me as a tool for communication, for education, for learning, for connecting, and haven't really stopped with that.MR: That's really great. And that's led, of course, to Art Toolkit, which is your business that sells materials that encourage that expeditionary art mindset or activity.MC-M: Yeah. With expeditionary art, I went to Carleton College. I grew up in Seattle, Carleton's in Minnesota, and really enjoyed traveling in part, maybe to get away from some of those Minnesotan winters, but had the opportunity to do some terrific study abroad programs, including the South Pacific, which was an art and printmaking program, Mali, West Africa, to study French and local culture and dialects languages. And took myself on some independent projects.Everywhere I went, the sketchbook again was such a part of what I did and how I experienced the world. After graduating Carleton, I had what's called a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship to travel and paint for a year. The Watson basically funds dreams for unique opportunity for 50 select graduates of this consortium of colleges.My particular dream was to travel to remote regions and paint and learn about how the landscape impacted me and the artists I can meet, how the landscape was reflected through their art. Long story short, I got a lot of practice in painting and traveling, and really my passion emerged outta that of collaborating with scientists whenever possible to help tell their story through art 'cause I've always loved science.The Art Toolkit came because I had this puzzle of traveling with art supplies and needing to keep everything portable. As an artist, part of just who I am is I really like to make things and to try and make things better. I was always tinkering every trip with the tools I had.I'm holding up now my first little watercolor palette I made, which just of out of an Altoids tin. And inside it is Sculpey, which I pushed a pencil in to make little holes and spray paint it. You see, Sculpey is really heavy, and so, it's not really like a backpacking pallet, and it's a little bulky.I thought, "I want stuff to be all in one, what can I do better?" Here's another one. This pallet is out of a Lamy safari pencil box or open box. I used this time little plastic pans that I could glue inside the tin. Some of them I put on magnets and held a lot more colors. It's lighter weight than my old mint tin, but still heavy.I had a trip to Eastern Greenland in 2010 with a walrus biologist. It was just really fun trip. We did a lot of sneaking up on walruses to observe them. The scientists were taking tissue samples, which was a cool process because they basically modified a crossbow to shoot a little tiny metal plug into—like imagine the tip of a pencil, you know? That was hollow.It'd take just a little plug of tissue out of the animal to get a little DNA sample. The walrus were sleeping in the sun, and they would grumble when they got poked. And then they'd fall back asleep, like, not a big deal. But sneaking up on these animals, we'd wear these zipper suits like machinist suits over our big warm gear, and we'd be crawling into sand so we wouldn't scare them.This is where the quantity of gear I had with me was really confronting practicality because I had my camera and an audio recorder and my sketchbook and my trusty watercolor box, but it would wiggle down as I was falling in the sand and keeping track of it felt like a challenge.That was the summer that Art Toolkit really started where I came back and my final watercolor palette that set the stage was this little business card tin, I'd adapted and found, okay, now I've got a pallet that can fit inside a zipper pouch and I can take anywhere a lot easier. I started making them myself with the help of a local company that helped with the pouches and making the little pallets. That was over 10 years ago.MR: Wow. Wow. That's really cool. That's I think the best kind of tools where it's not just something you make up and hope that it fits. It's like you actually field-tested everything to get to the point of like, okay, this is really working. I'm sure you field-tested that little business card thing as well to make sure everything worked. Just your nature, right?When you buy something from that a company or a maker, you take advantage of all that fieldwork that you've done, so you know it's gonna work when you get in that situation, it's not gonna fail you.MC-M: Yeah. I try and solve problems for myself. Then there's a point at which you think, with my work as an expeditionary artist that was around my passion for art, science, and education and wanting to go out, but I kept thinking, hey, I really wanna help share this with others and wanna help inspire and empower others for their own education or their own adventures and just going out.And so, I wanted to make tools to share and then kept making them better. Since then, we've done a lot of adapting to this palette from modifying it and changing the materials. We have them in three sizes. As if that wasn't small enough, we've got this really one size because it's so cute. I really like cute little things. My daughter teases me 'cause I'm always seeing your little cute things. Then we've got one that is about twice as big, but still slim.MR: Pretty thin. Slimness. I've got one of your kits, probably your smallest kit which includes a notebook. It's got a pallet and a water brush, and then it's all inside of a nice, pretty small, like a nylon zipper case. It all fits in there. Yep. Right there.We'll have links to Art Toolkit so you can go—if you're listening and you're not looking at anything, you're in the car or something. When you get to your destination, you can pop up a link and look at the breadth of tools. I think the other thing I like about the way you approach things is, well, of course, you're making tools that are tested and purpose-built 'cause that's really cool.The other thing I like is that you really focus on education. Like, having me on to talk about sketchnoting with people that like your tools or you're always doing stuff and then sharing. I think that's a really big key. It's not just that you're making tools, but you're actually showing them in practice and how to use them. It just makes for a whole integrated way of looking at what you're doing, which is really cool.MC-M: Oh, I'm so glad you appreciate that. It's been just central to our values and then the values now of Art Toolkit, you know, it's grown much beyond just me now about, I don't know what it was now, maybe when my daughter was two or three, she's seven and a half now.I realize I needed help with shipping and assembling and brought my mother-in-law in so to be my shipper, and she's still our primary shipper. Finally, got my husband on, and now we've got a team of about eight folks who work, some full-time, some part-time in making it, but really trying to keep those core values.I just think it's so neat. I get a little thrill when I see people out in the world and I get so inspired by other people's work. I suppose it's a little bit selfish in wanting that inspiration, but then the fun of sharing it and delighting.I tell you, Mike, the words that were mantras for me through the whole pandemic was just community and creativity. It was just like nourishing. I know that was the point where we connected. It's been something that's really grounded me.Well, that's great. I know sketchnote community is in a similar place. We all care for each other and lots of sharing and support and encouragement. The same thing happened for me kinda leaning into that community when the pandemic happened, knowing that there were other people like me that needed a connection, and so, well, let's make stuff, let's provide that.It sounds like you're on a similar path. That's really cool. You talked a little bit briefly about living in Japan with your parents and getting a brush made from your hair. I'm gonna now switch into your origin story. Now, you don't have to go and tell us every detail, we talked a little bit as we prepared for this. What were the key moments in your life that led you to where you're at and maybe some that specifically, I guess, integrated visual thinking into those decisions?I'm sure that living in Japan had a huge impact on the way you thought about visual thinking and observation and the way different cultures are and probably led to your interest in travel. There's probably a bunch of things that it probably influenced. Maybe start from when you were a little girl and became aware of the world and you're traveling with your dad and take us from there.MC-M: That's a great question. A few key moments come to mind. One was, so I've been to Japan four times and the first trip I was in grade school, I think. I don't know if it was summer after third grade or first grade, I can't quite remember.But the sketchbook for me then was just such a direct communication tool because I'd be sitting around with kids and I was out there with my family, but we spent a lot of time with other families and kids of that my parents were meeting and working with. I just remember describing things like, how we got to school. And they'd draw a picture of how they got to school, and I draw a picture of how I got to school or like what we ate.It was such this means of connecting and just like you said, that visual language. That stayed with me because it's brought joy and connection, and just like having conversations through a sketchbook. In high school, I loved art and I did a lot of outdoor education, but I really vividly remember, and I wish I'd grabbed this out of my files to show you, integrating art into my other classes as much as I could.For example, I had a mythology class where we'd have to write or review stories and instead of just, typing up or writing up a report, I put together a little book out of greeting cards, which I like sewed together and drew tiny little cartoon pictures with the whole stories for the whole assignment. Then I stuck in an envelope and gave it to the teacher who really enjoyed it.For me, it was a way of storytelling through art in my own way, and it helped me learn also. Which I think really relates to like the sketch noting of just visual processing and attention. Then another really formative moment was I spent two summers with the Juneau Icefield Research Program in Southeast Alaska.Each was a full summer one as a student in high school and one later coming back to help be a staff and artisan residence. That first summer, especially the ice field was this really stunning environment of rock and ice. Living in this environment, in these little cabins and traveling with a really neat group of people, science-oriented, also learning about field safety, so doing a lot of practice around crevice rescue and skiing and being safe in this place.And I just remember really coming away with, meanwhile, I'm always sketching, that idea of just coming at a subject from different perspectives. As an artist appreciating light and shadow, shapes, this sort of visual vocabulary. Then as a scientist, thinking about the why and asking questions.For example, crevices and why they're forming where they are, these practical elements. Then from this wilderness experience of how to safely navigate it, and travel it. Then also there's this emotional experience of this space that could change dramatically from this really wide-open landscape where you're skiing 10 miles and you can see your destination, but it feels like you're moving at the snail's pace or having the fog come in and all of a sudden, you're on the inside of a ping pong ball.Emotionally can be this entirely different feeling may be from going from this vast spaciousness to just this insular world. That made me just think a lot about how much I enjoy learning all these different aspects, and that's really was brought me to this expeditionary art of art, science, and education.MR: The sense that I'm getting from you to this point is you have a real fascination with layering. It's not enough that you learn, it's not enough that you're observing scientific phenomena, it's not enough that you're experiencing something emotionally, then you're layering on this art layer to try and capture it or express it or explain it. There's all this layering going on from what I hear.MC-M: Yeah. It's really neat when you get to be around people who are experts in those other layers because people of all sorts can just be the most delightful nerds, myself included. They're so passionate about little things that they know so much about, and just find it a delight to connect with those people and try and hear what they know and understand and use art as a jumping-off point to try and share that.MR: It's gotta be interesting to be able to express their nerdery about their specific thing in art, and then they see it and like, "Yeah, you get it." That's right. Maybe you even observe something because you're doing that art that they maybe didn't make those connections or maybe it sort of became clear for them. I imagine that's probably happened.MC-M: Yeah. Yeah.MR: That's really cool. Cool. Well, let's jump into what's the project that you're working on now that you're excited about to bring us right up to the present and share some detail.MC-M: Well, all sorts of projects going on. On the art level that's been something for my personal art practice that comes in and fits and starts now. I had a really lovely residency over the summer in Norway, which was an opportunity just to sink back into some of my painting practice. And so I'm excited to take some of that Norwegian work and develop it into larger paintings.I often like to work in the field, you work really quickly or might be filling up little sketchbooks. Here's an example from little small, just playful sketchbooks. I'm holding up one from some sketches in Alaska I did with a scientist that are—MR: Oh yeah, look at that.MC-M: Very much kind of little storytelling elements of about the project. Then in my studio I like to work on a much bigger scale often to try and catch some of the emotional sense of what I feel. Then on Art Toolkit side, there's all sorts of nonstop projects there, but I really enjoy developing new products and collaborations. I'll have to just share that there's some new paint-filled pallets that we're working on. We've got some variations on—oh, I don't even know if I should say yet, but if you stay tuned to Art Toolkit.MR: You'll find out. Yeah, get on the mailing list.MC-M: This spring, there's some a few things coming out that I'm really excited about.MR: Sweet. That's really great. That's great to hear. You're like me, you got lots of irons in the fire keeping things moving, so that's pretty cool.MC-M: Yeah. Yeah. I will say will be announcing our early spring workshop soon, and that's something I'm excited about too, is getting to connect with other artists who may wanna come and help inspire our Art Toolkit audience.MR: Excellent, excellent.MC-M: We'll have those coming up soon too.MR: Great. Let's switch to tools a little bit. You probably got lots of tools you could show. I guess we do have to remember this is typically about an hour show, so I'll have to cap you a little bit. But maybe you put in the context of someone's listening and they're like, expeditionary art or visualizing nature.Maybe they're in an urban environment and they don't think about nature, but the reality is nature is all around you, birds and trees, and it would be interesting maybe the start observing like, well, what nature is in my urban environment that I could capture? Or maybe I get out of the city and I take a sketchbook or something along.Maybe talk—when we talked before you were able to provide me with a little starter kit to try. Which is really great. Maybe talk about if someone's interested in getting into it, what would be the right tools that they might consider? Maybe that's the way to go about it.MC-M: Well, I think like the sketchbook it's similar to what people say about a camera, that the best camera you have is the one you have with you. The best sketchbook is the one you're gonna be able to have with you. For me, that's where having this little all-in-one zipper pouch of the Art Toolkit, which we offer in two sizes really came in because I just wanted this like no excuses kit.My no-excuses kit is usually the small one. I carry a bigger one when I wanna head out with more goodies and more things to share. But just to be really no excuses. In this kit, one of my favorite things is a water brush. I typically use Pentel water brushes. They're really durable. I find that you don't often clog. Last a long time. If you haven't used a water brush, you untwist the caps, you can fill them with water. Really cold places, you can mix it in with some vodka or gin to help lower the freezing temperature.MR: Your paint freeze.MC-M: Paint freeze. Another perk of the pentel that I like is they're oval, so they're not gonna start rolling downhill as quickly.MR: Fall into a crevasse or something.MC-M: I always find a water brush is handy. The most fundamental, all you need is a pencil or pen and a sketchbook. But I'll show you a little just what is in my kit, I suppose. I like waterproof pen. I often sketch straight with pen because there's just the immediacy of putting your marks on paper, and I really try and embrace practice, not perfection, of not worrying about lines being in the wrong place.If I did something and I stop and measure, I just draw the line where I want it and only color and the lines I want to. It's part of the process. Practice, not perfection is a really big mantra for me. I love a waterproof pen, and depending on where I'm traveling, I might carry one that's—I don't like disposable things in general, but a little Sharpie pen. Sometimes traveling refillable pens can be a little explosive with going over mountain passes or altitude. Another waterproof pen I really enjoy is this Pentel brush pen.MR: I love those.MC-M: A little more like dynamic mark, and they're also waterproof. Then I have a little collection of fountain pens. I'll sometimes carry—this is a little Pelikano fountain pen by Pilot. That's pretty cute and not too expensive too, so if you are not gonna worry about losing it too much. Copic multiliners are another waterproof pen I like. These are kind of a in between, see if I can pop this out. Something that is disposable and reusable. It's got a very large ink cart that you can replace and you can replace the nibs.That's a little variety of pens. I've got pen, water, brush. If I do carry a pencil, I sometimes carry an automatic pencil. This is a little heavy, but—oh, I love these pencils. Mike, they're Helvetica pencils. We have the automatic ones and then we also have just wooden pencils. They're just these gorgeous pencils made in Japan. I have just a gorgeous feel and I'm a real sucker for good aesthetics and I really like their aesthetics.MR: I'm a mechanical pencil fan as well. I keep usually soft lead and like thick. I think I got Faber-Castell, it's like 1.4 millimeter, so it's really super thick. I can show you what that looks like. It's super thick lead and it's soft. If I'm gonna do pencil, I want it to be soft and feel really loosey-goosey. I dunno if that's a technical term, but I tends to like, I can flow around and I don't worry so much. It's not about perfection, so.MC-M: Yeah. Yeah. Oh, this is one I bought years ago with a big lid lead too, that I don't sketch with very much, but I picked it up 'cause it was just so beautiful with a very big lead.MR: I think that's technically called a lead holder. I think it moves beyond a mechanical pencil to lead holder.MC-M: I think that serves it right.MR: The grasping things on it, right?MC-M: A couple other things In my carry-everywhere kit, if I've got enough time, I do really enjoy travel watercolor brushes. A brand that I'm a big fan of and we carry, Art Toolkit is Rosemary and Co. These are made in England by a small family company, not terribly small, they've grown many over the years, but Rosemary still runs the company. They have a whole variety of shapes and sizes, but the big key is that when you're done painting with 'em, you can take it apart and put a cap over the point so that they won't be damaged in transit.To paint with 'em, I carry a little tiny collapsible cup that we offer on Art Toolkit website. I can pour a little water and sit down a minute. Sometimes for my water brush, I carry a little tiny no-needle syringe to squeeze out the water and pop it in my brush. I always carry little extra binder clips, sometimes rubber bands too for wind. They're really useful because you can also clip your palette to your sketchbook. So, if you're out, you can have it on one side and sketch on the other.MR: Got it.MC-M: I do that a lot, sketching standing up, or making sure something won't blow away. Finally, a paper towel to wipe my brush on. The paper towels I use, I've been using these for years and years and years. They're shop towels, blue shop towels that you can pick up at a hardware store. They're just so soft and durable that you tease them out and reuse them. I really like the feel and trying to reuse them.MR: Cool.MC-M: That's what's in my daily carry. For folks getting started, your daily carry can just be as simple as like I said, you know, a pen and a pencil. I think water-soluble pens can be fun with a little water brush just for black-and-white paintings. Just keeping things simple with what feels like you've got space for in your daily bag.MR: Well, I've got my little toolkit right here for those on video so you can see. There it's. I got a little ruler in there, my syringe, and stuff. It's been a great little kit.MC-M: Oh, I'm so glad. I love having a ruler too. Mine has slipped out at the moment, I'll need to replace it.MR: Exactly. Great. I think I've actually done some work. I can show you what I've done. You mentioned the Pentel brush pen. I was playing with this. This is in a train ride in Minneapolis along the river with my kids. Then I think I was standing at the back in the caboose and just captured the tracks rolling away from us. I gotta say, it was really fun. I was really enjoying it. I need to do more of it this summer, so thank you again.MC-M: Oh, that's wonderful. You're welcome. That brush pen is so big and bold that you can capture the shapes quickly and then the watercolor can bring it to life. I think that's something a artist friend of mine told me once was that big tools make for big ideas. That sometimes bumping up the size of your tool, you can fill something up quickly and just—MR: Loosens you up a little bit too. I think. Talking about the size, if you know what the size of a pocket Moleskine is, which I don't know what the exact size is. The kit is not much bigger. Well, maybe I'll take a picture for the show notes. It's big enough to hold it and then the tools. It's actually pretty small, all things considered. Pretty compact, and you could throw that in a bag really easily. I appreciate little things from when I was a kid as well, so I super appreciated how you packed so much in this little tiny package. It fit me. It suited me.MC-M: Oh, I'm so glad. Mine tends to get a little bloated, but the zipper holds, so I'm like, "Oh, I can just stuff one more thing in here."MR: One more thing, just one more thing. That's excellent. Now, typically with Sketch noters, they often will use iPads and pencils and stuff. Are you using any kind of digital tools for the work you do? And what are they if you do?MC-M: I'd say the biggest tool I use is my phone in just taking reference photos. I might be out somewhere and I find like being onsite and doing some sketching sort of activates my attention. It gets me into just active observation, paying attention. It doesn't matter if that's just color studies or notes, but just something to pay attention and get outta my head.But then having some sort of media, additional media, let's say I'm going and need to add more color later or wanna work on some larger paintings, having a camera with me is really helpful. I think a phone is—I just have a little iPhone mini that—I'm not always looking for the best photo, but just for the reference and the memory.Sometimes I'll even do little videos, especially if it's of birds or things that move so that I can get a sense of that motion. I can pause and maybe catch a different position. I will say, I'm curious about playing more with Procreate tools and other things. I had on my residency this summer, another artist was doing a lot of really cool development of his photos into digital images and it was good to see the potential there. But I'm a fairly analog person by nature.MR: I can imagine. The problem that I've had in the field is just when you need a thing, the battery's dead. And if you're cold weather, it's dropping faster and if it's bright and sunny, it's hard to see. There's all these considerations that paper doesn't have those issues a lot of times. I could certainly see why that might be the case.But well, that's a really great little toolkit and we'll, we'll have you send a link to all those things. We can put that in the show notes, so we've got links to all the stuff that you showed, or maybe the package of things that have them all in there. Maybe there's just one link and everything is already in there for someone so they can just buy it and they're ready to go. So cool.Well, now let's shift again. We're shifting away from tools, and this is the tips portion of the interview where I frame it that there's someone listening, a visual thinker, whatever that means to them. Maybe they feel like they've been in a bit of a rut or they're on a plateau and they just need a little encouragement or some inspiration. What would be three things that you would tell them they can be inspirational, can be practical, three things that they might do to help them just kind of shake it up a little bit?MC-M: I love that question because I'm a real process person and I already told you one of my mantras, which is practice not perfection. Another one of my mantras is trust in process. No matter how much painting I've done, I still sometimes look at a sketchbook or start a painting and I'm like, where do I begin? And I need to remember kind of, warm up again.I love having my little process to get started. One thing I love in just all parts of my life, I love timers. I am so hooked on, like, does this feel hard to do? Set a timer. In workshops with people of all ages, I love going through gesture sketches, which are really fast, energetic little sketches to get the big idea of something.Using a timer, we'll so often, start with a ten-second sketch, go to a 30-second sketch, a minute, and even up to two minutes. It's fascinating to see what can be done in just a couple of minutes. let's see if I have a little example here of some gestures. Here's some little, just tiny walrus gestures done with one project.MR: Oh yeah.MC-M: I'd recommend as one tip is, if you're feeling like you need a little prompt to get started is set yourself a timer. I'm gonna do this for three minutes, just to get yourself to sit down and get started. Another way to think about it that a scientist shared with me is the activation energy to get a chemical reaction started is bigger often than like continuing a process.I think that timer can help us have that boost to get going. then once we are in the groove, it can be easier to stay in the flow. My first tip, Mike, is use a timer and set yourself a very small amount of time to do something. Now there's the question of what to do. And that will be my next tip.Another tip I would suggest is if you're sitting somewhere and feeling like, "I need a little boost for getting going here." Would be just to play with painting the colors you see and not worry about composition. You might do this as little circles. An artist friend of ours with Art Toolkit lately has just been doing some really delightful little circle studies, in this vein of creating a little bit of a little wet circle on your paper, dropping a little bit of one color in, and adding a little bit of another color.This could be more formal or you can see this little slouch of color on the other side of just seeing how colors might mix together what you see in front of you. But take away the pressure of I have to like, paint something or, or do something more, I'm gonna put this in quotes, "Official" or "Real feeling." Just give yourself the opportunity to play with color, what you see, and don't worry about composition.Actually, there's a fun thing which I think we put on our website. I can send you a link to this, Mike. If you do this of just mixing the colors you see, sometimes you can go on top and just do a light pen drawing on top of that as well. I can send you a link to a little prompt of that.MR: Okay.MC-M: My last tip would be going the other direction from just looking at color to just starting with words. I think a lot about sense of place and palette of place is something, as an artist I pay attention to. you're building a vocabulary when you're outside of the colors you see of the environment of the stories you learn. if it feels too much to start with the drawing side of things, let yourself do some writing.I often think about, you know, the W's of who, what, where, when, why when I write. I think it can be really fun to play, this is something you do so well. you might play with your writing. This is a little exercise I did on one program where we were imagining the ocean. So let your words be fun where you might play with how you're writing.Then around those writings you might then add in little tiny thumbnail sketches or little icons and then be able to add some color to the page. with all of these tips, out of those three, it's about just simplifying your approach. setting a timer, putting a little limit on kind of your time and expectations, taking away composition, just focusing on color, and then just paying attention to the world and just letting yourself start with notes just to start that attention.MR: Those are great. Those are three great tips. I almost wanna say practice not perfection and trust in the process are almost like free extra tips. I dunno. 0.1 and 0.2, I dunno, whatever. They are also good things to remember. That's really great. Well, here we are at the end of the interview. Crazy enough, it just flows by, it seems like every time I do these.Tell us what's the best way to reach you to get to Art Toolkit to follow you. Are there social media channels where you're more active? What are the best ways to connect and explore what you're doing and what you're offering?MC-M: Art Toolkit, we're at art toolkit.com and Mike, I'll put together a little discount code that you can share with your listeners at the end. We'll put in the show notes. We have an active Art Toolkit, Instagram. Fun community there. And I've got a small team Art Toolkit who helped me with that, which is great 'cause we really enjoy featuring other artists featuring techniques.We have an Art Toolkit recommend series where we just really try and share inspiration and cool stuff to try and help inspire each other. My personal art is over@expeditionaryart.com. I'm a little quieter on the social media front these days personally, but really with the Art Toolkit newsletter is the best place to hear about what is coming up. We announce to our newsletter our new releases or special offers first. We really enjoy that community and so invite you to sign up for that on our website.MR: Great. Those are all great entry points. Everybody listening, definitely check out the code that'll be in the show notes, and then go visit and spend some money over here. We wanna encourage and support Maria and her team for the hard work they're doing and the sharing that you're doing, and you end up with good tools. Everybody wins in that case.Thanks so much, Maria, for being on the show and sharing your experience and it's so good to have you on the show. Thanks so much.MC-M: Oh, such a pleasure. Mike, thanks for everything you do and your work has long been inspiring for me too. Just really glad to share this community, so thank you.MR: You're so welcome. Thanks so much. For those who are listening, this is another episode of the "Sketchnote Army Podcast." Until the next episode, we'll talk to you soon.

What you'll learn in this episode:   How Wayne used his trip around the world to learn the art and science of metalsmithing Why it's important for emerging metalsmiths to understand they are part of a global mosaic of creatives How Wayne made jewelry for the Grateful Dead and Blues Traveler Why Wayne is selective about the jewelry shows he attends Why teachers benefit from living as an artisan before teaching   About Wayne Werner Jeweler, goldsmith, and educator Wayne Werner is a third-generation metalsmith from Maryland. He has been jewelry maker for over 30 years with clients worldwide.   Wayne Werner has traveled around the world to learn with metal workers from Italy and Egypt to Java and Bali. Specializing in cold forging precious metals, Werner has incorporated the traditional techniques of gold and platinum smithing with his artistic vision of paying homage to the fertility cults of the ancient world.      Werner's work explores the relationship to metals liquid opus and the opus of mankind, both being a product of the earth cooling down. Through his work Werner attempts to remind people of the miracle of life and the cosmic happening that we all are.      Primarily making a living retailing his work, Werner has participated in over 250 high-end craft shows nationally. He has received many awards for his work including the World Gold Council's Gold Distinction award and the MJSA Vision award for Mokume Gane. Werner is a former instructor at the Fuji Studio in Florence, Italy, and was adjunct faculty at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore for 17 years. He has also taught over 100 workshops in universities and craft schools around the country. In 2006 he was asked to demonstrate his craft at The Mint Museum of Craft and Design in Charlotte, NC, an event marking his 40th birthday. He is founder and host of THE ALCHEMIST PICNIC, a metalsmithing retreat at Touchstone Center for Craft, now in its 6th year. Werner is also an accomplished musician who has appeared on both television and movies as himself. His clients are some of the most interesting people on earth.   Photos Available on TheJewelryJourney.com Additional Resources: Website Instagram Facebook Transcript Known for his psychedelic designs that reference ancient myths, fertility cults and the splendor of the sun, it's no wonder that metalsmith Wayne Werner has connected with clients like the Grateful Dead. A self-taught jeweler who learned traditional techniques by visiting metalsmiths around the world, Wayne has found success by selling his pieces at craft shows. He joined the Jewelry Journey Podcast to talk about his tips for building a long-lasting career in the jewelry industry; how he chooses the shows he attends; and why metalsmiths are all part of a global creative community. Read the episode transcript here.   Sharon: Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Jewelry Journey Podcast. This is the first part of a two-part episode. Please make sure you subscribe so you can hear part two as soon as it's released later this week.    Today my guest is Wayne Werner. Wayne is a very unusual and accomplished goldsmith. He is self-taught. As well as a goldsmith, he's an educator, an artist and a world traveler. He has traveled from Italy to Egypt, Java and Bali to learn different metalworking techniques and to be the best possible metalsmith. We'll hear all about his journey today. Wayne, welcome to the program.   Wayne: Thank you, Sharon. I'm flattered to be here.    Sharon: Thank you so much for being here. Tell us about your jewelry journey. You came from a family of goldsmiths, you said.   Wayne: Yes. I hope the journey has not already happened. I think it's still happening as we speak. But, yeah, I came from a family of makers, I would say. My one grandfather worked on the World Trade Center in New York and the George Washington Bridge among other things. He was an ironworker. My grandfather on my dad's side worked for the government. He worked for Aberdeen Proving Ground. He did metalwork. He made hand grenades and guns that shot around corners and weird things like that.    My mom was a decorator, but it was my uncle Russ Springer who really blew my mind and affected me when I was a child. Russ Springer, a German immigrant on the east side of Baltimore, was a watchmaker, clockmaker and repairman. He made jewelry, but he also did movie projections. He was a projectionist. He did things like help put movies on airplanes back in the 60s. When I went to see uncle Russ, he was working at the Essex Movie Theater on the east side of Baltimore. My mother took me there. She would leave me at the movie theater because he was working in the projection room, and she would go shopping. I was there to watch 101 Dalmatians, but Russ had a work bench in there, and while he was running the projectors in this small projection room, he was working on watches and clocks and carvings. Imagine being six years old, walking into a tiny room with flickering lights and big wheels turning, movies turning, and there's an old man with a skinny moustache and a German physique hunched over a workbench over little mechanical things that look just like that movie projector. I didn't want to watch the movie; I wanted to be in this little room with flickering lights and my uncle Russ. For me, that was the most fascinating. It was something out of a carnival, but all on a microscopic level. It really affected me.    The highlight of my six-year-old life was to go to Russ' house. He had a hundred clocks, and they would all chime or go off or do something. If I could just be at his house to hear all these clocks chime and go off at noon. It was Pink Floyd time. It was bing, bong, boom. It was so exciting, the anticipation and all that. So, Russ Springer was the one to hand me some wax as a child and light a fire of fascination with small things.    One thing led to the other. I started sculpting with Sculpey and things like that. When I was a young kid, I'd go to Bethany Beach and pretend to be a sculptor. I'd hang out under the boardwalk and do sculptures out of clay. Lo and behold, a man came up and talked to me and gave me a commission—I think it was for six dollars—and these little things fuel your fire. So, I was sculpting and doing wax carvings.    When I hit my teenage years, I was really getting into wax carving. The Grateful Dead came to town and my friends took me to a Grateful Dead concert. There were all these crafts in the parking lot and really cool counterculture stuff, so I started doing little wax carvings at 17, 18 years old and selling them in the parking lot of Grateful Dead concerts. I ended up selling work to the Psychedelic Shop in San Francisco and the Psychedelic Solution in New York City. These pieces were $12 to $20 each, but it fueled the fire for the next step.    That next step was to discover the American Craft Council. That was a really enlightening thing for me. I had a teacher at community college who was upset that I wasn't an art major, and he said, “Go down to the Baltimore American Craft Council's show. I want you to see the business of art, of jewelers and silversmiths, glassblowers, leatherworkers, all those kinds of people.” So, the American Craft Council in Baltimore was the first place I experienced contemporary craft.   Sharon: Did that make you want to go around the world?   Wayne: It's funny you should say that, but it did. I found myself, God forbid, growing up and needing to make money and do something, and I felt like I was getting good at metalwork. I was in California. I went to the Revere Academy for a few classes. I wanted to be in San Francisco around the Psychedelic Shop, but I was getting involved with shows. I met some successful craftspeople, and I realized it was something to commit to. Between the ages of about 22 and 29, I began doing ACC shows. I wanted to do crafts at Lincoln Center, which was interesting, but I put the brakes on it. I thought to myself, “I see how this could become you.” Becoming a craftsperson was a commitment. I would do it, but it was a commitment. Before I committed to being in a bunch of galleries and doing a bunch of shows, I wanted to pause and take a trip around the world. At the time, I had just done a commission for the band Blues Traveler. They commissioned me to do platinum rings for the band. I had worked for other rock bands before.   To get back to your question, if it made me want to travel around the world, absolutely. My 30th birthday gift to myself was to take a trip around the world, and I did that. I planned it for close to a year. This was 1995. I wrote letters to some galleries, artists and schools saying I had an intent to travel and visit these places. I literally paused my creative endeavors of trying to have a studio and trying to be a contemporary American craftsman. I paused and said, “Wait, let me take a trip around the world first, because I don't think I will be able to do it later.” This was pre-millennium and everything else, pre-9/11. I knew in my stomach that in the future, I felt like the world wouldn't be as easily traveled. Does that make sense?   Sharon: Yes.   Wayne: How did I decide to do that? I just wanted to do it. I wanted to say I did it. I wanted to visit metalsmithing places and villages, everything from King Tut. I wanted to see King Tut. I wanted to walk the Ponte Vecchio in Florence. I wanted to go see the metalsmiths in Java and Bali and get into their world, walk in and out of the door, at least for a day.   Sharon: Did you know they were metalsmiths? Did you know they had something you wanted to learn, something specific? Or did you just want to see what they did?   Wayne: A little bit of everything. One of the first things I did was go to Goldsmiths' Hall in London and see the show there. I had some friends there, made some friends, interviewed people like Wendy Ramshaw and Gerda Flöckinger. I was meeting people and I would interview them. I ended up in Pforzheim, Germany and Italy, but where it really got interesting was when I went to Egypt. I was in Cairo hanging around with metalsmiths in the market, who had all the time in the world but not the technology.    One of my destinations I had to see was Java, to see the kris-makers of Java. They used to make knives out of meteorite and iron. They're kind of supernatural and super fascinating. A kris blade is something that every Indonesian man possesses. It was the same thing with the Balinese doing granulation work. I had it loosely mapped out in my head. I had written my letters. I'd gotten some letters back saying, “You're welcome to come here,” or “You're welcome to come use the bench for the week.” It was really cool that I found this global family, not just the American craftsman family, but this global family. They're still there. They're out there for all of us.    Sharon: When you came back, did you find the travels influenced what you made or how you made it?   Wayne: Yeah, it really did. First of all, I realized there was some kind of metallic cultural heritage in different regions around the world. We talk about how in Toledo, Spain, they do inlaid work. I already mentioned the kris blades, Balinese granulation. That influenced me, knowing that being a metalsmith was being part of a cultural heritage. Being from Baltimore, the American Craft Council show was so important at the time. I realized I was a hammer person. I ended up using a hammer and forging when I did sculpting, and that led to Douglas Legenhausen, who I worked for. He worked for Ron Hayes Pearson. So, I found myself in that little tribe of makers.    The other thing I was developing at the time was not just making craft, but I was trying to bring in ancient techniques or ancient religious ideas. A lot of the travels I did revolved around going to temples like the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus in Turkey and the Temple of Isis in south Egypt. Those were fertility temples, and a lot of my work was a quest to document how amazing it was to be alive and how mother nature and all these things were such a force. That was the story I was telling. It got influenced by these ancient temples and religious things. The facts that mattered to ancient culture were written in metal or stone. It all started churning up, fermenting, but it all started with my fascination with psychedelic art and the art of Rick Griffin. He was a poster artist, and he did a lot of work that revolved around these fertility cults and temples. So, did it influence my work? How couldn't it influence my work?    You also have to accept the fact that there are some things that are much larger than any one maker. I realized I was in this mosaic of creative people; they just happened to be metalsmiths. They could have been musicians or poets or whatever, but they were metalsmiths. It was a crazy, life-changing adventure. It was survival. There were a lot of things that went wrong. There were a lot of things that happened that I never would have guessed. I didn't think I would have ended up in a workshop in Cairo, Egypt, looking over the shoulder of someone who was doing filigree work the way their father and father and father probably five or six generations before him had done.    It was amazing to me to realize that if the workshop had a dirt floor, the people in that workshop were very in tune with their creative process and the material. When you got into a room with a concrete floor and all these fancy machines, I think it really separated them from the earth and the earth, air, fire and water scenario. I found that the primitive metalsmiths were more tuned into their material. It's when I started to really pay attention to the material and what it could do, what it would do, and especially what I could and couldn't do with the material. Did that answer your question?   Sharon: Yeah, you did. I'm wondering if what you're saying is what resonated with the rock musicians you also talk to. Maybe you're making a different ring, but it's a different story or a different piece of jewelry, I guess.   Wayne: We'll back up to Psychedelic Solution. I was in New York. Jacaeber Kastor was his name, and he had a gallery where you could buy rock-and-roll collectable things, not only collectable posters, but original artwork from different artists like Rick Griffin and H. R. Giger. I guess they're psychedelic artists, outsider artists, pop or visionary artists, whatever you want to call them. I also sold to the Psychedelic Solution in San Francisco. That was more of a head shop, but they had some collectable posters. Through both of them, I met a lot of interesting people. I was just a lucky kid who had a relationship with his creativity, which happened to be metal, and things would happen.    Bill Graham and some of the Grateful Dead would have me do pieces. I met Jerry Garcia's guitar maker, and then Jerry Garcia said, “I'd like to have some little pins with my logo on them. I'm going to give these away.” It was interesting to be near those people. Blues Traveler, I made some platinum rings from them. Prior to that, they were silver rings. I found myself growing comfortable around certain bands. I remember riding on the road with one of these musicians and I said, “Man, you've got the coolest job ever,” and he said, “No, you've got the coolest job ever. You're playing with fire. You're sitting at home. You're listening to records, staying in your studio. You don't have to deal with what I have to deal with.” It's kind of cool to have a rock musician say, “No, you have the coolest job, not me.”    They were into the same stuff. When I told somebody where I traveled, I said, “Yeah, I saw the pyramids a couple of times and I went to see my cousin, King Tut.” He said, “Wow, man, that's great. Make me something. Bring these designs forward. Reinterpret them.” Again, I'm just a regular guy who got fascinated with metalsmithing and history and world religions and things like that. Whenever I sat down to write a story, it was in metal. It was all part of the fascination. I was a guy on the hustle, Sharon, like you wouldn't believe. I was not, in any uncertain terms, going to get a regular job and have a regular life. I thought there was a way to have a surreal job and a surreal life as long as you were willing to work at it. To me, the artists, whether they were musicians or whatever, they were professionally themselves. They were outsiders. They may have been socially inept, but they figured out a way to be professionally themselves. That was the goal. “The harder you work, the more luck you will have,” as someone said to me. I said, “All right. I'm going to go work hard at this surreal thing I have going on.”   Sharon: Is that when you decided to go into jewelry making, because he said it was a neat job? Did you realize, “This my thing. This is the way I am creative the way I work hard and grow”?   Wayne: I think any creative person has a time in their life when they have to make a decision. Do you bet it all on your creativity, and then you have the business aspect of this creativity? Because business, no matter what you do as an artist, is super important. They call it the music business; they call it the art business, because of half of it is art and half of it is business. For me, I got to a point where I realized I was getting some chops. Honestly, I was told by JoAnne Brown, who ran the American Craft Council's shows, “Wayne, you're one of the youngest goldsmiths to do these shows as a goldsmith. Not as a silversmith, as a goldsmith. You're really betting it all here.” I just had to laugh. I said, “I'm totally unemployable. I've tried it and I can't work for people. I have to figure this out.” All I wanted to do was find my niches and find other facets of a creative career to go into.   It's funny; I don't know if I made the decision or the decision made me. I swear to God, if this didn't find me, I would have had a very different path in life. Probably it wouldn't have worked out so good, but I love it. I love the craft. I love the makers I work with. I love everything about it. Alan Revere said something I thought was asinine at the time. He said, “Wayne, you're becoming a metalsmith. You could become a lawyer and people would come see you when they're in trouble. You could be a doctor and people would come see you when they're sick, but you know what? You're going to be a metalsmith and a jeweler. People are going to come see you when they're in love. Whether it's a wedding band or a gift or whatever, they're going to come see you when they're in love. You're going to be part of their love, their relationship.” I looked at him like he had two heads, of all the things to say.   After years of doing this, every time I make a wedding band, I thank the customer. I say, “You know what? Thank you.” The ultimate compliment I can get is for someone to say, “Make my wedding ring.” This week I'm restoring a wedding band that's close to a hundred years old. It was someone's grandma's, and that's pretty cool. I have to admit I'm so lucky to have that energy be part of me profiting from a passion I have.   Sharon: We will have photos posted on the website. Please had to the JewelryJourney.com to check them out.

There is a reason Sculpey Clay sells the best polymer clay in the world. Their mission has been to inspire people to realize their creative potential through education and high-quality products. Jennifer talks about their wide selection of products for crafters and artists at any expertise level.  Click here to see all of their clay products.Polymer clay Kids – Sculpey Bake Shop®, Sculpey Bake Shop® Eraser, Sculpey Bake Shop® Glow, Sculpey Bake Shop® Bendy and Sculpey Bake Shop Light™Artists – Sculpey Premo™, Sculpey® SouffléGeneral fun – Sculpey III®, Original Sculpey®, Keepsake®Sculpting – Super Sculpey®, Super Sculpey Medium™, Super Sculpey Firm™, Super Sculpey Living Doll®, Super Sculpey Ultralight®Liquid Sculpey® Polymer Clay Sculpey Air-Dry™ Clay Sculpey Non-Dry™ Clay Sculpey Tools™ Art Supply InsidersClick here to subscribe & follow (and be notified of every new podcast): Subscribe & FollowPlease leave a comment (we love feedback!): CommentsSupport the show

Elyse DeLucci (@ElyseDeLucci) welcomes you into her living room talking about: best dressed a the 2022 Oscars... I mean, did you see Rita Moreno at 91 years young!?  I saw Funny Girl on Broadway -- first time back on since 1964 (!!), Easter bunny inflation, fun kids project: Sculpey clay, TV TAWK: WeCrashed, and my Ukrainian hairdresser shared some info on the latest in Ukraine and MORE! LOVE to LOVE YA! Let's hang out and tawk! Follow Elyse on TikTok: @ElyseDeLucci Follow Elyse on Instagram: Instagram.com/ElyseDeLucci

See a demo on how to carve an sweet potato and how to sculpt with Sculpey to create surrealistic face brooches. Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/nYDh9uJV6TY. Explained are the advantages of using polymer clay, showing three different colors of Original Sculpey. Learning to sculpt with carving tools can be very challenging and an object like a sweet potato which is easy to carve, but relatively rigid enough to hold it's form is an excellent entry point to figuring out how to approach a reductive way of creating sculpture. Demo by Art Prof Clara Lieu and Teaching Artist Deepti Menon. Support Art Prof on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/artprof  or make a one-time donation: https://www.paypal.me/artprof 

This is a long-awaited episode recorded back at the beginning of Covid where I dive deep into creative cycles with my good friend Misty Granade. All the wisdom stands up more than ever right now as we are all navigating creative cycles in our lives right now. Misty shares her experience and practices when she is in deep creative mode, what she does when she finishes a big project and when she is totally stuck. We have a fun, laidback chat about how we reset our brains when we're stuck or overwhelmed and navigating all the emotions and challenges that come with creating while living your life. Thanks so much to our Sponsor www.Sculpey.com use code HOWSHECREATES10 for 10% off your online order! Get shownotes here: http://www.lauren-likes.com/how-she-creates-creative-cycles-with-misty-granade-ep-412/

IT'S GIVEAWAY TIME!!! Enter to win an Apollo 11 Lunar Module 3D Puzzle! This week's episode features a clothing brand that is truly "Awesome," a crafting medium for the whole family, and a tasty bite of history. Plus, you'll get all the details on the Apollo 11 lunar module 3D puzzle giveaway! Show notes: Rockets of Awesome Sculpey Marshmallow Moon Oreos and... Apollo 11 Lunar Module 3D Puzzle Giveaway --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/kidconsumers/message

Today we are chatting with three talented Paper Florists, Kelly Grace Gibbons, Susan Bonn, and Jessa Parker, about their businesses and honing their craft! All three lovely ladies were at the Masterclass in the spring so it was incredibly nice to come together again and hear their stories. Get to know Susan Bonn's paper flower journey: Tell us a bit about your paper flower businessI started making paper flowers about 4 years ago. It was a hobby for me while still working my corporate job. After my retirement last year, I moved to a full-time career as a paper florist, and I'm so glad I did! My flowers are all made to order. I make flowers for all occasions and gift-giving. I love to personally deliver my flowers to their new owner—the look on the face of the recipient is priceless!!! How would you describe your paper flowers and/or your aesthetic?I'm pretty structured in my personal style, so my flowers reflect that aesthetic. I like to make my flowers look as realistic as possible. I use the dissection of fresh-cut florals as my inspiration. I'm working on making some less structured blooms, with more movement and fluidity in the structure—It's a learning process. What do you find the most challenging and rewarding about having a paper flower business?Running your own business is hard! Making flowers is the fun part, for sure, but there are many daunting tasks associated with running your own business. It's been challenging learning website design and maintenance, not to mention keeping up-to-date bookkeeping and business software. What advice would you give to new paper flower artists?Have fun! Pick up a pair of scissors and just start cutting. You'll be surprised at what you can do. Learn from nature-Mother Nature is so willing to share her creations. Pick a flower from your garden and take it apart—you'll see how Mother Nature put it together! Reach out to your fellow paper florists! There's lots of helpful information to access. Many of us have classes that can be viewed on platforms such as Teachable. Don't get too caught up in making it a business. Learn the basics. Make lots of mistakes. The business part will come later and you'll be better prepared. What's one tool you unexpectedly fell in love with and now use regularly?Omg—Life-Changing Blending brushes from Picket Fence! These are a game-changer for me I have several sets that I use to lay down Pan Pastels on paper. Get to know Jessa Parker's paper flower journey: Tell us a bit about your paper flower business. I've been making paper flowers since 2015. I started with my wedding where I made all of the boutonnières, bouquets, and decor using cardstock paper. From there, I took a year to build up a library of flower designs and to figure out where I wanted to fit in the paper flower community. I chose the wedding industry because I love making something that's custom to each couple and something that they can display in their home as a token of their favorite day. How would you describe your paper flowers and/or your aesthetic? My aesthetic tends to lean toward clean and tight like the way fresh flowers look right before they open. What do you find the most challenging and rewarding about having a paper flower business? The most challenging aspect is how to correctly price my items. It took a while to gain the confidence to call what I do more than just crafting in my spare time. This is my art, my style, my designs, and my time away from family that I'm sharing with clients, and the price of my work should reflect that. The most rewarding part about being a paper florist is, hands-down, the moment you present the items to the bride/groom. The excitement, appreciation, and awe on their face are unbeatable. What advice would you give to new paper flower artists? Start conversations within the paper florist community!! Ask questions, tell us about your work, share what inspires you and what your goals are for your flowers. Communication leads to friendships which leads to recommendations and opportunities. What's one tool you unexpectedly fell in love with and now use regularly? My favorite tools are the Create It lollipop sticks for rolling along with Sculpey style & detail tools and a thick yoga mat for a cardstock version of cupping. Get to know Kelly Grace's paper flower journey: Tell us a bit about your paper flower business. My studio is located in Frenchtown, NJ. I have a storefront with good visibility and I can sit a decent number of adults Comfortably. I live with my family 15 minutes from my studio in Union Township. It's a beautiful area. I recently rebranded my business name to Paper Floral Co. My store sign still says Crafting Space with Kelly Grace. I have been making paper flowers for two years now! I began making paper flowers during the summer of 2017 after I got married. I was a little depressed and was not feeling my best. I wasn't working at the time and I had just finished some pretty intense college classes right before my wedding. I started with wood flowers and moved on to book page flowers and I found some success with those. I discovered a video of someone making a crepe paper echinacea, I think it may have been Tina from ABC TV. One video led to another and I discovered Lia Griffith and then Amity from Florabeane, and then the Paper Florist Facebook group. I purchased supplies from Lia Griffith to make some crepe paper flowers and a couple of paper flower books off Amazon. Livia Cetti's camellia was my first tutorial. I just began to continuously make and create. I began to feel so much better, and I now truly believe there is merit to Creative Therapy in healing depression. Recreating nature using paper was great alternative medicine for me. It's not to say that medicine isn't the better choice for others but for me, creating flowers was impactful. Then grew the thought that this could be my job, and that was very much appealing to me. So I took the basic steps to start a biz and continued to create. Fast forward two years and here I am! How would you describe your paper flowers and/or your aesthetic? I'm still growing into my aesthetic and I love the color of all shades and tones but I seem to consistently have a bold beauty thing going on. What advice would you give to new paper flower artists? Practice and practice and just create. Unplug from social media if you can and just do you. Your style will emerge and will be perfect. What's your favorite tool and/or material to use? Pretty basic, but Tacky glue and doublette are my highest volume materials. But I sure do love my extra fine-tipped glue gun too! I like my bone folder and my Pan Pastels. As paper florists, aren't we all craft tool junkies? What's one thing you want people to know about paper flowers or the paper florist industry? It's a beautiful art and it's a growing trend that is here to stay for a while! Like the floral design, it's a multi-faceted industry. Value your time! You can learn more about each of these creative ladies on their social media platforms: Susan Bonn, Susan Bonn Designs (website/Instagram) Jessa Parker, 14keys_design (Instagram) Kelly Grace Gibbons, Paper Floral Co. (Website/Instagram)

Photo credit: Kelly Lemon Photography LISTEN TO PAPER TALK - EPISODE 7: Paper Talk Round Table: Let’s Talk Shop Today we are chatting with three talented Paper Florists, Kelly Grace Gibbons, Susan Bonn, and Jessa Parker, about their businesses and honing their craft.Read what Susan Bonn has to share about her paper florist journeyTell us a bit about your paper flower businessI started making paper flowers about 4 years ago. It was a hobby for me while still working my corporate job. After my retirement last year, I moved to a full-time career as a paper florist, and I’m so glad I did!My flowers are all made to order. I make flowers for all occasions and gift-giving. I love to personally deliver my flowers to their new owner—the look on the face of the recipient is priceless!!!How would you describe your paper flowers and/or your aesthetic?I’m a pretty structured in my personal style, so my flowers reflect that aesthetic. I like to make my flowers look as realistic as possible. I use dissection of fresh cut florals as my inspiration. I’m working on making some less structured blooms, with more movement and fluidity in the structure—It’s a learning process. What do you find the most challenging and rewarding about having a paper flower business?Running your own business is hard!Making flowers is the fun part, for sure, but there are many daunting tasks associated with running your own business. It’s been challenging learning website design and maintenance, not to mention keeping up to date bookkeeping and business software. What advice would you give to new paper flower artists?Have fun! Pick up a pair of scissors and just start cutting. You’ll be surprised at what you can do. Learn from nature-Mother Nature is so willing to share her creations. Pick a flower from your garden and take it apart—you’ll see how Mother Nature put it together!Reach out to your fellow paper florists! There’s lots of helpful information to access. Many of us have classes that can be viewed on platforms such as Teachable. Don’t get to caught up in making it a business. Learn the basics. Make lots of mistakes. The business part will come later and you’ll be better prepared. What’s one tool you unexpectedly fell in love with and now use regularly? Coloring tool or medium, shaping tool, scissors, etcOmg—Life Changing Blending brushes from Picket Fence!These are a game changer for me I have several sets that I use to lay down pan pastels on paper.Jessa Parker says:Tell us a bit about your paper flower business I’ve been making paper flowers since 2015. I started with my wedding where I made all of the boutonnières, bouquets, and decor using cardstock paper. From there, I took a year to build up a library of flower designs and to figure out where I wanted to fit in the paper flower community. I chose the wedding industry because I love making something that’s custom to each couple and something that they can display in their home as a token of their favorite day.How would you describe your paper flowers and/or your aesthetic? My aesthetic tends to lean toward clean and tight like the way fresh flowers look right before they open.What do you find the most challenging and rewarding about having a paper flower business? The most challenging aspect is how to correctly price my items. It took a while to gain the confidence to call what I do more than just crafting in my spare time. This is my art, my style, my designs, and my time away from family that I’m sharing with clients and the price of my work should reflect that. The most rewarding part about being a paper florist is, hands-down, the moment you present the items to the bride/groom. The excitement, appreciation, and awe in their face is unbeatable.What advice would you give to new paper flower artists? Start conversations within the paper florist community!! Ask questions, tell us about your work, share what inspires you and what your goals are for your flowers. Communication leads to friendships which leads to recommendations and opportunities.What’s one tool you unexpectedly fell in love with and now use regularly? Coloring tool or medium, shaping tool, scissors, etc My favorite tools are the Create It lollipop sticks for rolling along with Sculpey style & detail tools and a thick yoga mat for a cardstock version of cupping.Kelly Grace shares her story:Tell us a bit about your paper flower business My studio is located in Frenchtown, NJ. I have a storefront with good visibility and I can sit a decent number of adults Comfortably. I live with my family 15 minutes from my studio in Union Township. It’s a beautiful area. I recently rebranded my business name to Paper Floral Co. My store sign still says Crafting Space with Kelly Grace. I have been making paper flowers for two years now!I began making paper flowers during the summer of 2017, after I got married. I was a little depressed, and was not feeling my best. I wasn’t working at the time and I had just finished some pretty intense college classes right before my wedding. I started with wood flowers, and moved on to book page flowers and I found some success with those. I discovered a video of a someone making a crepe paper echinacea, I think it may have been Tina from ABC TV. One video led to another and I discovered Lia Griffith and then Amity from Florabeane, and then the Paper Florist Facebook group. I purchased supplies from Lia Griffith to make some crepe paper flowers, and a couple of paper flower books off Amazon. Livia Cetti’s camellia was my first tutorial. I just began to continuously make and create. I began to feel so much better, and I now truly believe there is merit to Creative Therapy in healing depression. Recreating nature using paper was a great alternative medicine for me. It’s not to say that medicine isn’t the better choice for others but for me, creating flowers was impactful. Then grew the thought that this could be my job, and that was very much appealing to me. So I took the basic steps to start a biz and continued to create. Fast forward two years and here I am! 2. How would you describe your paper flowers and/or your aesthetic? I’m still growing into my aesthetic and I love color of all shades and tones but I seem to consistently have a bold beauty thing going on. 3. What advice would you give to new paper flower artists? Practice and practice and just create. Unplug from social media if you can and just do you. Your style will emerge and will be perfect. 4. What’s your favorite tool and/or material to use?Pretty basic, but Tacky glue and doublette are my highest volume materials. But I sure do love my extra fine tipped glue gun too! I like my bone folder and my pan pastels. As paper florists, aren’t we all craft tool junkies? 5. What’s one thing you want people to know about paper flowers or the paper florist industry? It’s a beautiful art and it’s a growing trend that is here to stay for a while! Like floral design, it’s a multi faceted industry. Value your time! You can learn more about each of these creative ladies on their social media platforms:Susan Bonn, Susan Bonn Designs (website/Instagram)Jessa Parker, 14keys_design (Instagram)Kelly Grace Gibbons, Paper Floral Co. (Website/Instagram)

It’s the first Friday of May and it’s finally getting warm out! LOVE this time of year! This week on the bench time podcast with Todd & Brett Wiley we have fellow modeler, kit instruction writer and fan of the show Dave Kruiswyk on to talk some shop about what he’s working on currently. We are all over the place on this episode and we cover our current builds, some of the kits and projects that Dave has been working on as well as some talk about a few new kits that are coming out with the instructions he worked on. Dave also talks about his Schwarz build which was in dedication of the late Tom Schwarz and part of a build “contest” (all for fun) as part of the Modelers Forum. Dave also has his own model railroading and model building facebook page that you need to “like” and check out! Dave’s Workbench on Facebook is where he shares progress of some of his work as well as many other posts re-shared from a large collective of great facebook model builders! Contest Info: Last week’s winner of the Podcast Contest was Brian Tucker! Thanks for posting that photo of your son’s new DCC locomotive, I hope you both enjoy the new kit coming your way! This week’s contest: Post a photo in the comments section on our HO Scale Customs facebook page of your favorite trackside scene! This can be a small scene, large scene, building, rr crossing, literally any trackside scene that you just love on your layout! Post the pics before midnight Thursday for a chance to win a small craftsman ho scale kit! Love our show? Support us here! If you love our weekly show and live videos, consider supporting our efforts here: https://hoscalecustoms.com/support  Sculpey Shirts are BACK! They were MIA for a little while as we switched shirt vendors, but the "Hello my name is Sculpey" shirts are BACK! Grab yours here: Hello My Name is Sculpey T-Shirts

This week we have fellow modeler Dave Kruiswyk on the show and we get back to some of our roots of the podcast where we talk primarily about our modeling and what we enjoy most... Things on our workbench! Dave is very active online and if you want to follow along with what he has going on with his work and on the workbench, you can follow his Facebook page, Dave's Workbench. We really enjoyed having Dave on the show and we're really excited that he came up with the name for the new Official HO Scale Customs Mascot: Sculpey the Seagull, who is also the artwork for this week's episode! You'll be seeing Sculpey popping into the blog and photos from time to time here

In this interview they talk about who inspires them as creatives, which famous artists and sculptors they would invite to dinner, how they got started in the industry, their brilliant forum of sculptors, what they would be doing if they weren't sculptors and much much more. Special thanks to Lance Lones for his vocal intro and outro! Intro & Outro Music: "Zazie" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you enjoy the episode :) Sign up to our newsletter at www.paltiya.com/subscribe.html to keep up to date with us and be notified of any future classes and offers we have!

http://www.createalong.com With so many keys it can be hard to figure out which is for which. So I decided to make some simple but useful key covers to help me distinguish which key is for which door. You can embellish them any way you want after you learn the basics of making them.

http://www.polymerclaytv.com In this episode of Polymer Clay TV we show how to create beautiful silkscreen designs on your polymer clay that you can create jewelry, home decor and more with! We demonstrate the new Sculpey clay called Souffle. **Find out how you can win a multi pack of the new Souffle clay.**

Watch as Kira demonstrates why she loves Souffle Clay! And see how fun it is to create projects using flower power and fancy scallop cutters from PolymerClayTv.com

http://www.polymerclaytv.comNew Sculpey Products on Wondrous Wednesday at PolymerClayTVOn today's episode of Polymer Clay TV we share some of the new products from Polyform the makers of Sculpey and Premo clay. They have some awesome new accessories to use for the Mokume Gane technique, for stamping and adding texture to polymer clay. So many cool things to create with. Enjoy!

To see the HD (high definition) version please visit our You Tube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/PolymerclayTV http://www.polymerclaytv.comIn this episode of Polymer Clay TV we share with you some of the new colors available in the Premo brand & Sculpey 111 brand. Many of these new colors have unique inclusions in them, get a closer look.

KarenThomas.us has some fantastic blank items for beading! Wine corks, purse hooks, pens, serving ware, and lots of other functional objects are available, and many at bulk pricing if you sell your stuff at fairs. Next week we will show you some ideas of how you can finish these items off and make gorgeous items to keep, gift, or sell!

Today, chapters 14-15 of ACYiKAC! Uncle Ordover’s newest book with photography by ! And new book by Kate Rockland . This week, the excerpt! (Remember, there’s a bit of language, so be cautious with children.) Deep fryer recs gratefully accepted, up and running on iPhone/iTouch app store, Twain’s wife’s family’s first little home test knitters needed (please ), Sculpey transfers a success using a photocopy (OfficeMax) of one of my early wee little watercolors (you can see the tile and water on the paper best in the first pic). LOVED Sweater Quest (evidently separated at birth from author) Funny Shark Week photo Fun picture and a series of that I can’t share from their site. Book talk starts around 33.

Walnut Hollow has made a commitment to polymer clay, and their new products are being shown right along side the new Sculpey display- at least at our local Michaels! We got the new extruder, which is like other extruders except for the folding heavy duty handle with turn-crank! It makes it much easier to squeeze out your clay. Check out polymer clay TV for our upcoming demo. Also be sure to check out our sponsor, Audible audiobooks, where you can sign up for a free, no-strings-attached 2 week trial and download a FREE book! just use this link: http://audiblepodcast.com/polymerclaytv, and have fun!

Kira and Ilysa have new Daylight lamps, from www.daylightcompany.com. They really make a big difference in your workspace. It helps to see what you are doing- from a color and brightness point of view! Especially if you are like many home crafters and you use a corner of your living or dining room or kitchen :) On our next video, we'll show you Kira's workspace under Daylight!

In this video, Kira talks about the texture makers and a few things you could do with them.

This week we talk about life, current events, and using the Studio by Sculpey texture sheets to make a cool project- which you'll see next week on polymer clay tv.

Get out your spooky and macabre images folks, because today you're learning how to transfer them onto polymer clay to make one-of-a-kind, funky Halloween jewelry. Not just for the holiday, these designs will inspire the skull-lovin' crowd any day of the year. Now gather up your tools- you need Whipped Cream Studio by Sculpey for a super-fine transfer, or regular white of any other brand of polymer clay- and some magic transfer paper, and an image. Try Ken's images from www.craftedonline.com, that's what we used! Enjoy!

This week, I will show you just how easy it is to create a leaf cane. It's all in the cut and flip! And, as a bonus, I am caning with Studio by Sculpey clay. Some people say don't bother caning with it, I say- you just need to work with it a bit and learn its properties. You can't have-at-it as if it were Fimo or Premo, because it's not. It goes thru a pasta machine like silk- even to a number 9, without rippling like the more sticky clays. Enjoy, and don't forget to check out Polymer Clay Classroom.com, where I will be doing a project using this cane and show you a Palm leaf too.

Enjoy our video discussion on how we like the newest polymer clay by Polyform, Studio by Sculpey!  

Enjoy!

This week, we had some news- Amaco and Staedler are joining forces to bring you the Spring Bottle of Hope awards at CHA in California, and we will again be covering the show. We will also be going to Synergy soon, and then the Clay Fandango retreat in Orlando. Studio Clay by Sculpey is going to be $2.99 a bar for 2.8 ounces. A pretty good deal (unless you're used to getting your clay at Michael's on sale, unfortunately Michael's isn't carrying it- yet.) We discuss the Jan/Feb Belle Armoire Magazine, graciously given to us by Stampington and Co, and there will be links to two polymer clay artist's blogs for you to learn more about color- come check out polymerclayproductions.com to find out more about that. Finally, our topic for today is covering lumps of scrap clay with slices of cane. A very useful technique. In Polymer Clay Classroom, we show you how to make a bullseye skinner blend cane and then cover clay and shape it to make a pretty fan pull. A great way to decorate!  

This week, we talk about making ornaments for the holidays or just to hang on your walls, we review Donna Kato's book "My Favorite Things in Polymer Clay," and we have a discussion regarding the new Studio by Sculpey clay- because Kira talked to her Regional Trainer, Jane Zhou, about it. Enjoy! Come back next week for the video demo on ornament making.

If you get this on an RSS feed, you will have to visit our site to watch this week's video- Join us as we discuss our experience at the CHA show (Craft & Hobbies Association) in Chicago last weekend. It was great fun. We met a few polymer clay artists as well as representatives of the three polymer clay suppliers- Amaco, Polyform, and Makins. We did video interviews with Lynne, Tommie, and Cat which will air next Friday, and filmed Amaco’s Bottle of Hope awards. You can watch part 1 today, and part 2, as well as the interviews, will air next week. We saw Polyform’s new product, Studio by Sculpey, and got a few samples to share with you. We also talked to Donna Dewberry about the upcoming release of Studio clay in December, as well as the Home Décor projects she has planned. Some of the things displayed in the booth included wall mirrors, vases, candlesticks, votive holders, and garden tables. The clay was used sculpturally to make floral and leaf designs, as well as made to look like faux tiles. It was interesting and we will share more about this new clay as Polyform gives us the info.   It was so much fun to visit the show as Press. We were treated really well by CHA, the Press has a quiet room away from the hustle where we could have a hot drink or get cold water, sit for a minute, and conduct our interviews. This is also where we picked up catalogs and samples left by companies that wanted to get the word out about their new products. Definitely visit a CHA show if you get the chance!   We also picked up some great product samples to review and try, and some to give away. Coming soon to our shop- a prize gallery, where if you win a monthly giveaway, you can pick your prize!   Here are some links to things we talked about today- www.studiobysculpey.com (nothing there yet but stay tuned) www.makinsclay.com (air dry polymer clay…and wonderful tools) www.amaco.com (check out the Bottles of Hope auction!) www.riverpoetdesign.com (Lynne Ann Schwarzenberg- check out her classes) www.catherienarts.com (Cat- check out her free video demos on Monday nights) www.pcagoe.com – vote on your favorite representation of “Summer memories‿ to win a prize!   Don’t forget to leave us comments on our site in order to be entered to win one of our Studio by Sculpey clay samples. Also please consider writing us a review wherever you download your podcast- itunes, meefedia, yahoo, google, odeo….reviews help our rankings, so we thank you for taking the time!

Award winning Polymer Clay Artist Ilysa Bierer and Art Educator Kira Slye introduce you to Polymer Clay Podcast this week. We offer an introductory exploration of the history of polymer clay, the popular polymer clay brands, and the many tools that can be used to create art and crafts with polymer clay. A brief history: in the 1930s, a German doll artisan was looking for a new material to make her doll heads, hands, and feet. She explored the polymers that were available and was dissatisfied. Eventually she handed off the project of finding a new clay to her daughter, whose nickname was FiFi. FiFi developed the product we know today as Fimo, named after herself. When Fimo hit the artist’s market as a colored clay with no special kiln required to cure it, a few artists became involved in pushing it as a medium for more than doll art. Nan Roche wrote the first book on polymer clay as an art medium, and called it The New Clay. Now, in 2007, there are several brands of artist’s polymer clays available on the market. Some are easier to find than others, such as the Polyform brands of Sculpey, Sculpey III, and Premo Sculpey, as well as the Fimo brands called Fimo Classic (harder to find) and Fimo Soft. Cernit is a popular German brand that is only available from retailers who import it, all online. Kato Polyclay was developed by polymer clay artist Donna Kato and it is the newest formulation of polymer clay. Ilysa’s experiences with creating art with polymer clay focused mainly on Fimo Classic which tends to be a more firm clay, very good for canework which she excels at. Kira’s experience has focused mainly on Premo, which is a softer formula. In the podcast they discuss in depth why each of them has used their favorite brand of clay. Polymer clay has become a popular material for art and craft due to it’s working properties- you don’t need any special tools or materials to work with it, and most of them can be found in, you guessed it- your kitchen! But we caution that even though polymer clays are non-toxic, any tools, including ovens, that are used with clay should be dedicated to clay and not returned to food use. Polymer clay does release fumes during the oven curing process, and these will coat the inside of your oven. For this reason some artists will bake pieces inside an enclosed metal roasting pan, a dedicated toaster, or a dedicated countertop convection oven. Many professional artists prefer the convection oven because it has the most even cooking temperatures. We recommend that you purchase an oven thermometer to be sure your oven dials are accurate and that your clay is being cured at the right temperature. Some popular kitchen items that can be used with clay: marble rolling pins and cutting boards, garnishing tools, pasta machines, cheese graters, food processors, bamboo skewers, fondant shapers, and vegetable peelers. Other necessary tools include a work surface such as a tile or piece of glass, a sharp thin blade, an acrylic rolling pin, rubber stamps, texture sheets, interesting textured materials such as fabric or tree bark, inks, linoleum cutting tools and brayers, wax carving tools, wire, tinfoil, magnets, and leather tools. In fact, almost any tool that can be used to shape, cut, or impress can be adapted to use with polymer clay. Any material that can withstand the usual curing temperature of 275 degrees Fahrenheit can be stuck into the clay and baked along with it and a few artists have taken this technique to interesting limits. Gemstones, Swarovski Crystals, Pearls, glass bits, metal parts, and other found objects have all been baked into polymer clay artworks with great success. We hope you enjoy listening to our first podcast dedicated entirely to polymer clay. Make sure to come back next week and watch Polymer Clay TV- where we will demonstrate in detail the use of many tools we talked about today. Please subscribe to our newsletter as well, so you won’t miss a thing.

In this episode, Ilysa Bierer and Kira Slye discuss how they met on Etsy.com, through the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy.com also known as PCAGOE. Both hosts live in Florida, Ilysa in North Florida and Kira in South Florida. They meet to film their videocast and use the internet to record their podcast about the popular art and craft medium of polymer clay. This includes the oven bake clays you can find at craft stores under the brand names Fimo, Premo, Sculpey and Sculpey III, as well as Cernit (another German brand) and Kato Polyclay. Listen to hear all about their upcoming plans for tutorials, webisodes (videocasts), podcasts, and products. Make sure to tune in on June 1 at Polymerclayproductions.com, when Episode 1 is released. You can also browse the shop and talk in the forum and read much more about your Hosts and polymer clay in general on the website.