Polymer Clay

miscellaneous topics, tutorials, and resources for prospective clayers...

potential future topics include:

History of Polymer Clay as Fine Art
Resources for learning clay - most informative clay blogs
Artists of note in Polymer Clay
My own beliefs re Art-Craft-Clay-Play-Creating-The-Medium-As-A-Whole

Resources for learning how to work with polymer clay

Books I've read on the topic:

Polymer Clay: Global Perspectives by Cynthia Tinapple - polymer clay art around the world! and some sweet projects, as well.
The Art of Polymer Clay Millefiori Techniques by Donna Kato - canes in polymer clay and projects you can make with them
Polymer Clay Creative Traditions by Judy Belcher - history of polymer clay techniques, highlights polymer clay's role as an imitator of other, finer art materials including wood, metal - shows how to emulate those effects.
Polymer Clay Color Inspirations by Lindly Haunani and Maggie Maggio - provides exercises for developing your own color schemes and understanding how to apply color theory to polymer clay.

For other books, visit the bibliography on Polymer Art Archive. most (all?) of the polymer clay books I've checked out from the library were recommended by this bibliography.

YouTube Tutorials:

How to make a flower cane This was the first cane tutorial I ever watched!! I still think about it a lot because it's easy to follow and taught me the basics really well.
Valentine Canes Tutorial A free video from the incredible Meg Newberg of Polymer Clay Workshop! She has a great Patreon with highly detailed tutorials, especially if you're interested in learning to layer translucent cane slices.
The Knot Cane by Philip Wiegard, one of my favorite contemporary polymer clay artists. This is a challenging cane, but his instructions are very clear.
Morris Cane Tutorial If you're interested in making complex Kaleidoscopes, I recommend Fiona Abel-Smith!
Simple violet flower cane by Kalyana Design Tutorials. She has a really lovely channel... hundreds of tutorials! And a very creative approach to clay.

Blogs/Websites:

Under Construction

Inspirational Clay Artists

Generally, I find myself most drawn to the style of clayers who were especially active in the 80s-early 2010s, as their methods -- canework, blends, beadmaking, and veneers -- align with my own interests when working with the medium. The artists with whom I'm most aligned often implement a strong use of color, a mastery of finishing techniques, and a true passion for polymer clay as a fine art medium. They see the potential in this cheap stuff, which is often shrugged off as a toy or "craft" material (a topic for another day...), and they remind us that it isn't the fineness of the material, but rather the artist, which makes a piece captivating.

This is not a definitive list, as the accessibility of polymer clay means that new creators (and techniques!) are often emerging. And one of the most powerful aspects of this medium is the community, which is often experienced online, from one's home, or through a local guild. Thus, I could never list all of the clayers who have contributed to polymer clay's development -- many of them are private or lesser-known. Rather, this is a personal list of inspirational artists whose work I turn to when I feel stuck.

note: all images are property of the artists. I will link back to the artists' sites when possible.

Melanie West (Maine, USA) Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Morbi quis nulla purus. Maecenas et dui ipsum. Nam mollis sagittis massa, consectetur laoreet eros interdum sed. Sed leo neque, congue eu posuere quis, ullamcorper sed lorem. In in venenatis diam, a scelerisque libero. Sed semper sem eu justo condimentum, quis vestibulum ligula ultricies. Suspendisse potenti. Nulla placerat condimentum diam sed vestibulum. Maecenas turpis felis, mattis ut ligula eget, sollicitudin malesuada neque. In rutrum facilisis mauris et condimentum. Nulla iaculis erat ultrices ipsum facilisis, non viverra augue lobortis.
Pier Voulkos (Oakland, CA, USA) Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Morbi quis nulla purus. Maecenas et dui ipsum. Nam mollis sagittis massa, consectetur laoreet eros interdum sed. Sed leo neque, congue eu posuere quis, ullamcorper sed lorem. In in venenatis diam, a scelerisque libero. Sed semper sem eu justo condimentum, quis vestibulum ligula ultricies. Suspendisse potenti. Nulla placerat condimentum diam sed vestibulum. Maecenas turpis felis, mattis ut ligula eget, sollicitudin malesuada neque. In rutrum facilisis mauris et condimentum. Nulla iaculis erat ultrices ipsum facilisis, non viverra augue lobortis.
Sarah Shriver (California, USA) Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Morbi quis nulla purus. Maecenas et dui ipsum. Nam mollis sagittis massa, consectetur laoreet eros interdum sed. Sed leo neque, congue eu posuere quis, ullamcorper sed lorem. In in venenatis diam, a scelerisque libero. Sed semper sem eu justo condimentum, quis vestibulum ligula ultricies. Suspendisse potenti. Nulla placerat condimentum diam sed vestibulum. Maecenas turpis felis, mattis ut ligula eget, sollicitudin malesuada neque. In rutrum facilisis mauris et condimentum. Nulla iaculis erat ultrices ipsum facilisis, non viverra augue lobortis.