Mermaid on Red Vase

 Translucent polymer clay sculpted onto a crystal vase.

Detail of vase.  I ended up removing all of the first layer because it felt too busy.  I ended up with the swirls of seaweed and liked it better.

Floating Tree

I "finger painted" the translucent polymer clay onto both sides of this leaded crystal vase.

Mermaid

Translucent polymer clay sculpted onto glass vase.

Another Mermaid

Translucent polymer clay sculpted onto glass vase.

Translucent Polymer Clay

Translucent polymer clay sculpted onto blown glass.

Polymer Pansies

Translucent polymer clay sculpted onto glass vase.

Polymer Clay Coral

I found this beautiful blown glass piece at Goodwill.  Several chips and small cracks in the very bottom, but easy to cover up.  Time consuming layering the translucent polymer clay, but worth it.

Mermaid Vase

 Translucent polymer clay sculpted onto glass vase.  While I've been recuperating from a knee replacement, I've been busy claying.

Video Tutorial

Want to learn how to sculpt translucent clay on glass?   I'm teaching how on Polyform's Polymer Clay Adventure for 2017.  A 3 payment plan is now available.  And think of the holidays - a great gift of over 20 video classes for a beloved family member or a really good friend or......treat yourself - you deserve it!  Read more about it here - http://bit.ly/Brady17!

Mermaids

 Sculpting translucent clay on glass is one of my passions.  This vase was purchased by a very good friend who fell in love with it.  It made me feel so good.

Polymer Clay Embellished

I used up some really old canes on this ceramic cowboy boot.  Didn't even make a dent in the cane stash.  I made this while ago before surgery.  I'm still in a half cast recouping from surgery at the elbow and wrist for an entrapped ulnar nerve.  Recovering soooooo slowly and can't really do anything.  Typing this left handed is hard - thank goodness for auto correct.

Polymer Clay Mermaid

I'm sculpting more mermaids. I'm using translucent polymer clay on glass vessels.  I'm trying to finish some projects before I go for elbow and wrist surgery on Tuesday.

Polymer Clay Art Vases

A quick 96 second video of my polymer clay embellished vases.  I had fun putting this together.  Some of the pieces are quite old.  The one with the beaded  curly-Qs is from the mid '90's.  Some are small.  The spiral cane covered vase is 4" tall.  Some are tall.  The leaf and petal vase is 24" tall.  Sea Nymph#1 and Sea Nymph#2 are translucent clay sculpted on glass.  The floating clouds under water  are "finger painted" on a ceramic vase.  The same with the gecko vase.  Much fun.

Gecko & Cactus Vase

I added a polymer clay gecko to this old vase.  I had this plain vase 16 or so years ago, but it cracked in the move from Chicago to Arizona in 2002.  I warmed up some polymer clay and filled in the crack from the inside to the outside and then "finger painted" with the polymer clay.  Applying it in layers and pulling it with my fingers and "smudging" it into the ceramic vase's surface.  Just like finger painting; it was really fun (click HERE).   I was aiming for an abstract cactus and really liked the way it turned out.  But, over time, I have wanted to do something else with it.  One of the advantages to polymer clay is the ability to change (add to) a finished piece even after many years.  The little gecko adds just the right amount of dimension I was looking for.  So, for now it is going to stick around for a little while more.

Polymer Clay Pitcher & Beaded Floor Vase

I wanted to see if I could successfully cover an unusually shaped pitcher made from a composite resin with my polymer clay canes. I wondered if they would bubble or crack or wear over time.

And, no, they haven't. It's a nice bright spot of color and inspiration in my studio.

I bought this wicker floor vase at JoAnn's Fabrics because I wanted something tall in my entryway. Could I leave it alone? No. I strung every last one of those beads by hand. Used up a lot of orphan beads, but also invested in real turquoise and coral chunks to give it that southwestern punch.

It also made a cool noise when moved; like rain when it hits the ground hard.

I decided to sell it at our local art and craft fair and had $145 on it. People kept asking if they were eyeglass holders. I mean everyone, all day thought the strands of beads were eyeglass holders. Finally, after 8 hours of this, I removed it from my table, removed the pricetag and set it on the floor behind me. I had about 6 people looking over what was left on my table and a lady walked up, asked how much for the beaded thing behind me. I was so tired, I said $45 and she shouted "sold" so loud everyone laughed. It was a huge bargain at $145, but ridiculous at $45. Another hard lesson learned. Had I displayed it on the floor where it belonged and clearly marked it "Beaded Floor Vase, $145" and indicated the materials used, I think it would have sold. Also, I should have left the pricetag on because I could have said I made a mistake; that it was priced, $145, not $45. Hindsight is 20/20, but I also have to say I have never seen anyone so thrilled in my life and that eased the pain somewhat.

Polymer Clay Vases (no faces)

This vase is the largest I have attempted. It is 9" wide x 14" tall. I made a leaf cane and a petal cane in various sizes and used an acrylic roller to apply them. I wanted it seamless, so I took an inordinate amount of time to manually smooth each area.

I cured it at 260 degrees for about an hour. After curing and cooling, I put on my magnifier and checked for bubbles and/or cracks and luckily, there were none. Very happy with the curing, color combinations and smooth texture.

This vase was an attempt to visually vary the canes and their placement on each side of a square vase to create interest. It's different, but I need symmetry. I've hung on to it because I love the colors, but am happy with the exercise.

I read jewelry artist, Kelly Russell's blog, Beadfuddled, where she talks about doing workshops for herself, challenging her creativity. She had a piece of jewelry she was using as an inspiration piece, but she did not want to "copy" it, but to create something completely different from it. The piece she created was an upside down interpretation that was stunning. Not quite related to vases, but to pushing the envelope. Pushing creativity; starting one thing and letting it take over, following its lead. Getting wonderfully lost in the process. Heaven in a nutshell.

Brady's Finger Painting With Polymer Clay Technique

I know, you're asking yourself, "Finger painting with polymer clay? What?" But it is. Had this vase that I loved and in the process of moving to Arizona, it cracked. It didn't just crack a little, it cracked from the top to the bottom. I warmed up some green, copper and gold. Took a smidge of green and smashed it on there. The warmth from my fingers allowed it to thin as I applied pressure and it became easy to build layers. Took some copper and applied it over the green, pulling the ends out to resemble a cactus.

Added some gold here and there and that was it for the outside. The crack was covered and I was happy with the design. I did the same on the inside where the crack was apparent, finger painting a cactus design. I have a large convection oven just for curing polymer clay so the vase fit perfectly on its side. So far so good; the polymer has not chipped, cracked or peeled in six years.